Ovulation Birth Control Method

Tracking a woman's ovulation is a good technique to learn for couples who want to practice natural birth control. By monitoring three factors--waking temperature, the consistency of cervical mucus and the position of the cervix--a woman can get a good idea of when she ovulates. This will help her pinpoint which days of the monthly cycle she is likely to be fertile, and therefore should either abstain from sex or use other forms of birth control if she does not wish to get pregnant.

Waking Temperature

• A woman should track her waking temperature every day to help her find her ovulation date. According to Tony Weschler's book, "Taking Charge of Your Fertility," temperature alone can't warn that a woman is about to ovulate, but it can tell her when she already has. To do this, she will need a basal body temperature thermometer, a digital thermometer that reads to tenths of a degree. Take your temperature orally first thing each morning, before getting out of bed. Record each day's temperature on a chart, and make a new chart for each monthly cycle. A cycle starts on the day your period starts, and ends on the day your next period starts. When you have recorded an entire month of temperatures, you should notice two phases of your cycle. In the first phase, temperatures are lower, and in the second phase, they are higher by at least 2 degrees. Ovulation occurs on one of the days before your temperature goes up. However, you will need to track other indicators to pinpoint your ovulation date before it happens.

Cervical Mucus

• Throughout your cycle, check cervical fluid, which you may know as vaginal discharge, and record its qualities. When at peak fertility, a woman's body secretes a very lubricative cervical mucus that is the consistency of egg whites. At other points in her cycle, she may notice a dryer, crumbly or lotion-like mucus. It is the egg white-quality mucus that should come around ovulation, when she is most fertile. It should coincide with the time right before her temperature shifts.

Cervical Position

• The third sign to monitor to know when a woman is at peak fertility is the position of her cervix. To do this, check the cervix once a day after your period is over. The best time to do this is after showering, since your hands will be clean. The ideal position for checking the position of your cervix is a squatting position. Insert your middle finger into your vagina until you feel your cervix. Check to see whether it is firm or soft, whether it is high or low in the vagina, whether it is closed or open and whether it is wet or dry. Around ovulation, it should be soft, high, open and wet.

Putting it Together

• To practice birth control by tracking ovulation, look at your chart of waking temperature, cervical mucus quality and cervical position. Identify the days you are fertile and avoid having unprotected intercourse, or abstain altogether, during those days. Potentially fertile days typically begin at least five days after a woman's period ends, when she begins to detect wet cervical mucus. After her temperature stays high for three consecutive days, her fertile period should be over. By tracking all of the individual signs, you should have a good idea of when you have ovulated.