Fertility apps - form of “contraception”

[CuteBear]

Has anyone tracked their cycle on an app to determine the best times to have sex to get pregnant (or to avoid pregnancy)? I’ve tried various combined and mini pills, but I haven’t reacted well to any. We currently use condoms, but I’m looking for an alternative.

For NFP to work, then you really need to combine basal temperature (best rectally, every morning before you get up) and other symptoms such as mucus, with calendar being pretty unreliable in itself but obviously part of the bigger picture.

You really need to find a teacher, and spend about 3-6 months getting to know your cycle really well before you rely on it. Including confounders such as stress or travel especially across time zones.

Using an app to record all this might be more convenient than pen and paper temperature graphs. But I would recommend a proper NFP app that combines temp/mucus/other symptoms, not a general period or fertility tracker.

I've been using natural cycles, which I highly recommend. They send you a thermometer to take your temp every morning. Also gives you the option to take ovulation tests on certain days for more accuracy. It's a great way to get to know your cycle though and it's a very informative app.

@AuntieStella interesting. I understand the importance of noticing symptoms of ovulation like discharge/cervical mucus and tender breasts, but didn’t think about temperature.

@xxchlobo90xx sounds like an interesting app. I’ll look into it!

Def worth it. It tells you what signs to look out for I.e discharge etc. I've found it really helpful

If you were going to do just one thing, then temperature is the most important.

But combined sympto-thermal is considerably better