This is a guest post by natural birth control expert, Hannah Ransom
Birth control is something nearly everyone needs at some point in their life. Most methods leave the users riddled with unexpected or unwelcome side effects. Particularly for those trying to live natural lifestyles, there doesn’t seem to be much in terms of options.
For women dealing with acne, birth control can be an even bigger question. Many women will get on hormonal birth control to get rid of acne and some women may find they get some acne with a copper IUD due to a depletion of zinc. Those who want to get down to the roots of their acne problem may want to get off of hormonal birth control, but are at a loss for what they can do to control their fertility.
Fortunately, there is a method that is both natural and effective. Not only that, but we can use it to help gauge our hormonal health to work with any issues we may have in that arena. What is this wonder mystery birth control, you may ask? It’s called the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness.
At this point, you may be thinking: “Wait a minute. I have heard of this natural method, it’s that thing the catholic family with 7 kids across the street uses” or “My best friend’s sister used that and got pregnant”. Thankfully, this method is not to blame. It’s actually 99.6% effective, according to one of the latest studies.
Often, the unplanned pregnancies you hear about include people doing one of many things. This includes using the method but not actively trying to avoid pregnancy, using the method with improper instruction, or practicing the method incorrectly. There are a variety of reasons that this is happens, but if you get a good instruction in the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness and are motivated to avoid pregnancy, you will have excellent effectiveness.
The other issue is that many people say they are using fertility awareness or natural family planning, but equate that with predicting ovulation based on former cycles or even withdrawal. This isn’t their fault, the way in which the natural methods of birth control are clumped together, in statistics or doctors offices, can get confusing.
You see, the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness is classed under the umbrella term “fertility awareness based methods,” which include everything that tries (because that is all a lot of them do) to determine when you are likely to be fertile and advises avoidance of unprotected intercourse during that time.
So that makes two reasons why the method can be so misconstrued.
- The other methods are not accurate or less accurate in identification of the true fertile phase than the sympto-thermal method, and
- If you use the method incorrectly you are, by definition, having unprotected intercourse during a possibly fertile time.
Fortunately, the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness is a method in which we use the science of what our hormones do cyclically and the observable changes that these hormones make in our bodies so that women can determine the window of time in which they are fertile. This is a great approach because we are capable of asking ourselves on a daily basis “Am I fertile?” and look to our bodies for the answer. This method can be better accepted than some of the other fertility awareness based methods because the fertile phase is highly accurate and not as long. It averages about 9 days.
At this point, you may be wondering what you actually have to check to use the method, and how this all works. The signs that we are checking for are cervical fluid and basal body temperature. Cervical fluid is produced by estrogens, which increase significantly just before ovulation. Our basal body temperature increases under the influence of progesterone, which is in copious supply after ovulation has taken place. So daily, we are looking for the onset of cervical fluid, the rise in basal body temperature, and cessation of cervical fluid.
The reason that we can use these two signs and actually determine our fertile window is based on these facts:
Sperm need cervical fluid to survive, swim, and be effectively “washed” and capable of fertilizing an egg. Sperm can live in fertile cervical fluid for up to 5 days, but dies quickly in the naturally acidic vaginal environment.
Cervical fluid builds up in response to estrogen, which is released by the developing sacs that hold the egg. This is happening in the days leading up to ovulation.
The egg can only live for 12-24 hours, and ovulation can only happen once in a cycle. If two eggs are released, the second comes within 24 hours of the first, after which ovulation is inhibited by high levels of progesterone.
Progesterone is released from the corpus luteum, which is what the sac that held the egg turns into after ovulation has taken place. This raises the body temperature, dries cervical fluid, and inhibits a second ovulation.
We are able to determine our fertile window based on what we know about the lifespan of sperm, the environment the sperm will live in, and the lifespan of the egg. We know that the fertility signs can be used to accurately predict the days that we can actually get pregnant, while the rest of our cycle is infertile because there isn’t a possibility of the sperm living long enough to actually meet the egg, or the egg is already dead and we don’t need to worry about ovulating again – until the next cycle, that is.
Here’s the thing: since this method is used to identify your fertile period and not to completely ameliorate it, you have to be creative during your fertile time. This can involve abstinence, alternative sex, or barrier methods of birth control. In addition, you want to make sure that you are very careful during that time with whatever you decide to use, because that is the exact time that you don’t want anything to fail you.
In order to be able to accurately identify your fertile time, you will want to learn the method well. To do this, I believe the best thing is to take a class. This will give you good instructions plus a qualified individual to go over your personal charts and help you interpret what your own body is showing you. You can find online classes in the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness on holistichormonalhealth.com. If you aren’t interested in taking a class, I recommend the book Taking Charge of your Fertility by Toni Weschler. If you read the book and still have questions, you can get a consultation with a qualified instructor.
If you think you might be interested, but still have some questions, I invite you to email me or join a free google hangouts party I host monthly to get any questions answered.
If you are curious about other forms of birth control or what might be right for you, feel free to contact me with those as well – hannah@holistichormonalhealth.com
43 Responses
hell yes!
i have been doing this for 10 years with 100% success! it’s the best! it truly works.
It’s definitely wonderful and generally a life-changer for people who use it. Or maybe only people who get tons out of it stick around 😉
How funny, I literally received a basal thermometer in the post this morning because I want to start doing this! You read my mind!
I can’t use hormonal birth control… it seems to send me crazy! Have been on it twice because my GP thought it would help my skin, but it did nothing but turn me into a wreck.
For now, I will be trying to use this method as a form of birth control, but I’m hoping it will make me more aware of my own cycle and fertility in preparation for when we actually want to have a family as well. It can work both ways! Looking forward to understanding my body better!
Congrats 🙂 I’m sure you will love it. How did you learn?
I would be interested in buying the book if you could buy it in e-book.
You know, I just checked and it doesn’t look like anyone has a kindle book. How sad! I am working on an instructional manual right now, but that will be a while! If you google “taking charge of your fertility pdf” you will find stuff, just sayin’…
Try “Cooperative Method of Natural Birth Control” by Margaret Nofziger. It explains everything very well, and you can definitely get an e-book on Amazon – I got it from there.
I’ve been using, essentially, this method for about a year. I use something called Cyclebeads (which you can Google), which provide a visual for keeping track of fertile days, and includes “buffer days” to account for the life cycle of sperm. The method was developed at Georgetown and is often taught in third world countries because it can be learned in twenty minutes and is highly effective.
Obviously, you’ve got to be committed to it, but I think it’s awesome…
and, I feel way better being off the pill 🙂
Cycle beads are great if you have really regular cycles and you make sure if you are really stressed, traveling, sick, etc. you don’t rely on them (because even if your cycles have been regular in the past they can change lengths). They are less effective because they rely on counting and past cycles rather than what is currently happening with your hormones, but they can work wonders for a lot of women.
I also love the sympto-thermal method because you get more safe days AND a higher effectiveness.
You know catholics sometimes just want more children, they don’t nessesarily have more because nfp failed/was being practised incorrectly.
Certainly. It’s just often an argument many people use against the method. I am very familiar with many Catholics who use the method and teach, as well. They don’t believe that it should be used for birth control except in grave circumstances (left up to the couple to decide what that is for them).
“Thankfully, this method is not to blame”
It’s brilliant to promote a method of NFP, but the phrase above really grated on me. Pregnancy is not a bad thing; having a large family is not a bad thing. The use of the word ‘blame’ has such negative connotations and is just another example of how society has been brainwashed into seeing pregnancy as this great evil, to see children as an unwanted addition, to see women as crazy for having multiple pregnancies. Pregnancy is one of the most natural, beautiful processes in the world & the means by which we’re all here. It needs to be celebrated, not shamed.
I support people in whatever is right for them. Using the word blame wasn’t in any way shaming pregnancy, it was saying that this is not an ineffective method of birth control.
I certainly do not hold the view that pregnancy is evil, but when it isn’t right for you, and it happens anyway, it can be hard on a lot of people. It can also be hard on the children that result. I think that these methods certainly help people be more conscious of and responsible for their reproductive choices.
Unwanted pregnancy is as evil as it gets, it can ruin your life. If it is not unwanted then it’s perfectly ok to have 10 children but pregnancy is a disaster when it doesn’t come at the right time.
A less complicated method is taught by the University of Marquette Michigan. http://nfp.marquette.edu/
It uses (off label use) a clear blue easy fertility monitor to avoid pregnancy. Most mornings it asks for a urine sample showing if your fertile or not. But, you have to follow the instructions at developed by the NFP experts. Has worked well for me. MUCH easier to use than the sympto thermo method at least in my experience. I have done both methods.
Right, there are a few. I take some issue with the way Marquette has done their research and a couple of other things, but for some women it is much better. If you want me to go into detail about what I like less about Marquette you can email me hannah@holistichormonalhealth.com.
I’m sure most people in the comments wouldn’t really understand it all if they haven’t used both the methods.
How do I buy it? Why isn’t there a link here?
Do you mean the class? You can purchase here:
http://holistichormonalhealth.com/course-offerings/full-charting-to-avoid-stm-class/
Love love love this. I shared my story a bit on the You Tube video Tracy did but thought I’d chime in here as well. I took hormonal birth control for 3 years and went off it due to various side effects. I then used the copper IUD for about one year. This was volumes better than being on the hormones, but it made me really bloated and made for very heavy, painful periods. I also spiritually had some issues with it…like I had somehow violated my womb. I am also not convinced that on some level it doesn’t function as an abortifacient, which I have moral issues with. So I took it out and convinced the hubby to try fertility awareness.
By this point we were already planning to start a family within the next couple years and could tolerate more risk. Well, it worked flawlessly for a whole year and three months. In March we decided to conceive, and I got pregnant on the first try. One thing that really discouraged me from trying FAM was how irregular my cycles always are. They can be anywhere from 30-60 days long and are not consistent one moth to the next. But I can always tell without question when I am ovulating using this method. It is definitely more challenging but paying attention to my cervical fluid always took out any guess work.
I wanted to learn FAM while keeping the IUD in as a back-up, but for me, it caused so much excess cervical fluid production that I really could not learn until it was out. I am so grateful I charted and know exactly when I ovulated because I ovulated around cycle day 30 I think…my due date would be very inaccurate if we based it on my last period. I told my midwife I had used FAM and what day I ovulated, and she based my due date on that.
I wish I had gone straight to FAM when I first got married. We plan to use FAM for the rest of our reproductive years (even while breastfeeding I will be monitoring cervical fluid to predict ovulation before my cycles return). If I have daughters, they will learn to start charting once they get their cycles. It puts you so in touch with your health and your body. It is absolutely amazing to be able to have such choice over whether or not you conceive and to not have to rely on manmade methods!
Hey Leah,
That’s awesome 🙂 Really happy you have had such success with it. I will probably keep using the copper IUD until we have our first kid, and then likely switch to this method!
That’s great, Tracy! I just want to give you a little recommendation: Chart for a few cycles before you try to conceive and get the IUD out, because the most difficult time to learn the method is while breastfeeding, so if you have the background it will be MUCH easier.
Okay! What do you think about Leah saying the IUD caused so much cervical fluid that it was impossible to learn with it in? I wonder if that’s typical
I actually had a copper IUD that I got out the same cycle that I started charting — I think I had a little bit more cervical fluid, but not too much more, so I think it varies from person to person. But it would still give you the practice and a good idea of what you are looking for!
Tracy, I think you would know if you had this problem. When I had the IUD, I had lots of cervical fluid every day of my cycle. I think it was irritating to my body and that was its response. Without the IUD, I have dry days when I am infertile and then the cervical fluid gradually and obviously builds up as I approach ovulation. I am sure it could be different for you depending on how your body handles the IUD. It also was compounded by the fact that my cycles were so unusual. If you have a typical 28 day cycle, you can probably rely a little less on cervical fluid and still learn good charting. And you can certainly take your basal body temperature in the mornings and get that part down. I actually tried this when I had the IUD but got discouraged and gave up too early in my cycle. If I had kept going I am sure I would have seen the thermal shift. I assumed I’d have fertility issues due to my irregular cycles and started from a place of little faith in my body unfortunately. Also, you can buy those OPK test strips off Amazon for really cheap. I would use these as a cross check to confirm ovulation. I know some people have trouble gettin them to turn positive, but they always worked flawlessly for me. That would be a good help if your IUD makes it hard to rely in cervical fluid.
Okay! Yes, I guess I don’t have this problem as I haven’t noticed it! Thanks for your tips and help Leah 🙂 I will look for the OPK strips
That’s great to hear! It’s definitely just as effective with irregular cycles and it’s so great to hear when people use it successfully despite irregularity!
This method is fantastic. What is fun to do is to make an excel chart to graph the BBT data. Layer the months on top of one another to see what day you usually ovulate! It’s great that this method can be used to both prevent and achieve pregnancy.
I agree 100%
Thought this may help some of you ladies! Its a fertility device that monitors all your information for you and makes it easier for women to keep track of their cycles.
It is a bit expensive, but is an investment that I believe is worth making to avoid hormonal birth control! Plus in the long run it is much cheeper and doesn’t cause any damage to our bodies 🙂
http://www.lady-comp.com/en/page/at-first-sight?gclid=CNvsmrzYsLkCFchxQgodTAgAMg
Yes, there are similar devices from different brands as well. More effective would be a device that includes urine testing. This can definitely be very helpful in combination with the methods mentioned in the article 😉
Or a Basal Body Thermometer is less than $10 at any drugstore!
The problem with the Ladycomp and similar devices is they are based on temperatures alone. I think you end up with far more days where you have to abstain because until the machine learns your cycle, it errors on the side of conservative. These devices totally disregard cervical fluid, which is the most reliable predictive indicator of ovulation. Your temperature tells you AFTER you’ve ovulated, not before. I can’t see how the Ladycomp can be reliable at all for someone with unpredictable cycles for this reason. And they are so expensive. Far better to pick u
a copy if Taking Charge of Your Fertility and a basal body temperature thermometer. Cost is under $30! And far more reliable in my opinion. However, for those not willing to learn the fertility awareness method, I suppose it’s a better option than other forms of birth control.
The Lady-Comp manufacturers chose to leave out input for cervical mucous because in their research, cm ended up confusing as many people as it helped and did not make enough difference in the fertility calculations to be worth it. Yes, the device does err on the conservative side, but for women who do have slightly irregular cycles, this is actually a good thing because you never know when you may have an earlier ovulation. For those women who are comfortable monitoring cervical mucous, this may be a way to narrow down the “fertile” days, but it is not necessary as the device does learn your cycle and is pretty awesome at telling you when you are fertile and infertile.
Because the Lady-Comp learns your cycle, it is actually able to predict your fertile phase and not just tell you after the fact.
The whole issue with the lady comp is that is predicts. Temperature only tells you after you have ovulated, not before. Sperm can generally survive, in fertile quality cervical fluid, for up to five days. That is why in the sympto-thermal method we use both temperature and cervical fluid.
I’m not against the device, I have just read studies in which they actually compare when the device is saying you are fertile and ovulation day and it’s definitely NOT the picture of accuracy. I’d rather take physiological processes that are actually needed for fertility and go off of that than have a device guess when I am going to be fertile based off of past cycles.
Lady-Comp is also far more inaccurate for women with irregular cycles. Either that or they have so many days of possible fertility it’s barely worth it.
Hi Tracy,
How do I get rid of body acne? Its usually the little whiteheads I get on my back and now I noticed 2 on my chest. Its hard to apply the same masks on my back that I use on my face which really helped me clear most of my skin but is there anything else I can do for body acne?
How often can you have sex using this method though?
I would presume about two thirds of the month and you can use condoms or some other barrier method the rest of the time
That will depend from woman to woman, but the average is about 8-9 days per cycle that you are considered fertile. You can have unprotected sex at times other than your fertile window, and during your fertile window you could still have non-genital sex or barrier sex, it would be up to you 🙂
Hey Tracy!
I just wanted to tell you how much of an inspiration you are to me! I am 24 years old and 6 months ago I developed all kinds of sad skin stuff. It was horrible! I decided to do a holistic approach combined with positive affirmations (from “Heal Your Body A-Z” by Louise Hay). Knowing that The Love Vitmain housed an entire network of people successfully treating their ailments naturally kept me on track and away from and pharmesudical creams or pills. It’s a slow process but I am almost in the clear!! Thank you for being a constant reminder that nature really does heal all. Your are amazing and I thouroughly enjoy having you and The Love Vitmain in my life!
All my love!
Cait xo
Aw Cait, thank you for such a lovely comment! I’m so happy for you that you are well on your way to clearness… keep going!!! Almost there ! 😀
We did this for about 4 months with mixed feelings. Taking the temperature every morning at the same time and checking the fluid, it was a terrible procedure. Gave nice charts though and we learned a lot about my wife’s cycles. We went back to using condoms and even though some feeling is cloaked by the condom, it’s just so much more convenient.
Even just having the knowledge in the background is help, I think. I personally learned about it and did it for a half of a cycle before taking a 2 year break before I picked it up again. Sometimes it takes time!