Couples have been practicing natural birh control methods and techniques for centuries to avoid pregnancy. In Todays age, our knowledge in biology, enabled us to develop fertility awarness methods that are efficent just as condoms or pills are.
But not all natural birth control methods are the same, some are based on different princepalls, some are harder to practice and some are more efficent than others.
10 Natural Birth Control Methods
The natural contraception methods presented below are aimed for preventing pregnancy in a natural way, according to a the female body’s natural symptoms.
Important! Non of the methods below are suitable for preventing STDs
1. The basal body temperature method
The temperature method means that you track your temperatures (with a speacial monitor) on a daily basis and use this info to know when your safe days are . You can also predict your fertile days ahead of time with great accuracy.
All you need to do is check your basal (at rest) body temperature every morning and your monitor will simply tell you whether it’s safe to have sex today or not.
What my basal body temperatures have to do with my fertility?
When you’re fertile your body is making more of a hormone called Estrogen. The rise Estrogen in your body is causing the basal temperature in your body to rise.
In other words, when you’re fertile your temperatures are slightly higher.
How does it work?
The basal body temperature works by monitoring your body’s temperature under the tong every morning before you get out of bed.
The changes in your body’s heat will indicate your fertile status and you should have intercourse accordingly. In order to take your temperature, you can either use a regular thermometer and make the fertility assumptions yourself or you can use a fertility monitor with a built-in computer that will do all the thinking for you.
Pros
Cons
The temperature method, where to begin
Start by understanding your menstrual cycle and if it’s regular/irregular, long/short. consider reading this book who helped thousands of women understand their menstrual cycle better.
Learn more about the temperature method
If you already know your cycle and wish to try the temperature method than you can choose the monitor that is right for you and start monitoring your temperatures every morning.
2
The Billings method
The Billings Method involves tracking your cervical mucus daily in order to find your safe days.
What does my cervical mucus have to do with my fertility?
In the days prior to ovulation, your cervix produces a slightly different mucus that is more suitable for sperm cells to survive in.
The mucus in your fertile days and prior to them is thinner and clearer therefore if you know how to recognize that change you can avoid sex in those days or use protection and by that avoid unwanted pregnancy.
Pros
Cons
How to start with the Billings method?
If you feel this method can work for you I suggest you start by reading this book and visiting this website which seems to have a lot of information regarding the billings method.
You should take under consideration that this method requires observing your own mucus every day (using your hands) and to go through with it one should have the time and the open-mindedness to do so.
3
The Creighton method
Just like the Billings method, the Creighton method also relies on understanding the changes that occur in a woman’s cervical mucus to find the safe days to avoid pregnancy.
Pros
Cons
How does it work?
It works by observing the cervical mucus on a daily basis.
In this method, unlike the Billings method, there are exact parameters to look for when examing your mucus. For example the thickness of the mucus and its breaking point length. Those can be translated into saying whether you are fertile or not.
4
The sympto thermal method
[RECOMMENDED]
This method is a combination of the temperature method and the billings method. Therefore it includes both recording your temperatures and your cervical mucus to know when you are fertile and when you are not.
How does it work?
You will need to check both your temperature and your cervical mucus on a daily basis. A rise in temperature, as well as changes to the cervical shape, will indicate that ovulation days are approaching and therefore to a decision on whether to have sex today or not.
The cervical test is done by hand and the temperature test is done by a simple thermometer or by a fertility monitor.
This method is like double checking to be extra safe because just the temperature method by itself is highly effective.
Read more about the sympto thermal method here
Pros
Cons
Where To Start The Sympto Thermal Method?
Start by reading this book, that will really help you understand how your temperature and cervix mucous are affected by your fertility and what are the things you need to pay attention to.
After that, I suggest you choose a fertility monitor that you are comfortable with and can rely on for the long run.
5
The Marquette method
[RECOMMENDED]
The Marquette Method is a natural contraceptive method to monitor your safe days according to the hormonal changes that occur in your urine status.
How does it work?
When you are ovulating (fertile) the levels of two hormones in your urine change. One is estrogen and the other is called luteinizing hormone (LH).
Special monitors can recognize the changing levels in your body and notify you when you are fertile.
This method actually works a lot like a typical pregnancy test.
What do I need to do?
This method requires you to take a urinal test every mourning using the one-time-use stick and then insert it into the monitor for a reading. After the reading, the monitor will then let you know if you are fertile today or not along with a fertility forecast for the next few days.
Pros
Cons
Where to start?
The most famous brand that works according to this method is ‘Clearblue’
Their monitor is very popular and highly effective.
It’s also a bit cheaper compared to other monitors.
6
The electrolyte method
[RECOMMENDED]
The method claimed accuracy: 98.3%
With electrolyte based natural contraception methods, your fertility status will be determined according to the level of electrolytes such as Sodium and Potassium in your body.
How does it work?
The levels of electrolytes such as sodium and potassium in your body rise according to the rise in the hormone estrogen. And since a rise in estrogen levels indicates that you are ovulating, so does a rise in electrolytes levels. Therefore monitors that can recognize a rise in sodium and potassium can tell you when you are fertile.
What do I need to do?
If you wish to practice this method with the Ovacue monitor you will need to perform two tests on yourself every mourning. The monitor comes with two sensors, one for reading the electrolytes on your tong and the other for reading the level of electrolytes in your cervical mucus.
At first, you will need to place the tong sensor on your tong for 5 seconds, then, except for the days of your period, you will need to place the vaginal sensor on your vagina for a few seconds as well.
After that, the sensor will simply inform you whether you are fertile or not.
Pros
Cons
Where to start?
Start by asking yourself if this kind of self-examination is right for you.
If so then you can get the Ovacue monitor here. Read the instructions and start using the device.
7
Ava bracelet
The method claimed accuracy: 89%
The Ava bracelet is a wearable fertility monitor that can deliver ongoing and accurate information for women throughout their menstrual cycle only from the info it gathers from their wrist during night sleep.
How does it work?
The bracelet will monitor a few factors like skin temperature, resting pulse rate, breathing rate and more while being on your wrist every night. The monitor than analyzes this data and transmit it to your phone app automatically. You can then look at your phone for your fertile forecast and more interesting information about your menstrual cycle.
What do I need to do?
You will need to wear a bracelet every night. that’s it.
The bracelet and the phone up will do all the thinking for you automatically.
Pros
Cons
How to start?
Start by reading online reviews and if you like what you see go forward with buying the ava bracelet here.
8
Phone apps
The method claimed accuracy: 93%
Phone applications basically work according to the temperature method.
The application will showcase days where it could be safer to have sex and days when it’s not safe to have sex.
How does it work?
Specific temperature changes in a woman’s body can indicate a change in hormones levels. By following your temperatures on a daily basis and listing them into the phone app you will be able to know when you are fertile and whether you should have sex that day or not.
Pros
Cons
What do I need to know?
Measure your basal temperature under the tong every morning using a simple thermometer and insert the result to the phone app.
9
The withdrawal method
[NOT RECOMMENDED]
Withdrawal is a popular natural contraception method among many couples, but not a very efficient one.
How does it work?
In the withdrawal method while having sex the man pulls out his penis out of the vagina before he has the chance to ejaculate. This action may seem safe for people who are not aware of pre-ejaculation.
Why is it not recommended?
Because of pre-ejaculation.
During sex, a man will unknowingly pre-ejaculate fluids through arousal even before he fully ejaculates! In the case of unprotected sex, this fluids will be released inside the vagina prior to ejaculation. The problem is these fluids can contain up to 300,000 sperm cells! As it only takes just one sperm to make it to the egg chances of getting pregnant using this method are too high.
As the withdraw method does lower the chances of getting pregnant, this is a natural conception method but it can be considered weak at best.
Pros
Cons
10
The calendar method
[NOT RECOMMENDED]
This is another natural contraception method that is only halfway there but is still worth mentioning.
Read more about this method and why we don’t recommend it here
How does it work?
In this type of natural contraception methods you first need to know how long is your menstrual cycle, or in other words how many days pass between your periods on average (finding it out by yourself takes at least 4 months) Once you know how long your cycle is there is a technique that can roughly predict your fertile days, and you can avoid sex on those days accordingly.
*I’m not getting into more details about this technique because it’s not really safe, if you wish to practice it I’m sure you can find more details somewhere else online.
Why is it not recommended?
It’s not recommended since your menstrual cycle changes from month to month and therefore you cannot solely rely on it to predict your fertile days. It is just not accurate enough.
Chances of finding yourself pregnant when relying solely on this method are too high and therefore we do not recommend it.
Pros
Cons
Where to start?
Just download a phone app to your liking, get an accurate basal body thermometer and start inserting the results of your morning tests into the app. The app will do the rest and supply you with the info you need.
Which method is best for you?
Choosing the right natural contraception methods can be confusing and overwhelming.
The method Most recommended by us is the temperature method because it’s highly effective, simple to use and 100% natural.
For more information about natural contraception methods
I always suggest women at the beginning of the journey to start by reading this book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It is an excellent resource guide that you can start with. Knowing more about the theory behind natural contraception will make the decision of which method to go with much easier,
I hope you found the natural contraception methods to work for you,
for any questions please comment below!
More about natural contraception
- 10 Natural contraception Methods
- Basal body temperature Method Pros & Cons
- Can natural birth control save you money?
- How effective is natural family planning?
- Beginners guide to organic contraception
- How to practice the rhythm method the safe way
- Sympto thermal method pros & cons
- Guide to the Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Method