Natural birth control methods—like cycle tracking, basal body temperature, cervical mucus checks, ovulation kits, tech wearables, and pulling out—help prevent pregnancy by understanding your body’s fertility signals instead of using hormones or devices. These methods can be 77–98% effective but aren’t as reliable as hormonal or barrier methods and require consistent tracking and self-control. Because human error is common, having a backup like the Julie Morning After Pill is smart if your method fails or you’re unsure.
While very effective, hormonal birth control is not the best option for everyone either due to access or personal choice. Fortunately, there are other ways to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Natural birth control, also known as fertility awareness methods, relies on understanding your menstrual cycle and fertility signs to prevent pregnancy without the use of hormonal birth control. And sure, avoiding side effects or having freedom from remembering to take a pill every day sounds great, but there’s more to natural birth control than just tracking your cycle. Plus, it’s not as effective as other birth control methods, with efficacy rates between 77 - 98% (depending on many things including how regular your cycle is and how consistent you are with backup protection during the fertile window). Here, we’ll dive into the seven most popular natural birth control options and what you should know about each one.
The rhythm method (calendar method)
The rhythm method, also known as the calendar method, relies on predicting ovulation based on previous menstrual cycle data. In order to get the most out of the calendar method, you need to keep track of the length of your menstrual cycles for at least six periods.
Once you’ve done that, here’s how you can predict the first fertile day of your cycle:
- Out of the periods you’ve tracked, identify your shortest cycle.
- Subtract 18 days from the total number of days in that cycle.
- Use this number to count from the start – including day 1 – of the current cycle and mark that day. This is the start of your fertile window.
- Next, out of the periods you’ve tracked, identify your longest cycle.
- Subtract 11 days from the number of days in that cycle.
- Use this number to count from the start of the current cycle and mark that day. This is the last day of your fertile window.
- Avoid having sex on and between your first and last fertile days to prevent pregnancy.
Let’s say out of the six cycles you tracked, the shortest was 27 days and the longest was 31 days. From 27 days, subtract 18. This determines that the first day of your fertile window is on day 9 of your cycle. Next, from 31 days, subtract 11. This determines that the last day of your fertile window is on day 20 of your cycle. This method would suggest that you have the highest chance of pregnancy between days 9 and 20 of your cycle.
As you can see from the example, the calendar method is a good prediction tool but isn’t very precise. (The fertile window is generally around 7 days.) Consider coupling this approach with another method, especially if your cycle fluctuates between different lengths and/or doesn’t always come when you expect it to.
Standard days method
Similar to the rhythm method, the standard days method simplifies the fertile window by setting the same days (usually days 8 through 19) as the general fertile time for everyone. This approach is pretty straightforward, but if your cycle is consistently irregular, you’re better off trying a different method.
Basal body temperature (BBT) tracking
Basal body temperature tracking, or BBT, is one of the most common types of natural birth control. BBT refers to the body's lowest resting temperature, typically measured in the morning before any physical activity (you measure it before you even get out of bed). The idea behind BBT tracking is that the body temperature of people with a uterus rises slightly after ovulation due to increased progesterone levels, indicating the fertile window has arrived or just passed.
One thing to know about BBT tracking: It requires consistency. Not only can it take a few months to truly understand your BBT, but smoking, alcohol consumption, jet lag, stress, and illness can affect your BBT readings. To use this method effectively, you have to closely track your temperature and identify the pattern of temperature changes across your menstrual cycles.
Cervical mucus method
Cervical mucus is a clear fluid produced and released by your cervix and vagina. The cervical mucus method involves observing changes in the consistency and appearance of cervical mucus throughout the menstrual cycle. As you approach ovulation, cervical mucus becomes clear, slippery, and stretchy, resembling egg whites — sorry.
Ovulation prediction kits
Ovulation prediction kits are readily available over-the-counter and can help identify the average day in your cycle that you ovulate. Because you are fertile before ovulation, you’ll still have to track a few cycles so that you can plan ahead. The fertile window begins about five days before ovulation starts.
Tech products
While technology doesn’t track your ovulation outright, it can help you track your body’s tell-tale signs during ovulation and menstruation.
Wearable devices can monitor your health, including sleep patterns, activity levels, body temperature, and heart rate. While they don’t track ovulation specifically, they can provide valuable data that can complement other natural birth control methods and take some of the guesswork out of tracking your menstrual cycle.
Withdrawal method (aka pulling out)
The withdrawal method, or "pulling out," involves the penis being withdrawn from the vagina before ejaculation to prevent sperm from entering the cervix. While this method seems easy, it requires a very high level of self-control in the moment, and it doesn’t protect against the possibility of sperm release in pre-cum.
Learn all you ever wanted to know about “pulling out” here.
Natural vs. hormonal birth control
The choice between natural and hormonal birth control methods ultimately depends on individual preferences, lifestyle, and health considerations.
If you’re looking to avoid hormones, natural birth control methods are a great alternative that are available without a prescription or a procedure, but they do require more time and effort than other forms of birth control. More reliable non-hormonal methods include the copper IUD or a barrier method (like a condom). On the other hand, hormonal methods like pills, patches, the implant, the shot, and IUDs offer higher effectiveness rates, so it’s important to consider all of the pros and cons when making your personal selection.
Use the Julie Morning After Pill™ as a backup to natural birth control
While natural birth control methods are effective at preventing pregnancy, precision and accuracy are crucial to their effectiveness. There’s a high chance for human error and incorrect analysis due to other factors out of your control, like stress, diet, and travel. If you think your tracking method might be off or you’re just unsure, take an OTC morning-after pill like Julie’s as soon as you can within 72 hours of unprotected sex. The Julie Morning After Pill™ can help prevent pregnancy by delaying the release of the egg. Learn more about the effectiveness of the Julie Morning After Pill™ here.
While we love to share useful and helpful information, the above shouldn’t replace the advice of your healthcare professional. For questions about birth control and other women’s health issues, please talk to your doctor.
Julie wants to keep young women in the driver’s seat of their own stories and provide them with the tools necessary for a happy, healthy sex life.
We know (and have lived!) through the ups and downs of young adulthood firsthand, and we aim to normalize the events, conversations, and questions that come during this period to help destigmatize sexual health. We believe women should live life with total freedom — starting with their ability to choose how, when, and if they become pregnant.
We know that women can make the best choices for themselves when equipped with the right information. We don’t take sexual education lightly and are committed to sharing accurate and factual information through rigorous planning and QA processes. In fact, all Julie content is reviewed by at least two board-certified doctors on our medical board. Learn more about them here.
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Tessa Commers, MD, FAAP, MS is a board-certified pediatrician based in the Seattle area with a particular interest in adolescent health and sexual education. In addition to clinical practice and serving as Head of Medical at Julie, Tessa also founded AskDoctorT — an education platform with over a million followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube — aimed at improving adolescent health literacy and body confidence. She also hosted and wrote the puberty podcast “That’s Totally Normal!” and has contributed to peer-reviewed publications and educational initiatives focused on child and adolescent wellbeing.
Education: Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City – Pediatric Residency; University of Nebraska Medical Center – Doctor of Medicine (MD); University of Nebraska Medical Center – Master of Science (MS, Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy); New York University – Bachelor of Arts (BA)
