Natural birth control is among the most popular options of couples who are into family planning. This is because natural birth control does not only ensure the health of the woman but also helps them to save money by not buying contraceptives or undergoing birth control procedures.
Although natural birth control is among the safest in terms of health, this does not ensure 100 per cent effectiveness since there are no chemicals and procedures that would back up the process. For those who are planning to have natural birth control as a means of family planning, they should understand that this birth control option cannot work for everyone, especially for those who have busy and erratic schedules.
Couples must understand that though natural birth control will have no side effects, utmost dedication and attention should be given for it to work.
Natural birth control options
Once you have decided to get into natural means of family planning, it is always best that the couples are educated about the choices they will make.
Being educated means that the couple has enough knowledge about the pros and cons of their options and will help them decide which one will truly work for them:
The following are some of the natural birth options couples who would like to get into family planning can choose from:
The Standard Days Method or SDM can help couples to determine their fertility schedules. The SDM can also help the man and the woman to be protected against various sex-related diseases during and after intercourse. SDM can be used by tracking the length of the menstrual cycle and knowing when days 8 and day 19—the days wherein the woman is likely fertile—should take place. Once these days have been determined, total abstinence should be practised to ensure that no pregnancy will take place.
The CycleBeads Method. This method is closely-associated with Standard Days Method only that it uses a tool to mark fertility and menstrual dates. This tool is used in this method called the “CycleBeads,” a necklace with 32 colour-coded in it. Attached is a ring made of rubber which is placed around the beads to mark the day the woman has the menstrual cycle. But this natural birth control option is not for everybody.
Only women who have regular menstrual cycles can use this method because they have longer days of infertility and fertility levels.
3. The Ovulation Method. Also called the “cervical mucus method,” this natural birth control option is known to be effective but not to all women especially those who are not confident enough to check their cervical mucus regularly.
Here, no pregnancy will take place once there is no cervical mucus present because no venue for ovulation will be available. Women can check the cervical mucus by using their fingers, wiping a tissue on the opening of the vagina to check some mucus or wearing a liner in the underwear to check for the presence of the mucus.
If there’s a presence of sticky and stretchy mucus, it indicates that there will be ovulation in the coming days so sexual intercourse should be prohibited.
Other natural birth control options available include the “Rhythm or Calendar Method,” the “Sympto-thermal Method,” and the “Basal Body Temperature Method.”
Just like in using other birth control methods, it is always best to get the opinion of medical experts to ensure the health not only of the woman but the child as well.
