AIBU to use the natural cycles app?

[WannabeMathematician]

Has anyone used the natural cycles app? How was it? Was it hard to stick to?

My husband and I aren't yet ready to ttc but I don't like every other type of birth control I've tried. Hormones make me depressed and incredibly anxious. I've had both types of coil and the they didn't settle well and I had cramps so bad from them I threw up. So we're onto to the suped up rhythm method that is the natural cycles app + condoms. I just wanted to hear about other people's experiences.

And before anyone asks my husband feels terrible that there isn't a pill he could take. He been wonderfully supportive through out but unfortunately most actual acts of contraception fall on me.

[Triskaidekaphilia]

I used Glow which is the same sort of thing but used it to get pregnant, and it didn't work well as my cycles were irregular. I wouldn't use an app for birth control for that reason but may work for those with clockwork-like cycles. As you're not too concerned you could risk it, but if you wanted to be on the safe side, maybe stick with condoms for now and think of all the unprotected sex you'll get to have once you're trying!

[OVAgroundWOMBlingfree]

I ask a routine question at work “could you be pregnant?” followed by “when was your last period”. The sheer number of women who have used those apps (not just the one on the OP) to “prevent pregnancy” who turn out to be pregnant (and shocked) is mind blowing.

[Fiveredbricks]

Use cheapo ovulation strips and map your cycle and cm yourself OP. Temperatures can lie but hormones rarely can. Alternatively just use condoms on days 7-20 of your cycle. Unless you have freak ovulation patterns you'll be pretty much ok.

[Noteventhebirdsareupyet]

I was pregnant after the first month of using a cycle tracking app. I think my periods were still settling down after stopping the mini pill but naturally DH tells everyone he has super sperm!

[nattynoonoo821]

holding my 6 week old natural cycles baby. we had decided to try for a baby but he was concieved on a green day so i would use with caution!

[Ellabella989]

I fell pregnant when using it. My periods are like clockwork and the thermometer said I definitely wasn’t having a fertile day. I must have ovulated earlier than usual one month and Natural Cycles didn’t pick this up so I fell pregnant. I wouldn’t recommend it unless falling pregnant wouldn’t be the end of the world for you. It works well for some people but it only takes one month of ovulating earlier or later than normal and things could go haywire

[Fifi1982]

That should be predicted by Ava to O on the Friday.

[Fifi1982]

I have just bought an Ava bracelet. And to be honest I haven’t got on very well with it. You still have to poas to get OPK results and mine are different. I was predicted on Ava as Friday this month and it was actually the weds. From online group as well people use the FF app to log their skin temps on there. I wanted to return mine as well and no refunds. So now I’m stuck with a £149 bracelet that isn’t much help! In case that is of any help before you fork out the money!

[HJWT]

@WannabeMathematician I think I have decided to buy an Ava bracelet after this baby is born and I stop BF! Cannot be doing with contraception I get such bad spots and irregular bleeding! Will also use condoms near fertile window, but apparently Ava is meant to be most accurate!

[Sciurus83]

Well I love my daughter very much so in that sense it worked, not so much on the contraceptive front

[Sparklesocks]

A friend of mine uses it and works well for her but I have heard of a lot of accidental pregnancies with it

[WannabeMathematician]

So for the time being the discison is use condoms until then app has more data on me then reassess. My body is like clock work for my period so that helps. I've used clue for a year now so I know this.

Husband has promised to have the snip after we have kids (which we both want but not for another 6 months to a year).

[namechanger2019]

I am currently 32 weeks pregnant after using this. It shifted my ovulation and made what was green days in the past red days. I had already had unprotected sex on these days. Not a massive drama, just have too many kids already . We are making the best of it. I would not use if not in a stable relationship.

[WisdomOfCrowds]

This article makes my point more eloquently (it's about abortion but the central point is still relevant I think) medium.com/s/can-we-talk/men-cause-100-of-unwanted-pregnancies-eb0e8288a7e5

[WisdomOfCrowds]

Women naturally aren’t fertile at many points in their life; pregnancy and when they aren’t ovulating or about to ovulate. Whereas men are constantly fertile (always producing sperm).

Looking at this another way, women are in a fertile phase less often than not so the fact we have to take hormonal bc constantly when 75% of the time we don't even need it is ridiculous. But men, who do actually need to use contraception 100% of the time have no options apart from condoms. Seriously OP, I 100% get not wanting to use hormonal bc because of the side effects, but if your only reason regarding condoms is preference I'd just use condoms. What are your reasons for not liking them? I always thought I didn't like condoms but when I actually stopped to think about it I realised they made basically no difference to my sexual experience and I just felt negatively towards them from so many years of hearing men complain about them...

[BuffaloCauliflower]

@Home77 Natural Cycles is the same science as Dot but has been FDA and CE mark approved

[Home77]

This Dot app was in the news recently might be an option?

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190318132556.htm

[willyougobacktobed]

I use a combo of natural cycles and clue which has worked for me; it's helped me get to know my body and cycles really well, I think this is only a good thing.

[BuffaloCauliflower]

Natural Cycles is the only medically approved BBT app, none of of the others are scientifically tested so not comparable

[BuffaloCauliflower]

I’ve been using natural cycles for a year and I’m very happy. 93% effective is fine for us.

[jaseyraex]

I used Clue for about a year and continued using it when TTC. It worked well for me but my body runs like clockwork and we knew we'd TTC at the end of that year so it wasn't a huge deal if I did get pregnant. I didn't get pregnant when we were trying to avoid it and then I got pregnant first try when we actively tried. Maybe coincidental but I feel like it worked for me.

[Lost5stone]

I used Glow which is like natural cycles successfully for 2 years after having DD and am now 6 weeks pregnant with planned baby. But I run like clockwork and know my body really well. I wouldn't ever do it unless being pregnant wouldn't be an issue if it failed.

I tracked BBT, CM and CP. It's not the most pleasant and it is a faff.

[ThereWillBeAdequateFood]

It does suck that there are so few options for men regarding contraception.

Women naturally aren’t fertile at many points in their life; pregnancy and when they aren’t ovulating or about to ovulate. Whereas men are constantly fertile (always producing sperm).

So it easier to prevent ovulation in a woman than it is to prevent sperm production in a man. Still sucks though.

[WannabeMathematician]

Thanks for that soulrider.

sigh I guess it's back to the drawing board. I'm going to save my rant about the patriarchy and birth control for another time but I am going to talk to DH about other options.

[soulrider]

I'll try that again

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