It is the New Year and for me that includes a few resolutions that include “eating healthier”. This year I am doing the Whole 30 food plan with a few people I know. It is tough. No Dairy. No Grains. No Chemicals. It’s a whole body detox and you’ve probably heard about it and even considered doing yourself. I had a friend who did it and was happy with her results so I decided this was the time.

So I was thinking about this. If the idea is to stay away from hormones in your food, what is birth control?

What are Birth Control Pills?

Birth control pills are “streams of hormone supply”.

They come in either a) progesterone-only forms, or in b) progesterone-estrogen combination pills.  

I did some research on what health advocates are saying and found this article this one and this one. My favorite was from TheHolyKale. These articles showed me the pros and cons of the pill, especially for someone trying to live a natural lifestyle. ‘Yeah, if I have to be so careful about grass fed beef, there is no way popping a bunch of synthesized hormones can be okay.  

That means abstaining for a month? Taking our chances on having a baby?   I’m okay with that but what about those women who are not? They could use NFP.

What is NFP?

Now for those of you who are unfamiliar, NFP is Natural Family Planning. It is NOT the old rhythm (or counting) method. There are different kinds of NFP, but basically they look at a woman’s temperature and/or mucus. There are different approaches including Creighton, Marquette, and Billings.  It is really effective if you know what you are doing. Another benefit is that you get to know how your body works. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to your health.

So does this mean you have to be a scientist to follow the plan? No, not at all, but you do have to pay attention. It is like a food plan or exercise routine (though much less time consuming).  When it comes to your health, everything takes a bit of care and work. You can’t be lazy and not follow the plan and then say “it didn’t work”.  

Some excellent reading to get you started on this path include:

1  The Ovulation Method: Natural Family Planning, by John J. Billings

2  Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control,

Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health, by Toni Weschler

3. Honoring Our Cycles: A Natural Family Planning Workbook, by Katie Singer

Now your New Year might not include Whole30, but I encourage you to become actively involved in fertility awareness and become aware of methods that will not interfere with your hormones and health.