Woman's Life | Blog | Your transition from hormonal to natural contraception
Your transition from hormonal to natural contraception
Switching from hormonal contraception to natural contraception is a big step. The pill, for example, suppresses the natural hormone balance and offers reliable protection against pregnancy, but the hormonal contraceptive method has side effects such as an increased risk of thrombosis, weight gain, nausea and mood swings.
Content overview:
- What is natural contraception?
- Combined temperature method and cervical mucus method
- Basal temperature method for your cycle control
- It takes some getting used to
There may be various reasons for switching to natural contraception. Whether it's increasing age, severe side effects or simply avoiding hormonal contraception. You should talk to your gynaecologist before switching. When you stop, your body will need to adjust.
The probability of pregnancy despite correct pill intake is indicated by the Pearl Index between 0.1 – 0.9 (one in 1000 women). (cf. profamilia) If you want to stop the pill and switch to natural contraception, make sure you finish your current pack. Stopping in the middle of the process can cause a confused cycle.
What is natural contraception?
Condoms and diaphragms are hormone-free contraceptive methods, also known as barrier methods. Natural contraception is always a fertility-based contraception that can be perfectly combined with barrier methods for maximum reliability.
Prevention not only includes protection against pregnancy but also all transmittable sexual diseases. For the latter, using a condom is the safest option.
Combined temperature method and cervical mucus method
Observing your cycle well is the basis of natural contraception. Ovulation and cervical mucus are two things that help you do this.
Every woman usually has one ovulation per cycle. After ovulation, your body temperature increases due to the release of progesterone. The cervical mucus also changes. With these two signals, you can get the most out of fertility-based methods. These methods are also known as symptothermal methods that support natural family planning and natural conception. They consist of symptoms (sympto) such as cervical mucus and temperature (thermal).
The signs of fertility are determined by the temperature curve. To do this, measure your waking temperature in the morning and write it down together with your observations of the quality of the cervical mucus. After a while, you will get an overview of the exact length of your cycle phases and your health.
The symptothermal method allows you to differentiate between fertile and infertile days in the cycle.
If you want to have a baby, the clear quality of the cervical mucus signals your fertile phase. This should be transparent. The additional increase in basal body temperature between 0.2 and 0.6 °C is also an indication. Your temperature always rises shortly after ovulation and drops again just before the start of your period.
Basal temperature method for your cycle control
Your body temperature fluctuates throughout the day and depends largely on your physical activity. The basal body temperature is suitable for creating an optimal and consistent prerequisite for your temperature curve. This is because it measures your lowest body temperature in the resting state after sleep.
When you have decided on a measuring routine, you should always keep it. Your rectal temperature measurement will always be higher by approx. 0.2 °C.
Temperature measurement can be performed vaginally, rectally or orally. Measuring under the armpit is not suitable for the basal body temperature method. When measuring vaginally or rectally, make sure that the thermometer does not slip out. For optimal measurement in the mouth, place the thermometer directly against the tongue ribbon under your tongue and close the mouth during the measurement.
You can use modern temperature measurement technology as a natural method for cycle control and targeted family planning. With the Beurer OT 20 or OT 30 ovulation thermometer, you can gain an accurate measurement fast. In just three minutes, you can transfer the data directly to the "Ovy" app. You can also record your other body signals there. The app enables you to keep an eye on your cycle. Cycle control shows you your ovulation, fertile phase and period. Both thermometers provide you with natural conception control with opportunities to confidently detect your fertile and non-fertile days. The Beurer OT 30 basal thermometer is also Bluetooth® compatible with the "Ovy" app.
It takes some getting used to
It may well take some time to switch from hormonal contraception to natural contraception. This also includes fluctuating temperature values and consequently a zig-zag temperature curve. A few cycles may pass before your body is accustomed to stopping hormonal contraception. You can use this time to practice the symptothermal method to understand how your body reacts during each cycle.
Source:
- pro familia Bundesverband (Hrsg.)(2022). Pearl-Index. https://www.profamilia.de/themen/verhuetung/pearl-index (23.12.2022).
