Pregnancy is so beautiful when it is planned and so damn scary when it’s not. However, you should not worry about these things since and enjoy sex freely. There are always good old condoms and contraceptive pills that are known to prevent pregnancy. However, there are other more ‘natural’ methods that one could opt out in order to avoid pregnancy that you should know about.
What is natural Birth Control, and how to avoid pregnancy naturally?
Birth Control or contraception is a method of avoiding unwanted pregnancies. These methods usually include using condoms, post-coitus contraceptive pills, etc. These methods are fairly popular, and people generally towards these.
However, in recent times people are opting more for natural contraceptive methods that do not include ingesting any sort of oral contraceptive pills. The primary reason for such a shift is that oral contraceptive pills contain chemicals and hormones that can have damaging effects in the long run. As a result, this overall shift is quite understandable.
Natural birth control methods can be generally divided into two categories, fertility awareness, and herbal methods. Both of these methods are effective. However, to increase the effectiveness, you and your partner both have to be dedicated and be on the same page. An open line of communication between you guys would make things more efficient.
Fertility Awareness:
These methods are solely dependent on how much you know about your or your partner’s body. Sounds cryptic? Do not worry; we are here to help you in getting through the article.
To put it simply, you just have to track your ovulation to have an idea about the days when you are ovulating. These are the days you must avoid having unprotected sex, as there would be a higher chance of you getting pregnant.
Experts claim effective usage of the methods that fall under the fertility awareness category can lessen your odds of getting pregnant by 5%. Therefore, having a proper knowledge about these methods can certainly help you know how to avoid pregnancy naturally. Let’s go!
Rhythm Method:
Experts claim that this is an extensive method that requires a lot of hard work. You would need to track your cycles for at least six months before you can start employing this method. Subsequently, once you have all the data you need, you will have to do some math to get your precise date.
Start by subtracting 18 days from your shortest cycle during this period of tracking. Thereafter, count how many days after your next period. You have the starting date of your ovulation period.
Then take your longest cycle and subtract 11 days from that. Then repeat the second leg of the process again, and count those many days after your next period. Now you have the final date of your ovulation period. Once you get the data, use it to find your ovulation bracket and avoid having sex during that period. However, this method relies heavily on the uniformity of your cycle. Therefore, it can sometimes be difficult to track.
Standard Days Method:
This is kind of similar to the Rhythm Method but simpler. It sets the same dates, that is, from day 8 through 19, as the ovulating period for everyone. There are apps that can help you use this method or track your ovulating cycle.
Again, the reliability of these methods depends heavily on the assumption that your cycle is regular. Therefore, one can say these methods provide us with general assumptions. If you are somebody with an irregular cycle, then it is advisable that you look for something that is best suited to your situation.
Cervical Mucus Method:
As the name suggests, in this method, you have to check your cervical mucus. During the ovulation period, you will notice that your body is oozing more cervical mucus when compared with other days in your cycle.
Cervical mucus on days when you are ovulating would be clear, slippery, and stretchy, like egg whites. Using your fingers or tissues can help you understand if you are ovulating. However, you need a keen eye and some experience to identify the texture of your mucus correctly.
Basal Body Temperature Method:
Monitoring your body temperature can oftentimes tell you about your ovulation cycle. For this method, you need a device called a basal body temperature thermometer. You need to use this apparatus at a specific time every day.
While ovulating, your body temperature would almost go up by 1 degree Fahrenheit. You could also look out for signs of sore breasts, backaches, or bloating.
One big drawback of this method is that higher body temperatures are also indicative of a myriad of other things like if you have a fever, are stressed, sleep late, drink alcohol, etc. Therefore, pinpointing whether you are ovulation or just hungover is quite difficult.
Withdrawal Method.
Also known as ‘pulling out.’ Here, the male partner pulls his penis out of your vagina before ejaculating. However, experts claim that the success rate of this method is just 22%. Therefore, it is not a reliable method.
Secondly, before a person ejaculates, a pre-ejaculate fluid comes out. This can sometimes contain a small amount of sperm and, therefore, can cause pregnancy.
Herbal Method.
This method is rather simple of all. However, we have to take a moment to clarify that this method mostly falls under the category of home remedies. However, they, too, have proven to be contraceptive in nature from time to time. Here are 10 food that you can try in order to avoid pregnancy: –
- Papaya.
- Pineapple.
- Apricot.
- Ginger.
- Dried figs/Anjeer.
- Cinnamon.
- Asafoetida/Hing.
- Juniper berries.
- Parsley.
- Neem.
Now, one huge drawback is that not all of these methods are proven to work all the time. Therefore, there is always a margin of error that you need to be aware of. Nonetheless, you can give them a try if you feel the need to.
Ending note.
Pregnancy is a huge deal. There should be careful planning that has to go into it. However, there are ways that can help us to prevent unplanned pregnancies. All of these methods are known to do the same, and they do it naturally. No medical setup, no money, no hassle. However, the catch is that you need to be very precise and sure about what you are doing. Otherwise, those efforts would mean nothing. Still, knowledge always helps; therefore, knowing about these things would not hurt you. So, now you know how to avoid pregnancy naturally. Ciao!
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