Charting BBT to PREVENT pregnancy?

[mia1181]

Date: 12/11/2008 5:48:02 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 12/11/2008 4:54:44 PM
Author: mia1181

Hmmm.... But if the effectiveness is = to condoms, then do we even need to bother or should we stick with condoms? Does doubling up increase effectiveness? I think so but probably not much huh? Okay I am rambling now...

Well, it is much better than condoms when used by a real expert, but like condoms, sometimes people aren''t experts

And I definitely think doubling up would help... were I to use it I would abstain from sex completely during my highest fertile phase as identified by FAM (only about 4-5 days) then I would use condoms for the few days before that and after, and I would use nothing in the very start and end! I think the effectiveness in that case would be pretty darn good.

Thanks for being very encouraging DD. This has all been very eye-opening to me. Some of the things I have been reading is so different than what we were taught in health class. Like the fact that there is a 20% chance of concieving in a cycle. I know my problem is that I have been reading some things aimed at women who are TTC and even the FF website says that you can''t just reverse the logic to try and not conceive. I also read somewhere recently that "pulling out" is actually a lot more effective than people think, but I need to actually go back and fact check that one!

I can''t wait until I get that book though so I can learn more.

 

[Burk]

I went off BC and our plan was to abstain from sex during my highest fertile phase and use condoms the few days around then and our daughter will be 1 in January. To be fair, we " did the deed" without any protection one time during my highest fertile phase so that is very likely when she was conceived. We were thrilled to be pregnant even though we weren't "trying." We are currently using this same "method" so I'll let you all know how that goes!

Good luck!!

 

[Blenheim]

Date: 12/11/2008 5:45:01 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 12/11/2008 5:15:42 PM
Author: mia1181
Oh and IT''S MY THREAD SO I''LL JACK IF I WANT TO..... But, NF what type of hormonal BC can you be on when breast feeding? Just being nosey.....

I''m not NF, but two of my friends recently went through this so I will tell you that they used a low-dose pill, maybe progesterone only or something like that, and neither noticed any changes in their milk supply. Neither started using it until BFing was really well-established though and so their supplies were good and strong. I can imagine if you start really early then it *could* interfere when your supply is still growing, but who knows.

Just to add on to this - you''re typically not supposed to have sex for about 6 weeks after birth, which does give you some time to get your supply established.

How FAM/Condoms worked for us - we basically just used condoms when I had fertile CM and ovulation wasn''t confirmed. (I can sometimes get creamy CM in my luteal phase, which doesn''t mean I''m fertile.) The efficacy of that is probably somewhere around the efficacy of condoms, but it has the perk of not ALWAYS having to use condoms. It''s really nice to have a break once in a while.

Withdrawal... be sure to do your own research... but I seem to remember it being much more effective than I was taught in high school. Here''s what Planned Parenthood has on it. You need to be sure that you trust your partner, that he urinates and cleans himself off between each time you have sex, that he has enough control to know when it''s time to pull out, and of course that you''re comfortable with the 4/100 perfect use 27/100 typical use failure rates. I have a feeling that this type of method probably works better if you have Plan B on hand in case the timing doesn''t work out on a given time or something along those lines.

I hope that you find something that works well for you.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Date: 12/11/2008 1:11:11 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 12/11/2008 3:47:58 AM

Author: PrettyBlues


ETA: DD, even knowing what you know about charting, you still wouldn''t trust charting coupled with condoms and/or avoiding DTD in the fertile window?

Well, I definitely wouldn''t trust it when breast-feeding, which I plan to do for about 1-2 years after this baby is born, so I would need another method then... I really really don''t want kids closer than about 2.5-3 years, for my career, so I think I would only trust the hormonal methods. We''ll see! I got preggo pretty fast so I wouldn''t want to test fate

Yeah, well I imagine that in the first few months you won''t necessarily be getting three hours of sleep in a row and waking up the same time each day either

Hormonal birth control is certainly a lot easier in that respect .

 

[mia1181]

Date: 12/11/2008 8:39:23 PM
Author: Burk
I went off BC and our plan was to abstain from sex during my highest fertile phase and use condoms the few days around then and our daughter will be 1 in January. To be fair, we '' did the deed'' without any protection one time during my highest fertile phase so that is very likely when she was conceived. We were thrilled to be pregnant even though we weren''t ''trying.'' We are currently using this same ''method'' so I''ll let you all know how that goes!

Good luck!!

Aw Burk she is adorable! I''d be thrilled to have her too!

 

[mia1181]

Date: 12/11/2008 9:30:26 PM
Author: Blenheim

Date: 12/11/2008 5:45:01 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 12/11/2008 5:15:42 PM
Author: mia1181
Oh and IT''S MY THREAD SO I''LL JACK IF I WANT TO..... But, NF what type of hormonal BC can you be on when breast feeding? Just being nosey.....

I''m not NF, but two of my friends recently went through this so I will tell you that they used a low-dose pill, maybe progesterone only or something like that, and neither noticed any changes in their milk supply. Neither started using it until BFing was really well-established though and so their supplies were good and strong. I can imagine if you start really early then it *could* interfere when your supply is still growing, but who knows.

Just to add on to this - you''re typically not supposed to have sex for about 6 weeks after birth, which does give you some time to get your supply established.

How FAM/Condoms worked for us - we basically just used condoms when I had fertile CM and ovulation wasn''t confirmed. (I can sometimes get creamy CM in my luteal phase, which doesn''t mean I''m fertile.) The efficacy of that is probably somewhere around the efficacy of condoms, but it has the perk of not ALWAYS having to use condoms. It''s really nice to have a break once in a while.

Withdrawal... be sure to do your own research... but I seem to remember it being much more effective than I was taught in high school. Here''s what Planned Parenthood has on it. You need to be sure that you trust your partner, that he urinates and cleans himself off between each time you have sex, that he has enough control to know when it''s time to pull out, and of course that you''re comfortable with the 4/100 perfect use 27/100 typical use failure rates. I have a feeling that this type of method probably works better if you have Plan B on hand in case the timing doesn''t work out on a given time or something along those lines.

I hope that you find something that works well for you.

Thanks for the link Blen. DH is a master Puller-Outer!

We''ve been doing it for years. I''m pretty sure he does it right because there is quite a delay from the moment he pulls out to the ejaculation. Yes, there was a even time when we were using condoms, BC pill, and pulling out to avoid pregnancy.

DH has always been pretty anal about that. That''s why I am a bit surprised that he is willing to be a little more risky.

 

[honey22]

Date: 12/11/2008 5:10:51 PM
Author: mia1181
Yep, Neat I am not at all saying it is the nuvaring''s fault and the 2 doctors I have seen seem to say that it is completely normal. But since I don''t know anyone else who passes a 2.5''x 1'' sack of flesh in the shape of a deflated balloon, I just think it is odd enough to wonder if it would happen without BC. It still might, but I''d like to see.

ETA- although the docs haven''t explained it to me I do just think it is the uterine lining that normally shed with your period but I think most women''s break into tiny pieces. I ''give birth'' to mine whole, I think......

And I have found a few other women on Yahoo Anwers asking about it who have mention Nuvaring, but I don''t think it''s the BC''s fault either. It''s just a common thing I think.

Mia - sorry if this is TMI, but I am not on any hormonal BC, soley using condoms for about 4? years now, and I quite often have this problem too. It looks like tissue, I presume it''s uterine lining that hasn''t broken down sufficiently before the start of bleeding. I have been concerned about it, but maybe I should? It''s also coupled with heavy cramps, which makes sense I guess, if the body is trying to expel ''waste'' like that?

 

[Pandora II]

Please don''t use the pulling out method thinking that it is any form of BC. Most men release some fluid pre-ejaculation and every drop contains millions of the little things. The failure rate is between 15 and 28% in a year. Way too high for me to ever risk.

Condoms used properly are very effective (used properly they are 98% effective) - I''ve used them for years and NEVER seen one break or had any problems with them.

I might have considered using full charting to avoid as my cycles are ultra-predictable so it would be fairly easy to track things. However, DH and I want a 5 year gap between kids and I''m not prepared to risk an oops. So it will be back to condoms and the baby as contraceptive methods. I have an idea that the latter will be pretty effective.

 

[mia1181]

Honey22- Glad to hear I am not the only one! Although I have found a lot of other women asking about on places like Yahoo Answers. I guess it is somewhat normal even though no one I personally know gets them. I am just hoping it might be better w/o the hormones because many women's periods are different when they are off BC. Although they might get worse too we'll see. I don't think you should be too concerned about it because neither of the two doctors I saw were. Although they were both GP's not Gynocologists. I brought one in to show the first doctor and he was really puzzled and just examined it for a while and then just told me it was "probably" normal. So I didn't worry about them too much until the last time when I was seriously in agonizing pain from the cramps until it came out and it was so big. So I called my GP (the other guy wasn't my regular doctor). My doctor said "it's normal to have some tissue too," but she was more concerned with how much I was bleeding. If you are bleeding more than 1 tampon/pad per hour, then you should call someone, otherwise it's probably fine.

 

[mia1181]

Pandora- We would never use Pulling Out as a sole form of BC, but maybe we would pull out during my "less likely to be fertile" times to have a break from using the condoms. But our plan for now is to just use condoms until I see if I am comfortable with the whole charting thing. We used condoms exclusively for the first couple of years we were together without a problem.

And interestingly I have also read in a few places that pre-ejaculation doesn''t actually contain any sperm. It is actually made in the penis (not testicles) and is more of a lubricant. However, if there is any residual sperm in them penis from prior ejaculations then it can pick it up on its way out. Supposedly, if the man pees between intercourse it can decrease the chances of that happening. Although I know just because I read it doesn''t make it true, just wanted to mention it.

Oh by the way I''ve heard Babies are great forms of Birth Control (especially if you cosleep!).