[tjernie]

Hi all !
First post here.
I'm interested in natural birth control.

Hormones and UID have too many side effects and we just don't want those any more.
I plan on using and combining two natural birth control methods.
First, the standard days method. And second, the withdrawal (pull out).

I know the standard days method is 95% effective if always used correcty and only when periods are between 26 and 32 days.

I also know the withdrawal method is 96% effective if always used correctly.

The plan is to ONLY have sex on safe days (standard days method) and ALWAYS use withdrawal, even on "safe" days. Also, absolutely no sex on fertile days, not even with condom. Nazi birth control I know, but we will be very strict on both of these methods.

I'm curious to know what the effective rate is when combining both methods and always using them correctly.

Has anyone here have experience with either of these two methods and if so can you comment on it?

Thanks in advance.

[WildChild]

My understanding is that most people who relied on these methods are known as parents. It seems that few people are able always use them correctly. No idea what the combined rate would be. Your cycle can vary it seems that would make it tricky. As long as you going to very body aware (which I think is good) why not add a basal thermometer to the mix? That will help you confirm your ovulation times.

[ItsASecret]

I'm curious to know what the effective rate is when combining both methods and always using them correctly.

This is comparing apples to oranges. Actual birth control hormonal or not easily reaches 99% effectiveness. Hoping that biology does not work as it should, that is talking a severe drop in effectiveness...best guess in the 70% range. Every period is going to be different, there is absolutely no way to 'shut off' biology per se and hope that no pregnancy occurs simply by putting an X on the calendar marking a day when a person believes it would be a good time to have sex. Women still can and do get pregnant during their period, when they are ovulating, when they are not ovulating and when they are on regular birth control. Abstinence is the only true form of birth control. Marking days is a shot in the dark at best. And you may get lucky simply due to statistics, not everytime you have sex will mean you are going to get pregnant. You could be really really lucky and do these methods and never become pregnant. You could try it out for a awhile I mean no harm in doing that, but maybe eventually you could think about using a condom at the very least.

[tjernie]

Thanks for the responses.
I still believe that natural birth control can be more effective than we believe it to be.
IF and only IF done correctly.
We don't like the idea that a woman needs to put poisons, hormones or toxins inside of her body to be safe. So we'll stick to toxic free methods.

BTW. Thanks for the tip. I did some research on adding a basal thermometer to the mix as you suggested and I came upon a product called Lady Comp. They say it is 99.3% effective. That's safer than some pills.
And it has been clinically tested to be this effective.
This sounded to good to be true.
I did some reasearch and I read independent reviews on users and almost everyone seems to love it. So I don't know what to say.
Can this be true? 99.3 effective? Has any one here ever used this device? comments?

I guess if being abstinent some days is out of the question for you then natural birth control is pretty much not for you.
Any hoo, I'll probably will look further into natural methods.

Best Regards!

[ItsASecret]

I did some research on adding a basal thermometer to the mix as you suggested and I came upon a product called Lady Comp. They say it is 99.3% effective. That's safer than some pills.
And it has been clinically tested to be this effective.
This sounded to good to be true.
I did some reasearch and I read independent reviews on users and almost everyone seems to love it. So I don't know what to say.
Can this be true? 99.3 effective? Has any one here ever used this device? comments?

If it was tested in laboratory then it can be more 'trusted' I guess you can say. If it was just the website saying "hey buy my product because I wrote in big bold letters the word clinically safe" then do not trust it lol. Ask your doctor if it sounds like a good method.

Outside sources that have zero science behind it like "I saw it on a blog I bought it works great" is not much evidence. You must remember when reading things on personal websites for example that people will say things purely to make some money and not care much about reliable facts. Consult with professionals, like your doctor, to ensure that the product at least has some merit and then I'm sure it would be okay to follow through with whatever product they okay. You do not want to be buying something over false advertisements on a random internet site.

[Ashlee T.]

I appreciate your efforts to use natural birth control. I am doing that as well, in the sense that I am not using hormonal methods. I am, however, using condoms, and intend to move toward using a diaphragm when I feel ready. In conjunction with this, I am using the FAM method. If you really want to learn LOADS about this type of fertility awareness, buy yourself a copy of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler. The 10th edition comes with a cd of free trial software for charting. It's excellent. I ended up purchasing the software after the trial was over because it's so easy to use.

FAM includes basal body temp, cervical fluid observation and cervical position observation. You don't HAVE to do the cervical position one but if you're trying to avoid pregnancy, I'd recommend doing all three. There is an incredible amt to learn about your body, how it works, how this method works etc. You should chart for a minimum of 6 months before you feel anywhere comfortable enough to use only the "pull out" method. Once you start charting, you'll see that crazy things happen with your body sometimes during the month. Last month, I thought I had ovulated on Day 13 and was in the safe zone 7 days after that.......turned out I didn't ovulate until day 27. Had I not been using extra precaution, I'd have easily gotten pregnant last month.

Read the book. You won't regret it. If you're going to do this, work yourself into it, it's something you need lots of practice at before jumping in unprotected.

[tjernie]

Thanks for the info Beautiful disaster.

This book seems like a must have for natural birth control information seekers like myself.
Oddly enough, I have seen this book is usually bought together with the Lady Comp.
It will surely enhance the effectiveness of this device.

It's good to know that others find natural birth control a good option.

Best Regards!

[Ashlee T.]

You're most welcome. I do want to reiterate that I do not depend on FAM alone. And until I am in a committed marriage in which neither of us would be devastated if we got pregnant, I will continue to use condoms other other barrier methods in conjunction with FAM.

There is alot to learn. I hope you have great success.

[stressed]

Natural birth control can mostly be affective only if used with an additional form of protection (such as a condom). My parents were using the standard days method in addition to condoms for years and it went fine. They didn't use condoms once, and they had my brother.

Be careful with the methods you use or are about to use.

[Guest]

Abstinence...

The ONLY sure fire method of "natural" birth control.