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Step 1
Decide how much effort you are willing to put into your birth control method. Charting is quite effective in preventing pregnancy, but requires daily temperature recording (which means waking up at the same time every day and temping before even sitting up in bed), cervical fluid observation and sexual abstinence before and during ovulation. For more information on charting, read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" or visit their Web site.
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Step 2
Opt for the rhythm method, also known as "Fertility Awareness" if you like the theory behind charting, but don't have the time or ability to temp properly. According to this method, every woman has a peak fertility time each month and during this time you simply don't have sex. It sounds pretty straightforward, but it must be followed exactly in order to be effective. This method has a high failure rate because it is often followed incorrectly. For more information on the rhythm method, go online (see Resources below).
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Step 3
Go with the withdrawal method only if you are half-heartedly trying to prevent pregnancy. Using this method, which is technically called coitus interruptus, the man withdraws his **** right before ejaculating. While this method reduces the amount of semen entering the female, there is no guarantee that sperm can't enter via pre-ejaculatory fluid. Advantages to this method are that it's free, easy and allows you to engage in sexual activity at any time during your cycle.
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Step 4
Use barrier methods without chemicals, like spermicide. Some people believe that barrier methods are considered natural birth control since they don't involve hormones, but this is a personal choice. Using a condom, diaphragm, female condom or cervical cap, sperm is blocked from enter a woman's uterus, thus preventing conception.
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Step 5
Abstain from sex all together. You've heard it a dozen times before and even though it may seem clichéd and obvious, it really is the only form of birth control, natural or otherwise, that is 100 percent effective.
