In this day and age of advanced medical methods to avoid pregnancy, most women still rely on old age natural barrier methods. With the right knowledge and awareness of the menstrual cycle, any female can avoid getting pregnant without the use of any contraceptive. The concept that a female is fertile only for a few days in a month is the basic thing which can help avoiding unwanted pregnancy.  The following are some of the effective methods of avoiding pregnancy naturally:
1. The calendar method
This is the most commonly used method to avoid pregnancy. This method helps a women predict her fertile period and the way to calculate the last and first day of fertile period is given as follows:
First day of fertile period: shortest cycle-20
Last day of fertile period: longest cycle-10
This means that the women will have to abstain from sexual intercourse from the first day to last day of the fertile period as these are the highest risk days when the chances of getting pregnancy are maximum.
2. Temperature method
Another way to avoid pregnancy is to use the tried and tested temperature method. In this method, you will have to to calculate your vaginal temperature every day in the morning, without doing any kind of physical activity. If you notice a rise of 0.3 to 0.4 degree Celsius in the temperature, this means that from that day onwards, the next three days are high risk days and abstinence is needed during these days.
3. Combined method of calendar and temperate methods
To have a more accurate idea of the fertile period, you can follow the combination of the above mentioned methods. Using the combination method is more effective and reliable. In the combination method, the first day of the fertile period is calculated using the calendar method whereas the last day is calculated using the temperature method.
4. The cervical mucus method
In this method, you will have to observe the mucus consistency every day. Cervical mucus becomes more thin and slippery and also increases in quantity at the time of ovulation. You will have to observe abstinence from the day of detection of mucus to the fourth day after the maximum mucus consistency or quantity. This particular method is considered very reliable and as effective as the combination of the temperature and the calendar method.
5. Combined method of calendar method, temperature method and the mucus method
To be extremely sure of the fertile days and to avoid pregnancy naturally in the most reliable and effective way, you can use the combination of all the methods mentioned above. The first day of abstinence can be calculated through the calendar method or by detecting the first day of mucus appearance. On the other hand, the last day of abstinence can be determined by using the temperature method.
While natural methods are more or less accurate, you must always consult a doctor before completing relying on this method because every woman’s body works differently.
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