Today there is a lot of emphasis on fertility and how to improve a couple's chances of conceiving a baby. But what about that percentage of the population that doesn't want a child? Maybe you are a woman, who has tried things like The Pill (oral contraceptives), or barrier methods, or any number of contraceptives on the market and find that they do not agree with you or your lifestyle. Maybe you are a young couple that is not quite ready for having tubes tied or snipped because later on you might change your mind and want a child. It is a difficult decision to make, yet you are smart enough to know that a child at this point in your life is not the right thing to do.
Natural birth control might be an option, but remember, nothing is failsafe and you need to do your research and talk to professionals before you embark on this decision. Many natural ways of dealing with contraception are popular, and they do work, but they take a lot of time and vigilance to make them work the way they should. Unless you practice your method of choice consistently, chances are you will end up pregnant.
Ideally, natural methods of birth control are best undertaken by couples in long-term relationships and require the participation of both partners, and none of the techniques available offer protection against sexually transmitted diseases.
Practicing natural birth control can have several benefits. To start with, women gain a better understanding of how their bodies work. You learn what your cycles are and why your body is doing certain things at certain times over the course of the month. Natural birth control has no side effects. You are not ingesting any medications that alter your body's natural chemistry and forcing your body to do something against the grain.
These natural techniques are also inexpensive and don't require a prescription month after month. Because both partners are involved in the process, the responsibility of natural birth control does not fall on one person or the other and can encourage bonding. Moreover, should you decide that you do want a child; you can use these methods to conceive.
Here are the most popular methods of natural birth control:
Standard Days Method (SDM): This method is fairly new and was developed by the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University School of Medicine. The concept is simple; keep track of how long your menstrual cycle is and then during your most fertile part of the month (which is days 8 - 19) you abstain from sex. This method when followed to the letter is 95% effective.
Ovulation Method: This concept revolves around the consistency of cervical mucus. Researchers have found that the cervix is also affected by monthly changes and will have little to no mucus at the end of a woman's period. As the cycle begins again, the cervix will be preparing for the possibility of fertilization and become thicker. When the body nears ovulation, the cervical mucus becomes thinner and stickier until the time of ovulation. At this point, the mucus will be clear and slippery, creating an ideal environment for sperm. On its own, this method is not as reliable as other methods and a back up method (such as condoms or the sponge) is recommended.
Rhythm/Calendar Method: This particular method is probably the least reliable of the methods available for natural birth control. For a couple to use this, the woman has to count back 14 days from the first day of her period to figure out when she would have ovulated. The problem is, ovulation occurs at different times for each woman, not all women fall into a nice, neat category of 14 days, especially if a woman has irregular periods.
Sympto-thermal Method: For this method you are going to have to take your temperature each morning before you get out of bed. There will be no getting up and puttering around the house first (or anything else for that matter). Before you even throw back those covers, you have to take your temperature and start charting it. Your temperature will fluctuate each day, generally staying in the 97.2F to 97.4F range. What you are looking for is a sudden spike in those numbers, often a full degree above 98F. This rise in temperature will indicate ovulation. Used correctly, and perfectly, the Sympto-thermal method can be 99% accurate.
These are only a handful of methods available. Do your research and talk to your doctor to decide which one is best for you and your partner.
All over the world, almost 85 percent of adolescents have acne. It first crop up as different type of bumps in the skin and these bumps can be blackheads, whiteheads, pimples or cysts. It mostly affects the teens due to the hormonal changes and it can be heredity also. Most of the acne for teens will get away before they are out of the teen period. Many of the teen-agers must have experienced the acne. The type of acne which affects the teens is called as Acne Vulgaris and, this usually shows up on the face, neck, shoulders, upper back and chest. This type of acne usually consists of non inflammatory or mildly inflammatory lesions, but Nodular or cystic acne is considered to be more severe. In this case permanent scarring can occur on the affected area. The teens can get treated by visiting a dermatologist when they come to know that they have acne and getting their help to treat it.
Acne can be treated in many ways that too as a home remedy and one of the best solution and oldest treatment is toothpaste. Teens put the toothpaste on pimples or on the affected area and this helps in minimizing the swelling of acne. This should be done before going to bed and it must be a paste and not a gel. And one of the teen acne solutions is to cleanse the affected area with salt water twice daily and this helps in removing the excess oil from the pores and reduces the development of pimples. Too much of washing will cause some problem. In most of the cases, mild acne can be treated with over-the-counter cream which contains salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. If the acne is not treated with care and if it continues to be for more than two weeks, then chances are severe and can only be treated by a dermatologist.
To avoid teen acne, it is very much important to wash twice a day with warm water and a mild cleanser can be used. After this apply a moisturizer according to the skin type. Don't squeeze or pick the blemishes with fingernails as this will strengthen the bacteria to get deeper into the skin which lead to severe infection and chances of permanent scar are more. Acne may improve due to sun exposure that too for few days only, but in the long run more clogged pores will be on the face which will lead to more acne. Usage of sunscreen will help in case of sunny weather, because some acne medication makes the skin sensitive to the sun.
There are some natural methods to control acne which include fresh lemon juice and tea tree oil. Lemon juice helps unclog the pores of excess oil and the tea tree oil contains a menthol stimulant which helps to open the pores as well as moisturize the skin. This treatment is safe for skin. Some more home products are used as a remedy and they are sandalwood powder, tomato pulp, cucumber, avocado, neem, turmeric, milk, rose water, potatoes, orange peel and lavender oil.
Both Jeff Clare & Lesley Lyon are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jeff Clare has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Bad Breath and Fitness. Jeff Clare has worked in healthcare and now writes regularly on health related topics including and. Jeff Clare's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.
Lesley Lyon has sinced written about articles on various topics from Sauna, Finances and computers and the internet. has exhaustive resources for tackling acne related problems. Lesley Lyon's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.