I was shocked when I saw this:
First of all, ACCORD are a Catholic group who are therefore obviously biased when it comes to sex and contraception, and as such should have no place on a supposedly medical website about safe sex. Secondly, the failure rate given here is ridiculous. From what I've read, the general consensus is that the rhythm method is totally unreliable, and the failure rate with typical use is 25%.Natural methods
Description: A woman keeps a daily record of her body temperature, changes in cervical mucus and other signs of ovulation. These tell her when she is most fertile and so when she should avoid sex or use a barrier method such as a condom or diaphragm. Natural methods should be learnt from a specially trained teacher or GP. Voluntary organisations such as ACCORD and NAOMI provide training. You will find contact details in the phone book.
Reliability: With careful use, 2 in every 100 women will get pregnant in a year. With less careful use, 2 to 20 women in every 100 will get pregnant in a year.
Am I overreacting, or is this grossly irresponsible of the HSE, particularly when you take into account the difficulty obtaining emergency contraception, and the fact that this website is clearly aimed at young people? (I'm not surprised, mind you).
I understand that there are people whose religious beliefs don't allow them to use barrier or other methods of contraception, but the medical profession should not be promoting unreliable methods like this just because they're kosher. A decent GP wouldn't recommend a homoeopathic treatment if real medicine would cure you.
Anyway, rather than just moaning, I sent an e-mail to yoursay@hse.ie . I'd advise anyone with a strong opinion on this to do the same.
-Neil