Natural Birth Control And Fertility Monitoring

Warning: Men may want to steer clear of this article. I'm posting this for women who are sincerely interested in finding an alternative to hormonal and barrier methods of birth control or want to get pregnant but do not fully understand their cycles. God meant for sex to be enjoyable between a husband and wife. Worry about unintended pregnancy or stress over trying to get pregnant and fertility should not inhibit a married couple's joy. I will briefly describe the method and provide more resources for more in-depth information.

To start learning about natural family planning (NFP) or the fertility awareness method (FAM), you must have an understanding of the basics of a female menstrual cycle.

Let us start by assuming a woman has a 30 day cycle. There are two parts of this cycle. The first is called the follicular phase (FP). The second phase is called the luteal phase (LP). The FP can vary in length. It can be 5 days, it can be 40 days. There is no set length to the first phase. The second phase is typically 10 - 16 days long and does not vary much from cycle to cycle for each individual woman. Your LP may typically be 11 days. Your friend may typically have a 15 day LP. Ovulation is what separates the two phases.

So a woman with a 30 day cycle will ovulate between cycle day (CD) 14 and cycle day 20. By monitoring your Basil Body Temperature, you can find out how long your LP typically is and confirm when you ovulate. You can monitor your cervical fluid and cervical position to know when you are in the most fertile stage of your cycle.


Basil Body Temperature (BBT):
In the FP, BBT is lower. It will rise the day after ovulation and remain higher until a woman's period begins. At this point, it will drop back down and start all over again.
The only difference between a Basil Body Thermometer and a regular thermometer is that a BBT is more precise. Your typical thermometer may read 98.6 but a BBT would read 98.63. You can find a BBT in any drug store next to the regular thermometers.

Cervical Fluid (CF):
A woman's CF will become very watery or like raw egg whites right before she ovulates. This helps her conceive, so her body naturally prepares for the release of the egg.

Cervical Position (CP):
A woman's cervix will rise very high, become soft, and open up when she is fertile. It is possible for her to check her CP herself. The cervix will drop to a low firm position right before the period begins.


Trying to Conceive:

Having sex as close to the day you ovulate as possible is the best way to get pregnant. If you can have sex the three days before you ovulate and the day you DO ovulate, that will give you the greatest chances of success.

Trying to Avoid:

Either avoid sex while you are in your fertile period, which is the 5 days preceding ovulation, or use a different method of birth control during that time (condoms, etc).

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I recommend using Fertility Friend software to chart your cycles. This is very helpful and explains what is happening to your body at different points in your cycle. It is free software. The first 30 days are free on a VIP pass, which has more features. The free version following that is still suitable to help you chart, and definitely easier than the using paper and pencil.

I also recommend reading the book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, which is a complete guide to using the Fertility Awareness Method, including blank charts in the back you can copy if you would need to use the paper and pencil method. It explains how to chart when you are trying to conceive, trying to avoid, post-partum, while breastfeeding, and pre-menopausal! It is very thorough and a very easy read!