Various contraception methods are available for couples who want to control pregnancy. Starting from natural contraception, short contraception such as injections and pills or long-term contraception such as an IUD or spiral.
However, not a few women who experience side effects so they avoid using these contraceptives. Therefore natural contraception can be an alternative choice.
The essence of a powerful natural family planning methods is to understand the woman’s fertile period. In the fertile period, the ovum or egg will come out and wait for the sperm to fertilize, so the chances of a high pregnancy occur.
Fertile period or ovulation is a time when the egg is released in once a month, about 14 days after the first day of menstruation. When an egg is released, its life span is only 24-48 hours after ovulation, in contrast to the life span of sperm which can last 3-5 days in a woman’s body.
If you want to get pregnant, sexual intercourse is highly recommended during the fertile period, but if you want to prevent pregnancy then better to avoid sexual intercourse in the fertile period.
Here are the natural contraceptive methods you can try:
1. Calendar method
Not having sex in the fertile period is the key to natural contraception. With calendar method, women must know well their menstrual cycle in order to know when the fertile period every month.
The average woman’s fertile period is on day 10 to day 17 after the first day of menstruation. This applies if the normal menstrual cycle is 28 days. But we have to know that female hormone cycle are different each other.
To know the fertile period is easy, record your menstrual schedule every month to find out the duration of your menstrual cycle then use this following formula:
- First fertile day: Shortest cycle time minus 18.
- The last fertile day: The longest cycle length minus 11.
If you have trouble calculating manually, various applications are available to automatically calculate the fertile period. Also if you want to ensure fertility, there are many best ovulation test kit that can be found at the nearest pharmacy.
2. Cervical mucus monitoring method
Cervical mucus can be a sign of your fertile period. Observe the cervical mucus before intercourse as a natural contraceptive methods.
How to prevent pregnancy with this method is very easy. Wipe the cervical mucus from the mouth of the vagina from front to back, see if the mucus is clear like egg white then it is a sign of ovulation is coming.
To prevent pregnancy, avoid having sexual intercourse from the first day of cervical mucus out with an egg white texture until three or four days later.
3. Basal body temperature method
One characteristic of ovulation is an increase in basal body temperature. Therefore this temperature contraception method becomes one of the recommended natural cycle contraception.
Basal body temperature is a state of body temperature when at rest state. This temperature can be measured using a basal thermometer.
Way too easy, measure your basal body temperature every morning after wake up. Do it for a few days and record the result. Body temperature is generally consistent at 36 degrees Celsius, if there is an increase of 0.1-0.3 degrees Celsius then this is a sign of ovulation.
With this temperature based birth control, to prevent a pregnancy, delay sexual intercourse for 3-4 days after your basal body temperature rises yes!
4. Coitus interruptus method
How to prevent a pregnancy with this natural contraceptive methods almost similar to the use of condoms. The point is to prevent sperm from entering the woman’s body to prevent fertilization with an egg or ovum.
This natural contraception requires a man to immediately pull out his penis from the vagina before ejaculation. That is the reason it is called coitus interruptus.
In this way it is important for men to control themselves and know the right time when pulling his penis. This method is one of the most effective natural family planning methods because it prevents the fertilization of sperm and ovum.
Notes from DeveHealth:
Natural contraception or family planning obviously has many advantages, besides to save our money, its also prevent from various side effects that might occur.
However, this natural contraceptive method also often fails. Natural cycles effectiveness required perseverance and discipline of both partners in order to successfully control pregnancy.
