31 Dec, 2025
Home Methods To Prevent Pregnancy Naturally (4 DIY Ways My OIC Taught Me)
Birth Control ,

Every land has methods to prevent pregnancy naturally that they adopt. Unfortunately, most either do not work or are dangerous. I understand that it can be a struggle especially for couples who had agreed on a certain number of children to make together. They still want to get down in the other room but the thought of yet another pregnancy wouldn’t leave their minds. Perhaps, due to the absence of a condom and the reluctance to head outside the house to go look for one. .

This reminds me of when I was serving at a primary health centre, I went to a traditional wedding with my OIC. The highlight of the whole wedding for me was during the cake cutting time. The couple were asked to cut the cake upon the mention of the number of kids they would want to produce.

The ceremony’s director counted down from number thirty until two when the couple cut the cake. My OIC’s remark at that moment was subtle but yet loud. Not as in loud that people heard her but loud that her comment was very relatable and sent a message indirectly.

Before this, a lot of people who entre the primary health centre, especially late teens would come to me upon seeing me perhaps because they think, I can relate with them and understand them better as I’m young and more or less their age mates. Then, there are couples who cannot afford the cost of IUD devices or other implants seeking for alternatives. I would often refer them to the officer in charge for a more research based and professional counsel.

In her years as a community health nurse, she had seen a lot. This wedding impulsed her to organize a teaching for both her antenatal and postnatal women the next day at work. She will even go further to make a small posters at the entrance and at other strategic points in the centre relaying out all methods to prevent pregnancy naturally. In the rest of this article, I will share with you what she taught and what I learnt as well.

Home Methods To Prevent Pregnancy Naturally

Some women think that to wash out the vagina, perhaps with a douche bag or to urinate after having sex will prevent pregnancy, but this is not true. She listed out three home methods to prevent pregnancy; Breastfeeding, sponge method, rhythm method and the one she called mucus method

Breast feeding

I too was surprised when she mentioned this but what do I know. This was what I learnt — while a woman is breastfeeding her baby, she is less likely to become pregnant especially when breast milk is the only food her baby receives. The chance if her becoming pregnant is much greater after 4 to 6 months, when the baby begins to get other foods in addition to breast milk. Even then, breast feeding can help prevent pregnancy if the woman breastfeeds frequently, both day and night, and gives breast milk as the main food.

How & Why?

When you breastfeed frequently, especially in the early months, your body produces prolactin, the “milk-making hormone.” High prolactin levels suppress ovulation by inhibiting the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. It also delays the return of your menstrual cycle (postpartum amenorrhea). In addition , it prevents the maturation and release of eggs from your ovaries. Essentially, your body’s priority becomes milk production, temporarily putting fertility on hold. This making it an elegant biological design to space out pregnancies.

Little did they know that exclusive breastfeeding from birth to 4 months is one of the methods to prevent pregnancy

However, if her period starts, she cannot depend on breastfeeding to prevent pregnancy. To be more sure she will not get pregnant if the woman sees herself engaging in sexual acts, the mother who is breastfeeding should begin some method of birth control when the baby is three to four months old. A method other than birth control pills is better because the pills cause some women to produce less milk. Unfortunately breastfeeding only work for mothers only. Don’t expect this to work if you are not a breastfeeding mother.

The Sponge Method

This one is a home method that is not harmful and works. You cannot be so sure that it will prevent pregnancy every time but it can be used when no other method is available. For this, you will need a sponge and either vinegar, lemon, or salt. Either a sea sponge or an artificial sponge will work.If you do not have a sponge, try a ball of cotton, wild kapok, or soft cloth.

According to her, mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar in 1 cup of water or 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in 1cup of water or 1 spoon of salt in 4 spoons of water.

Image showing the sponge method as one other methods to prevent pregnancy naturally

Wet the sponge with one of these liquids.

Push the wet sponge deep into your vagina before having sex. You can put it in up to an hour before.

Leave the sponge in at least 6 hours after having sex, then take it out. If you have trouble getting it out, next time try tie a ribbon or piece of string to it that you can pull.

The sponge can be washed and and used again many times. You can make up the liquid in advance and keep it in a bottle.

The Rhythm Method

This method is not very sure to prevent pregnancy, but it has advantages of not costing anything. It is more likely to work for a woman whose periods come very regularly, more or less once every 28 days. Also the husband and wife must be willing to pass one week out of each month without having sex the regular way.

Usually a woman has a chance of becoming pregnant only during 8 days of her monthly cycle which are her fertile days. These eight days come midway between her periods, beginning 10 days after the first day of menstrual bleeding. To avoid getting pregnant, a woman should not have sex with her man during these 8 days. During the rest of the month, she is not likely to get pregnant.To avoid confusion the woman should mark on a calendar the 8 days she is not to have sex.

For example: Suppose your period begins on the 5th day of May, count that as day number 1. Then count 10 days starting with the 10th day, put a line under the next 8 days like this:

Image of a calender explaining the rhythm method as one of the ways to preventing pregnancy

During these 8 ‘fertile days’, do not have sexual relations. Now suppose your next period begins on the first of June. Mark it the same way. Once again count off 10 days and underline the following 8 days in which you will not have sexual contact.

Image of a calender explaining the rhythm method as one of the ways of preventing pregnancy

If the woman and her husband carefully avoid having sex together during these 8 days each month, it is possible that they will go years without having another child. However, few couples are successful for very long. This is not a very sure method, unless used in combination with the next method that I will list below or with a diaphragm or condoms.

The Mucus Method

According to the OIC, this is a variation of the rhythm method. A woman finds out when she could become pregnant by checking the mucus in her vagina every day. It works fairly well for some couples but not for others. In general it cannot be considered a very sure way of preventing pregnancy, but it costs nothing and has no risks other than those that come with pregnancy itself.

However, it is more difficult to do if the woman has a vaginal infection with a lot of discharge, or if her periods are not regular. Every day, except during her period, the woman should examine the mucus from her vagina. Take a little mucus out of your vagina with a clean finger and try to make it stretch between your thumb and forefinger, like this:

Image showing the mucus method as one of the methods to prevent pregnancy naturally

As long as the mucus is sticky like paste and not slippery or slimy, you probably cannot become pregnant, and can continue to have sexual relations. Nevertheless, when the mucus begins to get slippery or slimy, like raw egg, or if it stretches between your fingers, you may become pregnant if you have sexual relations. So, do not have sex when the mucus is slippery or stretches, or until 4 days after it has stopped being slippery or stretchy and has become sticky again.

Image showing the mucus method as one of the methods to prevent pregnancy naturally

The mucus will usually become slippery during a few days midway between your periods. These are the same days you would not have sex with your man if you were using the rhythm method.To be more sure, use the mucus and rhythm methods together. Some people accept ‘natural’ methods, as against ‘artificial’ methods which use pills or ‘rubber goods. An increasing number of religious and community leaders are realizing how important it is for the health and well-being of everyone, that easy and sure methods of birth control are made widely known.

How To Prevent Pregnancy Without Birth Pills

There are other ways to surely prevent pregnancy on the part of the woman without birth pills than the methods listed above. Breastfeeding, mucus method, rhythm method and sponge method are ways you can prevent pregnancy on your part as a woman without ingesting any pills but there are stuffs like IUD devices and other implants which works as well. However, they are expensive, requires expertise and comes with a lot of caveats as compared to sponge method which you can do yourself and at home convenience.

My Recommended Tip: If you want to be more certain not to become pregnant, it often helps to use 2 methods at the same time. The rhythm or mucus method combined with the use of a condom, diaphragm, foam, or sponge is surer than any of these methods alone. Likewise, if a man uses condoms and the woman a diaphragm or foam, the chance of pregnancy is very low.

READ MORE:

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Kalisia
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