I had a baby in April and my midwife recommended that we not have anymore because of how difficult all my pregnancies and deliveries have been. It did make me gain weight and even now two years later my cycle is still off. I have tried every natural option I can find but nothing works, so I’m forced back onto hormonal contraceptives every time. What are your thoughts on the hormone (estrogen) free form of the pill? Would you consider that “very fertile”? The info was that the sperm being absorbed back into the body, long-term, led to an immune reaction and eventually to various auto-immune diseases. I so wish I hadn’t gotten this iud as I never had any problems with my period or anything before and I felt so lucky in that respect. We have never had a scare that we were pregnant when we were not desiring it. Luckily I got pregant, which stopped me from ovulating, and I was cured from all my problems!! But, after a using several times, it didn’t burn anymore. Till we had our first planned baby 3 months later! Interesting to note, condoms were around in the 18th century condoms and typically made from either linen treated with chemicals, or “skin” taken from an animal’s bladder or intestine and then softened with sulphur and lye. Thankyou so much! @media only screen and (max-width: 460px) { Be careful when trusting breast-feeding to keep you in fertile. We also (for health and religious reasons) would like a more natural method but didn’t know where to start. I have a friend that almost died bc she was allergic to the metal in it! You always do come through for us MamaNatural! again…”God loves all… come into His fold, The Traditional Catholic Church!! In order to use many of these natural birth control methods, such as the calendar method, here are directions and guidelines to get you started: 1. My hormones have never been normal, taking the pill has literally changed my life for the better. God knows first and foremost what we can and cannot handle and will not give us too much on our plate. I have learned to feel and notice the changes in my body and even in my mood throughout my cycles. Please note that the CC is very specific on the teachings of birth control and you can accidentally mislead many with false views. Hormonal birth control is the only thing that makes me able to live a normal life and hold down a job, but the hormones really mess with my emotions and make me depressed and turn me into a crazy woman as well as ruining my usually high sex drive. God gave us freewill for a reason. I think that’s beautiful. This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by our trained editorial staff. All fields are required *, Birth Control for Natural Mamas – the pill, Birth Control for Natural Mamas – condoms, Milex Silicone Diaphragm – OmniFlex Spring – Compatible With Ortho AllFlex, Birth Control for Natural Mamas – Natural Family Planning Calendar, Birth Control for Natural Mamas – Basal Body Temperature. I use the Lady Comp too, it is so easy! I wish this article was a little more positive about diaphragm:) We have used for years with great success even with nothing (no spermicide). Before I wrote this post, we figured Michael would get a vasectomy. Fact: For many, there is this belief that when … However, even if a woman experiences no obvious side effects when taking the pill, synthetic hormones can still take a silent toll on a woman’s body that may show up many years later, including difficulty becoming pregnant. This helps you figure out which days to avoid sex. The fallopian tubes also can be closed with clips, clamps, or rings (OUCH!) My friend on the pill has had issues with high blood pressure, has had to change to different brands and has thought she was pregnant multiply times, taking pregnancy tests when her period was a few days late. Various diocesans, Marquette University’s Institute, and some Fertility Awareness programs make use of the SHM. There is postpartum protocol for those that are breastfeeding and not. At least, I hope you don’t. ), pull out, or spills and thrills, this is when the man pulls his penis out of the vagina before ejaculation. I also never knew so many horrible things about condoms. Then we learned that 15-20% of vasectomy patients report pain, sometimes many years after procedure. I agree, Camille. I would basically lose my mind when it would matter most, and eventuality we decided it would be better to just use condoms and take at least the desire out of the equation, which made the broodiness easier to deal with. I am under the impression that you are a person who loves God and who strives to be a great mom. . However we have been reading up and have read that it may increase the risk of prostate cancer as well as a chance in pain. This is the greatest thing a woman can do….this is her mark on all eternity and her path to saving her soul (The woman shall be saved by bearing children. The Kindara app is a great visual to see when my temperature has risen and then when it drops and my period is about to start. To me, Human Life is God’s Grand Project and I always think He has already think about the lives of my children long before they are conceive in my womb. “One that doesn’t ruin the female body nor the males?” MAYBE it’s because we are supposed to “be fruitful and mulitply! However, when I weened my baby it was like 15 green lights a mo!! Thank you so much for all the information provided! Every Thursday I send an email with three quick tips to brighten your day and help you and your family lead a more natural life. It thickens the cervical mucus so the sperm cannot get to the egg. Read my comment above! It was implanted some where inside the vagina I do not know what kind it was. (10) In other words, in the first year of typical use, an estimated 13 out of 100 women practicing the rhythm method alone for birth control will get pregnant. Got pregnant right on “schedule”, and now that he’s been born we are again relying on FAM while waiting the three months for the papaya seeds to have their full effectiveness and will once again do a test to be sure they’re working. My perimenopausal symptoms that started at 34 (!) According to the information I was given when I got it and later when the miscarriages happened things were not how the doc portrayed.I will be looking into some of the methods I’ve read about here so thank you for your post. How did you decide on what to do? I’ve used condoms, but I get infections using them, same with diaphragms and female condoms – get infections from them all. We are not meant to go into menopause in our twenties our body is not ready. I’m surprised no one has noticed the contradiction here. The misconceptions surrounding their effectiveness mostly stem from people associating FAM or NFP with the sometimes-inaccurate “rhythm method.”. Want a really simple one-pager of this content? Please please include the link to their method in your article. it made me nuts. I was on Mirena for 2 1/2 years… when I had it removed my body went crazy! If a woman’s cycle is irregular, this may be more difficult to do. This isn’t supposed to happen. People need to know this! I would suggest that everyone do their own research about the side effects, because even the IUD’s have serious side effects. Effectiveness Rate: Nearly 100% if the man uses other forms of birth control for the first 3 months post surgery. We have one “oops” baby due to my error in calculating during a weeeirrddd cycle. I would also reallly like to know, Hope she comes back to answer! Oh gosh, how scary. We have also used aloe Vera with it. My cycles are irregular, and lengthy. A lot depends on the skill of the dr as far as adverse side affects… there was a dr who hubby initially had a consult with and he was looped out on drugs and prescribed hubby vicodin and anti anxiety meds. 5. At least I know about all the methods now – thanks for such a great article! The thicker mucus “catches” the sperm and increases the chances of getting pregnant. I’m currently about 165 lbs. I really liked the way you have stated the pros & cons of all the birth controls method available. So much great, empowering information in it. It’s true that many women take oral birth control without any side effects, but there are studies show that suggest the synthetic estrogen in the birth control pill increase a woman’s risk for blood clots, heart disease, and breast and cervical cancer—not to mention weight gain, tender breasts, and depression. That was last November and he hasn’t felt anything since. Mucus method: This involves tracking changes in the amount and texture of vaginal discharge, which reflect rising levels of estrogen in the body. Boo! I nearly always have a 12 day Luteal Phase, so I can know when to pack the menstrual cup and pads, and nursing my daughter for 2.5 years kept my period away for over a year! I think this brand is pretty good: http://amzn.to/2j5jLE4. I would run to the bathroom (I felt the immediate need for the bathroom) and would black out! However, for women who miss taking their pills, the failure rate goes up to roughly 8%, or 8 out of 100 women become pregnant unintentionally. Children are an incredible gift, and our 3rd was a welcome surprise (incorrect NFP on my part!) He has read many scientific research papers about how a vasectomy considerably raises a man’s chances of prostate cancer one paper said by 110% and others say less. But I need something that’s going to prevent me from getting cramps and dry heaving. Excellent book. Even I was looking out for an effective birth control option. In a perfect world, I would love to have a large family. Now, I haven’t wanted to go on the Pill so we’ve been using condoms, but I’ve gotten Bacterial Vaginosis twice since using them and am looking for a better alternative. Having gotten our first child on the very first try, we knew that we are very fertile. I am a little over two months postpartum and heavily researched birth control in the weeks following his birth. For me it’s the easiest and healthiest option. Having an IUD exit the uterus is also rare, 5%. (Sources at the very bottom of the references list below.). Programs including Lady Comp help do this for you by giving you temperature information and questions/prompts to look for. Whether it’s the doctor not doing it correctly or something else going on, it’s not always 10% effective. If you deprive your family with other children, who is to say that the last one that you deprived of being born into your family would not be the one to keep you yourself (myself) out of a nursing home. JMJ Well, I’m breastfeeding and haven’t had my period yet. Ended up with chemically induced menopause, no periods, more broken bones than I can count, and all the menopause symptoms. I appreciated your comment. There are doctors out there who are educated in NaproTechnology which uses the woman’s charting of her cycles along with other techonologies to help find the root of the problem and a way to fix it without the house of the birth control pill. This has contributed to their mixed (sometimes negative) reputation for not always working well. It was awful. This is us exactly! The’s customer support is outstanding, and they have an analyzer on their website where you can connect a USB cord to the Lady-Comp and it will pull up all of the charts stored in the Lady-Comp so that you can get an overview of what’s going on with your cycles. Having been born prematurely my penis is on the short and thin side so using condoms had always been a difficult task. We love it and will use it indefinitely. :-0. I had a copper IUD for six years and cannot sing its praises enough. Not only did I have insanely bad copper toxicity after 7 years with Paragard, but it also became embedded in my uterus and I had to have it surgically removed. It is a headache and a lot of work, but when something is worth it and is actually effective, you’re willing to do what it takes. I’ve been married for almost 3 years to a man who is incredibly supportive of the Creighton Model of NFP. Also, the directions only indicate that you need 3 hours of sleep for it to be effective. I can’t help but believe hormonal birth control has had something to do with this especially because I know so many other YOUNG women my age who are going through the exact same thing. (wanted to avoid medication) While we’ve only been married for 6 years, the two children we have had we purposefully planned. I love so much of what you do, Genevieve, and I have learned so much from you over the years. Let the thermometer stay in mouth for up to 5 minutes to be sure you have your true temperature. I was on lo lo estrin for years because my cramps would make me throw up, then dry heave every mins. Hope everything is back in balance today. I will definitely switch! The second most popular form of birth control is the condom. Studies show increased risk of autoimmune disease after vasectomy. Share it with us in the comments below! Effectiveness rate: With “perfect” use (i.e. The FB group is fabulous too. Insofar as people virtually set aside the end of having offspring, is this marriage not participating in the sin of Onanism? There are two types available in the U.S.—one that uses copper (ParaGard) and one that uses hormones (Mirena or Skyla). An IUD is a small, T-shaped device that is inserted into a woman’s uterus by a health care provider to prevent pregnancy. And the king of all fertility symptom monitoring is the OvuCue. Yes, there is so much beauty to the design for life and God to ultimately be in charge of creating life. It works great for me. Actually, you make it sound like the CC only approves of MARRIAGE for the express purpose of making babies, which I’m pretty sure is not accurate either. Of course everyone has a different experience but it was terrible, I waited 6 months to see if it would get better but then got it our because I couldn’t deal with it! For best results, try to keep tracking your cycle and updating your data every month to help you pinpoint your fertile window. A woman’s fertility depends on the life span of the egg and the sperm. I’m noticing a HUGE change in my sex-drive after the insert of the copper IUD and wonder if it has anything to do with the copper affecting my body and natural hormone balance!? These options are best for some people, especially for younger people who doesn’t want to worry about tracking when they are fertile or when they get their periods. Thank you . Such an amazing article! Another of the obvious is cancer.. and these are just two of a huge list of problems. I can’t use any hormone-based method because I had a blood clot while being on the pill. The second most popular form of birth control is the condom. I know that a part of me will grieve indefinitely as childbearing is a tremendous honor and gift. This could have something to … You’re approaching menopause or in peri-menopause. 30 second a day. natural-birth-control-what-other-mamas-are-doing-Mama-Natural. Brave Gal! My ribs and throat hurt the next day. Search for Napro providers or Marquette instructors in your area! I know so many who believe you should let what happens, happen….. We have 5 kiddos and are using NFP. Also it’s so great to have have sex as naturally as the good Lord intended it to be…most days of the month. … Additionally, the lambskin condom comes “lubricated,” and I couldn’t confirm what ingredients are used. I hope God understands my reasons and I am glad I made these choices beca use too many people I know have too manychildren for them to handle and they couldn’t get by without government support (I’m in the uk wages get topped up per child) and family help… which I have a lack of. Great content! I’ve charted through it for years and it’s done phenomenally for me. Is the LadyComp something I can use instead? If you’ve used hormonal birth control before, evaluate any side effects you’ve had because they may indicate side effects with Nexplanon. hmf!! Blessings, Eva. and I would like a little more time between pregnancies if possible. I have since had three more children I have ebf and my periods were not normal even by two years. http://nfp.marquette.edu/. Generally, an egg lives for about a day after ovulation while sperm can live inside the female body for about six days so you’re looking at a 7-8 day window of fertility per month. We are huge fans of Creighton. are clickable links to medically peer-reviewed studies. Please let me know more if you have any information! Milex Silicone Diaphragm – OmniFlex Spring – Compatible With Ortho AllFlex Coping mentally reasons and financial reasons. Thank you! Two questions: do you know of any long term tubal ligation issues? New oral contraceptive, Qlaira® is being marketed as “body-identical” but a closer look proves otherwise.. I know several people who have gotten pregnant past many different types of birth control. Her book also references saliva/urine tests (see below) as other tools you can use to determine your fertile/infertile periods. However, you have missed the mark on this one!!! It’s a little spendy at around $400 but makes it so much easier. The symptoms-based method of NFP tracks biological signs of fertility. I still hear stories of moms who get pregnant using this form of birth control, despite what studies say, so be cautious. The cycles were typical length, but the morning temps were not normal pattern. What are Birth Control Pills and How do They Work? . The Lady-Comp simple uses your temperature.