Alternatives To Natural Cycles
Natural Cycles is certainly not the only fertility app on the market, so do your research before choosing it or any other app.
One very popular option is Clue, which was developed by women. Its designed to keep track of all your menstrual cycle information and provides scientific information on fertility and pregnancy, among other things. It doesnt require a temperature recording, so its easier to use. The app is free.
The Flo Period Tracker is another option for those wishing to track their fertile days. It is also designed to help you throughout your pregnancy if you choose to use it for conception instead of contraception. There are plenty of scientific articles included to give you extra information, all compiled by medical experts.
Glow also has a high rating and allows you to track everything from moods to symptoms so you know exactly when you are ovulating. Like Flo, it can be used throughout your pregnancy and for the postpartum period too. This is particularly useful for irregular cycles if you stay on top of entering the data. Glow is also free.
As you can see, there are quite a few alternatives to Natural Cycles, and many dont require taking your basal temperature each morning. Depending on how much work youre willing to put into your contraception, there may be a better choice for you on the market.
Natural Cycles Vs Alternatives
Theres a slew of free and paid fertility apps on the market.
Currently, Natural Cycles is the only available birth control app the FDA has cleared for marketing in the United States and Europe. And unlike similar apps, it uses information based on your specific data. Although the Clue Birth Control app has been FDA cleared, it is not yet available for use in the United States.
For example, some apps predict fertility based on a 28-day cycle, but some people do not have this exact menstrual cycle.
Here are some app options similar to Natural Cycles:
- Flo:Flo is a free app that also tracks your period, fertility, and ovulation information. It seems you can also log your basal body temperature using the app, but this feature isnt advertised as heavily as it is for Natural Cycles.
- Clue:Clue is a free period and ovulation tracker. You can also log your basal body temperature with this app. Clue has also been FDA cleared.
If youre looking for additional hormone-free birth control options, keep the following traditional contraception methods in mind:
Effectiveness Of Basal Body Temperature Monitoring
Basal body temperature monitoring is 99% effective in the first year of use, if used correctly and consistently. However, the method is less effective if the woman does not monitor her temperature accurately or if she has unprotected sex in the fertile period of the cycle . Because many women have difficulty using the method correctly and consistently, about 25% of those who use fertility awareness method become pregnant in the first year of using the method.
For the basal body temperature monitoring method, some of the difficulty of use may be caused by external influences which cause the womans temperature to increase and for her to think that ovulation has passed when it has not. However there is also evidence that many women find the daily basal body temperature monitoring difficult and/or inconvenient.
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How Effective Are Birth Control Apps
Because different birth control apps have different effectiveness levels, theres no one answer to this question. However, Natural Cycles, the first FDA approved birth control app, has a typical use effectiveness rate of 93%. This means that over a year of usage an average of 7 out of 100 women will get pregnant while using Natural Cycles.
Typical use includes both method failure , or user error . Its worth remembering that other than abstaining from sexual intercourse, no method of birth control is 100% effective.
Cervical Secretion Monitoring Method
There’s a change in the amount and texture of your cervical secretions during different times in your menstrual cycle.
As your hormone levels rise to prepare your body for ovulation, you’ll probably find that you start to produce mucus that is moist, sticky, white and creamy. This is the start of the fertile period of your menstrual cycle.
Immediately before ovulation the mucus will get wetter, clearer and slippery a bit like raw egg white. This is when you’re at your most fertile.
The mucus should then soon return to being thicker and sticky, and after 3 days you should no longer be fertile.
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What Are The Benefits To Using The Rhythm Method
One benefit of the rhythm method is that its free and doesnt require a prescription. Also, if you do decide you want to have a baby later, you can start trying right away.
Another benefit is avoiding the possible side effects of other methods, such as pills, patches, shots or implanted devices. While these side effects are minor for most people, they can include:
- Bleeding between periods or missed periods.
- Pain or infection at the insertion site for implanted devices.
- Difficulty removing an implant.
What Is The Catholic Rhythm Method
The Catholic rhythm method is the same as the rhythm method. In 1930, a Catholic physician used the rhythm method to help couples avoid pregnancy. The rhythm method of birth control was initially popular with Catholic couples and is often associated with that particular religion.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
If youre interested in natural forms of birth control, the rhythm method might be for you. While its not as reliable as hormonal or barrier forms of contraception, it can help you predict when youre fertile. For it to be effective, you must be diligent about tracking your menstrual cycle and either avoid sex or use protection around the time of ovulation. The rhythm method works best when its used in conjunction with tracking your basal body temperature or monitoring your cervical mucus. Talk to your healthcare provider about your goals for birth control so they can help you decide whats best for you.
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What Is The Temperature Method
The Temperature Method is a contraceptive plan based on the pivot of basal body temperature during the ovulation and fertility cycles. This method is predicated on the scientific fact that a womans highest baseline body temperature coincides with when she is most fertile each month.
To use the Temperature Method, a woman must first record a month of her baseline temperatures on a graph after taking her temperature each morning the following month, that graph can be compared and the woman can then pin-point her most fertile period, or when she is most likely to become pregnant. By using her temperature as a guide, a woman can avoid sexual activity or use a barrier contraceptive to prevent pregnancy, or intentionally engage in sexual activity to become pregnant during this time.
How Effective Is The Rhythm Method For Birth Control
The rhythm method is effective 75% of the time. It isnt as effective at preventing pregnancy as other methods, such as taking birth control pills or using an intrauterine device . The effectiveness depends on how consistent you are about tracking your cycle and your commitment to avoiding sex or using birth control when youre fertile.
It also shouldnt be used if your cycle is fewer than 26 days or longer than 32 days.
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Does Birth Control Affect Basal Body Temperature
Being sexually active means making responsible choices about every aspect of your sexual and reproductive health. For many women, sexual activity automatically equates to using a contraceptive method to control when or if pregnancy will occur. At Fleur Womens Health in Rancho Mirage, CA, we believe in patient education so women can make informed decisions about their contraceptive choices, from birth control to the basal body temperature method.
It Requires Consistent Use
Unlike hormonal birth control methods such as implants and injections, nonhormonal options require some planning since they must be used each time you have sex.
Whenever you skip your chosen method, theres a chance you might get pregnant.
No question is too small to ask your doctor, whos a valuable resource in your decision-making process. Possible queries include:
- Is hormonal birth control safe with my medical history?
- How often will I need to refill my prescription?
- Is there any type of medication that can make birth control less effective?
- How can I manage side effects?
- Can I change from one hormonal option to another?
If you write down your questions as you think of them, its easier to remember them during your appointment.
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Who Should Consider Natural And Nonhormonal Birth Control
Anyone who wants to reduce the chances of unintentional pregnancy without using a hormonal method of contraception may consider using natural birth control.
However, a person may wish to discuss available methods of contraception with a healthcare professional to ensure they are choosing the best option for them.
Advantages Of Natural Cycles
- Its a form of natural planning contraception that allows you to better understand your cycle
- If you want to get pregnant then you are already aware of your most fertile window which can help you to conceive more easily
- It is a non-hormonal contraception method and therefore does not have the potential side effects associated with hormonal contraception
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Who Shouldnt Use It
- People constantly traveling to different time zones or who have an irregular sleeping pattern
- People who want a method that will stop or lighten their periods
- Those that dont want a form of contraception that needs to be used daily
- Those wanting the most effective protection against pregnancy
- Those wanting a form of contraception that also offers protection from sexually transmitted infections .
Clickhere to take the Natural Cycles quiz and see if their temperature app is the right method for you.
Why Consider A Birth Control Option Without Estrogen
There are several reasons why you might want to consider a birth control option that doesnt contain synthetic estrogen. For some its a medical decision, as birth control containing estrogen isnt recommended for those who are:
- Over 35 and smoke
- Using certain medications
- Affected by medical conditions such as problems with circulation
- Prone to a certain type of migraine
For others, the decision to choose birth control without this hormone might be because of unwanted hormonal birth control side effects, or may be a lifestyle change motivated by the desire to go completely hormone-free.
Whatever the reason, if youre considering switching birth control methods, its worth having a frank discussion with your doctor about your contraceptive options. There are several birth control methods without this hormone so its important to talk to your healthcare provider to find the best method for you, from oral contraceptives to natural family planning methods. In the meantime, check out some of the options you might want to consider:
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Hormonal Birth Control Vs Bbt
After my child was born, my partner and I discussed when we wanted to have another child. We had to take into consideration the struggles we had conceiving and my previous history with hormonal birth control and the dangers it can pose to my body.
I have a blood clotting disorder that predisposes me to blood clots. With this, Im not able to use all hormonal birth control options, specifically ones that contain estrogen hormones.
This significantly limited my options, and since we knew we didnt want to wait too long to have another baby, going with a longer-term hormonal birth control option like an IUD didnt seem to fit either.
Fertility Cycles Can Be Hard To Predict
Since Natural Cycles algorithm is proprietary, its unclear exactly how it learns a woman’s fertility cycle, which can be extremely unpredictable. This is why even the most diligent rhythm method users have gotten pregnant, and why this app isnt a contraception method that many OB-GYNs would jump to recommend, especially for young women and teens.
While some women have cycles that range the average 28 days, many have more erratic cycles. Even women who have a history of predictable cycles could be thrown off by a list of factors, says Swiner.
Sleep, stress or recently coming off of can create irregular periods, Dr. Swiner says. Dr. Abdur-Rahman adds that even aggressive exercise can throw off your cycle.
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When Hormones Arent An Option
According to the Nature commentary, about one-third of women globally discontinue hormonal birth control methods within the first year of taking them, often because of side effects.
That was the case for Lenise Sunny Wilson, who attributes severe depression to the birth control pills she had been taking.
It completely changed who I was as a person, said Wilson, 38, of Tucson, Arizona. It messed with my emotions and my mental health so intensely.
Wilson has since stopped taking the pill and, for the most part, she said, has returned to her sunny self.
Some women, including those with certain cancers and heart conditions, cant take hormonal birth control. Erica Twidle, 33, from Gallatin, Tennessee, was diagnosed with a rare heart condition called peripartum cardiomyopathy while pregnant with her daughter, Della. The condition made Twidles heart weak and enlarged, and although she eventually recovered, Twidles doctors told her she shouldnt take hormonal birth control, or get pregnant, ever again. Both would jeopardize her heart.
Twidle, whod had a bad experience with the copper IUD in the past, decided to track her cycle. But nine months after having Della, she was pregnant again. I cried when I found out, she said. I was terrified. I had a child I needed to stay alive for.
Twidle calls herself one of the lucky ones, since her heart stayed strong enough to support pregnancy. But had things taken a turn, Twidle was prepared to get an abortion to stay alive.
How Do I Take My Temperature
In order to track your temperature accurately, you have to do it as soon as you wake up, before you even get out of bed. Take your temperature before you talk, eat, drink, have sex, check your phone take your temperature before you do ANYTHING. Keep the thermometer in place for about five minutes.
The changes in your temperature will be really small fractions of a degree so get a special large-scale basal thermometer. Some basal thermometers are used in your mouth, and others are used in your rectum . Rectal thermometers are usually more accurate and reliable. You can buy a basal thermometer online or at most drugstores for about $10.
After you take your temperature, write it down on your chart. As you keep tracking your temperature, youll start to see a pattern. The changes in your temperature may happen quickly or slowly, and the pattern may be different from cycle to cycle.
Your temperature can change when youre upset or dont get enough sleep. Smoking, drinking alcohol, jet lag, being sick or stressed, and using an electric blanket can also mess with your normal temperature. Write stuff like this down on your chart to help you figure out when these changes in your temperature arent part of your natural menstrual cycle.
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Who Should Use Natural Cycles
- You must be over 18 years old
- People unable to use other types of contraception due to medical conditions
- Those wanting a form of contraception that doesnt affect their periods
- Those that are able to take their temperature every morning
- Those happy to abstain from sex or use other forms of contraception on red days
How Well Does Natural Cycles Work As Contraception
Most of the stats above relate to perfect use meaning when contraception is always used correctly as it was intended, for example, taking your pill at the same time each day. We tend to favour looking at typical use, as it factors in how contraceptives will be used in the real world. For example, not taking your pill on time, or having your repeat injection slightly late.
Natural Cycles typical use effectiveness rating is on par with the both combined and mini pills, the patch and the vaginal ring . With all of these methods, it is down to the user to make sure they are being as efficient and effective as possible. Whether thats knowing what counts as a missed pill, when to change the patch or how to properly insert a vaginal ring. With Natural Cycles, you must abstain from sex on red days if you want to use the app perfectly, or if using condoms on red days make sure you use these consistently and correctly.
If you are using condoms on red fertile days you are relying on the effectiveness of condoms for your contraception. There are a few things that can stop a condom from working. The most common thing is that the condom breaks, splits or slips off during sex. It may also not be effective if its used with oil based products, medication for things like thrush, stored in intense heat or cold, or past its use by date. If these things happen, you use a condom incorrectly, or you dont use a condom on red days, you should consider emergency contraception.
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