Samanthavv
Overdue With Baby #2
- Joined
- May 16, 2009
- Messages
- 32
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I don't use birth control at all. I refuse to put the chemicals in my body. They mess with me way too much. But just because I don't use hormonal birth control, or birth control devices (like IUDs) dosen't mean I don't use any birth control methods.
I use a combination of SEVERAL different birth control methods.
I used https://www.mycycle.com to keep track of all of my cycle details, for ALL of these methods. It's easy to use and best of all, FREE!
A little warning though, these methods will NOT work on someone who is very irregular. Slightly irregular, it might be fine, but if your cycles are all over the place, I wouldn't recommend these methods.
Method #1: Calendar Method
This is one of the OLDEST methods out there, and is based on the idea that in a woman who has a 28 day cycle, she is fertile on day 14. However, this VARIES woman to woman. So, the best thing to do, is to keep track of your cycles in detail! If you use MyCycle, you'll be able to enter and record the days you start your period, how long your period lasts and what the flow is like. This is a great idea, even if you aren't planning to use the calendar method as a form of birth control. It's good to have a medical record of your menstrual cycles. Once you've been tracking your cycles for a while, you should have a fairly good idea when you're fertile, and should avoid unprotected intercourse three days before and three days after your fertile period. I would NOT recommend this for people who are irregular.
Method #2: Daily Cervical Mucous Checks
Sounds gross, but the "wetness" you get down there, is actually cervical mucous. Doing daily checks (with clean, washed hands) can be beneficial in determining fertility. Simply get some of the wetness on your hands (you don't need a lot, and you may have to put your finger up there a little) and check the consistancy. If it's white, and creamy and dosen't seem sticky then you're most likely not fertile. If it's clear, looks somewhat similar to snot, and when you put it between your index finger and thumb and then pull apart, it sticks and creates strings (even a little) then you're fertile. You can track this on MyCycle as well.
Method #3: Basal Body Temperature
This method is a little more complicated, but do a little researching online, and you can use your basal body temperature to predict fertility. You simply buy a basal thermometer, and before you get up or even start moving in the morning (after a minimum of 4 hours of sleep) take your temperature (you'll need to keep your thermometer on your nightstand to avoid getting up to get it!) and when your temperature starts indicating ovulation, avoid unprotected intercourse! You can record this temperature on mycycle, and it will automatically chart and graph it for you, making it easier to recognize the temperature spikes and drops.
Method #4: Ovulation Predictor Kits
For about the same price as birth control pills, you can buy ovulation predictor kits in bulk from https://www.accuratepregnancytests.com The strips are the cheapest and most economical, and are easy to use, and just as accurate as the rest of them. These tests work just like a pregnancy test. You don't need to take any until towards the middle of your cycle, but I try to keep up with it, and take one every day, just in case. You take the test in the afternoon (generally around 3 or 4 o'clock) and like a pregnancy test, wait three to five minutes for a result. The test detects the lutenizing horomone, which is released shortly before ovulation. If there is only one line on the test, then you are not releasing any of the LH, and cannot get pregnant. However, if there are two lines, you should NOT have unprotected sex. The second line will (at first) show up very faint, and should get darker, day by day until ovulation, and then lighten significantly and disappear afterwards.
Like I said, none of these methods are guaranteed. They've worked for me (when I've used them) and it's relatively easy to manage, especially if you use Mycycle, to record everything. And if you're showing any fertile signs on any of the methods, use a backup method, like condoms, or abstain!
I use a combination of SEVERAL different birth control methods.
I used https://www.mycycle.com to keep track of all of my cycle details, for ALL of these methods. It's easy to use and best of all, FREE!
A little warning though, these methods will NOT work on someone who is very irregular. Slightly irregular, it might be fine, but if your cycles are all over the place, I wouldn't recommend these methods.
Method #1: Calendar Method
This is one of the OLDEST methods out there, and is based on the idea that in a woman who has a 28 day cycle, she is fertile on day 14. However, this VARIES woman to woman. So, the best thing to do, is to keep track of your cycles in detail! If you use MyCycle, you'll be able to enter and record the days you start your period, how long your period lasts and what the flow is like. This is a great idea, even if you aren't planning to use the calendar method as a form of birth control. It's good to have a medical record of your menstrual cycles. Once you've been tracking your cycles for a while, you should have a fairly good idea when you're fertile, and should avoid unprotected intercourse three days before and three days after your fertile period. I would NOT recommend this for people who are irregular.
Method #2: Daily Cervical Mucous Checks
Sounds gross, but the "wetness" you get down there, is actually cervical mucous. Doing daily checks (with clean, washed hands) can be beneficial in determining fertility. Simply get some of the wetness on your hands (you don't need a lot, and you may have to put your finger up there a little) and check the consistancy. If it's white, and creamy and dosen't seem sticky then you're most likely not fertile. If it's clear, looks somewhat similar to snot, and when you put it between your index finger and thumb and then pull apart, it sticks and creates strings (even a little) then you're fertile. You can track this on MyCycle as well.
Method #3: Basal Body Temperature
This method is a little more complicated, but do a little researching online, and you can use your basal body temperature to predict fertility. You simply buy a basal thermometer, and before you get up or even start moving in the morning (after a minimum of 4 hours of sleep) take your temperature (you'll need to keep your thermometer on your nightstand to avoid getting up to get it!) and when your temperature starts indicating ovulation, avoid unprotected intercourse! You can record this temperature on mycycle, and it will automatically chart and graph it for you, making it easier to recognize the temperature spikes and drops.
Method #4: Ovulation Predictor Kits
For about the same price as birth control pills, you can buy ovulation predictor kits in bulk from https://www.accuratepregnancytests.com The strips are the cheapest and most economical, and are easy to use, and just as accurate as the rest of them. These tests work just like a pregnancy test. You don't need to take any until towards the middle of your cycle, but I try to keep up with it, and take one every day, just in case. You take the test in the afternoon (generally around 3 or 4 o'clock) and like a pregnancy test, wait three to five minutes for a result. The test detects the lutenizing horomone, which is released shortly before ovulation. If there is only one line on the test, then you are not releasing any of the LH, and cannot get pregnant. However, if there are two lines, you should NOT have unprotected sex. The second line will (at first) show up very faint, and should get darker, day by day until ovulation, and then lighten significantly and disappear afterwards.
Like I said, none of these methods are guaranteed. They've worked for me (when I've used them) and it's relatively easy to manage, especially if you use Mycycle, to record everything. And if you're showing any fertile signs on any of the methods, use a backup method, like condoms, or abstain!
