How Effective Is Natural Birth Control?
Not just for preventing pregnancy but for menstrual irregularities too
Medically reviewed by Peter Weiss, MD
Natural birth control methods are intended to prevent pregnancy without the use of hormones. Common non-hormonal options include cycle tracking, checking your temperature and cervical mucus, and breastfeeding.
You may be interested in birth control pill alternatives for various reasons, including health concerns, religious beliefs, or a desire to use more natural options.
This article discusses evidence-based natural birth control methods and their effectiveness in preventing pregnancy.
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Reasons People Use Natural Birth Control
There are many reasons why you may be considering natural birth control methods. These methods do not affect your hormone levels or cause medical side effects. They can prevent pregnancy and increase your likelihood of conceiving.
Natural birth control methods may be suitable if you've been looking for a non-hormonal option. They also help you better understand your menstrual cycle and fertile days.
Types of Natural Birth Control
There are several different types of natural birth control methods, and it’s important to understand each before deciding. Many of these methods require a daily time commitment and participation from both sexual partners.
Fertility awareness-based methods (natural family planning) focus on using physical signs to determine your most fertile days of the month. Learning about the menstrual cycle phases is critical for using these methods effectively.
Each month, your ovaries release an egg (ovulation). This is the time of the month when you can become pregnant if your partner’s sperm meets with and fertilizes the egg.
These methods detect your most fertile days leading up to and during ovulation. If your cycle is 28 days, ovulation usually occurs around day 14.
Cycle Tracking
Cycle tracking involves tracking your menstrual cycle using a calendar. This allows you to estimate when ovulation will occur and determine your monthly fertile days.
To use cycle tracking effectively, chart your menstrual cycle for several months before relying on it to prevent pregnancy. Cycle tracking is only an option for people with a regular menstrual cycle that lasts 26–32 days each month. If your cycle is shorter or longer than that, cycle tracking will likely not be effective in preventing pregnancy.
There are also several mobile apps available to track fertility and menstrual cycles. Talk with a healthcare provider before choosing an app. Most of the available apps do not follow evidence-based guidance for fertility awareness. Experts recommend two: Natural Cycles and Clue.
Cervical Mucus
Cervical mucus is the fluid made and released by the cervix (a small opening that leads to the uterus) each month. Checking your cervical mucus daily is a proven way to determine your fertile days.
Throughout the month, your vaginal discharge changes based on your hormones and the menstrual cycle phase. Your cervical mucus will likely feel thin and slippery just before ovulation, like egg whites. You will probably notice more volume than at other times of the month.
After ovulation, the amount of mucus decreases and becomes thicker. If you use the cervical mucus method to prevent pregnancy, abstain from sex or use a barrier method from the first time you notice it until it goes away.
There are several reasons why your cervical mucus might change throughout the month. Factors that affect the amount and texture of cervical mucus may include:
Stress
Certain medications
Feminine hygiene products
Sex
Breastfeeding
Basal Body Temperature
Your basal body temperature changes as your hormone levels change each month. It's your body's temperature at rest. To measure it, take your temperature by mouth as soon as you wake up before getting out of bed.
Basal body temperature increases during ovulation and remains slightly higher than baseline until menstruation (your period). Tracking your basal body temperature daily can help determine when ovulation occurs. However, your most fertile days are the few days before ovulation (before your temperature changes). When used alone, basal body temperature is not effective at preventing pregnancy.
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding may lower your chances of becoming pregnant. People exclusively breastfeeding their infants who are 6 months or younger often experience lactational amenorrhea, which means that they do not have a period during this time. This significantly lowers the likelihood of becoming pregnant.
For breastfeeding to work as a method of natural birth control, the person must not have experienced vaginal bleeding or spotting. This method is only effective for up to six months when the infant exclusively breastfeeds and receives no formula or other foods.
Withdrawal
The withdrawal method ("pulling out") is the least effective natural birth control method. It involves pulling the penis out of the vagina during sexual intercourse before ejaculation. This is not an effective birth control plan because sperm can leak out of the penis before ejaculation, and pregnancy can still occur.
Barrier Methods
Many healthcare providers recommend a barrier method when using natural birth control methods, especially if you still plan to have sexual intercourse on fertile days. Barrier methods prevent the sperm from entering the cervix and fertilizing the egg. These include:
Male condom: A thin covering over the penis to prevent sperm from entering the vagina
Female condom: A flexible pouch inserted into the vagina
Sponge: A small sponge placed in the vagina to cover the cervix
Spermicide: A substance that kills sperm and comes in foam, jelly, cream, or suppository
Diaphragm: A small cup placed in the vagina to cover the cervix
Natural Birth Control Effectiveness: Pregnancy Prevention
Natural birth control methods are between 77% and 98% effective. This means that out of every 100 couples who practice the natural birth control method, anywhere from two to 23 will get pregnant.
The more disciplined you are about your natural birth control method—including tracking the signs of fertility every day and avoiding sex (or using barrier protection) on "unsafe" days—the better able you will be to avoid pregnancy. Even so, there is still a chance you will get pregnant even with perfect use.
According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, between one and five couples out of 100 will get pregnant with perfect use (meaning using the natural birth control method correctly and consistently throughout the menstrual cycle).
With typical use (meaning the method is used incorrectly or inconsistently as the average person would), between 12 and 24 couples out of 100 will get pregnant.
Natural Birth Control Effectiveness: Family Planning
Though natural birth control methods can often prevent pregnancy, they can also help with conception. Understanding your menstrual cycle and fertile days can increase the likelihood of becoming pregnant.
To use fertility awareness-based methods to conceive, plan to have sexual intercourse every other day during your most fertile days.
Natural Birth Control and STI Risk
Natural birth control methods do not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The only birth control methods that protect against STIs are male condoms and female condoms.
What Natural Birth Control Doesn’t Do
Natural birth control methods do not have some of the same advantages as hormonal birth control. Unlike birth control pills, they cannot improve heavy periods or period pain. Hormonal birth control may lower the risk of certain types of cancer, like endometrial cancer. Natural birth control methods do not affect cancer risk.
On the upside, natural birth control does not carry the same risks as hormonal birth control, including side effects like headaches, nausea, weight gain, and vaginal yeast infections. Hormonal birth control may also slightly raise the risk of blood clots in some people.
Explainer
Natural birth control methods are not for everyone. Do not plan to use these methods for pregnancy prevention if you:
Are beginning perimenopause or menopause
Experience bleeding between periods
Just started menstruating
Just stopped taking hormonal birth control
Take medications that affect fertility
Just had a baby
Cannot abstain or use a barrier method on your most fertile days
Cannot safely become pregnant because of a health condition
Summary
You and your partner can use natural birth control methods to prevent pregnancy. These methods do not involve using hormones to affect your fertility. Natural birth control methods include cycle tracking, cervical mucus, basal body temperature, and breastfeeding. The withdrawal method is not considered effective.
Natural birth control can both prevent pregnancy and increase the likelihood of becoming pregnant. However, these methods do not protect against STIs. If you're using one or all fertility awareness-based methods, plan to abstain from sexual intercourse or use a barrier method during your fertile days.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
