The short answer is, probably!
Hold on tight, because we’re about to cover some crucial information you might have missed in your Sex Education classes.
Did you know that you’re only fertile for about 7 days out of the month? Or that you don’t need contraception every time you have sex? While this might not be the message we want to convey to teenagers when safe and protected sex is the gold standard, it also means that as grown women, we’re missing an essential understanding—and therefore, control over our own bodies.
How Ovulation Affects Your Need For Contraception
Ovulation is a much bigger deal than they made it out to be in health class. You probably know that once a month, an egg is released into your fallopian tubes during ovulation. If the egg isn’t fertilized, it’s discharged from your body after two weeks, along with the uterine lining during your monthly period. But ovulation plays a much bigger role than just causing your periods. It’s a driving force behind your inner feminine balance. The delicate dance between the different hormones produced before, during, and after ovulation reveals a lot about your physical and emotional health.
One of the main reasons why turning off ovulation with chemical birth control can lead to depression and other side effects is because it disrupts this delicate balance. But for now, let’s focus on using this comprehensive understanding of ovulation to avoid pregnancy.
Ovulation is the release of an egg that could potentially be fertilized by sperm and lead to pregnancy. There are only about 24 hours each month when the egg is viable. It drops down from the ovary into the fallopian tube and waits for sperm to meet it. If it’s not fertilized during those 24 hours, the egg loses its viability and is no longer able to be fertilized. The egg then stays in your uterus for about two more weeks before it’s released during menstruation.
Sperm, on the other hand, is a bit more patient than the egg. It will wait inside your uterus for up to 5 days. If, during these 5 days, it detects a viable egg descending, it promptly seizes the opportunity to fertilize it. If the sperm and egg successfully fuse, a positive pregnancy test results.
So What Do You Gain By Understanding This Biology?
Firstly, it clarifies that birth control is not necessary for the entire month to prevent pregnancy. Instead, a barrier contraceptive (condoms, Caya, Singa, FemCap, or other hormone-free options) can be used for about a week out of the month, covering the 24-hour period and the 5-day fertility window. This window is the crucial period when sperm are most fertile. By identifying this window, you can effectively block sperm during the rest of the month without worrying about pregnancy.
While the biology is straightforward, relying solely on your knowledge of the fertility window for birth control is a significant responsibility. It demands hard work and dedication. However, fertility monitors like Daysy and LadyComp significantly simplify this process.
Alternatively, you can become an expert in your individual cycle and gain complete control over your birth control.
Accurately Identify The Fertility Window
Natural Family Planning (NFP), Fertility Tracker Method (FTM) and the Fertility Awareness (FAM) are the three umbrella terms for systems used to accurately pinpoint your fertility window enabling you to avoid pregnancy without chemical birth control.
Our bodies go through slight physical changes throughout the month due to our naturally fluctuating hormones before and after ovulation and this can be identified with the waking (basal) body temperature (BBT).
If you take your temperature (under the tongue) every morning, you will see that your body temperature rises slightly but significantly after ovulation. To do this accurately it’s best to use a hospital grade thermometer or let a fertility monitor like Daysy do the precision work for you!
Read About How The BBT Method Of NFP Is 99% Reliable
Natural Family Planning (NFP), the Fertility Tracker Method (FTM), or the Fertility Awareness (FAM) systems. These systems aim to pinpoint your fertility window by observing subtle physical changes in your body due to fluctuating hormones before and after ovulation. One key indicator is your waking (basal) body temperature (BBT).
By taking your temperature (under the tongue) every morning, you can observe a slight rise in body temperature, which becomes more pronounced after ovulation. For accurate results, it’s best to use a hospital-grade thermometer or rely on a fertility monitor like Daysy, which provides precise measurements.
No artificial hormones, no chemicals, no side effects, no condoms. Just the complete and total knowledge that it is impossible to get pregnant at that time of month.
In the UK the Daysy Fertility Tracker can be purchased from Daysy.co.uk.
For two decades David has been the owner and director of several marketing and distribution companies. During this time he has learned the indisputable benefits of looking after customers, colleagues, workers, suppliers and the local community, treating them all as respected stakeholders in a common project. Recently he consolidated his personal beliefs and business ethics by founding and developing several ethical companies.
