You might have heard about BBT or basal body temperature, but what do these terms actually mean? And, more importantly, why do they matter? Here at Natural Cycles, we’re on a mission to break down the language of science so every woman can understand her body a little better. So what is basal body temperature? Read on to find out….

March is Women’s History Month, and what better way to celebrate than to remember the remarkable women in science who shaped the world as we know it? Choosing such a small number of women was tough and ordering their groundbreaking achievements would be even tougher. So in no particular order, let’s remember:

In the 1700s women used lemons as birth control, the ancient Egyptians used crocodile dung as a sperm-killing suppository, and on top of that, early versions of the condom were reusable… Let’s take a step back through time and look at the weird and wacky wonders of non-hormonal birth control methods and where we’ve ended up in the 21st century.

People have sought to control reproduction through countless different methods in history. Looking back on some of the methods, many seem rather bizarre: urging women to hold her breath during intercourse and immediately sneezing after ejaculation, blocking the passage of sperm by lemons or how about moistening a sponge with brandy? Thankfully, scientific and medical research has advanced and over the years, we have become more knowledgeable about effective methods of birth control.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also sometimes referred to as STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) are passed from person to person from vaginal, oral or anal sex. STIs are common and vary in severity. While some symptoms are mild and can be easily treated, other STIs can make permanent marks on our lives, leading to health and fertility problems later down the line.