For some women and partners, birth control is more than just trying to prevent pregnancy. It could also be about not spreading sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or diseases (STDs). For some women birth control helps to ease severe menstrual cramps.
A convenient birth control method is one where no hormones are taken and doesn’t disrupt any lifestyle habits. This method is known as the natural birth control method.
Natural methods include withdrawal and fertility awareness/natural family planning.
Withdrawal
The withdrawal method is when a man pulls his penis out of the vagina before he ejaculates. Many men do not perform this method correctly, especially teenagers and sexually inexperienced men. For withdrawal to be performed correctly, a man has to know when he’s going to ejaculate and requires a lot of self control. Sperm can also be found in pre-ejaculate fluid which is why this method is not very effective or reliable. This method is also referred to as coitus interruptus and the pull-out method. It may be the world’s oldest birth control method. According to Planned Parenthood, about thirty-five million couples worldwide use this method.
Fertility Awareness/Natural Family Planning (NFP)
Another natural method of birth control is known as fertility awareness or more commonly natural family planning. This method allows a woman to chart her fertility signs including body temperature, mucus symptoms and cervix signs. By charting her signs, a woman will be able to know when her fertile and infertile days are so she knows when to abstain from sex to avoid pregnancy.
This method may not suit women well who have multiple sex partners, can’t keep detailed daily records, have an STI or frequent abnormal vaginal discharge or have an irregular period.
If a woman has been taking a hormonal birth control method and wants to switch to this method, it is best to use another non-hormonal birth control method while learning to track her fertility since hormones will affect her cycle.
Effectiveness
The effectiveness of each birth control method is different. The failure rate is the number of pregnancies expected per 100 women using the method correctly. The following failure rates come from the United State Department of Health and Human Services updated March 2009.
Fertility-Based/NFP: 25
The U.S. Department did not have a failure rate on withdrawal. The American Pregnancy Association states withdrawal failure rate at 18 to 19. The Contraceptive Information Resources puts withdrawal failure rate at 27.
Even though the natural method does not involve hormones or a visit to the doctor, a woman should consult with a doctor to make sure she is performing both of these birth control methods the correct way since they have the highest failure rates of all birth control methods.
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