To try the Natural Cycle App as contraceptive?

[PandaEyes25]

I've been taking the pill for about 6 and a half year. I've had to keep changing what pills I've been on due to several nasty side effects- the worst being Cervial Erosion which I've had to have cauterised twice. I've put on 3 stone (probably also due to me being a bit of a fat git aswell!) and completely lost my libido with this new one I'm on.
I'm tired of trying new ones and of pumping my body full of crap.
I've seen the Natural Cycle App advertised and I'm really tempted.
So basically, you track your cycle through taking basal temperatures and it lets you know when is safe to have unprotected sex and when it's not. (I'd like to point out I've been with my OH for 7 years and STI protection is not needed)
It also says it's clinically proven and is just as effective as the pill but without the side effects. This seems perfect! The only thing that's putting me off is the fact I don't want to depend on an app for potentially bringing a child into the world if it doesn't work!
Has anyone tried it? What do you think? Would you try it or am I being too naive?

[NT04]

Hi Pandaeyes25... Its been over a year but I was wondering if you tried naturalcycles in the end? I’ve had the copper coil now for 20months and I just can’t cope with the painful/heavy periods anymore. But like yourself I don’t want anything hormonal (been there done that 🐰🤡)

[agnurse]

You might consider using additional approaches such as cervical mucous. Some different methods you can google:

Creighton (cervical mucous)
Billings (normal sensations)
Serena (symptothermal)
Marquette (uses an ovulation monitor)

When used properly, these methods work very well. If you have a fertility problem they can even be helpful in identifying what the issue is. They do take into account that sperm can live for several days inside a woman's body.

[MrsBryonyB]

I’ve been using Natural Cycles to prevent pregnancy for 8 months and I love it!! I was on various forms of contraception for over 8 years such as every type of pill, implant, coil etc and none worked for me! all had nasty side effects and I never had a ‘regular’ cycle. It took 2.5 months for me to ovulate after coming off the pill but now I ovulate every month and I’ve learnt sooooo much about my body! I still don’t have a ‘regular’ as it varies from cycle day 16-25 for me to ovulate, and cycle length varies but i can see what’s going on with my body from my chart and I still get a good amount of green days and I just feel SO much better in myself. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made and I’ll happily use Natural Cycles for the rest of my life, switching to plan when I want to have a baby then going back to prevent. Love it! Honestly you wouldn’t regret trying it!
Here’s a discount link! Use this to sign up to Natural Cycles yearly plan with a free thermometer and 20% discount! www.naturalcycles.com/signup/secret?code=referralid20&referral=d0426466cc3c437fb8a78eebd4f7df86
Good luck :) xx

[garethsouthgatesmrs]

Ive used something similar between my pregnancies as an unexpected pregnancy wouldn't have been disastrous. I didn't fall unexpectedly pregnant but my cycle is very regular and it was likely to be partly luck. Obviously you are less likely to get pregnant if you avoid the most fertile days.

I am now looking into a diaphragm myself I wouldnt use hormonal contraception. Condoms?

[Camomila]

I've just started doing it (literally 2 days ago!)

We want to ttc in the new year and It'll be nice to know when I'm ovulating, last time I just counted so probably wasn't that accurate.

[HulaMelody]

I’m sure I read an article recently where people were trying to sue that app because it had made misleading claims about being a contraceptive and they’d ended up pregnant.
Fair enough use it to track your cycles but use another contraceptive method!

[greenkiteZ]

I have used the natural planning method for 8 years, only got pregnant when I planned to.
Personally I love it, but it did take a while to know what I was doing

[longwayoff]

You can try. But cross your fingers. In fact you might do better by crossing your legs as well

[Ansumpasty]

At least use pull out method alongside it. The body can do spontaneous things and I would risk ejaculaition based on natural family planning

[Ansumpasty]

*wokldnt!!

[bibbidybobbidyboo]

There was a Guardian article recently about all the women who have fallen pregnant using natural cycles. It turns out that the app small print recommends you don't use the app unless you wouldn't mind an unplanned pregnancy. I.e. if an unplanned pregnancy would be utterly unacceptable/devastating to you right now, it's not the contraception for you.

I use the copper coil & am very happy with it - no hormones and basically no user error. Is that something you would consider?

The guardian article: www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jul/21/colossally-naive-backlash-birth-control-app

[littlepeas]

I tried in for a while, but stopped because it didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know - been off hormonal contraception for years and know my cycle very well - as a pp said, you tend to be very up for it during fertile days and that, coupled with other signs, makes it very obvious that I am ovulating. This time would naturally be our most, ahem, active and you need to use condoms then anyway, so really it wasn't much use for us in the end (plus you have to remember to take your temp every morning before you get out of bed, which takes a while to get used to). I wouldn't use it as a method of contraception unless you'd be ok with an unplanned pregnancy (think you said this upthread) - but no method is 100%, you just have to be sensible.

[NT04]

Thanks for the discount code! I’m going to get it ordered and book in to get the copper coil removed! Wish me luck 👌🏼

[MrsBryonyB]

Exciting! Good luck! 👏 A lot of the unplanned pregnancies when you look into it are down to user error; mainly people thinking withdrawal is acceptable on red days. We use condoms on red days and nothing on green days. If you want to be extra cautious you can treat pre ovulation green days as red days and use a condom, and then only after ovulation has been confirmed trust the green days as they are 100% safe. The app allows for 5 days pre ovulation and 2 days after as the ‘fertile period’ to take sperm survival into account. I don’t have a regular cycle so I don’t get pre ovulation green days other than during my period so if you’re not regular the app takes that into account and is more cautious. A lot of the unplanned pregnancies were also due to unexpected early ovulation which the app admits it can’t account for but that’s what goes into the 93% effectiveness rating, which is on par with ‘typical’ use of the pill. Getting used to remembering to temp every morning was fairly easy for me as it’s no different than having to remember to take a pill every day. And having to use a condom every now and then is well worth it to be hormone free!!

[AGirlinLondon]

I used the fertility friend app and a basal thermometer for becoming pregnant and found it INCREDIBLY effective, almost creepy. My dates were bang on. Was mostly good because I didn’t know my cycles were 34 days long before I started temping! I’m not sure how confident I would be to use it the other way around though - my temp was very much affected by even the tiniest bit of alcohol/change in room temperature/jet lag. I’m going back on cerazette post pg but I did really enjoy learning more about my body - just be careful because it definitely does work!

[GoatWithACoat]

I used it in conjunction with the Depo Vera shot because I was so afraid of falling pregnant again.

My 7 month old unplanned complete miracle baby is here.

Husband now has the snip and I still don’t trust it.

[Matcha]

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.

[Gnomesoftheglaaxy]

Used it for many years on and off. 5 or 6 in total. No accidental pregnancies and 3 easy conceptions when wanted.

It's really important to fully understand your body though and to be fairly dedicated in keeping track. My cycles aren't 100% regular and I still managed just fine.

Gave birth to my third and final a couple of months ago and am now considering a Mirena purely to hopefully deal with painful periods otherwise I'd be cycle tracking again

[specialsubject]

this year old thread has been reactivated by someone with a referral link. top tip - products that have to pay for marketing probably not very good.

the nhs provides real contraception free.

[Confusedbeetle]

As long as you don't mind getting pregnant. Clinically proven? oh dear

[Matcha]

the nhs provides real contraception free.

Free at point of use. But all contraception is a commercial product, with its various routes of marketing/distribution/pricing structures aimed at getting the stuff to consumers either directly or via an intermediary like the NHS or your health insurance company.

I think posting a referral link does make a positive review seem less credible, but it doesn't mean the product itself doesn't work (subject to suitability, and with exceptional failures always possible).

[Matcha]

And the year-old thread wasn't reactivated by the person with the referral link, was it? I see NT04 posted on August 19th 2018 to ask the OP how her experience went. The discount offer came a few days later by MrsBryony.

[PinguDance]

I know this an old thread but if anyone reading is interested this is an interesting article about fertility apps - the most pertinent bit is where it says it’s designed for people who want to come off the pill before trying for a baby, aka - if you really don’t want to get pregnant then don’t use it. www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jul/21/colossally-naive-backlash-birth-control-app

[PinguDance]

Oh sorry I scanned to see if anyone had already posted that link and completely missed that they had!

[MrsBryonyB]

When googling Natural Cycles this popped up as someone posted about a week ago to see how the original poster got on so I thought I’d share my experience. Plus there are so many referral codes going about but I didn’t know about them when I signed up, so I didn’t want that to happen to someone else when signing up so thought I’d help them save a few quid. And yeah obviously it helps me a bit, means I’d get discounted subscription in the future which would be very helpful as I’m so happy with this method I plan to use it until I reach menopause, so if i can help other people and save a bit myself then win win :) plus I just feel so empowered and happy with my hormones, lack of migraines, sex drive, knowledge etc I’ve gained that I wanted to encourage other people to take the step so they can feel this great about it. I’m just genuinely amazed with this app and so sad I spent over 8 years on hormonal contraception!! So would happily spread the word! Referral code or not :) I’ve only got a code recently following my 7th month of temping, but I’ve been telling everyone that will listen about Natural Cycles because I just think it’s amazing, with no benefit to myself. Just sharing the love :) Xxx