A:  Using condoms can be very effective for pregnancy prevention when used consistently and correctly.  You can further reduce your chances of pregnancy by adding the use of contraceptive foam, gel, film, or suppositories (which can be purchased at any pharmacy or grocery store).

Ovulation varies greatly from woman to woman and even from month to month in the same woman.  Determining when you ovulate is a bit like predicting the weather -- sometimes you’re right and sometimes you are way off.  Using the basal body temperature (BBT) method can help you learn when you are most likely to ovulate.  It takes considerable time commitment, some practice, and the ability to abstain from sex around the time of ovulation.  Using BBT is more effective for achieving pregnancy than preventing pregnancy; although, it can help in either circumstance if practiced faithfully.

For six months or more take your temperature daily before getting out of bed to do anything.  Each day you chart on a graph the pattern of your awakening temperature (it drops slightly prior to ovulation and rises significantly just after ovulation).  After six months you will likely have a good idea of which day of your cycle you usually ovulate.  The key is to then avoid sex during this very fertile time of your cycle.  You can purchase a special BBT thermometer at most pharmacies, including the Campus Health Service pharmacy.  An easier but more expensive option is to use an ovulation prediction kit each month that measures the amount of hormones in the urine around the time of ovulation.