- Practicing abstinence is the most reliable way to avoid pregnancy without birth control. However, many people find it difficult to give up sexual activity altogether. You can still have sexual contact if you abstain from sexual intercourse but participate in foreplay, oral sex and other non-vaginal forms of sex with your partner. Additionally, some people masturbate to satisfy their sexual urges without the risk of pregnancy or STDs.
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Start using the rhythm method to avoid pregnancy by marking the first day of your last menstrual period and the last day of the same period on a calendar. Starting at the last day, count backward 14 days. There's a good chance you ovulated around this time. If the time between your cycles was 28 days, you might have ovulated on or around the 14th cycle day. To avoid pregnancy in your current cycle, mark the first day of your period all the way through to the date you expect your next period to begin. Then mark the 14th day--or whatever cycle day you suspect you ovulated on last time. If, for example, you think you ovulated on the 13th day of your last cycle, mark the upcoming 13th day of this cycle.
According to the Mayo Clinic, sperm can live in the female body for up to five days, so it's a good idea to abstain not only on the day you think you ovulate, but also two days before and two days after. Additionally, you may have clear, stretchy mucous during ovulation. Avoid sex if you notice this type of vaginal mucous close to your suspected fertile period. -
To give yourself a better chance of pinpointing the correct ovulation day, purchase a basal body temperature thermometer--a special thermometer that measures very slight shifts in temperature.Take your temperature with it every morning before you get out of bed or participate in any kind of activity, including sex. You should note a very a slight rise the day after you ovulate, which might only amount to about a tenth of a degree.The day before the temperature rise is likely to be the day you ovulate.
After you've taken your temperature in this manner for at least three cycles, mark the cycle day on which your temperature usually rises on your calendar and avoid sex three days before and two days after that cycle day. For example, if your temperature normally rises on cycle day 11, avoid intercourse on cycle day 10, two days before the 10th and two days after it. - Ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) are tests that can be used to predict when ovulation is likely to occur.They work by detecting the level of luteinizing hormone--a hormone with levels that increase before ovulation--in your urine. According to DrSpock.com, you will probably ovulate about 12 hours to one day after a positive OPK test. Avoid sexual intercourse on the day of the surge and for at least two days afterward.
