Preventing

Pregnancy
Natural Method
Fertility Awareness Methods

• A set of practices used to determine the fertile

and infertile phases of a woman’s menstrual
cycle.
• Also called "natural family planning” and “the
rhythm method.”
• FAMs are about 76-88% effective
• 3 Methods:
- Temperature Method
- Cervical Mucus Method
- Calendar Method
 Temperature Method

•Basal body Temperature, temp of the

body when completely at rest
•For most people, 96-98 °F is their
typical temperature before
ovulation. After you ovulate, it goes
up to 97-99°F.
•Helps to predict when you’re going
to ovulate by tracking the changes in
basal body temp.
 Cervical Mucus Method

•Based on careful observation of mucus

patterns during the course of menstrual cycle
•Helps to predict when you’re going to ovulate
by tracking the chances in your cervical mucus
(vaginal discharge)
Your cervical mucus changes throughout the month, depending
on where you are in your menstrual cycle:

• During your period, the blood flow covers your

mucus, so you won’t notice any. Days when you’re on
your period are unsafe days.
• After your period, you usually have a few days
without mucus and discharge in your underwear.
These are called “dry days,” and they may be safe
days if your cycle is long.
• Your body makes more mucus when an egg starts to
ripen, before ovulation is about to happen. This
mucus is usually yellow, white, or cloudy, and it feels
sticky or tacky. You may notice it at the opening of
your vagina.
•Usually, you have the most mucus right before
ovulation. It’s clear and it feels slippery — kind
of like raw egg whites — and can be stretched
between your fingers. These “slippery days”
are your fertile (unsafe) days, when you’re the
most likely to get pregnant.
•After about 4 slippery days, you may suddenly
have less mucus and it’ll get cloudy and sticky
again, followed by a few more dry days —
these are also safe days. Then, your period
starts and the cycle repeats.
Take note…

•safe days start after the most slippery

mucus goes away and your discharge is
cloudy and sticky again — and the dry
days that follow are even safer
•Unsafe days start 2 or 3 days before the
first signs of slippery mucus, and last for
about 3 days after slippery mucus peaks.
The days during your period are also
unsafe
Calendar Method

•Helps predict your fertile

days by tracking the length
of your menstrual cycles
over several months
•By tracking your menstrual
cycle, one can calculate the
start of the fertile days and
the end of fertile days.
 Number of Days First Day of Number of Days
First Day of Period
in Cycle Period in Cycle

January 20 29 May 12 26

February 18 29 June 9 28

March 18 29 July 9 30

April 16 29 August 5 27
To predict the first fertile day (when you can get
pregnant) in your current cycle:

•Find the shortest cycle in your past record.

•Subtract 18 from the total number of days in
that cycle.
•Count that number from day 1 of your current
cycle, and mark that day with an X. (Include
day 1 when you count.)
•The day marked X is your first fertile day.
•For example: if your shortest cycle is 26
days long, subtract 18 from 26 — you get
8. Then, count 8 days starting from day 1
(the first day of your period). If day 1 was
on the 4th of the month, you’ll mark X on
the 11th. So the 11th is your first fertile
day of this cycle — you should stop
having vaginal sex on this day or start
using another method of birth control.
To predict the last fertile day in your current
cycle:

•Find the longest cycle in your record.

•Subtract 11 from the total number of days in
that cycle.
•Count that number from day 1 (the first day of
your period) of your current cycle, and mark
that day with an X. (Include day 1 when you
count.)
•The day marked X is your last fertile day.
•For example, if your longest cycle
is 30 days long, subtract 11 from
30 — you get 19. Then, count 19
days starting from day 1. If day 1
was on the 4th of the month,
you’ll mark X on the 22nd. So the
22nd is your last fertile day of this
cycle — you can start having
unprotected sex the next day.
 Breastfeeding
• breastfeeding-as-birth control is also
called the lactational amenorrhea
method (LAM). “Lactational” refers to
breastfeeding, and “amenorrhea”
means not having your period.
• about as effective as hormonal
contraceptives (like the pill).
• can only be used as birth control for
the first 6 months of a baby’s life, or
until your period returns
 Withdrawal

•Also known as “pulling out or Coitus

interruptus”
•The practice of withdrawing the penis from
the vagina and away from the woman’s
genitals before ejaculation to prevent
pregnancy. That is to prevent sperm from
entering the vagina.
•80 percent effective
Artificial Method
 Condom
•small, thin pouches made of latex
(rubber), plastic (polyurethane,
nitrile, or polyisoprene) or
lambskin, that cover your penis
during sex and collect semen
(cum).
•stop sperm from getting into the
vagina, so sperm can’t meet up
with an egg and cause pregnancy.
•98% effective at preventing
pregnancy.
Internal Condom
•also called “female” condoms
— are little nitrile (soft plastic)
pouches that you put inside
your vagina. They cover the
inside of your vagina, creating a
barrier that stops sperm from
reaching an egg
•helps prevent sexually
transmitted infections.
•95% effective in preventing
pregnancy
 Birth Control Pills
•The hormones in the pill stop
ovulation
•The pill’s hormones also thicken the
mucus on the cervix. This thicker
cervical mucus blocks sperm so it
can’t swim to an egg — kind of like
a sticky security guard.
•safe, affordable, and effective if
always taken on time
 Emergency "morning after" contraception

•prevent pregnancy after intercourse. It prevents

ovulation, fertilization, or implantation of an embryo.
•It is different from medical methods of termination,
because these act after the egg is already implanted
in the womb.
•Emergency contraception can be used up to 72 hours
after unprotected sex. It is 95 percent effective during
the first 24 hours, falling to 60 percent by 72 hours.
 Cervical cap
•a little cup made from soft silicone
and shaped like a sailor's hat. You
put it deep inside your vagina to
cover your cervix.
•The cervical cap is a lot more
effective if you've never given
birth.
•86% effective
 Diaphragm
•shallow cup shaped like a
little saucer that's made of
soft silicone. You bend it in
half and insert it inside
your vagina to cover your
cervix.
•must be used with
spermicide (a cream or gel
that kills sperm).
•94% effective
IUD
•IUD stands for Intrauterine
Device (basically: a device
inside your uterus). It's a
small piece of flexible
plastic shaped like a T.
Sometimes it’s called an
IUC — intrauterine
contraception.
•99 percent effective
IUD
There are two types:
•A copper IUD releases copper, and this
acts as a spermicide. It can last up to 10
years.
•A hormonal IUD contains progestin. It
prevents the sperm from reaching and
fertilizing the egg by thickening the
cervical mucus and thinning the wall of
the uterus.
Birth control implant

•An implant is a rod with a core of

progestin, which it releases slowly. It is
inserted under the skin of a woman's
upper arm.
•The implant is effective for up to 4
years, but it can be removed at any
time, and then pregnancy is possible.
•It is 99 percent effective in preventing
conception
Birth control patch

•This is a transdermal patch that is

applied to the skin. It releases
synthetic estrogen and progestin
hormones.
•The patch is worn each week for 3
consecutive weeks, generally on
the lower abdomen or buttocks.
No patch is worn in the fourth
week, to allow for the menstrual
period. The patches are readily
available.
•It is estimated to be 91 percent
effective
Permanent contraception
•Tubal ligation: This is a form of female
sterilization. The surgeon will cut, block, or burn
the fallopian tubes, or a combination of these
methods, to seal them and prevent future
fertilization.
•Tubal implant: A coil is placed in the female's
fallopian tubes. Tissue grows around it, blocking
the tubes. It can take 3 months to work.
•Female sterilization is over 99 percent effective.
Permanent contraception

•Vasectomy: This is surgery to make a

man sterile. The tubes through which
sperm pass into the ejaculate are cut or
blocked. It is over 99 percent effective
•It is sometimes reversible, but with a
higher abundance of abnormal sperm,
possibly resulting in lower fertility or
birth defects.