Literally what is the point in the map?

[Jamsandwichplease]

Last weekend had a fumble with my husband which was very lovely till I realised I was precisely at ovulation time. Bad times. We have 1 beautiful and very clever little boy and are perfectly happy not being outnumbered, thank you very much. So I happily go to get the map the next morning, for the first time since my teen years, just to discover that the map DOESN'T WORK if you're at the point of ovulation. Repeat, the medicine designed to prevent you from getting pregnant only works at the point in the month that you're not fertile!

I recognise that I'm the last to hear this news but WTAF? The point that you're ovulating is precisely the time you need the map! So I could take it after my period, and it'll 'stop pregnancy' - when I'm nowhere near my fertility window?!?

That is not stopping pregnancy any more than sneezing 3 times is stopping pregnancy. Ah, 3 sneezes? That'll be £30 please, and a week of nausea, thank you very much.

As you can tell if furious and flabbergasted, and you may well find me on the November due date threads in a week's time.

I also had no idea, even when taking it. I thought it was just less effective, but not 'not' effective. For some reason I had in my head that the map did 2 things - firstly stopping ovulation, but also doing something to make it less likely that the sperm could reach/fertilise the egg. Which tbh I thought was the main point. And so I still assumed it would work. Like you, what's the point in it working only when you're not fertile!! Talk about a placebo.
I took it but it didn't work for me. So I had to get a medical abortion. Really pissed me off that there was no where to register the fact it hadn't worked. I wanted to make sure their stats were updated with my failure as I think the 90+ % effective ratings that get quoted must be crap.

You have my sympathies.

Do they still recommend a copper coil instead if you're at ovulation time? That used to be the case.

It doesn't work for women over a certain weight, too.
Is your husband having a vasectomy?
(I wouldn't even trust that, personally, as the tubes can reconnect 😱)

Ha! They do, very sweetly, as though getting an emergency appointment is possible (it is not).

@Smidge001 thanks for the response, hipe it worked out for you in the end.

@Dror I love the balance here too, and thanks for the heads up - I shall not rely on the vasectomy either.

Only options seem to be - nunnery?

Thank you all for being nice.

TWW again, here we are...

If it ever happens again and you need an emergency coil appointment then sexual health clinics are a much better bet than your GP surgery.

Yeah I thought if you ask for the MAP and it’s low chance of success they advise an emergency coil?
I was first offered an emergency coil in 2001 when I was told the MAP pill was unlikely to work due to my dates.

Yeah I’m in Ireland which is a bit different but the well woman clinics here are quite good at giving emergency appointments.

Hope things work out for you ok @Jamsandwichplease x

The morning after pill delays ovulation. It might still be worth taking it as you never know exactly when you ovulate, but if you are pretty sure you have then no it isn't worth taking x

Thanks all, still in the TWW. Obvs done some tests way too early (the last pregnancy with my DS was positive 9dpo so thought I'd give it a try). Was feeling nauseous early in the week, but I've read that that can also be caused by the map.

@Jamsandwichplease hi OP. Just wondering how you've got on in the end?

Hi Smidge, thanks for asking. So I'm swallowing my words, thankfully. For anyone in future in the same situation, I took the map right at the start of ovulation (morning I took it i had ewcm, sorry if tmi), spent the next 2 weeks with nausea and mild cramping, very similar yo when I was pregnant, but tested bfn, and got af about 4 days late. So all worked out for us as we wanted in the end.

Though there clearly needs to be more awareness of the limitations of the map. I'm no idiot, and i had no idea it was not effective after ovulation till I was already in a pickle.