Charting Cycles - "Timing Method," etc...
Since my IUD didn't work out and I have problems with taking hormones, my midwife suggested that I use the "timing method." She's used this for 9 years and found it to be highly successful. When I started asking around school, it seems that most of the female students have been using this method with success, and when I was at Planned Parenthood and told them that I didn't want another IUD and that hormones don't work for me, the nurse practitioner said that this method works wonderfully when it's done correctly. It requires using condoms at the beginning of the cycle, but I've been told it's pretty safe to avoid them once ovulation is complete.
Anyway, I ordered the book, "Taking Charge of your Fertility," and it's been pretty enlightening. On top of that, Mac created new software called iKonceive and it's got a 30 day free trial (after that it's 30 bucks) and this software is awesome, so I'm getting kind of excited to chart my temperature and stuff - even if it's just to get to know my body and understand my cycles. These charts are so awesome!
The book came with charting software too, but it won't work on my mac. Oh well.
Is anybody using this method and finding it successful?
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My youngest baby just turned 11, we've been using this since he was about 5,6 months old. I went back to school and work when he was just a few months old, so was going to wean him off the breast and use bottles, and go on the pill. I was on the pill for one cycle when I decided school and work was too much with a little baby and toddler, and I-bop was just in 3rd grade. I worked part-time but was mostly home with them. Went back to breastfeeding in conjunction with bottles, and we used condoms for a while. That got old real quick so I looked into natural family planning and we have not looked back since. That was 1998, we used condoms during ovulation until end of 2002. By then we had it down to a science, Mercury Man is so fine-tuned to my body now he can tell when I am ovulating sometimes before I can. For example I get a slight engorgement in my breasts which I can't always tell but he can, and he says I smell and taste different.
I also get the stretchy mucous like clockwork. Some women get the one strong contraction when they begin ovulating (middlesmerch) but mine is pretty mild, I often miss it. So basically I go by my chart and vaginal mucous, which usually are on track/coincide with one another. When they don't, I go by my mucous because that is a clear, strong sign that ovulation is occurring. In the past 10+ years, there have been 2,3 times when I ovulated twice in one month, going by my body signs. Had I just gone by my chart I would have thought I wasn't ovulating and bingo! that would have been 2, 3 more little Mercury babies running around LOL. and there have been times when I ovulated a little before or a little after my chart said I was supposed to be ovulating. So I always go by my body.
This has been an awesome method of birth control for me, it has worked the best for me out of all I have tried. I am/was an extremely fertile woman, I even got pregnant on the depo shot! So this is great for me that I have gone over a decade with no pregnancies. Plus it is free and puts no hormones into my body. It will require your husband's cooperation, like he has to be willing not to push up on you/pressure you into intercourse sex when you're ovulating, as well as resist you when you're the one pushing up on him during ovulation. Unless you're both willing to risk using condoms during that time...we haven't for years, we just avoid intercourse because we just dislike condoms a lot.
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I think it's a great method if you you're good at following the method. Taking my temp was actually my biggest challenge. I would recommend visiting some *trying to conceive* websites or fertility boards. Loads of women use this method.
I may have missed it, but are you a hater of the diaphragm?
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With one notable exception (which I'll explain) it has worked perfectly. Pre-babies my cycle was very very regular, so after a while I only went by fertile mucous - and only took my temp when I was trying to conceive - which happened the first month, both times! The third time was the accident - but that's because I was 8 months post-partum and had not had a period yet. So when I was all crampy I thought it meant I was getting my period, but no, I was ovulating. I wasn't charting my temp so we knew there was a risk, and we agreed that it would be ok to get pregnant (before having unprotected sex). But now that we really don't want another baby, we are using condoms (until I get my period again and have a regular cycle.)
Did you see pictures down below of me? The large stomach is a result of the timing method. I was "absolutely" sure of my cycles. Had a chart and everything. Watched that we were careful before and after. Now we will be getting snipped. Not me,him. But it sounds like it works for a lot of other people.
about it, but a simple chart and mucus check has worked for me and my BD for over 15 years. the only time i've gotten pregnant was the one time we tried to, knock on wood. however, if he knew about that software he'd be all over it, mac geek that he is!
we've used this for nearly 8 years but for the purpose of trying to get pregnant. charting is such a great way to go imo- i mean your body gives you all of this great info, its just a matter of tapping into it! ( i've been using the tcoyf and fertility friend software- yeah- bought it right before i got pregnant. d'oh!)
pnly conceived once unplanned (because the guy was told he was infertile and so we though'd be ok..ha!). All I ever did was keep track of the days of my cycle and sorta listened to my body's cues ) i get bloated, have mild cramps, etc). I bought this cool bracelet for this sort of thing but have yet to get my period since baby K was born (10 months ago!).
google and a bunch will come up
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I have an over-fertility issue too - I've gotten pregnant on birth control too. My midwife thinks I ovulate more than once a month sometimes (twins run in my family too) - so I am excited to see if the signs might point to something like that.
I'm glad to hear that it has been working for you for so long. My midwife said that I have to be really good at charting for this, and that if we have sex before I've ovulated to use condoms, but once I'm done ovulating that no condoms are okay. Do you use condoms before, or just wait, or find that you can have sex then?
"Fundamentally the markswoman aims at herself" DT Suzuki