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Navigate: FAQ Home Page > Female Health > Q&A
Posted on: 04/15/2009
Question
If I have been on birth control for 5 months and I decide to switch to the rhythm method, is that okay or should I refrain from having intercourse for a while?
Answer
Careful. The rhythm method is not really a method of birth control, and I would refrain from having intercourse until you are ready to be a parent. To use "rhythm," you need to take your basal body temperature every day before you get out of bed. Do this for about three months and plot in on a graph so you can estimate when you ovulate. Then you need to not have sex for at least one week on either side of your ovulation -- guesstimate.
Please talk to a doctor about this before relying on it for birth control. In addition, there will be no protection from sexually transmitted infections -- which condoms can provide.