What I’m about to tell you might sound too good to be true. Believe me, it’s not.
There is a method of birth control that’s more affordable than the pill, Mirena or injection. A method that won’t kill your sex drive, has zero side effects (like weight gain or risk of deep vein thrombosis, breast cancer or stroke), and will tell you so much about your body that you’ll be able to spot early clues to potentially devastating diseases.
How is this even possible? Because this method is an alternative to hormonal contraceptives, and opens up a whole new world of birth control options.
Did you know that the pill was only invented a mere 54 years ago? Have you ever wondered what women did before then?
Well, there was an effective method prior to the invention of hormonal contraceptives and today we sit with an even more effective scientific method to avoid pregnancy called the Justisse Method of Fertility Awareness.
Using this method, you’re able to observe, chart and interpret menstrual cycle events that tell you when you’re fertile or infertile.
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Rhythm Method – don’t confuse this simple mathematical calculation (and often ineffective) method with the Justisse Method, or the other scientific methods that fall under the fertility awareness umbrella, such as the Billings Method, the Sympo-Thermal Method, and the Creighton Method.
Benefits of Fertility Awareness
The Justisse Method has an effectiveness rate of 99.6% when used correctly, exactly the same as the Pill. However, the benefits of this natural method go far beyond just avoiding pregnancy:
- The overall costs are far cheaper as it’s a once-off cost to learn the method.
- As you are not ingesting any chemical hormones it doesn’t kill your sex drive.
- Couples who use this method report having sex more often than couples using contraception.
- It’s a complete healthcare option – if your body is not functioning optimally you will be able to see it on your charts.
- It helps to keep your lifestyle choices on a healthy path.
- It provides an early clue to potentially devastating diseases which enables you to practice preventative medicine.
- There are no side effects (such as weight gain, deep vein thrombosis, breast cancer or strokes).
- This knowledge is empowering and understanding the ins and outs of your body is liberating.
So, if this method is so effective and there are so many benefits, why have we not heard about it in mainstream media, from our doctors, or from our moms?
The answers are simple: in the past, there was very little research on this method, which resulted in many unplanned pregnancies. However, times have changed – tons of research has gone into the method and we now sit with a highly effective method to avoid pregnancy, achieve pregnancy or simply monitor your reproductive health.
The other main reason is that it takes time to learn this method and doctors do not have the time to sit and teach patients.
The Method
Each day a woman will take her temperature (with a special BBT thermometer) and chart what we call cervical mucus. Writing down these notations each day will eventually create a really awesome picture of what is happening in your body during each cycle. While learning to chart, you will learn how to identify when you have ovulated, when you are fertile and infertile, how long your luteal phase is, when to expect your next menstruation, how to identify if you are pregnant or not, and if you are eating food that you are intolerant to. This is just the beginning – the list is vast, and you will start to learn stuff about your body that you’ve never understood before. The added bonus is that it takes a mere five seconds each day.
I think it’s important to mention that a woman is only fertile for a couple days to a week each cycle, and it’s only during this time that she can fall pregnant.
I’ve found that when you understand that there are other effective options for birth control, and that they have been around a long time, you’re a lot more confident in your choices, and you’re able to choose the method that is right for you.
My advice?
Don’t be scared to ask questions. Don’t be coerced into a method that you do not agree with, and make sure you know the pros and cons of the method you choose.