What Should I Eat To Avoid Pregnancy? If you are trying to avoid pregnancy, it’s important to understand the foods that can help in your efforts. Avoiding pregnancy is possible as long as there is abstinence from sex. However, if you are sexually active and don’t want to be expecting a child then one should learn about the foods that help in avoiding pregnancy. These foods help in a natural way to avoid pregnancy without doing any harm to your body
Home Remedies for Birth Control
Knowing the imperativeness of birth control for good health, one must look for suitable and effective birth control options. Many natural remedies for birth control are safe and easy that can be practiced at home. However, these are not foolproof and should be only used if other options are not available. Let’s take a look at different types of birth control methods:
1. Physical Methods
Calendar method: Calendar method is a technique marking monthly menstrual cycles to check the dates falling on ovulation days on which there are maximum chances of getting pregnant. It is a preventive measure to avoid pregnancy by calculating the possible days of ovulation. Minimum of 12 cycles must be charted, subtract 18 days from shortest and 11 days from longest menstrual cycle to get the days when you are most fertile. Use protection on these days or follow abstinence from intercourse to prevent pregnancy.
Temperature method: Ovulation results in raised body temperature. Record body temperature three times daily to find the day when ovulation occurs. Preventing intercourse on these days or using protection can be helpful in avoiding unwanted pregnancy.
Condom: It is the most popular barrier method of contraception. Using a condom during intercourse is the most effective and safe birth control option. It is rare that this method could fail. One should ensure proper hygiene while using a condom to avoid any infection.
2. Herbs for Birth Control
Queen Anne’s Lace: Queen Anne’s Lace or wild carrot seed prevents implantation of egg by disrupting progesterone synthesis. Its seeds must be taken soon after unprotected intercourse up to seven days. It can also be taken as a concoction or tea. Mild side effects like constipation may follow its usage.
Cotton Root Bark: Cotton root bark when dried is an herb preventing pregnancy. The dried cotton root, when taken as tea or boiled in water, stimulates the release of the hormone oxytocin that prevents pregnancy.
Neem: Neem is a spermicidal herb which has been used since ancient times as a contraceptive. This Indian herb can be taken as leaves, extract or neem oil. Though it does not affect the production of sperm, neem kills sperms instead. Both males and females can take neem extract or neem oil as a contraceptive to prevent pregnancy in a most effective way. Injecting neem oil through the vagina can cause reversible infertility in female for about one year.
Pennyroyal (Spearmint): Pennyroyal is also a good option to prevent unwanted pregnancy. This ancient method is most helpful when the herb is added to tea and taken in small dosage. More than required consumption can cause poisonous reactions too. Consult an alternative medicine doctor before taking this herb.
Black and Blue Cohosh: Black and Blue Cohosh herbs stimulate the release of oxytocin hormone resulting in contraction of uterine walls and prevent pregnancy. One must consult a doctor about the dosage that can be taken. Consume it in the form of brewed concoction for preventing pregnancy.
Parsley: Parsley a readily available herb useful in preventing pregnancy. It does not have any side effects, which makes it one of the most beneficial organic birth control methods.
3. Fruits and Dry Fruits
Citrus fruits: Vitamin C is useful birth control option. Citrus fruits like lemon, amla and guava are rich in vitamin C content. Pure vitamin C is most recommended to avoid pregnancy. Pure vitamin C can also be taken as supplements. Take 2 doses of vitamin C (500 mg) up to 3 days after unprotected intercourse. It should not be taken if tested positive for pregnancy.
Dried Apricot: Dried apricot is also helpful in birth control if taken after intercourse. Mix some dried apricots with honey and water and blend it into a mixture. Consume one cup of this mixture to prevent pregnancy. It is an effective, easy and quick way to avoid unwanted pregnancy.
Papaya: Eating papaya after unsafe intercourse helps prevent pregnancy. It does not let fertilization to occur and aids birth control. Avoid taking papaya if the pregnancy test is positive as it may lead to abortion and other problems.
How to Prevent Pregnancy Naturally At Home
Many couples want to have children but only with proper planning. To prevent unwanted pregnancy, many women use contraceptive pills which have adverse effects on the body in the long run. There are also a number of home remedies that can help you prevent pregnancy. Of course, none of these methods is 100% effective; they are all just precautionary. So, it’s always best to practise safe sex as much as you can.
There are some methods of preventing pregnancy, which go hand-in-hand with the human body and medical science. Some of them are:
1. Have Sex During Your Safe Period
This method provides an added layer of precaution if you already have some kind of protection in place. You can avoid the ovulation days, which usually occur two weeks before the period. A good way to go about it is to consult a fertility expert to track your ovulation days and schedule your intercourse accordingly.
2. Practice the Start-Stop Method
The male partner can take care not to ejaculate inside his partner. This method requires practice, and there’s a risk that the sperm might somehow enter the vagina. Therefore, it’s better to do this along with other proven contraceptive methods.
3. Track Your Basal Body Temperature
Once your period ends, you can start tracking your basal body temperature. When ovulation begins, the temperature starts rising and peaks on the day of ovulation. You can avoid conception if you avoid sex during this period.
4. Look Out for Cervical Discharge
A woman’s body produces a transparent, jelly-like discharge in the days leading up to ovulation. Abstaining from sex during this period can prevent ovulation.
Birth control measures for men
There are majorly four methods available for the males which are described below:
Outer course
The outer course is defined as performing sex without penetrating, i.e. the sex without penetrating into the vagina. This helps in preventing the sperms from entering into the vagina and hence, proven to be an effective method for controlling pregnancy. This method does not exert any side effects and causes no changes in hormonal balances.
Condom
Most of the population uses condoms and it is the best way to prevent the individuals from Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) as it prevents the contact of skin. Condoms are the thin layered stretchy material containing latex that is used to cover the penis in order to prevent the semen from reaching eggs by collecting the semen while performing sex.
Withdrawal
In this method, also known as pull out method, the male withdraws his penis just before ejaculation. It helps in preventing sperms from entering into the vagina and therefore preventing pregnancy. It is not the reliable method as pregnancy can occur even if the withdrawal of penis is done on time.
Vasectomy
It is the permanent birth control measure and completely effective. It is a surgical procedure in which the vas deferens tube that is responsible for carrying sperms are blocked or closed. Therefore, the sperm could not be ejaculated and absorbed in the man’s body.
Birth control measures for women
It can be done using various ways such as:
Birth control pills
There is a lot of promotion being done through social media regarding the use of birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. There are a variety of birth control pills. These pills are a combination of estrogen and progesterone or simply the composition of one of these two hormones. These pills have to be taken regularly to prevent pregnancy and different types of pills have a different working mechanism.
Fertility Awareness-based methods
These methods are useful in keeping track of ovulation. A woman is highly likely to get pregnant during the ovulation period. It helps women to keep her away from vaginal intercourse during the ovulation days or using preventive measures such as a condom or some other measure for birth control. It can be done using various methods such as cervical mucus method, temperature method and calendar method.
Emergency contraception
Also called as the morning after pill, it is one of the safest and most reliable methods to prevent pregnancy once having unprotected sex. So, if you aren’t using any birth control measure during sexual intercourse, you may use this as the birth control measure.
Other Natural Methods of Preventing Pregnancy
The following contraceptive methods are considered to be useful; however, there is no scientific evidence that they are 100% effective.
1. Papaya (Papita)
Some believe if you have unsafe intercourse, having papaya twice a day for the next 3-4 days may reduce the chances of an unwanted pregnancy. Some also believe that when the fruit is consumed by the male partner, it can reduce sperm count.
2. Ginger (Adrakh)
Ginger is believed to induce a period and prevent pregnancy. Some grated ginger boiled in a cup of water for five minutes can be strained and consumed twice a day. However, this remedy also does not guarantee results.
3. Apricot (Khubani)
Apricot is believed to prevent pregnancy in a natural way. Traditionally, about 100 gms of dried apricots are boiled in a cup of water with 2 tablespoons of honey. This concoction may be a great option for a beverage, but may not work to prevent a pregnancy though.
4. Dried Figs (Anjeer)
Figs promote blood circulation; however, no studies prove that eating dried figs after having unsafe intercourse can help prevent pregnancy. Also, overeating figs can cause an upset stomach.
5. Cinnamon (Dalchini)
Cinnamon is a great spice to add flavour to foods, but it is also believed to stimulate the uterus, and cause miscarriage. Once again, there is no evidence that it can prevent pregnancies, cause a miscarriage and can be used as a birth control method.
6. Juniper Berries (Kala Jamun)
Juniper berries also make it to the list of remedies that many believe can help prevent pregnancy. You can relish the fruit when it’s in season, but in no way is it a natural contraceptive method.
7. Asafoetida (Hing)
Drinking 1/4th teaspoon of asafoetida mixed in water to avoid a pregnancy is another mid wives’ tale we do not recommend.
8. Parsley (Ajamod)
Parsley is also believed to be an effective home remedy to prevent pregnancy. However, no studies have proven that it is a mild herb.