Birth Control Alternatives

[tomboytoy]

Has anybody ever tried using a natural birth control alternative? I mean shit you don't get over the counter or whatever. I used Queen Anne's Lace for a little while and it was way better than the pill, which was hell in a hand basket. No inexplicably raging emotions, easier periods (my cramps pretty much incapacitate me), no babies. I have friends that have used herbs like pennyroyal or blue cohosh (although I think they were using them for herbal abortions or plan B, not regular birth control) and met one guy that swore by Vitamin C tablets. I've heard of people using neem oil as well. I know that QAL works, but I'm curious about other methods.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

Has anybody ever tried using a natural birth control alternative? I mean shit you don't get over the counter or whatever. I used Queen Anne's Lace for a little while and it was way better than the pill, which was hell in a hand basket. No inexplicably raging emotions, easier periods (my cramps pretty much incapacitate me), no babies. I have friends that have used herbs like pennyroyal or blue cohosh (although I think they were using them for herbal abortions or plan B, not regular birth control) and met one guy that swore by Vitamin C tablets. I've heard of people using neem oil as well. I know that QAL works, but I'm curious about other methods.

Natural birth control alternatives - people using those are generally called parents.

 

[tomboytoy]

Aheh, touche.

I think QAL works as well as the pill. I met someone in MI who used it for years with their partner until they were ready to have kids and within a couple weeks after she stopped taking it, she got pregnant. The person I got my first batch from uses it with their partners and only had one scare. The dose is 1 tsp a day, every day. 2 tsps for plan B. I dunno, how do you think people protected themselves for thousands of years before modern birth control?

 

[Rose]

I am! Though my "methods" are more unconventional. My iud was starting to give me hell, and it would be really unsafe for me to get pregnant again, so we've opted for strictly outer-course only until one of us can get fixed. Either that or we pick a different hole. :lol:

 

[missrosexox]

Has anybody ever tried using a natural birth control alternative? I mean shit you don't get over the counter or whatever. I used Queen Anne's Lace for a little while and it was way better than the pill, which was hell in a hand basket. No inexplicably raging emotions, easier periods (my cramps pretty much incapacitate me), no babies. I have friends that have used herbs like pennyroyal or blue cohosh (although I think they were using them for herbal abortions or plan B, not regular birth control) and met one guy that swore by Vitamin C tablets. I've heard of people using neem oil as well. I know that QAL works, but I'm curious about other methods.

I personally don't trust natural birth control because it hasn't been effective for me in the past, but I often use vitamin C to induce my period. (I did that last week because I'm going on vacation this week, works like a charm.) I have a non-hormonal IUD (thanks, Obama!), and I use an iPhone app called "Clue" to monitor my cycle so I know when I'm ovulating.

Pennyroyal, blue and black cohosh, don quai, and parsley pessaries can be used to induce miscarriage, but I did this once and it was unsuccessful, plus the cohosh fucked up my blood pressure and made me extremely sick. I don't recommend using pennyroyal or black cohosh unless you're really experienced with herbs cuz they can be very dangerous (especially the former).

Check out this site: http://www.sisterzeus.com/directory.html

Good luck!

 

[Just Me]

Aheh, touche.

I think QAL works as well as the pill. I met someone in MI who used it for years with their partner until they were ready to have kids and within a couple weeks after she stopped taking it, she got pregnant. The person I got my first batch from uses it with their partners and only had one scare. The dose is 1 tsp a day, every day. 2 tsps for plan B. I dunno, how do you think people protected themselves for thousands of years before modern birth control?

If it worked as well as the pill it would be something that many doctors would suggest to their patients.

Why not use condoms or other barrier methods? That way there is nothing being ingested and the side effects are usually limited to allergies.

 

[Kitty_Blue]

Aheh, touche.

I think QAL works as well as the pill. I met someone in MI who used it for years with their partner until they were ready to have kids and within a couple weeks after she stopped taking it, she got pregnant. The person I got my first batch from uses it with their partners and only had one scare. The dose is 1 tsp a day, every day. 2 tsps for plan B. I dunno, how do you think people protected themselves for thousands of years before modern birth control?

If it worked as well as the pill it would be something that many doctors would suggest to their patients.

Why not use condoms or other barrier methods? That way there is nothing being ingested and the side effects are usually limited to allergies.

No doctors get paid by drug companies to recommend certain things.. Doctors would rather give you a dozen set of pills than to recommend something natural.

 

[Diana Blake]

While I'm not against natural contraceptives you have to understand one very big issue: natural remedies are unregulated. There's no quality control and because a lot of these substances aren't tracked closely it's hard to know exactly what you're getting.

That warning issued, you should also know that QAL is really hard on your kidneys and by extension your liver. Make sure to drink a lot of water. It also has some qualities like certain antibiotics that cause UV sensitivity. You'll burn way easier in the sun. Not a big deal as long as you're using a daily SPF. Other than that, the contraceptive properties have been trusted for years but the lower your estrogen levels to begin with the more likely it is to work.

As for other methods...I think I read about a yam some years ago that appears to share a genus with QAL...I'll see if I can track down the article or some reference to it.

 

[MsAllyCat]

Aheh, touche.

I think QAL works as well as the pill. I met someone in MI who used it for years with their partner until they were ready to have kids and within a couple weeks after she stopped taking it, she got pregnant. The person I got my first batch from uses it with their partners and only had one scare. The dose is 1 tsp a day, every day. 2 tsps for plan B. I dunno, how do you think people protected themselves for thousands of years before modern birth control?

If it worked as well as the pill it would be something that many doctors would suggest to their patients.

Why not use condoms or other barrier methods? That way there is nothing being ingested and the side effects are usually limited to allergies.

No doctors get paid by drug companies to recommend certain things.. Doctors would rather give you a dozen set of pills than to recommend something natural.

and drug companies spend billions researching and producing the most effective, cheapest and easiest to produce drugs.

I'm not a raging advocate of pharmaceuticals at all, but the above argument "drs get paid etc etc" is too simplistic.

In regards to non drug birth control, I have used the Billings Method successfully for 12 years. It is excruciatingly tedious to track temperature and discharge to the 'nth degree and requires incredible self discipline and awareness. I have done a few courses over the years. I wouldn't recommend it as a first option to anyone tolerant or hormonal birth control.

And can we note that birth control is only half of the 'safe sex' equation and everyone should give just as much thought into their protection against STDs.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

As for other methods...I think I read about a yam some years ago that appears to share a genus with QAL...I'll see if I can track down the article or some reference to it.

Wild Yams. It's what the very first commercial birth control had as a main ingredient. It is still used in many of them on the market today.

 

[tomboytoy]

I should probably clarify that I'm not pursuing a new form of natural birth control, I'm just curious about other forms people have tried or currently use. I don't take QAL anymore, or not regularly. I have vastly more outercourse than intercourse so I don't need to take anything really. I don't think I've had sex with a new person in a long time, but when I do I drink Dos Eq...I use condoms. If there's a chance I do need to take birth control, I take QAL as plan B. I understand it's toxicity levels can be dangerous, but I felt like it made me feel a lot less awful than the pill. The pill made me really ragey and hysterical and although we've never directly talked about it, I think the way it changed me was part of the reason someone broke up with me. Wah wah wah.

I had a friend that took a wild yam tincture or something and it seemed to work for her. I've never really looked into it.

 

[Alabastra]

I have used fertility awareness method for ages, combined with either condoms or withdrawal if I am unsure. I never have vaginal intercourse around the days where I am 99 % sure that I am ovulating. I have rather regular cycles, strong fertility signs, and over the last decade I have not once miscalculated when I have been fertile.

In the longer run I will get my tubes tied tho, or essure. Diaphragm or cervical caps is also something I am considering.

 

[BarbieLuv]

Before I found a birth control pill that didn't make me crazy (I'm really sensitive to hormones and ended up with the lowest estrogen pill on the market - every other hormone pill I tried made me literally psychotic/suicidal), we used a basal temp. chart combined with condoms - We used the condoms every time we had sex, but didn't have sex for the week of my ovulation. It worked perfectly because my cycle was like clockwork, and we never had any scares over the 2 years that we used it. It is a bit of a PITA to keep up with it every morning, but really not any more than remembering to take a pill (though I definitely prefer the pill overall!)

Here's more info + a link to the printable chart: http://www.babycenter.com/ovulation-chart & http://assets.babycenter.com/ims/Content/bbt_blank_chart.pdf

 

[Just Me]

Aheh, touche.

I think QAL works as well as the pill. I met someone in MI who used it for years with their partner until they were ready to have kids and within a couple weeks after she stopped taking it, she got pregnant. The person I got my first batch from uses it with their partners and only had one scare. The dose is 1 tsp a day, every day. 2 tsps for plan B. I dunno, how do you think people protected themselves for thousands of years before modern birth control?

If it worked as well as the pill it would be something that many doctors would suggest to their patients.

Why not use condoms or other barrier methods? That way there is nothing being ingested and the side effects are usually limited to allergies.

No doctors get paid by drug companies to recommend certain things.. Doctors would rather give you a dozen set of pills than to recommend something natural.

I will take science over untested and unregulated "natural" products any day of the week.

 

[Poker_Babe]

I dunno, how do you think people protected themselves for thousands of years before modern birth control?

Anal Sex! LOL

 

[JerryBoBerry]

I dunno, how do you think people protected themselves for thousands of years before modern birth control?

The simple answer is, they didn't.

Average number of children per woman was MUCH higher throughout all of history until this past century. With the advent of larger modern cities it started going down a bit. But it really wasn't until the creation of the birth control pill that the number went down significantly. Overall world wide average did take time to go down afterwards simply due to spreading the pill to other countries and waiting for their government, religious and social norms to accept it as a good thing to use. But historically speaking prior to the 1900's women simply got pregnant a lot more than today's society.

Around 1800 the average number of children per woman was a little higher than 6 with only a life expectancy of 30 years of age. (Every country, not just ours) This did NOT include children who did not live to birth. And keep in mind with the higher risk of childbirth back then many more woman simply died during child birth. So that average would be higher if only women who lived to old age were counted.

Today the average number of children hovers around the 2 mark and our life expectancy has increased drastically. Further evidence for the efficacy of the birth control pill is the fact that really the only area on earth where the number of births is still at the high mark is the Sub-Saharan area of African continent where most women simply don't have access to the pill. Yet they have the oldest ancestry of all humans. In all that time they've never developed natural methods that seemed to have worked. Niger is the highest today with an average of 7.57 children per woman.

There's many sites that list historical birth rates but this one has a nice graphical animation. Simply press play. The circles are placed higher for high birth rates, lower for less. They also move to the right as life expectancy increases. You can also hover over any color circle and it will pop up which country it is. You can also do the reverse by hovering over the map area and it will highlight the circles.

http://tinyurl.com/nc7hdqq

 

[LilyEvans]

I dunno, how do you think people protected themselves for thousands of years before modern birth control?

The simple answer is, they didn't.

Average number of children per woman was MUCH higher throughout all of history until this past century. With the advent of larger modern cities it started going down a bit. But it really wasn't until the creation of the birth control pill that the number went down significantly. Overall world wide average did take time to go down afterwards simply due to spreading the pill to other countries and waiting for their government, religious and social norms to accept it as a good thing to use. But historically speaking prior to the 1900's women simply got pregnant a lot more than today's society.

Around 1800 the average number of children per woman was a little higher than 6 with only a life expectancy of 30 years of age. (Every country, not just ours) This did NOT include children who did not live to birth. And keep in mind with the higher risk of childbirth back then many more woman simply died during child birth. So that average would be higher if only women who lived to old age were counted.

Today the average number of children hovers around the 2 mark and our life expectancy has increased drastically. Further evidence for the efficacy of the birth control pill is the fact that really the only area on earth where the number of births is still at the high mark is the Sub-Saharan area of African continent where most women simply don't have access to the pill. Yet they have the oldest ancestry of all humans. In all that time they've never developed natural methods that seemed to have worked. Niger is the highest today with an average of 7.57 children per woman.

There's many sites that list historical birth rates but this one has a nice graphical animation. Simply press play. The circles are placed higher for high birth rates, lower for less. They also move to the right as life expectancy increases. You can also hover over any color circle and it will pop up which country it is. You can also do the reverse by hovering over the map area and it will highlight the circles.

http://tinyurl.com/nc7hdqq

Actually people have used plants for thousands of years to help regulate pregnancy. I'm not saying plants work better than pharmaceuticals, necessarily, but most medicines were based on plants at least SOME point in the past.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium

 

[JerryBoBerry]

Actually people have used plants for thousands of years to help regulate pregnancy. I'm not saying plants work better than pharmaceuticals, necessarily, but most medicines were based on plants at least SOME point in the past.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium

Oh yes. There are some things. As you mentioned that plant. The problem with that one is that it was so popular that the Roman's, who shipped it around the known world, harvested it into extintion. We wouldn't even know about it if it weren't for a middle age female monk who cataloged it for history. There was also an ancient civilization that found a sap from a certain tree when dried on strips of fabric would turn certain colors when a pregnant woman peed on it. The Egyptian's found that by mixing crocodile dung with fermented milk and forming it into a patty, it could be inserted into the vagina and act as a spermicidal sponge. Who was the first to find out that crocodile dung contained a spermicidal agent I can not fathom. As i mentioned in a previous post in this thread, wild yams found in Mexico were where the birth control pill started and is still being used today.

Ancient China had large 'pee pots' outside apothecary shops for passersby to relieve themselves. TWO pots, one for women and one for men. They would collect large amounts of urine and boil it down. The white residue left on the sides of the pots would be scraped and then mixed into a rice flour mixture and formed into pills. Testosterone and Estrogen therapy from over 2200 years ago. They reportedly could increase fertility rates in women and regrow hair in men.

I know there are natural things that can be done. But on a world wide scale they just didn't happen is what i was getting at in my previous post. I guess what I was focusing on was the 'how people protected themselves' part. Simply looking at the average number of birth rates the protection has been pretty non-existent until modern times. Almost 3 to 4 times the rate prior.

If you ever get time Terry Jones (monty python fame) has a great documentary titled
The Surprising History of Sex and Love that goes over a lot of the stuff from ancient times. I believe it's on Netflix but i'm not sure. It was several years ago.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2014375/?ref_=nm_flmg_slf_60


EDIT: OOPS. That's another documentary he did on sex. The one I was thinking of was actually titled Ancient Inventions: Sex and Love from 1998. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2013312/?ref_=nm_flmg_slf_75

 

[ThePrincessLuxy]

Abstinence. :crybaby:

 

[eclipse76]

100% Natural and 99.2% efficient: Copper. See Paragard

 

[PlayboyMegan]

If you have a regular cycle, tracking it can be helpful. But it's still not 99% like BC is. I understand hating BC, my aunt died from it. But it's kind of a necessary evil if you don't want to make abortion your "birth control."

 

[eclipse76]

One day we'll have birth control for guys and we'll spare you so much shit. :mrgreen:

 

[BarbieLuv]

One day we'll have birth control for guys and we'll spare you so much shit. :mrgreen:

They do have birth control for guys, they're called... wait for it... CONDOMS! Or you can also go this route *makes snipping motions* :lol:

 

[Rose]

100% Natural and 99.2% efficient: Copper. See Paragard

Yes, but that also carries other risks, and the way it effects your cycle can make you go crazy. :twocents-02cents:

 

[ZenHedonist]

One day we'll have birth control for guys and we'll spare you so much shit. :mrgreen:

They do have birth control for guys, they're called... wait for it... CONDOMS! Or you can also go this route *makes snipping motions* :lol:

I guess it depends on whether or not you want to ever have kids. If you don't, get tied or snipped. I can tell you "the snip" is easy, the procedure wasn't that bad at all and recovery is quick.

 

[missrosexox]

100% Natural and 99.2% efficient: Copper. See Paragard

Yes, but that also carries other risks, and the way it effects your cycle can make you go crazy. :twocents-02cents:

I've been using Paragard for almost 10 months, and it hasn't effected my cycle at all. I could set a clock by my period. It did make my cramps worse for a few months, but I consider that a fair trade for 10 years of hormone-free BC.

 

[Rose]

100% Natural and 99.2% efficient: Copper. See Paragard

Yes, but that also carries other risks, and the way it effects your cycle can make you go crazy. :twocents-02cents:

I've been using Paragard for almost 10 months, and it hasn't effected my cycle at all. I could set a clock by my period. It did make my cramps worse for a few months, but I consider that a fair trade for 10 years of hormone-free BC.

Of course, like with all birth control, there's always the chance of little-no side effects for some women and moderate-extreme side effects for others. That's all I was pointing out. I haven't used it, but my mother did for a time and had absolutely horrible periods on it.

 

[CharlotteLace]

Wait, you guys haven't heard of the newer male contraceptive? An injectible gel that acts like a vasectomy, but is more easily reversible and doesn't require snipping.

(Article's a couple years old, but still pretty informative. It's been fairly successful in trials in India. )
http://www.gizmag.com/risug-male-contraception/18824/

 

[JerryBoBerry]

Ya know this has turned into a pretty interesting thread.

 

[tomboytoy]

Damn Berry, you really know yer shit. Thanks for your contribution to this thread.

I worked for a couple of super old-school feminists who started protesting the in the sixties and among a number of interesting books they had on birth control and feminine care was a book printed in the fifties or sixties that had about 200 different abortion methods in it that ranged from DIY to bring-a-friend to maybe-you-should-seek-professional-help-for-this. A lot of the methods were centuries old and others were more modern, all things considered. I think that the drugs and methods available now are probably a lot more effective and safe, but that there are alternatives for those too poor/scared/whatever to go to a clinic.

Abstinence. :crybaby:

Noooooooo. Never again!

Who was the first to find out that crocodile dung contained a spermicidal agent I can not fathom.

Ancient fetish, perhaps? hah.

quote="JerryBoBerry"]I know there are natural things that can be done. But on a world wide scale they just didn't happen is what i was getting at in my previous post. I guess what I was focusing on was the 'how people protected themselves' part. Simply looking at the average number of birth rates the protection has been pretty non-existent until modern times. Almost 3 to 4 times the rate prior.
[/quote]

My theory is that this in part had something to do with religions insisting that the most children possible would bring you a thousand bowls of Lucky Charms or whatever, farming families knowing that the more kids they had, the more helping hands they would produce; women not having access to information as easily as we do know, etcetera. I think also that there's less pressure now in general to be baby-makers and mothers. People are realizing you don't have to prove yer worth through the amount of times you can produce another human being. Standards are different and social norms have changed. Theory theory theory. All theory.

I remember having a somewhat horrifying conversation with someone that I was best friends with in my tweens about sex where she said "I mean, it's great that god makes sex feel good and I'm thankful to him for that, but it's REALLY ONLY for procreation and it's supposed to be ONLY between you and your husband when you're trying to have kids. Period."