The Best Natural Birth Control You Need to Know About | 3 Tips to Get Started

If you are looking for a natural birth control method that is actually EFFECTIVE, you are in the right place. This method has been studied to be 99% effective with perfect use, which can be easily achieved with the right tools.

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DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional nor am I certified in teaching this method. This is just my own experience of what worked for me. Consult with a trusted professional on if this method is right for you. 

When I was trying to figure out what to use for birth control I knew I wanted to use a non-hormonal method to avoid the side effects of mainstream contraceptives. After researching my options I decided to go with the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), and several years later, I am so happy with the my choice.

I’ve shared with several friends about this option and they have loved getting to ditch the side effects of standard birth control and feel more empowered in their fertility. Now they have peace of mind doing what feels good for their body while still using an effective form of family planning.

Not only does this method prevent pregnancy but it can help you track ovulation for when you try to conceive–if that’s part of the plan.

At the end of this post you will understand exactly what the Fertility Awareness Method is and be empowered on how to get started with my 3 tips.

This post is all about natural birth control.

What is the Fertility Awareness Method?

The Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) in a nutshell is tracking when you are fertile and abstaining or using a barrier method during that window to prevent conception. This fertile window is a short period of time that typically lasts 7-10 days.

FAM is not to be confused with the Rhythm Method, which is based off GUESSING when you are fertile. When using FAM, you are able to KNOW exactly when you are fertile, making it a reliable method to prevent pregnancy naturally.

I have to add that a key component to having success with this method is you need to have a regular cycle length between 23-35 days. This will not work for you if your cycles are irregular. If you really want to use this method and to figure out how to become regular, I would meet with an Integrative Health Practitioner to identify how to get on track again.

How Effective is the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)?

For reference, the birth control pill is 99% effective with perfect use. FAM is 99% effective with perfect use as well, however, if you slack with tracking the percentage will look lower. I find it really easy to keep up with though.

How Do You Know When You are Fertile?

You know when you are fertile by tracking two bodily signs: your cervical fluid (CF) and your basal body temperature (your lowest body temperature attained during rest). I’ll explain more about each in the next section.

Understanding the Cycle to Identify the Fertile Window

To understand how to identify the fertile window, let me give a brief overview of the hormonal shifts your body goes through during a cycle.

When you start your period, estrogen rises, and an egg gets ready to release. Meanwhile, your cervix starts to produce cervical fluid, mainly water, influenced by estrogen and progesterone. Every woman is different, but this can typically happen around days 10-14 of her cycle.

As you approach ovulation, cervical fluid increases and becomes similar in texture to that of egg whites (due to rising estrogen). For sperm to survive you need CF, otherwise the vagina is too acidic, causing their death. With CF present, sperm can live up to 5 days, so when you notice CF that is how you know when your fertile window starts.

After ovulation, progesterone becomes the most dominant hormone, and the cervical fluid typically dissipates until your next period. You’ll also notice a slight shift in basal body temperature (.4-.5 degrees) indicating you ovulated. The egg is viable for 24-48 hours, so 3 days after ovulation (FAM adds one more day to be safe) is when your fertile window will end.

If ovulation has occurred, these higher BBTs will stay elevated until the beginning of your next period or remain high if you are pregnant. Contrary to the common myth that a woman is fertile everyday of her cycle, the average woman is only fertile for about 7-10 days per cycle.

Cycle Charting Example

This is an example of what it looks like to chart basal body temperature during a cycle. The numbers across the top show the day in the cycle, and the numbers on the right are the basal body temperatures.

The fertile window for this particular cycle (see chart above) are the days highlighted in pink, so days 11-19 in this case. Normally there is an indicator for cervical fluid, but in this case it’s just pointed out with text: “Day 1 of cervical fluid”.

There were 5 days of cervical fluid before ovulation occurred on day 16. Then it was 3 more days until the fertile window ended, since the egg is viable for 24-48 hours and FAM adds one extra day to be safe.

Once you learn how to track your fertility signs to identify your fertile window, you have figured out the hardest part of the Fertility Awareness Method!

Summary

I know that was a fire hose of information, and you might be feeling like this is going to take a lot of work. But I promise it really is a lot simpler than it seems. It just takes getting familiar with at first.

All you really need to know is when you start producing cervical fluid, that is when your fertile window will start. You will no longer be fertile on the third night after you ovulate, and you’ll know this by tracking the slight rise in your basal body temperature.

Now with an understanding of the Fertility Awareness Method, let’s move on to my 3 tips to get started.

Tip #1: Read Take Charge of Your Fertility

This book will give you the nuts and bolts on how to track your fertility using the Fertility Awareness Method. If you are short for time, skip to chapters 11 and 12. Those two chapters will tell you everything you need to know about how to get started with tracking your fertility.

If you’re looking for some low cost ways to get your hands on a copy, your library most likely carries it, or you can purchase it second-hand. 

I found this book extremely empowering not only for tracking fertility, but for understanding female health in general. Your basal body temperature can indicate specific health concerns, like thyroid dysfunction or estrogen or progesterone imbalances. It’s all in the book, so give it a read!

Tip #2: Purchase a Basal Body Thermometer

A basal body thermometer is a necessity in tracking your fertility. A standard thermometer only shows one decimal place (i.e. 98.6°F), but you need to be able to read up to two decimal places to accurately track your basal body temp (i.e. 97.36°F). 

It’s also essential (if convenience is your goal) that your thermometer syncs with a fertility app. It will automatically add your basal body temps to a graph as you sync your thermometer daily, and you will be able to track your cycle, cervical fluid and other key factors.

Let’s go over what your options are for a basal body thermometer. 

I have 3 different recommendations:

1. Oral Basal Body Thermometer

This would potentially be the cheapest option depending on which one you choose, but it is also the most intensive option in my opinion. You will need to wake around the same time every morning, use the thermometer first thing before you get out of bed (which would disturb an accurate reading of your BBT), and wait about 5 minutes to get a reading.

For some it’s totally doable and not a big deal, but if you don’t wake around the same time everyday and you don’t have time to lay in bed for 5 minutes, I would suggest another option.

Most oral BBT thermometers come in a package with a fertility app that can sync your daily temperature readings for your convenience. It will also let you track your cervical fluid and other important fertility factors. 

I haven’t used an oral basal body thermometer before, so I don’t have one to recommend from experience. Though I have heard great things about Natural Cycles (it’s on the pricier side though). There are a lot of affordable options, it may just take a little research to find a good one.

2. Wearable Armband Thermometer (TempDrop)

This is the thermometer I have used since I started practicing FAM, and I have loved how it has made tracking my BBT such a no-brainer. I don’t have to plan ahead, I just throw it on my arm every night before I fall asleep and sync it to my app in the morning.

This wearable thermometer was designed to get the most accurate resting temperature and utilizes an algorithm to factor out any disturbances. 

I thought I would have difficulty getting comfortable sleeping with this on my arm all night, but the armband is so comfortable I don’t even notice I’m wearing it. It also tracks my sleep cycles, which is an added bonus (this feature is only available if you use TempDrop’s app though).

TempDrop offers an app to track everything you need to follow FAM, and as of 2024 it costs $4.49/month or $35.99/year for a subscription. There are also several third party apps, like Read Your Body, that offer even more competitive rates.