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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Natural Family Planning/Fertility Awareness Method, anyone using?
I'm interested in this type of planning/preventing pregnancy and was wondering if anyone here uses this method? Successful? Didn't work?
I cannot use birth control for private reasons, so I'm interested in this method. Any input/advice is appreciated.
Plus, if you do use this method, please share a link/website to go by. TIA.
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Re: Natural Family Planning/Fertility Awareness Method, anyone using?
I have a friend that doesn't like taking medications, and her son is going to be 3 in November.
Once a month she takes a large dose of soy isoflavones and black cohosh. She said it causes her estrogen levels to increase, which will throw off ovulation and such.
I don't necessarily think it's the right method for me to use, but she does. I would definitely consult a doctor about this stuff though.
I used FAM to get pg, and I think it worked pretty well. It definitely takes a lot more work than I'm willing to do while not TTC, though!
I bought the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and used Fertility Friend to chart my cycles (an online charting program). The book also comes with charting software, though. If you read that, use FF and have a good Body Basal thermometer, you should be good to go!
I have used this method successfully for TTA for a year before we TTC for DD. I am using it again now to TTA/C (ha).
I highly recommend fertilityfriend.com. I signed up for a VIP membership. It's $45/year, but that is still cheaper than The Pill or other forms of BC, so it's worth the investment. They also have an iphone app, which, is ok.
Also, check out the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. The book and website compliment each other.
Once you get the hang of it, it's so simple and easy. And, for me, I feel a lot better, since hormonal BC made me out of whack in various ways.
We use NFP as well. I agree with PPs suggestions of Taking Charge of Your Fertility and fertilityfriend.com. We have successfully avoided since my fertility returned in December. Hormonal BC is not an option for me, and I didn't want to rely on condoms.
My Mom got pregnant with twins (not on purpose) using this method
Seriously, I'm glad you posted this. I can't stand the birth control pills and until DH gets his vasectomy, I need some sort BC method.
We used charting to get pregnant with DD. I never went back on the pill b/c I was bf'ing. About 6 months ago we started getting sick of using condoms so I started charting to avoid. We would not use condoms for a day or two right after af then switched to them when I would in my "fertile" window and then not use them again once FF put cross hairs on my chart. Well 3 months ago we dtd ONCE right after AF (like we had done in previous months) and it turns out I ovulated earlier then normal and I got pregnant that cycle.
I guess my point is to be prepared with the chance of a pregnancy. I ovulated like clockwork and that one month my body threw me for a loop.
ETA: I have my chart at the bottom of my sig if you want to see it.
Goodbye little angel(7/22/2011)....see you in heaven
Goodbye my second angel (9/18/2011)
This! We succesfully charted to avoid pregnancy for a year, and then when we decided to TTC again, we just kept charting. Doesn't take much time (just taking you temp every morning and plugging it into the software or like me, into your iPhone).
Eleanor Noelle - 18/05/12 Claire Elisabeth - 16/-5/10
I used it to avoid pregnancy for ... seven or eight years, and used it to get pregnant on the first try when we decided to try.
The thing is, it's as reliable as you choose it to be. DTD just after AF without a backup method, and without having already seen signs that you're past ovulation? That is taking a risk (though, I will grant you, a VERY small one). You can use the information you gain from charting a number of ways. Avoid sex entirely until you ovulate, and only have sex after ovulation but before your period (the safest way to TTA). Or avoid sex once you start seeing *any* signs of pending ovulation (so, you'd need to be doing cervical fluid checks and, hopefully, cervical position checks as well) until after ovulation. Or use a barrier method prior to ovulation and not after. And so forth.
The rub with FAM is that you need to have a solid night's sleep - at least three hours before you temp and should temp at a consistent time every day. With the way DD sleeps, that's not happening any time soon, so I can't use FAM again yet.