I need info on natural birth control

Natural methods of contraception are considered "natural" because they are not mechanical and not a result of hormone manipulation. Instead, these methods require that a man and woman not have sexual intercourse during the time when an egg is available to be fertilized by a sperm.

The fertility awareness methods (FAMs) are based upon knowing when a woman ovulates each month. In order to use a FAM, it is necessary to watch for the signs and symptoms that indicate ovulation has occurred or is about to occur.

References taken from: http://www.medicinenet.com/natural_methods_of_birth_control/article.htm and http://www.herbalmedicinesmanufacturer.com/

after visiting www.sisterzeus.com and one german site, i recently and succesfully used
RUTIN capsules to end my pregnacy, being in the 2nd week.

yesterday i have bought a pennyroyal plant and a monkshoot plant, which can be used
as natural helpers in abortion, if the pregnacy is already "established" and needs a stronger response
than rutin. will plant them this evening, excited!

knowing how your body feels if pregnant, and watching carefully for the first signs (in my case and
in many others: tense feeling in breasts, very touch-sensitive) will allow you to take birth control
back in your hands! right timing and right plants prevent the uterus from building a "comfy home" for the egg,
so it's just a naturally generated "unfertility".

if you want to talk about your experience, i'll be happy if you send me a note!

There is nothing very natural about herbs as a birth control method. It's manipulation of hormones, and ultimately isn't a health promoter. Certainly it isn't as bad for you (and not at all for the environment) as chemical hormonal contraceptives. I'm also skeptical about the effectiveness, just because there is nothing but anecdotal evidence of them working.
The sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness is what I recommend, which includes cervical fluid and temperature checking. Based on science and evidence and NOT the ineffective rhythm method.
http://holistichormonalhealth.com

My mum believes that Jesus is somehow involved in every birth and that these things are best left to chance.

I'm the third of TEN children.

I always get a good laugh when this topic comes up. It seems like we all have heard some old wives tale about this or that and yet... Population keeps going up. IMO -vasectomy is the end all be all of it. I think the issue with timing and rhythm is that they are not always convenient when you "just wanna do it". If somebody hasn't made an app for this, i'm surprised. A simple little thing that lets you know if it's ok to "go for it".

Him: wanna do it?
Her: Yeah but what about birth control?
Him: Ummmm.... well... What do you have?
Her: How bout the "pull out method"?
Him: Nice! no condom, no worries! Pull and pray all the way
Her: *"pulls out" smart phone and taps away*
Him: What are you doing?
Her: ... Tap tap tap
Him:*waiting*
Her: ...
Him: That's not the "Pull Out" I thought you meant.

i will have a look at an old webpage i have somewhere in my files, there is one but i cannot think off hand which herb it is, , but in the meantime....stay away from potatoes! apparently they were responsible for high fertility back when they were introduced in britain,
just look at how they grow, like bloody wildfire, anywhere, anytime.

outercourse =)

celibacy =(

grapefruit seed extract (?)

wild yams

mugwort
/wormwood

parsley
*actually inserted into the vagina, or eaten in huge amounts/made into tea

really high doses of vitamin c
supposedly, not sure this (or any of these actually) work

black cohosh
(can be found in tincture form in some kind of mixture of abortificant herbs, called cycle support or something along these lines)

and a lot of the rest have already been mentioned.

the thing about any of these things is that usually by the time you actually miss a period it is probably too late for this to work. if you start taking this before you are expecting your period it MIGHT work.

the other herbs are more toxic, and really shouldnt be used in large amounts.

once when i was reading a dr. bronner soap label (love those =)) i read this piece about how ancient people used to alter the pH of the vagina to prevent pregnancy using lemons, and then afterwards restore the pH with yogurt. it stuck in my mind, though i havent ever tried it .... and i asked one of my anatomy and physiology professors about it. He said he thought there was a good chance it could work, though he didnt know but it sounded effective, and in his opinion it wouldnt cause any harmful effects.

i've never been able to take or use any birth control, i have tried various things and none of it worked for me. i puke and feel intensely sick the brief time i tried to take the pill, so i have researched this. however i remember a long time ago, before the FDA banned them, there were available these sponges which were effective (though still had some risk of pregnancy)...but yeah they were about the best thing available until the fda banned them in the US, for no good reason!

leila hamaya wrote: a long time ago before the FDA banned them there were available these sponge...they were about the best thing available until the fda banned them in the US, for no good reason!

The FDA banned those things? Since when is a sponge a food or a drug? That's...odd.
They don't like hippies, so they take away their birth control?

yeah...actually i am fuzzy on the details, but i do remember when this happened, and it was weird because it was really the best birth control, imo, but it was said to be 90 percent effective as opposed to the others being 98-99 percent effective. it was effective for me, comfortable and easy to use. i suppose it wasnt the most natural thing on the whole.... but it was far better than the other available options.

ah actually , got curious enough to google it, apparently they put it back on the market? they reversed the ban? this is news to me because it is no longer available in stores as far as i know.

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-690261.html

http://www.angelfire.com/tn/talbot/todaysponge.html

and totally there was a very funny episode of seinfeld at that time, when elaine bought all the sponges she could find right before they banned it...then was stretching them as far as she could and evaluating lovers based on their "sponge worthiness" because she only had a few left.

My issue with making this sort of decision based on mostly untrained people in computer land is that some herb may be taken which fails to prevent pregnancy but is still potent enough to harm the fetus. A false sense of security might also lead to the woman consuming alcohol or other things known to cause birth defects.

Nature provides many medicinal plants but many more that can be poison when used incorrectly.

Dale Hodgins wrote:My issue with making this sort of decision based on mostly untrained people in computer land is that some herb may be taken which fails to prevent pregnancy but is still potent enough to harm the fetus. A false sense of security might also lead to the woman consuming alcohol or other things known to cause birth defects.

Nature provides many medicinal plants but many more that can be poison when used incorrectly.

yes this is a very good point.
then again i feel that this information should be available to women and am most definitely pro choice.

i dont think anyone should ever take rue, tansy, pennyroyal, cotton, or wild carrot (queen annes lace) which are the most common things recommended for this because its quite likely it will not work.... and if a woman takes these things at the doses which are recommended (extremely high doses)
she will not only toxify her own body but its quite possible to harm the fetus. if you do this you must be committed to following through with an actual abortion, which is extremely harsh on the body and soul as well.

the less harsh herbs like cohosh, parsley, and the high doses of vit c are much easier on the body, but because they are less intense effects, are less likely to work. again the way to use this is to start taking it the day after, right away, before theres even a missed period, after that they are unlikely to be effective, but at least they arent toxic like the others.

its tough stuff anyway, tough to talk about, but i continue to think people should be informed about this and this information should be available. back when it wasnt as available there were EVEN WORSE ideas and options out there for desperate women....

I cant find the links, but after reading others posts here and being a bit concerned myself of adverse effects of herbs on accidental pregnancies, then maybe consider tantric sex?
i tried it for years, my ex was a master tantra, and i never concieved, and i am as fertile as a sycamore tree!!

good luck chuck!

I'm not really sure why people want to resort to herbs. Sure they may be safe in small amount, but the amount need to impact fertility is, by definition, messing with your body. In addition, they aren't tested to know how effective they are nor how to properly use them to obtain such effectiveness. In my experience, most people who use something like herbal birth control tend to also use withdrawal, and claim that it's the herbs that were working for them. MANY people think that withdrawal is not a viable form of birth control, so tend to not tell people when that is what they are using. It's 96% effective if you use it correctly, which is pretty damn good.

I'm going to start a new thread on the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness, though.

http://holistichormonalhealth.com

This is one of the cooler things I've read about which touches on the topic:

http://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/look-powerful-medicinal-properties-wild-carrots


Very interesting is the mention of the plant "Silphion" - now extinct... powerful enough to be both fascinating and scary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silphium

"Wild carrot seeds have also traditionally been used for the very same purpose as its now extinct relative - "silphion". This particular plant was extremely sought after by the Romans - infamous for their orgies - and was widely used as a contraceptive aid before its eventual demise. " -PM magazine

.

It is relieving to me that there are researchers who acknowledge that some women are reflexive ovulators. I have been saying this about myself for almost ten years. I had to quit hormonal/pharmaceutical stuff because it caused me serious illness that is only in the past few years abated. I have since been using sheepskin condoms, and one half-slip produced my fifth child who is now three years old. I have been pregnant 9 times. I am 36 years old, and I really wish there were some other form of guarantee that doesnt require abortion or abstinence. I am pro-choice, but I dont want to abort for birth control, for personal, non-political, non-religious reasons.

I know two men who have had disastrous vasectomy experiences- one ended up with an autoimmune response to his own reabsorbing sperm which causes him constant pain and whole-body inflammation which has been going on for five years and basically wrecked his life. He is on pain-relievers for pain management, though he is still in some pain all the time even with them, and after trying several kinds.

The other was very sexually active and satisfied with his experiences until his vasectomy resulted in him no longer having orgasm at all, nor any build-up feeling, just a flat-line immediately after arousal. He is in his thirties and otherwise very physically fit, and very unhappy with this development- obviously. He doesnt have any children and never wanted any, so this was just so his wife could stop taking pills, and now he doesnt have any interest in sex at all. It is very sad for them. He has had many consultations with specialists and they all tell him that they can try a reversal, but it is unlikely to reverse the problem, though he would likely become fertile, which is the opposite of what he wanted. He does not have erectile dysfunction. Just no orgasm.

I have done sympto-thermal, until I discovered that with low thyroid at the time, my temps were useless as indicators, and this method, from charting mucus and signals, is how I discovered that I am a reflexive ovulator. So, for the past year, my spouse has lived 5000 kms away until October when we join him. So, it has been a year of successful birth control by abstinence. I do not recommend this method (although it seems to work perfectly for remaining non-gravid).

My wife saw I was reading this and suggested Beans, Garlic and Sugar. Makes her a stinky b that no one wants to have sex with!

:-0

I was just reading in one of my reference books while researching milk production for a new mother. During my reading I read some on Motherwort. This source (Michael Tierra in The Way of Herbs) suggests that the ancient Chinese courtesans would use it on a daily basis to prevent pregnancy. He suggests this is from its emmenagogic and menses promoting properties.

I have researched that for myself and I found the best method for me was Queen Ann's Lace or daucus carota. I am not in my prime fertile years anymore but so far it worked. You can buy a tincture at Bear Wallow Herbs, make your own but if you ever collect that herb in the wild know to distinguish it from poison hemlock. It is very easy to plant in your garden. There are apparently no or only little side effects.
Do read everything you can and decide yourself. Here are some links:
one
yahoo
three
This one is the best link
bearwallow
wildpantry
rose bennet once again
carrot
male
I was a bit lazy with the names of the pages....

"Sit and drink pennyroyal tea
Steal the life that's inside of me"

I wonder why the herbs are seen as oh so unsafe while we never question the safety of pharmaceuticals. Queen Annes lace is regarded as very safe. However it is not so foolproof than just swallowing a pill. Some herbs can be quite harmful and apparently parsley in sufficient dose is so.
It would be a great topic for a phd exam.

I am currently using:

http://www.fairhavenhealth.com/ovacue-bundle.html?SSAID=774148

I have used it for two months. I like it, but I feel there are some weak points with the colors on the screens not being different enough for the Fertile vs Not Fertile days. Also, it is rather expensive (but way better than an unplanned pregnancy for me or putting the yucky chemicals of hormones in my body or always using condoms). You can chose to use condoms during your fertile periods, if you like walking on the wild side. or you can abstain.

I have heard lady comp (can be found on amazon) is also quite great.

Finally, I haven't read it, but I have also heard great things about Taking Charge of Your Fertility was great.

I want to also say, that I realize the original post was done awhile ago, but I think that it is nice that the men sharing in the responsibility with their partners for birth control considerations. Very refreshing.

Scott McConnell wrote:

P Thickens wrote:

Aside from that -- I highly, highly, highly recommend permanent surgical sterilization. The sex is much better afterwards (fear totally kills the mood) and it's quick, easy and cheap. Of course I'm speaking of males getting the snip, not female tubal ligation. Females' sterilization is five times more expensive, can have horrible and deadly complications, and requires days of rest -- Vasectomies are easy and quick and you can work the next day. Don't ask me why some men insist on thinking that their sense of self is directly connected to the health and vitality of their Spermatozoa after they've left the body, that never made sense to me. Seriously -- snip them Vas Deferens and you'll never have to worry again.

Yeah, this was my brother-in-law's gift to my sister for her bay last year (TMI?). Anyway, it's definitely worth considering. I was reading a book on Taoist Sexual Practices which emphasizes the importance of conserving our sexual essence/chi (jing) by not spilling the seed indiscriminately, and even included a supposed experiment done on worms which proved the point. If I remember correctly, there were 3 groups of male worms. The first was unaltered. The second given vasectomies. The third rendered asexual. Long story short, the unaltered ones had normal ejaculatory sex and lived significantly shorter lifespans than the others. The ones with vasectomies (who still had sex) outlasted both of the others, arguably because they generated more life force through sexual energy, but didn't expel it. Maybe this is the way to go afterall, haha.

i have a male friend who had a vasectomy and was really into tantra who said he became much better at it once he had the vasectomy. so basically he made this same point.

I have heard that a tea made from a bush, drunk every few months, will effect complete sterilization and will be the main method used during this transition period. Other teas for short-term effect or for reversing the sterilization when you want to get pregnant will also be used. This is from a source I trust, but they didn't say the name of the bush or where it grows. I've been on the lookout for more info since I heard about this, if I find anything I'll post it here, but it looks like the herbs that are mentioned here are not from a bush...maybe I missed one?

Someone I recently got romantically involved with had two unplanned pregnancies while on the pill, and two abortions. She would really like to find the name of this bush. She feels strongly about working with nature's design. Thanks!

I'm going to chip in here and agree that Taking Charge of your Fertility is BY FAR the best in understanding how a woman's body works. As Kelson said, it is VERY different than the Rhythm method. Its a heavy read but totally worth it.

Every woman's menstrual cycle is different, and each of her cycles are different. The fertility awareness method gives a woman / a couple the tools to understand what is happening RIGHT NOW, totally individual to you and your circumstances, not some arbitrary imaginary day-14 number.

Basically, it teaches you to chart and decipher a woman's basal body temperature and cervical mucus patterns throughout the cycle. for the purposes of natural birth control there are rules that must be followed depending on these signs, which does mean that the female has to take her temperature every morning upon waking.

This is information that all women should have access to. I discovered it six months ago after coming off hormonal birth control and two things happened - i rediscovered my body and how it worked, and i totally wondered why the frick this information isn't disseminated further because all women have the right to know and understand how their body works and how to make her own choices from there.

I'm not affiliated with TCOYF but it has been such an influence of my life I am grateful to have found it young. Go buy it or find out more on the TCOYF website. If you want to find out more I'm happy to write up a post about it.

Joshua Myrvaagnes wrote:I have heard that a tea made from a bush, drunk every few months, will effect complete sterilization and will be the main method used during this transition period. Other teas for short-term effect or for reversing the sterilization when you want to get pregnant will also be used. This is from a source I trust, but they didn't say the name of the bush or where it grows. I've been on the lookout for more info since I heard about this, if I find anything I'll post it here, but it looks like the herbs that are mentioned here are not from a bush...maybe I missed one?

Someone I recently got romantically involved with had two unplanned pregnancies while on the pill, and two abortions. She would really like to find the name of this bush. She feels strongly about working with nature's design. Thanks!

i have the sense that what you are referring to here is vitex, aka chaste tree berry.

the "chaste" in chaste tree berry definitely gives a big clue as to its use. however i dont think it's an abortificent. what it does is regulate hormones in the body, stabilizes them. so it basically dulls the sex drive.

it is a great herb for menopausal women, as it is used to stabilize hormones, or anyone who has issues with their hormones.

The chaste tree is a small shrub with lance shaped leaves and purple flowers. It is native to the eastern Mediterranean and has since been cultivated in temperate climates around the world. Its peppery fruit has been used for over two thousand years; at least since the time of the Greek physician Dioscorides who recommended it to help the wives of soldiers remain chaste while their husbands were in battle. The vitex berry was used by both men and women in ancient Greece and Rome, and by monks during the Middle Ages in order to suppress sexual desire. Pliny the Elder noted that Athenian maidens would put the leaves under their beds during the festival of Thesmophoria to help preserve their chastity.

from: vitex profile

wiki has a pretty good write up on it too...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitex_agnus-castus

Shaz Jameson wrote:I'm going to chip in here and agree that Taking Charge of your Fertility is BY FAR the best in understanding how a woman's body works. As Kelson said, it is VERY different than the Rhythm method. Its a heavy read but totally worth it.

Every woman's menstrual cycle is different, and each of her cycles are different. The fertility awareness method gives a woman / a couple the tools to understand what is happening RIGHT NOW, totally individual to you and your circumstances, not some arbitrary imaginary day-14 number.

Basically, it teaches you to chart and decipher a woman's basal body temperature and cervical mucus patterns throughout the cycle. for the purposes of natural birth control there are rules that must be followed depending on these signs, which does mean that the female has to take her temperature every morning upon waking.

This is information that all women should have access to. I discovered it six months ago after coming off hormonal birth control and two things happened - i rediscovered my body and how it worked, and i totally wondered why the frick this information isn't disseminated further because all women have the right to know and understand how their body works and how to make her own choices from there.

I'm not affiliated with TCOYF but it has been such an influence of my life I am grateful to have found it young. Go buy it or find out more on the TCOYF website. If you want to find out more I'm happy to write up a post about it.

the thing about all this is that a woman can spontaneously release the eggs at any time. yes, there may be a standard cycle, and you can chart it and get to know your own cycle...but the body is capable of changing that schedule on a moments whim...or rather when she is having sex certain physiological responses can stimulate ovulation AT ANY TIME.
withdrawal is a more certain method than charting a cycle and thinking theres a "safe" time.
or charting a cycle AND using another method of birth control.

One thing to look into might be neem oil, extracted from the seeds of Azadirachta indica. I recall reading over a study where the researchers were recording an apparent 100% sterility in males after they had injected ?? milligrams into male rats, no 'bad' symptoms and lasting months. I'm not sure what the long term/one time effects of using neem oil are and would be hesitant myself until reading further into it but I do think that it looks promising.

The bounty of natures medicinal cornucopia is breathtaking, an estimated 70% or more of popular medications are derived directly from living plant sources, many synthesized drugs are mirror images of what we see in plants that native peoples the world over have been using for similar if not the same purposes for millennia.


“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” - Hippocrates

P Thickens wrote:
Aside from that -- I highly, highly, highly recommend permanent surgical sterilization. The sex is much better afterwards (fear totally kills the mood) and it's quick, easy and cheap. Of course I'm speaking of males getting the snip, not female tubal ligation. Females' sterilization is five times more expensive, can have horrible and deadly complications, and requires days of rest -- Vasectomies are easy and quick and you can work the next day. Don't ask me why some men insist on thinking that their sense of self is directly connected to the health and vitality of their Spermatozoa after they've left the body, that never made sense to me. Seriously -- snip them Vas Deferens and you'll never have to worry again.

I second this as the only truly practical and worry-free method IF you seriously do not want children -- although I would argue that the woman be sterilized, as she has most to risk from pregnancy. Do it now, BEFORE those days come when medications and equipment are not readily available. I would like to point out that pregnancy and childbirth back in the "good ole days" frequently resulted in death for the mother or child (or both), so getting pregnant in a world not equipped to safely handle often complicated births is not a good place to be. I speak from painful experience since I nearly died giving birth to my 10 lb. plus eldest son in a Spanish hospital back when Francisco Franco was still in charge of his fascist regime and modern hospitals such as we in the USA are familiar with did not exist for the most part. I suffered from untreated eclampsia and finally had to have an emergency C-section after nearly 40 hours of hard labor. That is not something I wish on any woman. Needless to say, I took the bull by the horns and had a tubal ligation immediately following the birth of my second son. I have not had to deal with the problem of unplanned pregnancy since I was 22 years old. It saves a world of worry and potential pain.

If, for whatever reason, you decide not to put the question to a final conclusion while you have the chance, I have read that in Victorian times (and presumably, previous to that time, as well) women sometimes used lemon halves as a kind of primitive diaphragm and contraceptive jelly in one (the acid was supposed to kill sperm, but I am unsure how effective that really was). The idea was to insert it as far up the vaginal canal as possible where it acted exactly like a modern diaphragm to physically block penetration of sperm. Who knows if it works. Sterilization may be costly, but so is pregnancy and child rearing -- especially if it could cost you the life of one you love.

i'm with shaz jameson. That's a good book. I've also gone to a fertility awareness class. of course classes are going to depend on the teacher's ideas, but...

you just take your temperature, record mucus type, days you had sex, how you were feeling (stressed/sick?), etc. and get to know you/your partners cycle. get to know her normal luteal phase, know how long is it, how high of a temperature...There are times where it's trickier to know if it's okay or not. this is where you should take a class/thoroughly read that book.

chart for many many months before you put it to the test.

After having two boys a year apart, I have followed the method of taking a 500 mg dose of rutin everyday for the last year and it works. Either you can take it regularly like me or you can take from the day of fertilizing intercourse up until your period starts. It truly prevents fertilized egg from implanting in uterus. Note: You might experience a little cramping (very mild) if the egg does fertilize and tries its best to implant. You will experience a light spotting as it is really trying to implant, but to no avail. Do not stop taking rutin until actual blood flow starts. Once period begins, you might have thick, clotty blood. That lets you know that the egg did fertilize, but could not implant.

Waiting on your period to begin and want to check if it's working? You can always look at the color of your vagina. It should remain pink. As long as it is the normal pink color you have nothing to worry about.

I recommend Solgar brand of Rutin. I buy this from Vitamin Shoppe.

I'm throwing in another recommendation for Taking Charge of Your Fertility. The actual rules/signs you need to follow chapter is fairly short, and once you've internalised them, you pretty much have everything you need to track your cycles and start making intelligent decisions about pregnancy/contraception. The rest of the book is an incredible wealth of knowledge about just how the fertility cycle, hormones, pregnancy etc works and it's worth a read even if you ultimately decide to go with another method of birth control.

Like any method of birth control it's going to depend on how well you use it and how familiar you are with the practise. Pretty much every reputable teacher recommends tracking for at least a few months before relying on it exclusively. Most couples seem to use it in conjunction with a barrier method when they know the woman is ovulating (that's what we do). The other option for pregnancy prevention is abstinence, but that's no fun and can be quite hard to pull off when hormones are going bonkers. (Gee, it's like our species has a procreative urge or something....) I currently track my mucous every day and temperature only about every three days (you need to have been asleep for at least three hours before taking your temp for it to be "valid", and I bedshare with a thrashy toddler, so that doesn't always happen). Some methods of cycle charting require temperature AND mucous charting, but there are a few that use mucous only (eg the Doring Rule uses mucous tracked over at least 6 cycles). My understanding is that temperature rise is used to corroborate what your mucous is already telling you about your fertility.

You can also get several smartphone apps to help you track things if you prefer screens over paper (I do). The one I'm using at the minute is called "OvuView" - it's quite comprehensive and combines the results from your charting with up to 17 different "rules" (Billings, 21/20 Day, 5 Day Dry Up etc) to determine how likely it is that you're currently fertile. I find it much easier to tap on my phone screen a couple times in the morning than stumble around the bedroom trying to get my eyes to focus on a piece of paper.

I've been using cycle beads since expelling my third IUD. So far, three years with no pregnancy. We use condoms or stick to non-penatrative sex during the "white beads" and I also keep track of my mucus consistency just to double check because my cycles sometimes run a little long. We wait until we're out of the white beads *and* my mucus has dried up before going unprotected. There's an app that I use, because it keeps track for you, but for a totally off-grid option you can use real physical beads. You just have to be sure to move the counter ahead each day as religiously as if you were taking a BC pill each morning.

So far, for the past 48 years; I have had great luck with simply using my personality. All natural and no preservatives. Wish I could bottle it up! I would make a fortune...

I also want to add my name to those who say "taking charge"/NFP. I came to it as a skeptical male through my religious faith, but I have to say it worked very well for us.

We delayed pregnancy for the first two years successfully, then we conceived when we decided we wanted to start having kids. It allowed us to be in touch with reality, namely that my wife's fertility has a cycle that when respected, improves our relationship, made me in touch with her reality, teaches us self-restraint and brings us closer. We follow the rules to the T when we really don't want any kids, but relax a bit on the rules when the thought of a new child grows on us. It's nice because it's not an "all-or-nothing" method.

We're back to using the method for birth control, and will be back to using the knowledge we gain from it to maybe conceive again in the fall.

FWIW, I have 3 lady friends who conceived while on various IUD, pills, or male birth control. I also know of a couple who had a son 5 years after the man got snipped.