"Natural Cycles" contraception

[Pinkorchid23]

What is this I keep seeing plastered all over my social media. The advetisement claims to be a hormonal free certified form of contraception where every morning you check your tempature and log some details in an app and it tells you if your fertile or not. I may just not be understanding the full picture here but surely this is just as bad and unreliable as the pulling out method. I think it claimed to have something like 98% success rate when done correctly.

Is someone pulling my leg here or is this actually a thing? I have been looking for a non hormonal contraception but cant seem to take this seriously. Has anyone tried this or head stories and if so does it actually work. There just seems to be alot of room for error with it.

I did tried to read comments on the advertisments and weirdly enough there was always this one woman defending the method and debunking peoples negative comments saying "it worked amazingly for her "

Thoughts?

I have a lovely (but unplanned) 11 year old as a result of this method.

I used it to monitor ovulation after I came off the injection. Got pregnant surprisingly quickly 😁

[quote dontblamemee]@Drinkingallthewine the thermometer goes in your mouth not your vagina 🤣🤣[/quote]
My mother had a specific thermometer designed for vaginal use that needed to be used for this method.
I did say that modern temperature taking has probably changed.

I used Natural Cycles successfully for months, maybe more than a year? I had unprotected sex once while in my red zone (when you are supposed to use condoms or abstain) and ended up with my daughter 😅 it was also very useful when TTC our second baby

Used it after we got married before TTC, and then when TTC very effectively, probably about 2 years in my 20s.

There wasn't an app back then, but I was temp taking at the same time each day (morning before getting up/ eating etc), thermometer most definitely in my mouth 😆, checking cervical mucus, and positioning of cervix etc.

You need to be aware of medication, any night wakings and how illness can effect your cycle. Your body is very sensitive and all those things can effect your basal temperature.

It was interesting to be so in tune with how my body worked though and I have never gone back to hormonal contraception. Only stopped tracking my temp when we had tiny babies and lots of broken night's sleep.

My friend did this and now has a two year old.

The rythym method and the fertility awareness method are two very different things and unfortunately the former has given the latter a bad reputation by association. The rhythm method relies solely on a calendar and the number of days between your period and is useless , the fertility awareness method involves being aware of all your fertility signs and tracking your ovulation through the month with basal body temperature and a confirmation like cervical position or cervical fluid. I highly recommend the book “taking charge of your fertility”. Even if you don’t want to use it as contraception it’s incredible what you can learn about your body and I think everyone from teenage years should be taught it!

Would this bit be how women have always prevented pregnancy? I’m quite sure I could have a baby every year if I wanted. My periods return 5 weeks after delivery with EBF and I know I’m ovulating so that wouldn’t stop me conceiving.
Isn’t it a time old method?

Used for two years working getting pregnant (temping everyday and regular OPKs)

Was groovy to be in touch with my cycle when DH and I eventually decided to have a baby.

As PP said though, only as reliable as user. I know somebody who didn't temp regularly though and swiftly fell pregnant

@CRbear I agree. I’m baffled by how uninformed grown women are about their reproductive system. Someone was telling me only today that she had period when they were pregnant.