Since the day they were invented, artificial birth control methods have been the cause of debates and controversies worldwide and remains a hot topic among religious groups, women’s groups and even in various government parties. In the middle of all these disputes, women and couples find themselves in a confusing and distressing position. More often than not, they’ll simply opt for artificial birth control since these are heavily promoted by more and more governments and sold conveniently in stores.

What most of these women and couples don’t know is that they’re buying into a slew of harmful side-effects as well.

Not Just a ‘Religion’ Thing

Others would argue that artificial birth control methods are only getting heavy criticism because of how they promote lifestyles that go against some religious teachings, but the truth is that arguments against them go beyond just religion.

The side-effects of artificial birth control methods have been widely published, but not as publicised as their apparent effectiveness. There’s no doubt that these methods are effective, but their use poses some serious health risks to women. They can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and even bleeding. Those methods that tamper with hormones often result in mood swings, decreased libido and dryness that have severely affected the intimacy of many couples.

Artificial birth control methods such as the birth control pill and injectables have also been associated with breast cancer, high blood pressure, heart attack, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer and a higher rate of contracting the AIDS virus. Barrier methods such as Intrauterine Devices have been shown to cause preeclampsia, a complication during pregnancy; dyspareunia or painful intercourse and ectopic pregnancies, where the embryo implants itself in a location other than the uterus causing complications in pregnancy and even maternal death. All of these methods have resulted in extended periods of infertility even after discontinued use as well as induced early abortions.

What’s Nice about Natural

When it comes to family planning the best and only risk-free option is to go natural. Aside from avoiding health risks altogether, natural family planning methods gives couples plenty of benefits:

  • Freedom from worry. With natural family planning couples don’t have to worry about unplanned pregnancies, infertility or various health risks. It follows the body’s natural ovulation calendar, so it doesn’t need to ‘trick’ the body with chemicals that bring numerous side-effects.
  • Increased intimacy. Many couples think that the abstinence required in natural family planning can limit intimacy but it actually results in the total opposite. Many who have been using it for years testify that their intimacy increases because of their anticipation for when the time is right.
  • Improved relationships. In natural family planning the responsibility doesn’t just rest on the woman’s shoulders but with the couple. They have to openly communicate and make decisions together on when to be intimate, and they both develop a better understanding of both their physical needs.
  • Helping the environment. Artificial birth control products are made with many harmful chemicals that not only harm the body but the environment as well. Natural family planning doesn’t require any unnatural chemicals at all, so it has no negative effect on the environment whatsoever.
  • Fertility when you want it. Unlike artificial birth control methods, natural family planning works both ways. It can help you avoid unplanned pregnancies, and it can also help you conceive when you want to.

Simple But Complicated?

Natural family planning is an excellent and wonderful way to go, but it is no walk in the park for sure. It can be difficult for couples to abstain at times, and other times it can be hard to keep track of a woman’s natural cycle, especially if she has irregular cycles. Irregular cycles can occur to women when they undergo stress or starvation, take certain medication, smoke, lack sleep, have an illness or have hormonal disorders. But for these women there are other natural options, like those offered by Lady-Comp. Lady-Comp is a company that manufactures handy fertility computers that can accurately tell when a woman is ovulating. So no matter how inconsistent a woman’s cycle can be, she can still go natural with the help of Lady-Comp.

Debra Wright blogs about a plethora of topics including natural birth control in Family and Personal and other fields. Wright considers Lady-Comp as one of the leaders in fertility monitors.