Contraception of tracking natural cycles?

[CarrotCake2019]

Hello

Not sure if this is the correct thread but I did want to ask if anybody on here had tried the contraception method of cycle tracking (via an app or manually usually a diary)

I’ve been on a combined hormone pill for over 2 years and it’s getting quite difficult. I suffered with anxiety and depression prior to taking this and since going on the pill my mental health has gotten worse. My GP said this is common with combined pills and suggested the coil. The issue with the coil is I’ve heard horror stories and ones that include women’s fertility being affected. I have always wanted to be a mother so the thought of something affecting my fertility terrifies me.

Me and my fiancé have spoke about TTC and decided around next April would be the best time for us to start trying as this means when I am pregnant I’ll be able to receive maternity benefits from my employer.

But in the meantime I wanted to switch to potentially tracking my cycles as a contraception method as I need to get myself mentally healthy before TTC

So if anyone uses/has tried this method of contraception please let me know if it works? I don’t want to get pregnant until at least May 2020 at the earliest, but I do not want to be on this pill any longer!

It's a difficult one. Tracking your cycles requires you to build up a pattern whivh you can't do while on a hormonal contraception so for at least a few months you'd need to use condoms whilst you established your pattern and even then you can ovulate early (I did this month) and accidentally fall pregnant. If you wouldn't mind being pregnant then go for it but if you really would I'd say use other forms of contraception

Yep used Natural Cycles for nearly three years before TTC. Would recommend it - you do have to be cautious at first but once it has confirmed ovulation then you should be good to go for the rest of that month. When we did switch to TTC mode we got a BFP on cycle 3 - I'm 39 too! I really appreciated understanding how my body worked - though I will say that I didn't really have any issues after stopping the pill, which I know some people have, as my cycles settled pretty quickly.

Another advocate of Natural Cycles here. You have to be prepared to abstain or use condoms on your 'red' days but apart from that it works great.
I hate the pill so so much that actually condoms ended up being my preferred option until I found Natural Cycles. I find the Skyns make don't feel unnatural.

I used Natural Cycles for about 18 months as contraception and really liked it, it was great to find out what my body and cycles actually did without hormones (turns out I’m like clockwork) then switched it to ‘trying for a baby’ to TTC and I’m pregnant first cycle. The algorithm already knew when I was ovulating which made it so much easier