More people are becoming more aware of the environmental consequences of their choices, and are beginning to adjust their behavior accordingly, by reducing their carbon footprint, avoiding disposable products, trying to eat local and/or organic food, etc. Unfortunately, most people don’t carry this line of thinking out to their choice of contraception (or childbearing itself, which has an enormous environmental impact).
When people use hormonal contraception, whether in pills, patches, shots, or rings, traces of those hormones come out in their urine, and enter our water system, where they may act as endocrine disruptors, affecting the sexual development of aquatic creatures and possibly human beings. Scientists are still studying the impact of these chemical pollutants (which come from many drugs and sources, not just birth control), but it stands to reason that *not* putting hormones in our water is the greener choice. Sterilization is a very popular and environmentally-friendly choice, but it’s generally not reversible. What about barrier methods? Well, condoms create garbage, every single time you use them. Diaphragms, cervical caps, and other reusable methods are better – they can be reused for long periods of time before they need to be disposed of. Of course the spermicides used with these methods have packaging, and the spermicides themselves end up (you guessed it) in the water. The non-hormonal IUD is similar to reusable barrier methods in that it will last for many years before it needs to be disposed of. Withdrawal has no waste whatsoever, and can be an effective method of contraception but only if you and your partner are good at it.
Fertility Awareness creates no waste or pollutants and uses very few raw materials (except maybe a thermometer now & again). Even if you use barrier methods when you are fertile, you’re still using far fewer of them than you would be if you used them throughout your cycle. Moreover, FA is extremely effective (more so than withdrawal when practiced correctly and consistently), and, unlike withdrawal, control rests with the person who cycles and directly bears the risk of pregnancy (usually but not always a woman), rather than with the person who cannot become pregnant (usually but not always a man) . There are many factors to consider when choosing a method of contraception. It’s time for us to add “environmental impact” to our list of considerations.