I know many of us think about this because pregnancy and birth can be dangerous for women. And having babies very close together is a really bad idea post SHTF. Really the list of reasons why birth control would be good are limitless. And I am someone who loves big families. I have 4 children and cherish them all. I would never want to live in a world without children. But I also realize that if TSHTF things will be very dangerous for children and it would be wise to wait until things calm down to bring a helpless baby onboard.

I feel like I need to share this very important skill to other women while I can. This can truly save lives because a women worn down by constant childbearing is more likley to die.

The birth control plan for most people post SHTF:

Condoms- they run out and loose effectivness
Chemical- they run out and loose effectivness over time
Rhythm method- very unreliable
Sterilization- highly invasive for women and not practical for the young girls who will reach adulthood post SHTF
Pull out and pray- very unreliable
Celebecy- unrealistic for most people

So effectivly in 3 to 5 years post SHTF we will be back in the dark ages of birth control. That is of course unless someone keeps the condom factories going.

But wouldn't it be nice if there was a natural way to prevent pregnancy? Guess what? There is!

It is called Natural Fertility Awarness

So what is it? First off it is not the rhythm method. The reason the rhythm method is so ineffective is because it teaches women to use a 28 day cycle for their ovulation (when the egg is released). The problem with that is that only about 20% or less of women acutally have a 28 day cycle. For the rest of us it can vary from 20 to 35 days. So the 80% who have different cycles and use the rhythm method are on a fast track to pregnancy.

Also a womens cycle changes as she ages and sometimes changes month to month, so the rhythm method does not help. This cycle can be affected by many different things like stress, heat, the lunar cycle, breastfeeding, giving birth, weight, and age. This is why tracking when you ovulate is the surest way to know when you are fertile.

So how does it work?

It teaches:

The signs of ovulation
how to track your ovulation and reproductive cycle
the lifespan and viablitiy of the egg and sperm
which are "safe" days and which arn't according to your personal cycle

It also boasts a statistical success rate of 97%-99% of women who use it. But then most women who do this are pretty determined!

And frankly alot more than I could type here. This method does take practice and study. It is not as easy as taking a pill. And you will need an understanding partner who will not on a fertile day succum to temptation in the heat of the moment. You are going to have to read the book and really stick to it but it's worth the work. I have used it for years (if I can do it anyone can) and never had an unplanned pregnancy, same for my sister, and for many other women I have talked to that use this method. It breaks the cycle of using potentially harmfull drugs to control a womens fertility as well. The book is thin and softcover and cheap. And think of the rewards if you buy a few and use them to trade with women for items you need post SHTF. I should think most women will be very interested in this kind of knowledge.

At first many women need a basil thermometer but I never used one. Also you cannot use this while nursing a baby. Nursing totally messes with your hormons so you must take other precautions during that time. However exclusivly nursing (meaning no bottles or other foods) a baby is a pretty effective birth control as it suppresses ovulation. The book covers this area as well.

Warning! This method does not protect against STD's because you are not useing condoms as birth control.

The book is called Natural Fertility Awareness by John and Lucie Davidson. Mine cost $12.00 new.

Here is an explanation from the back cover-

Advances over the last two decades in our understanding of the hormonal sequence controlling the reproductive cycle in women have resulted in the discovery of certain external indicators of the fertile and infertile times within a cycle. These indicators can be easily learnt and monitored by any woman to let her know when and when not to make love for achieving or avoiding conception. The practice is quite different from the highly unsafe rhythm method. In fact, statistical assesment of its contraceptive efficacy puts it in th upper echelon, with a success rate of 97-99%

phaydra,
You seem up on this stuff, so maybe you know. How does stress and lack of healthy diet effect this method?

It can make your cycle change from shorter to longer and vice versa. But this is no problem as you are monitoring your ovulation and not just following previous patterns of ovulation.

Okay TY, figured you would know. You seemed well versed on the medical stuff. Wish you were closer so I could pick your brain.

I'm only good at the natural birth control, pregnancy, nursing and baby stuff. Probably because I've done it so often!

I wish I knew more about guns and self defense though.

Good post

I don't have to worry about getting pregnant, but I have 3 sons and a daughter....and they are in their 20s

It is a very real thing to think about.

I just need to keep my wife alive! No more babies from this gun. Been shooting blanks for years.

I can think of one"rythem method"thats 100% effective against both pregnancy,and STD's.It's called"Masturbation"!!Matt

While pregnancy for some of us is not a worry, for ourselves our our partners, knowing things and being able to pass them along to others, like our kids, grandkids and people in our community is what we need to do.

wulfin wrote:While pregnancy for some of us is not a worry, for ourselves our our partners, knowing things and being able to pass them along to others, like our kids, grandkids and people in our community is what we need to do.

Right on! You may not need birth control now, but in the future who can tell. People don't remember what it was like having women after women die in childbirth. I've read alot of journals and books from history. Cases where a man lost 3 or 4 wives to "childbed fever" or other birth complications was not unusual. And this translates post SHTF to less abled bodied people to help you. Also having baby after baby causes a women not only to get worn down, but that is alot of time and work. Babies need constant care so obviosly mom can't do guard duty if she has to nurse baby every two hours.