Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 5: Understand your fertility
• Part 2 of 5: Keeping track of your base temperature
• Part 3 of 5: Checking your vaginal mucus
• Part 4 of 5: Keeping the cycle on a calendar
• Part 5 of 5: Using your findings
• Warnings

More and more women are looking for ways to avoid getting pregnant without using the pill or another chemical contraceptive. If you are willing to carefully monitor your body's reproductive cycle and not have sex when you are fertile, you can avoid getting pregnant without other contraceptives. Natural contraceptives can help you understand your body better and have more control over your sex life.

To step

Part 1 of 5: Understand your fertility

1. Learn what ovulation means. Ovulation occurs when one of your ovaries releases an egg that starts moving down through the fallopian tubes. The egg is ready to be fertilized for the next 12 to 24 hours when it encounters a male seed. When that happens, the egg settles in your uterus; in other words, you get pregnant. If the egg is not fertilized in those 12 to 24 hours, it will be shed along with your endometrium and you will have your period.
   • For most women, ovulation occurs about halfway through the menstrual cycle. The cycle lasts an average of 28 days, but it can also be 24 days or less, or 32 days or more. When you have your period, the cycle starts again.
2. Learn what it means to be fertile. When you have sex, sperm cells are ejaculated into your body, where they can survive for up to five days. You can get pregnant if you have unprotected sex from five days before ovulation to the day of ovulation. This is considered your fertile period, and in order not to get pregnant, you should avoid unprotected sex during this time.
   • It sounds simple, but because every woman's cycle is different, it is actually quite difficult to pinpoint exactly when this period ends and starts.
   • What matters with contraception - natural or not - is to prevent sperm from coming into contact with your egg during your fertile period.
3. Understand how natural contraception works. Natural contraception, often referred to as fertility awareness, breaks down into two parts. First, you need to know your body's reproductive cycle well enough to pinpoint exactly when your fertile period begins and ends. Second, you should avoid having sex when there is a chance of getting pregnant. If you adhere exactly to this, this method is 90% effective. Normally it is 85% effective (1% less effective than using condoms).
   • Keeping track of your body's reproductive cycle involves three daily tasks: taking your body's basic temperature, checking your vaginal mucus, and keeping track of the results on a calendar. The combination of these methods is called the sympto-thermal method for fertility insight. Over time, you can analyze this data and have a good idea of ​​when your fertile period begins and ends.
   • The hardest part is figuring out exactly when you can or cannot have sex. Most women avoid sex as a precaution from a few days before the fertile period begins to a few days after the fertile period ends. If you still want to have sex, you can choose to use a condom or other contraceptive during this period.
   • Keeping track of your cycle is not an exact science. Due to things like weight gain or loss, stress, illness and aging, your cycle can vary considerably from month to month. For natural contraception to be effective, it is essential to use all record-keeping methods as strictly as possible and to interpret the data over time.

Part 2 of 5: Keeping track of your base temperature

1. Buy a basic thermometer. Your basal body temperature is the lowest temperature in a 24-hour period. Your body will lift a little immediately after ovulation. Keeping track of your base temperature can give you an indication of when your most fertile period is about to begin. Basic thermometers can be purchased at a drug store and should be sold with a chart that allows you to track your temperature every day.
   • It is important to find a basic thermometer that records the change in your temperature in small steps. A regular thermometer, which you may be using to see if you have a fever, doesn't measure enough accurately.
2. Record your basal body temperature every morning and note the result. To accurately track your base temperature, you need to keep temperatures at the same time every day. The most accurate way to do that is to take your temperature as soon as you wake up, before you get up and start walking around. Keep the thermometer by your bed and get used to it right away in the morning.
   • You can take your base temperature in your vagina or in your mouth. If you insert into your vagina you will get the most exact daily measurement. Whether you take it orally or vaginally, do it the same way each time to make sure the outcomes are as consistent as possible.
   • To take your temperature, follow the instructions for setting your thermometer and insert the thermometer into your vagina. When you hear the thermometer beep after about 30 seconds to a minute, write the exact temperature on the chart that comes with the thermometer or on a calendar. Make sure to write down the date along with the temperature.
3. Look for an increase in your temperature, which lasts between seven and 12 days. Before you ovulate, your average body temperature is between 36.2 and 36.5 degrees Celsius. Your temperature will rise two or three days after ovulation. This higher temperature usually lasts for between seven and twelve days and then falls back to the lower temperature. Tracking this increase from month to month reveals a pattern that will help you foresee when your body will next ovulate.
4. Track your temperature every day for at least three months. You cannot rely on this method for accurate information about your reproductive cycle until you have taken your temperature for three months. If you have a regular cycle, the three-month data should be enough to help you predict when your fertility will peak in the coming months.
   • If your cycle is often irregular, you may need to temperatures for six months or more before you can rely on the resulting pattern.
   • Keep in mind that illness, stress, alcohol consumption and other factors can also influence your body temperature. That's why it's important to use this method along with other methods to cover yourself up in case your base temperature pattern is upset for any reason.
5. Interpret the pattern to predict ovulation. After taking your temperature every day for three months, use the results to predict when you'll next ovulate. It will be difficult to know exactly when you will ovulate, but the data from a few months can help you determine the approximate time of your fertility. Look at the data this way:
   • Look at your chart and find the day of your monthly temperature increase.
   • On a calendar, mark the two or three days before the increase as the days when you are likely to ovulate. Remember that your temperature doesn't rise until two or three days after ovulation.
   • To use natural contraception, avoid unprotected sex for at least five days before ovulation is due to start until after ovulation day.
   • Using the temperature method in conjunction with other methods will give you a better idea of ​​when you are fertile.

Part 3 of 5: Checking your vaginal mucus

1. Examine your vaginal mucus every morning. Start with it as soon as your period starts to get better. Cervical mucus, which leaves your body as a vaginal discharge, changes structure, color, and odor throughout your cycle. By checking it every day, you can use patterns you observe to predict when your body will be fertile.
   • Wash your hands before checking the mucus. Insert two fingers into your vagina and take a little away.
   • You can also use a cotton swab to remove some of the mucus; you have to touch the slime to examine its structure.
2. Assess the structure and color. These characteristics of the mucus change from day to day as your hormone levels fluctuate. The presence of certain mucus indicates that your body is about to ovulate or has just started ovulating. Here are the characteristics that mucus has at different stages of the cycle:
   • During three to five days after the end of your period, you will likely have little or no discharge. It is very unlikely that you will become pregnant during this time.
   • After the dry period, the mucus becomes a bit cloudy and a bit stickier. It is unlikely (but not impossible) that you will get pregnant if you have sex during this time.
   • After the sticky period, the mucus turns white or yellowish and creamy, just like lotion. You are more likely to get pregnant if you have sex during this time, but your fertility is not yet at its maximum.
   • After the creamy discharge, you will see thin, stringy mucus, just like in egg white. You can stretch it between your fingers without breaking.Ovulation takes place on or immediately after the day this mucus is produced. If you see this type of mucus, you are extremely fertile and the chances of pregnancy are high.
   • After that, the mucus becomes flaky and sticky again for a few days.
   • The cycle is complete when you get your period.
3. Keep a close eye on your slime characteristics. Write down the color and texture of your slime every day. You can use the same table you use to keep track of your temperature so that you have all the data together. Remember to also write down the date. Here are some examples of detailed data you can include:
   • April 22: Mucus is sticky and white.
   • April 26: Mucus is whitish and thin, like egg white.
   • April 31st: menstruation started, heavy bleeding.
4. Record and interpret the patterns in your cervical mucus. Your cervical mucus will mean more to you if you keep track of the patterns for several months, preferably three months or more. Look for a regular pattern so you can try to predict when you will be fertile in the coming months.
   • You are most fertile when your mucus feels like stringy protein. Stay on the safe side by not having sex for a few days before and after your phlegm feels like this. You should actually stop having sex as soon as your mucus turns from sticky to creamy.
   • Compare the data with your basal body temperature. Your mucus will likely get stringy and wet for a few days before your elevation. Ovulation normally takes place between the change of the mucus and the increase.

Part 4 of 5: Keeping the cycle on a calendar

1. Know your menstrual cycle. In addition to taking your temperature and testing your mucus, you can also use a calendar to track your cycle and help feed your predictions about when you will be fertile. Most women with regular periods have a cycle that lasts between 26 and 32 days, although there are also women with shorter or longer cycles. The first day of your cycle is the day of your period and the last day is the start of your next period.
   • In many women, the cycle changes a little every month. Stress, illness, weight gain or loss, and other factors can change your cycle.
   • The calendar method is useful if you use it in conjunction with other methods.
2. Keep track of your cycle on a calendar. You can circle the first day of your cycle each month, add a dot, or use some other way to mark the first day of your period. At the end of each cycle, count the number of days your cycle lasted.
   • Keep track of your cycle for at least eight cycles to collect accurate data about the length of your cycle.
   • Keep track of the total days of each cycle and look for patterns.
3. Use the patterns to predict when you will be fertile. First, look at the shortest cycle you have recorded. Subtract 18 from the number of days the cycle lasted and write that number. Then find the first day of your current cycle on your calendar. Use the number you wrote down to count forward from the first day of your current cycle. The day you arrive at should be your first fertile day.
   • To find your last fertile day, look for the longest cycle you tracked. Subtract 11 days from that number and write the number. Find the first day of your current cycle and use the number you wrote down to count forward that many days. The day you come out should be your last fertile day.
4. Do not rely solely on this method. You might be tempted to skip the temperatures and check your mucus, but the calendar method on its own isn't reliable enough to accurately predict when you'll be fertile. Use the calendar method to substantiate the patterns you recognize from the other methods.
   • There are too many factors that can affect the length of your cycle to fully rely on this method.
   • If you have irregular periods, this method is of no use to you.

Part 5 of 5: Using your findings

1. Find out when you are likely to be fertile. Your fertile period begins when all the patterns align and indicate that you are about to ovulate. After using all methods for several months, you should have a reasonable idea of ​​when your body is fertile. You are likely fertile if:
   • Your measurements indicate that your basal body temperature will rise within three to five days when you start ovulating.
   • Your cervical mucus is white or yellow and creamy just before it gets wet and stringy and looks like egg white in structure.
   • Your calendar indicates that your first fertile day has begun.
2. Think carefully about when to have sex. For most women, the period lasts about six days: the day of ovulation and the five days before. Some people prefer to play it safe by avoiding sex at least a week before they think ovulation will occur and for a few days afterward. Others stop exactly five days before they think they are ovulating. Once you have enough data, the choice is yours.
   • You may want to be very careful at first if you are getting used to using natural contraception methods. Give yourself time to get to know your body before taking any risks.
   • After using the sympto-thermal method for six to 12 months, you may feel like you have mastered your reproductive cycle. You can then reduce the amount of time you don't have sex, knowing that you can rely on your meticulous recordings.
3. Use other forms of contraception if you are lagging behind in tracking. If you forget to cool down because you're on vacation, or if you haven't checked your vaginal mucus this month, don't rely on natural contraception to prevent pregnancy until you have at least another two months of data you can fall back on. In the meantime, use condoms or some other form of contraception to prevent pregnancy.

Warnings

• These methods do not protect against STDs. Use condoms as protection against STDs.
• No birth control method, other than abstinence, is fully effective.