If you’re a heterosexual couple of childbearing age you’ve got to deal with the fantasy-crushing subject of birth control.

There are certainly a lot of options and devices out there, but not many of them are good for your health.

I won’t go into all the scientific links between the Contraceptive Pill and breast cancer here (you can read more in my Sex Column in Nature and Health magazine).

What I will say, is that there are healthy ways of not getting pregnant, while still enjoying a thriving sex life.

There is such a thing as natural contraception.

The kind of natural contraception that doesn’t mess with your hormones.

Now there are a lot of half-truths out there around natural contraception – so please leave all your previous knowledge at the door.

What I want to introduce you to is the Billings Ovulation Method which came about in the 1950s by a Catholic couple who wanted a method of birth control that would honour their religious beliefs.

What they discovered through extensive research was that women, like every other female in the animal kingdom, would discharge certain secretions from the vagina outside of menstruation.

Essentially what they found, is that the cervix has a plug of mucus that stops anything, including semen, from entering, apart from during menstruation and ovulation.

This means you can actually learn which handful of days you’re ovulating and thus chart your fertility.

What does this mean for your sex life?

While every woman’s cycle will be slightly different, you can have sex like rabbits at least two weeks of each month without the fear of getting pregnant, without any other form of contraception.

Sounds great doesn’t it?

No condoms, no pill, just natural contraception!

Now – do NOT, I repeat, do NOT try working this out on your own.

There are Billings Ovulation Method instructors all over the world who can teach you and your partner how to learn your cycle and understand your body.

Not only have I been using this method personally for five years, in 2015 I trained up in this method so I could gain an even better grasp of this method, as it really is so effective.

Learning the rhythms of your body really is something all women should invest time in doing.

Since I’ve been practising the Billings Ovulation Method I’ve felt more connected to my body and really in touch with my womanly cycles.

It’s so empowering to know your body this intimately, and is such an important part of being a women – to know herself inside out.

What’s also great about the Billings Ovulation Method is that is can be used to ‘get’ pregnant.

When you are fully aware of your cycles and when you’re ovulating, you are much more in tune with when the right time is to be making love (and a bubba).

If you’ve had experience with the Billings Ovulation Method please share your experience below.

The more women who learn how to tune into their cycles, the less pressure we put on our precious bodies.