Alternative Natural Birth Control Give More Choices

Birth Control is a confusing yet profoundly important decision for women of childbearing years. For many years, the most reliable and convenient method has been the pill. Now there's the patch, the ring and other hormonal options. In recent years the choosing the pill has itself has become more complicated. There are pills that make you have a lighter period, a three-day period or they make you not have a period at all.

As a society, we have come to accept whatever we are told by doctors and pharmaceutical companies as the gospel. So even though we are told that it is harmless not to have a period or mess with the natural balance of hormones is it really true? It gives one pause. There is however a product out on the market that is just as effective as some common respected methods of synthetic birth control that gives women the power to make a more natural choice.

Although it is based on the Rhythm Method, Persona is different in that it measures luteinizing hormone (LH) and estrogen levels in your urine via test sticks and has a built-in algorithm that measures the end of a fertile phase for a history of cycles. ¹ In layman's terms, it takes the guesswork out of this natural form of birth control thereby making it much more effective.

As an added benefit, this device can also be used as a fertility monitor when trying to conceive. Although, take into consideration that other fertility devices offer a much more narrow window, which greatly increases your chance of conception. Thus, Persona is a less optimal choice for this purpose.

For birth control however, it is an excellent alternative when you consider the ease of use, lack of side effects and the high rate of effectiveness. Persona when used as directed is 94% effective. The pill and other synthetic birth control methods are anywhere from 94 to 99% effective. But one must consider that women most often do not use the oral and other synthetic contraception correctly, so in actuality the number is closer to 87%. ²

The device itself is easy to use and to interpret. Once you start the first day of menses, you push the "M" button to start the computer monitoring your cycle. On the sixth day of each cycle you will need to use a test stick using the first morning urine and the stick in the device. Then you must check the device daily to see whether you have a green, red or yellow light. A green light means it is safe to have intercourse, a red light means you are fertile and should use secondary non-hormonal birth control or abstain and a yellow light means you will need to perform a test. In the first month you will be required to perform 16 tests to establish a baseline of information. In the following months you will need to perform anywhere from 6-8 tests per month. During ovulation, Persona will display a small egg shape by the number of the day in your cycle for two days.

Among women, there are mixed reviews. Some reported unwanted pregnancy while others were completely satisfied with this alternative. Persona is clear that this product is not for everyone. They state on their informative website that a woman must have a cycle that is within 23-35 days in length, must not be breast feeding, taking hormonal contraception, must not be taking certain medication and is not menopausal. There is much more information on their website at http://www.persona.info/uk/index.cfm .

Persona is a product that is sold in the United States under the approval of the FDA as a fertility monitor. However, in Canada and the UK, Persona has been used for years as a respected natural birth control method. The Persona devise as well as the test sticks can be purchased at many online stores either within the US or Canada and the UK for a variety of prices. The US cost of the device at http://www.blushingbuyer.co.uk/product/productlist.aspx?page=1&man=persona&gclid=CMr4_JKDtY8CFVB1OAodAQ7HNA is about $110 and the test sticks are around $16 for a box of eight sticks. To learn about more options and compare costs on the device and test sticks simply Google the words "Persona birth control."