Natural Contraceptive Methods — Types and Risks You Need To Know
Being a mother is the best thing to be. Motherhood is the most beautiful and special phase of life, which every woman dreams of once in a lifetime. A mother sees her baby as a part of herself that she keeps inside her womb for 9 months and nurtures life. Women are prepared and made with the bodily structure to create a life inside themselves. Pregnancy is a blessing and a beautiful journey of bringing a new life into existence but it is better if it is a planned one with the help of natural contraceptive methods.
Intimacy is a part of a relationship between two adults, But that does not mean that one is ready for a baby. When we get intimate with it, our senses stay very active as we want to protect ourselves from unwanted pregnancy. Not every couple is ready for a baby there is a time when we are ready and prepared to bring a new life to this world and it is when we are mature enough to give that newborn a good life.
Rather than using medicines as birth control, it is better to use natural contraceptive methods, which is safe for our body and does not cause any harm to our future pregnancy, and if you are sexually active but you are not ready for pregnancy yet.
Also, pregnancy is a sensitive issue for most of the woman. They prefer to keep it with themselves until they are ready for it which also makes it a reason why you must be aware of natural birth control methods. It is a much-needed explanation that all the women who are sexually active need to understand. Today I’ll be your guide to natural pregnancy prevention methods:
Let’s look into some of the Natural Contraceptive methods -
1. WITHDRAWAL
This is the most common method used by couples who are not ready for a baby. In withdrawal the male removes his penis out of the female’s vagina just before the moment he is ready to ejaculate. Yes, that makes it obvious that he does not ejaculate inside the vagina so that his sperms do not get inside the female body. Thus, there is no chance of pregnancy. This method of contraception works for only 22% safe out of 100%. It is not a very reliable method though but works for 2 couples out of 5.
2. CALENDAR RHYTHM METHOD
The Calendar Rhythm method is another natural contraception method in which you can rely on, by calculating women’s fertility period on the calendar. This calendar is based on the past 12 menstrual cycles. You can subtract 18 days from your shortest menstrual cycle to determine your first fertile day. When there are most chances of getting pregnant. Likewise, subtract 11 days from your longest menstrual cycle to find out the last day of your fertile period.
This is how you can calculate the days of ovulation when there are maximum chances of getting pregnant. But if your menstrual cycle is quite irregular from month to month then there are very high chances of getting pregnant. The Calendar Rhythm method is 80% safe.
3. HERBS
Herbs play a major role in preventing pregnancy. These herbs are not preferred over other Chemical-based agents, Synthetic hormones, and other popular methods of birth control by a few people. Few herbs that play a significant role in miscarriage and abortion are listed here:
- Thistle: It is generally preferred by native Americans, where they use to drink hot tea with Thistle herb into it to cause infertility, miscarriage, or abortion and to stop pregnancy after intercourse without any protection.
- Ginger Root: If you get late for your menses dates and doubt of being pregnant, It is suggested that you should drink at least 5 to 6 cups of ginger tea per day to start your menstruation. Other than this you can also take a teaspoon of dried ginger powder mix it with hot water and drink it. This is a very effective remedy to start your menstrual cycle.
- Seeds of Wild Carrot: In so many parts of India, immediately after sexual intercourse women eat a spoonful (teaspoon) of wild carrot seeds. This prevents pregnancy. They continue taking it a teaspoon of wild carrot seeds daily to prevent the process of implantation and conception.
Among many natural contraception methods, herbs are the most effective and safe way to prevent pregnancy. During the early periods, women used to rely the most on this method of contraception suggested by the Vaidyas (Ayurvedic Doctors).
4. BASAL BODY TEMPERATURE
This method of natural contraception deals with women’s body temperature. You need to observe her body temperature. 12 to 24 hours before the ovary releases eggs the temperature drops about 1F. This is the period of high fertility and one should avoid indulging in sexual activity to prevent pregnancy. This period of high fertility ends with a drop in temperature until 48 to 72 hours after it returns to the normal body temperature.
You can also learn here how to avoid pregnancy after sex with these 5 Perfect Backup Plans.
RISK ASSOCIATED WITH NATURAL CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS
Although natural contraceptive methods are safe, low in cost, cost-free sometimes but they are not 100% reliable. Yes, they are effective when used in the right way but then there is 25 to 35 percent of chances that these might not work all the time.
If you are looking forward to using natural methods of contraception you must have good fertility awareness. Also, you should always be ready with an emergency option for avoiding pregnancy in case if the natural method you use for contraception fails.
You might sometimes get confused in calculating the fertile period and ovulation period. This can lead to unwanted pregnancies.
- Natural Contraception methods are not 100% safe, as we cannot rely on that alone. There is a 75%chances of getting pregnant when using natural contraceptive methods.
- You might fail to calculate the exact fertile period and ovulation period which might lead to unwanted pregnancy.
- If your Menstrual cycle is quite irregular from month to month then these natural birth control methods might not work for you. It is important to have a regular period cycle. People suffering from PCOS can find this method extremely difficult.
These are the few risks associated with natural contraception.
Natural Contraceptive Methods Cons:
- You don’t need to see a doctor now and then or seek any medical advice.
- Natural Contraceptive Methods are cost-saving. You do not have to spend huge money on it.
- You don’t have to take a heavy dose of medication and procedures.
- There are no side effects on a future pregnancy, you can conceive tension free in the future whenever you want to.
- It does not cause any harm to your uterus or any other organs.
- You can avoid pregnancy with the Natural Contraceptive method at the same time keep your body safe from Chemical-based agents and Synthetic hormones.
But there are surely some pros of these methods as well. Have a look:
Natural Contraceptive Methods Pros:
It may cause blood clotting in the veins of your legs. It gets even worse if the blood clot in the vein of your leg travels to your lungs. This could be life-threatening.
- It can affect your cholesterol levels as well. Sometimes one may go through severe Migraine headaches.
- Also, it may cause high blood pressure and nausea.
RISK ASSOCIATED WITH ARTIFICIAL CONTRACEPTION METHODS
On the one hand, where artificial contraception methods give you surety of birth control, they are highly reliable, but there is still a possibility that you could become pregnant. For a few decades, pills and condoms have been the most reliable source of artificial contraception. The pills and condoms are believed to be the most effective form of contraception as these are also very affordable and easy to take. But one should know the right way to take it. Pills as an artificial form of contraception are believed to be almost 95% to 99.9% effective in preventing pregnancy. On the other hand, condoms need to be worn properly and should be checked multiple times during intercourse, as there is a chance of breaking due to friction.
- You might also need to know about ECP (Emergency Contraceptive Pills) and its benefits to avoid pregnancy.
Artificial methods of contraception are reliable but they can also cause health issues like obesity or excess weight.
It can further lead to problems like irregular periods, painful periods, menstrual cramps, and excessive bleeding. Sometimes it may result in more serious conditions like the formation of tumors in the uterus, cardiovascular diseases, etc.
So choose your contraceptive methods at your convenience. You can also use both at the same time.
Hope you find this information useful for yourself. Don’t forget to leave your feedback. I would love any suggestions from you regarding my future blogs. Till then take care and stay safe.
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Originally published at https://www.shapeshiftingmoms.com on October 13, 2020.
