Top 9 Effective Natural Contraceptive Methods

Natural birth control options involve specific measures that individuals can do to assist avoid unplanned pregnancies. These methods of contraception are among the oldest types of contraception known. Natural birth control is frequently free and has no negative side effects. If you pick a natural birth control technique, you must be dedicated to it in order for it to be effective. These approaches need self-control and discipline. It is also advantageous if you are in a solid relationship in which you and your spouse can openly communicate and collaborate with one another. Natural contraceptive methods are termed “natural” since they are not mechanical and are not the product of hormone manipulation. Instead, these methods demand that a man and a woman refrain from having sexual relations when an egg is accessible to be fertilised by a sperm. Here are some Natural Contraceptive Methods you and your partner can try.

Natural Contraceptive Methods

Fertility awareness methods (FAMs) are based on a woman’s ability to predict when she will ovulate each month. To use a FAM, you must be aware of the signs and symptoms that suggest ovulation has happened or is likely to occur. The egg is typically discharged 14 (plus or minus 2) days before a woman’s next menstrual cycle. However, because the egg may live for 3 to 4 days (6 to 24 hours after ovulation) and the sperm can live for 48 to 72 hours (up to 5 days in fertile mucus), the real-time a woman can get pregnant is measured in weeks rather than hours or days.

FAMS can be up to 98 per cent successful, but they need a consistent and deliberate commitment, as well as significant monitoring and self-control. Although these procedures were intended to prevent pregnancy, a couple might also utilise them to improve fertility and encourage conception. Check out some of the most effective natural contraceptive methods.

 

1. Calendar Rythm Methods

The calendar rhythm technique of pregnancy avoidance is based on estimating a woman’s reproductive period using a calendar. A woman subtracts l8 days from her shortest menstrual cycle to identify her first fertile day and 11 days from her longest menstrual cycle to calculate her final fertile day based on her 12 prior menstrual cycles. She can then compute the total number of days she may ovulate. If a woman’s menstrual cycles are very irregular from month to month, she is more likely to become pregnant on a larger number of days. The calendar technique is only around 80% efficient in preventing pregnancy, and it is regarded as obsolete and useless when used alone.

2. Mucus inspection method

The mucus inspection method is based on the presence or absence of a certain kind of cervical mucus produced by a woman in response to oestrogen. Just before the discharge of an egg from her ovary, a woman will produce more watery mucus than usual (similar to raw egg white). When pushed apart, this egg-white cervical mucus (EWCM) can stretch for up to an inch. A woman can learn to detect changes in the quantity and quality of her cervical mucus by inspecting it on her underwear, pads, and toilet tissue, or she can gently take a sample of mucus from the vaginal entrance with two fingers.

She may opt to have sexual relations between the time of her last menstrual cycle and the time of cervical mucus change. It is suggested that she have sexual intercourse only every other day during this time since the presence of seminal fluid makes determining the type of cervical mucus more difficult. If the woman does not want to become pregnant, she should abstain from sexual activity for 3 to 4 days after seeing a change in her cervical mucus.

3. Basal Body Temperature Method

The basal body temperature (BBT) technique is based on the fact that a woman’s temperature lowers 12 to 24 hours before an egg is discharged from her ovary and subsequently rises after the egg is produced. Unfortunately, the temperature difference is not significant. When the body is at rest, the temperature is less than 1 degree F (approximately a half-degree C). The basal body temperature method requires a woman to take her temperature before getting out of bed every morning.

A specific thermometer that is more precise and sensitive than an oral thermometer must be used, and daily temperature changes must be carefully recorded. This must be done on a monthly basis. There are online calculators that can assist a lady in charting her basal body temperature. To utilise basal body temperature as a form of birth control, a woman should abstain from sexual activity from the moment her temperature lowers until at least 48 to 72 hours after her temperature rises again.

4. Symptothermal Method

The symptothermal approach incorporates elements of the calendar, basal body temperature, and mucus examination procedures. All of these variables are considered, as well as additional symptoms such as mild cramping and breast tenderness. During the discharge of an egg, some women suffer lower abdomen discomfort (in the region of the ovaries) (ovulation).

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5. Withdrawal Method

Using the withdrawal method, the male withdraws his penis from a woman’s vagina before ejaculating to prevent sperm from entering her vagina. Withdrawal is sometimes referred to as coitus interruptus. There are issues with utilising withdrawal as a form of contraception. Before ejaculation, a male may discharge tiny quantities of sperm. Second, a male must exercise self-control and have a fine sense of time in order to withdraw his penis from the woman’s vagina before ejaculating. Because this might be difficult for a man to accomplish effectively, the withdrawal technique is only 75-80% effective in preventing pregnancy.

6. Lactational Infertility

Lactational infertility is the belief that a mother cannot become pregnant while nursing her child. True, a woman may not ovulate as soon after giving birth as she would if she did not nurse. Women who are nursing often resume ovulating between 10 and 12 weeks following birth. However, the technique is not recommended as a sole contraceptive strategy. Because ovulation can occur prior to the return of a nursing mother’s menstrual cycle, she may begin ovulating again and be unaware that she is fertile. If this occurs and the mother engages in unprotected sexual activity, she may become pregnant while still nursing her child.

7. Ovulation Indicator Testing Kits

An ovulation prediction kit can help a woman identify when she is most likely to ovulate. This specialised kit detects the presence of the luteinizing hormone (LH) in the urine. Because luteinizing hormone stimulates egg development in the ovary, the level of LH rises 20 to 48 hours before ovulation. This spike is known as the luteinizing hormone surge, and it may be found in a woman’s urine 8 to 12 hours later. The luteinizing hormone level in the urine is measured by the ovulation prediction kit. There are a variety of ovulation prediction kits available in pharmacies, ranging from basic to sophisticated.

The woman urinates on a test stick, and the amount of luteinizing hormone is shown by a colour change. The colour intensity is related to the quantity of luteinizing hormone in her urine. Based on the dates of her past monthly cycles, a woman begins testing her urine 2 to 3 days before she expects ovulation. The two days before ovulation, the day after ovulation, and the day after ovulation are the best days for conception. Intercourse within 24 hours following the luteinizing hormone spike has the best likelihood of resulting in pregnancy. Ovulation prediction kits are generally intended to improve a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant, but they can also warn her that she is about to ovulate and should take necessary contraceptive precautions.

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8. Douching and Urination

The use of a liquid solution to wash away mucus and other forms of body waste from a woman’s vagina is known as vaginal douching. Many women prefer to incorporate frequent douching into their vaginal hygiene practice. The practice is not recommended by most doctors or the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Vaginal douching does not work as a contraceptive technique, regardless of whether a woman uses it for hygiene reasons. Active sperm can reach a woman’s cervix and even the upper section of her uterus within five minutes of ejaculation during intercourse.

Douching after intercourse cannot be done quickly enough to provide any contraceptive advantages, and it may even push sperm higher up into the uterus. Furthermore, if a woman douches within 6-8 hours after taking a spermicide, she may impair the efficacy of this contraceptive technique. Some women used to believe that getting up and urinating right after a sexual encounter would lessen their chances of becoming pregnant. They believed that gravity would make it more difficult for sperm to travel “uphill” to the uterus and that the stream of urine pouring over their vaginal area would wash away sperm in the same manner that douching does. However, just like douching, urination after intercourse does not have any contraceptive value.

9. Abstinence

Abstinence from sexual activity entails abstaining from all sexual relations. There is no sexual intercourse with a member of the opposing sex, thus a man’s sperm cannot fertilise a woman’s egg. A man or a woman might abstain from sexual activity for a set amount of time or for the rest of his or her life. Abstinence is almost entirely successful in avoiding pregnancy. Another important advantage of abstinence is that it significantly decreases the risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease. Abstinence in this sense implies abstaining from vaginal, anal, and oral sexual activity since sexually transmitted infections can be transmitted in any of these ways. It should be mentioned that sexual activities such as mutual masturbation and caressing the other partner’s genitals might, in some cases, result in the transfer of sperm during extensive mutual foreplay, potentially leading to pregnancy.

Conclusion

Hope you have understood the Natural Contraceptive Methods. You can find all such information about health education and life education on our website. If you have any queries or questions, do let us know in the comment section below. We answer all the questions and provide information only after thorough research from trusted sources. Send this article to friends and family and let them know about these Natural Contraceptive Methods.