Is birth control going green?

Orlando doctor explains pros, cons of natural birth control

1873 -- Congress passes the Comstock Act, banning access to information about abortion and birth control. At the time, the U.S. is the only Western nation to criminalize contraception.

ORLANDO, Fla. – With many people trying to choose healthier alternatives when it comes to their food, fitness and even medicine, you may be wondering if there are any natural options when it comes to birth control.

According to Orlando OBGYN Dr. Christine Greves, with Winnie Palmer Hospital, there certainly are natural birth control methods women can choose to use. Like anything though, they have their pros and cons.

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News 6 morning anchor and health reporter Kirstin O'Connor talked to Greves about natural birth control methods, including a mobile app called Natural Cycles, and whether she believes birth control is going green. 

Greves said natural birth control methods can be good because they're non-hormonal, easy to get and require those who use it to think a bit.

On the contrary, the failure rate of natural methods is pretty high, which makes it risky to use it as a sole means of pregnancy prevention, according to Greves. The doctor said other downfalls of using a natural birth control method include the fact that it could also give a false sense of security and lead to sexually transmitted infections, and it doesn't require a healthcare provider relationship that can help guide a person individually for their best contraceptive options.

[RELATED: FDA approves 1st birth control appMale birth control pill one step closer to reality, researchers say]

Is it becoming more common for patients to try finding natural forms of contraception? Greves said it is -- for some. But that doesn't mean it's the right option for everyone.

"People who have just had a baby, for example, you know during the first six weeks they're not supposed to do anything. They're supposed to heal. But then after that, if they're breast feeding or if they're not, they are interested in birth control options. Women do like to have a natural approach, if they can, but some women are so tired when they come in for their postpartum exam, in waking up and everything. They say, 'I cannot get pregnant for two years! Please tell me what we can do,' and if that's the case, I definitely would not recommend this. I would recommend something that can take the user failure out," Greves said. 

Despite seeing some patients ask for natural forms of contraceptive, Greves told O'Connor she wouldn't necessarily say birth control is going green just yet.

"Not now. But then again, those are people who have decided they want to talk about their options are coming to me, so the population that I am getting to talk to me is somebody that has already recognized this natural family planning thing may not be the best option for them, so they're coming for options that have a little higher efficacy," Greves said.

Who could natural forms of contraceptive, like the Natural Cycles app, work for? According to Greves, it should be someone who is not expecting there to be a 100 percent success rate.

"I think this could work for someone who is motivated, someone who doesn't mind getting pregnant if it doesn't work, because there is the typical use versus the perfect use for it, and the typical use is what most of us would do," Greves said.

She said naturally no one is perfect, which means there isn't exactly a natural form of birth control that's guaranteed to be perfect.

The app works by identifying fertile and non-fertile days in a woman's cycle using a thermometer patients use to take their temperature each morning, according to the app's website. Users then enter their information from the thermometer into the app, where an algorithm will use it to detect ovulation and enter green days, when no protection is needed, or red days, when users and their partners should use protection or abstain from sexual activity to prevent pregnancy,

Click here to find out more about Natural Cycles and determine whether it could work for you.


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