Using Taking Control of Your Fertility Contraception

brittany2911 · September 2013

Hi ladies! I recently read "Taking Control of your Fertility" in effort to get off the pill. I was seeking a natural alternative to the pill and always prefer a more natural approach to life in general. This month I stopped taking the pills. I am currently in a highly competitive masters program that will finish summer end of summer 2015 which gives me over a year I have to try and make it without getting pregnant. Those who follow TCOYF swear by it! Am I overly optimistic about this or am I just asking to get pregnant before I graduate?? I'm starting to have second thoughts after talking to a skeptic of this form of BC. Mamas going the natural route, did you use natural forms of BC? What worked for you?? I'd appreciate any advice!! THANK YOU!

AppleMuffins · September 2013

It's a gamble. If you really, really don't want an oops, I wouldn't risk it, personally. I have irregular cycles so it wouldn't really work well for me anyway, but I have a friend who was using it successfully for years (like 6 or something) with regular cycles, but then one month out of the blue it ended up not so regular and she got pregnant. She didn't mind having an oops so much, though she did have to change a lot of her plans she had for herself and her SO as a result since it wasn't ideal timing. If you really want to go this route, I would suggest charting and using condoms until you have confirmed ovulation for sure. After ovulation is confirmed you should be safe.

aylafsu88 · September 2013

I have a friend who uses it and so far they have been successful. Her MW is not a huge fan of the method but it works for my friend. From what I have read it can be very effective, if practiced correctly. I chart my cycles as we are TTC. Charting has given me a lot of insight into my cycle and I would be comfortable using this method of prevention in the future. I would still use condoms around ovulation though just to be on the safe side though.

ETA: To clarify, I would abstain around the days I normally ovulate. However, you can have irregular cycles so I would use condoms until ovulation was confirmed.

barnwife · September 2013

NFP (natural family planning) is very reliable if you follow all of the rules. We charted to get pregnant with J. Now that LO3 has arrived, we will be charting to avoid for a long time. (We've agreed to revisit the idea of a fourth LO in about 3 years.)

We will be charting my temp and CM. During my fertile times, we will abstain.

Yogakitten · September 2013

My mother is an OB and charted successfully for years, but she also had very regular periods and she used a generous "fertile window." She couldn't tolerate BCP, which is why she did this. But she still taught me not to use this method unless I was ok with the potential of getting pregnant. So I wouldn't do it in your shoes, particularly since I tolerated the pill quite well.

oliversmommy32912 · September 2013

It's worked for me for five years. I have never been pregnant when I didn't want to be. You have to be good and follow the rules, though. One oopsie is all it takes.

Tigger & pooh · September 2013

I personally know very little about it but if you are in a stressful masters program you will want to consider how it effects your cycle. I know stress can throw things off for me so if you are doing late nights and are very busy will you be able to effectively track your cycle.

HerbanMom · September 2013

Follow the rules and you're fine. I followed TCOYF for 5 years to avoid pregnancy, the moment I didn't follow the rules I got pregnant with this LO. It's actually quite effective though. Always used a secondary form of BC, like condoms, for the first 6 months or just abstain during the fertile period until you KNOW you ovulated when all signs point to it.

We became pretty lax the months before I became pregnant, meaning we never used any barrier methods and only pulled out- which worked out for us, but the amount of time where he wasn't pulling out got closer and closer to my fertile window and while we were on vacation and I wasn't paying much attention we DTD 2 and 3 days before ovulation without pulling out. User error for sure.

For the 5 years that I did it though, I checked my temp daily at the same exact time while also charting cervical fluid and position daily.

BrideNamedMeg · September 2013

As long as you follow all the rules, it doesn't matter if your cycle is irregular. I have long/irregular cycles and we charted to avoid for years. If you're unsure of a particular day, use a barrier method as backup - I would recommend this for a couple of months anyway just to make sure you have the hang of it.

brittany2911 · September 2013

Thanks for your advice! All these tips give me a lot to think about. Right now-as it's the first month off the pill, I'm still super dry. I've tracked everything on a daily basis including temp at the same time every morning, checking CF, and CP.

We've used condoms every time since being off and will continue to for the next couple of months until things even out and I'm able to get better signs.

-my temp is all over the place (ranging from 96.2-97.7 and everything in between!)

-Cervical fluid-dry pretty much every day!

-Cervical position-still trying to gage this one--(when I have felt like it rose compared to what it usually is, it didn't match up with my temp spike)

I love how I feel being off the pill though!! If signs don't become as consistent as I'd like in order to follow this method to a T, would you recommend anything else? I've heard of using spermicide in addition to a "female condom"... Any recommendations besides BCP if signs don't become consistent? Thanks!!

Yogakitten · September 2013

Both charting/temping and the pill are highly effective when used properly. But the rate of user error between the two is quite different. It's pretty easy to tell if you are misusing the pill, while it takes some time to get used to charting. So, if you feel confident that you can be a very consistent charter and will always use condoms or another barrier when you are unsure, go for it.

MamaWombat · September 2013

This is something I'm actually thinking about a bit myself, as I'd rather not go back on the pill after giving birth.

I charted according to TCOYF's TTA guidelines for about 6 months after we got married (before I went on bcp), but I could never convince DH of its efficacy, so we always used condoms anyway. I also charted while ttc, which was very helpful as I had very irregular cycles after a m/c last summer.

RE: charting - it often takes a few months for your temperature and cervical fluid to settle into a pattern after coming off the pill, so it might settle down. With that said, some people have very predictable patterns and others don't - if you end up in the latter category, charting may not be nearly as helpful.

RE: other options: I've heard that progesterone-only "mini-pills" can have fewer side effects than regular bcp, but you have to be able to take them at exactly the same time every day.

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