If you’re on our blog, changes are you are or will be sexually active, and that comes with a big risk: pregnancy. At the Princess Fantasy, we want to help our readers know what options exist when it comes to preventing pregnancy! With so many options available, it’s possible to have lots of sex without getting pregnant until you’re ready – or ever!
While you might not think of it like this, some medical professionals define trying to get pregnant not as an active approach but simply as using no birth control. This means there’s probably quite a few people who could be defined as trying to get pregnant or, at the very least, not trying to prevent pregnancy at any given moment.
But becoming pregnant isn’t magic. We understand exactly how it happens and, perhaps more important, how it can be prevented. Thanks to modern medicine and pharmaceuticals, you can enjoy an active sex life while greatly reducing or even removing the threat of pregnancy, and this post outlines just a few ways how not to get pregnant!
1. DON’T HAVE SEX AT ALL
While we here at the Princess Fantasy would never want to shame any woman from enjoying an active and healthy sex life, vaginal sex is the leading cause of pregnancy aside from fertilization. It’s a fair assessment, then, that the only way not to get pregnant is to not have sex until you’re ready to be pregnant.
However, we recognize that many people want to enjoy sex without having children in nine months or perhaps ever! Plus, millions of women have sex every year without getting pregnant, so there must be some way to not get pregnant while still enjoying orgasmic bliss with a male partner. Of course there is!
2. ENGAGE IN ONLY NON-PENETRATIVE SEX
While it might sound a little boring or immature to partake in this kind of sex, we think you shouldn’t be too quick to judge. After all, most women come from clitoral stimulation, so there’s not necessarily a need to have PIV sex to have an orgasm. Dry humping and making out might be enough for you, and we’ve got tips in this post! More on that in this article.
You can provide your man with pleasure with handjobs or an amazing blowjob. Check out posts here and here to improve your technique if you feel like your skills are lacking or even just rusty. We’re positive your man will appreciate you focusing your time, attention and energy on his pleasure!
Plus, you can be sensually and sexually intimate with someone even when orgasm isn’t the goal. For example, a sensual massage can connect you physically and mentally, and it’s great after a stressful week at school or work! You can add a happy ending, but it’s not necessary at all. Similarly, you might experience sexual or emotional release during BDSM, but many people practice without penetrative sex at all! More on that in this post.
3. PULL OUT + FERTILITY AWARENESS
Although you can pull out without using fertility awareness, these methods work very well together. In fact, some women swear by the pull out method if other methods of birth control or condoms are forbidden by their belief systems or wreak havoc with their bodies. However, the women who experience the most success at not getting pregnant when using the pull-out method also tend to track their cycles very closely – fertility awareness. They know if their cycle deviates from the traditional 28-day cycle and can pinpoint when they’ll get their period.
What does this mean when it comes to preventing pregnancy? Knowing where you’re at in your cycle will help you know the days when you’re least likely to get pregnant, so having sex on those days is the safest if you use this method. Fertility awareness also alerts you to the days when you’re most fertile, so you can avoid having sex on those days.
How do you know where you’re at in your cycle? There are several main methods for tracking cycle/fertility:
- The temperature method requires you to take your vaginal temperature daily.
- The cervical mucus method requires you to look for changes in your cervical mucus.
- The calendar method simply requires you to track on a calendar.
The calendar method is the most effective when you’ve been able to track your cycle, which starts on the first day of your period, for at least eight months previous. Source. It may not be effective for women whose cycles are shorter than 27 days.
You are most fertile 18 days before the end of your cycle (the day before your period begins). So if you have a 28-day cycle, your first fertile day starts on or around day 10. You’re fertile for approximately a week, so 11 days before the end of your cycle marks the end of your fertility period. When used correctly, this method can be 95% effective.
If you become skilled at this method, you can use the same information to actually help you get pregnant if you should want to.
4. USE CONDOMS
Compared to other methods of birth control we’ll talk about, condoms are more affordable and available. They’re also less invasive than birth control implants or shots, for example, and they don’t mess with your hormones. Plus, condoms can prevent against transmission of STIs, which are more likely when you have multiple sex partners. It’s why we recommend them if you like casual sex.
You can purchase the more common male condoms or use female condoms to take control of your sex life. Some condoms are pre-lubricated or have a design intended to increase sensation. You’ll also find hypoallergenic condoms to help prevent allergic reactions. Some clinics provide free or low-cost condoms to patients, too! There’s no reason why you can’t carry one or two in your bag so you’re prepared whenever a hookup happens!
Check out our guide to condoms, which helps ensure you’re using them correctly and makes them over 95% effective! You can also combine condoms with pulling out or spermicide to make them even more effective.
5. TRY HORMONAL BIRTH CONTROL
The most well-known type of hormonal birth control is the pill, which typically contains both male and female hormones and is taken on a daily basis three weeks during the month. You’ll either take a placebo, an iron pill or nothing at all during the week during which you have your period.
The pill is far from the only hormonal birth control option out there, however. For example, you can have an implant inserted into your arm that povides a low dosage of hormones to prevent pregnancy for several years. Two T-shaped IUDs with hormones are available to patients in the United States, too. They are Mirena, which lasts up to five years, and the newer, smaller Skyla.
The birth control patch is worn on your skin and transmits hormones as well.
These are actually a few of the available methods of birth control. Check out this post that lists more types of birth control and provides more in-depth information about each type. Talk to your doctor if you want to switch birth control or try birth control for the first time. He or she can recommend the best product for your lifestyle and healthcare needs.
6. CONSIDER STERILIZATION
If you’re with a committed person, aren’t worried about STIs and can see no changes in the future, you might consider sterilization. This is one option that men and women especially like after having as many children as they want, because you can skip condoms and birth control all together after sterilization.
The US Department of Health and Human Services calls male sterilization, which is done in a process known as a vasectomy, the more cost effective type of birth control available. Source. It involved cutting the vas deferens, which connect the testicles to the penis, to prevent sperm from being ejaculated during sex. Male sterilization has over a 99% effective rate!
There are a few sterilization methods for women, but all of them exist to block the eggs from traveling to the uterus where fertilization would result in pregnancy. One method, known as Essure, requires inserting an object into the fallopian tubes to prevent the egg from traveling like it usually would. During the first few months using Essure, pregnancy can occur, but recovery is faster and pregnancy isn’t required. The inserts can also be removed at a later date.
Your doctor might also recommend laparoscopy or mini-laparoscopy, a surgical procedure during which the fallopian tubes are cut, tied or electrically closed off.
Sterilization should typically be considered permanent. While it may be possible to reverse sterilization in men and women, this is not always the case, and simply trying can be expensive. If you are younger, haven’t yet had kids or are single, your doctor might recommend another method to prevent pregnancy.
There are many factors to consider in your journey to preventing pregnancy. What works for your best friend or sister might not be the best option for you and your situation. And where you are in your life right now may be different from five years down the road or ten years in the past. When combined with new advancements in birth control and sexual health, you might be surprised at just how many options there are to not get pregnant.
But the plus side is that the right solution almost positively exists for you, and you can consider a few options before deciding on which one is the best fit. And if your situation changes? Your method of preventing pregnancy can change, too!