I feel sympathetic towards the author of that Guardian piece, but also very frustrated. She talks a lot about advertising, image and social media, but how important is that stuff when you're choosing contraception? It may bring the product to your attention, but it's obvious that contraception needs to be something that suits your body and your lifestyle, and that you need to take full personal responsibility for checking that it does. The paragraph in the middle really shows the issues she had:
I now know that the ideal Cycler is a narrow, rather old-fashioned category of person. She’s in a stable relationship with a stable lifestyle. (Shift-workers, world-travellers, the sickly, the stressed, insomniacs and sluts be advised.) She’s about 29, and rarely experiences fevers or hangovers. She is savvy about fertility and committed to the effort required to track hers. I could add that her phone is never lost or broken and she’s never late to work. She wakes up at the same time every day, with a charged phone and a thermometer within reach.
The age thing aside, I agree with all of this. I don't think the lifestyle profile is as rare as she suggests, or old-fashioned, and I don't think the effort required to use NC effectively is outrageously demanding. Most of all, I think all the requirements are clearly signalled by NC itself, plus in all the user reviews and articles etc, so it's inexplicable that someone would find them a shock.
- yes: you need to wake at roughly the same time each day, most days, to produce accurate and usable data. If that doesn't work for you (if you frequently forget, or get up at totally different times), then this isn't the right system for your needs.
- yes: the thermometer has to be in reach. You wake up, take your temperature (less than a minute's effort), record your data on your phone. I keep my thermometer next to my phone, on my bedside table. Again, if you think this is hard work, then NC isn't for you.
- no, it doesn't work if you often lose or break your phone, because you need to put the data into your phone.
- yes, you have to be aware of your fertility and put the required effort in. I take LH tests and watch for the other ovulation symptoms too. It's not like taking a pill or having an implant. It's an ongoing maintenance kind of system.
- fevers, hangovers, jet-lag, greatly reduced sleep and shift work do affect the accuracy of your data. If you experience some or all of these, then NC isn't for you.
- if by 'sluts' she means 'women with multiple sexual partners' (nice bit of shaming), then, no: NC isn't a great option, unless you're also going to use condoms every time as well.
- a stable relationship and a stable lifestyle? this isn't obligatory, but it's probably a good indication that NC might be a good fit, although I'd say having a regular cycle is also helpful.
I've used NC for over a year. When I chose it, I was aware of all the above factors and judged that it might suit me. I was extra cautious for the first few months, just in case. It wouldn't have suited me at all in my twenties, for so many reasons, but it works for me now, and it's frustrating to hear someone complain how something which is patently unsuitable for their current lifestyle has failed them.