Atrium Health Women’s Care Natural Family Planning OB/GYN

At Atrium Health Women’s Care Natural Family Planning OB/GYN in Indian Trail, NC, we believe optimal health can be achieved by learning and listening to your body’s natural functions. By helping you develop a deep understanding of how your body works – especially your hormones – we can guide you to more holistic methods of planning or preventing pregnancy.

In addition to family planning, we offer comprehensive obstetric and gynecologic care for women at every age and stage of life. This includes well-women exams, treatment for female-specific conditions and gynecologic surgery. We also offer expert health care and support before, during and after pregnancy, with delivery at Atrium Health Union West, a hospital designed with wellness in mind.

Whether you’re growing your family or just trying to stay healthy, count on our expert team to be by your side, with care that works with your body’s natural processes.

What is natural family planning?

Natural family planning is a way to plan for – or prevent – pregnancy, without the use of contraceptives, like birth control pills, IUDs and even condoms. Women often turn to natural family planning for personal or philosophical reasons, or simply because they don’t like the side effects of hormonal medications. 

Additional benefits of natural family planning include:

• Having a better understanding of your body’s natural processes
• Identifying and treating issues that may be masked by medication
• Eliminating hormones that may not be necessary
• Minimizing the risk of certain treatments

Natural family planning methods

Every woman’s body and cycles are different. Natural family planning examines your body’s unique rhythms throughout the month, which can include how you feel, monitoring discharge and measuring hormones in your urine. By learning your cycles and knowing what’s happening hormonally, you can better understand what your body is telling you and plan for your family’s future. 

Common natural family planning methods include:

• Creighton and Billings methods, which observe your cervical fluid and mucus to track fertile periods in your menstrual cycle
• Marquette method, which uses a fertility monitor to measure your estrogen and LH levels 
• Symptothermal method, which observes cervical mucus, basal body temperature and, sometimes, cervical position and firmness

We don’t prescribe artificial birth control, including pills and IUDs, for pregnancy prevention. Instead, we’ll help you select the best natural method based on your body’s unique cycles and hormones, as well as your personal goals for family planning. We’ll also take the time to get to know you, help you understand your body and provide resources for between visits. 

Services provided at Atrium Health Women’s Care Natural Family Planning OB/GYN

Tests and ultrasounds

• Lab tests
• In-office fetal monitoring
• Certified OB/GYN ultrasound
• First trimester screening for fetal abnormalities

Gynecologic services

• Annual exams and well-woman care 
• Cervical cancer screening including HPV testing
• Natural family planning (artificial birth control not prescribed for pregnancy prevention)
• Preconception counseling
• Breast cancer screening
• Menopausal care
• Fertility care
  • Diagnosis
  • Ovulation induction
• Medical and surgical treatment of endometriosis and fibroids
• Adolescent gynecology and counseling
• Treatment and screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Treatment of female-specific conditions, including
  • Abdominal cramping
  • Abnormal and heavy bleeding
  • Endometriosis
  • Ovarian cysts
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Vaginal infections
  • Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) management

Gynecologic surgery

• Minimally invasive options, like laser and single-incision laparoscopic surgery
• Tubal ligation reversals
• Hysterectomy
• Myomectomy
• Endometriosis resection and endometrial ablation
• Polyp removal
• Treatment of cervical dysplasia
• Incision-free treatment of uterine fibroids
• Minor in-office procedures

Obstetric services

• Preconception care
• Prenatal visits and tests
• Collaborative team of physicians
• Diagnosis and treatment of high-risk pregnancies, with access to maternal-fetal medicine specialists
• Labor and delivery
  • C-section
  • Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)
• Postpartum care
• Pregnancy and nutrition counseling
• Cord blood counseling
• Management of pregnancy-related conditions or miscarriage
• Connection to lactation support
• International board-certified lactation consultants
• Breastfeeding consultations and classes
• Treatment of breastfeeding-related conditions
• Latch and positioning techniques
• Guidance on supply, pumping and weaning