Alternatives to hormone contraception

[Jess22 10]

I've just been speaking to another friend who is suffering from having the implant. She has spent the evening crying for no reason- she says- other than her hormones. This all started when she had the implant.

 

Personally I hate the idea of taking any form of hormones. I tried 4 different types of the pill years ago and none of them agreed with me. I then had the coil which my body rejected so I was a bit stuck.

 

I remember talking to someone on here about contraception monitors and natural contraception on here and because of the new healthy living group I thought I would share my experiences.

 

Natural contraception is basically monitoring your bodies signs and noticing when your body is most fertile. You can do this yourself with a thermometer and online sites like fertilityfriend but you can also get monitors. I purchased a LadyComp monitor in the end, I looked around and it seemed the best for the money. It was very expensive but apart from having to replace the thermometer head it should last years and years.

 

I have to say it is probably one of the best things I have ever bought. I feel so much better not being on the pill. Finally I feel my normal self and would never go back to any other method.

 

It is basically like a mini computer/alarm clock. Every morning it wakes me up and I stick the thermometer in my gob and usually start falling back asleep, about 20 seconds later it beeps and I spit it out. It then flashes red, green or yellow. You also have to "tell" it when it is time of the month. Once it gets to know you, and you get to know yourself, you have 8 red days a month which is when you have to use an alternative method but the rest of the time you can't get pregnant. It sounds complicated and did take a few months to get my head around but since then it has been a lot easier than taking the pill. You have a longer time gap than the pill too, and it doesn't matter if you forget. The only problem with that is the more you forget, the more red days you get as it can't be as accurate in guessing your ovulation. It is quite interesting getting to know your body too. Strange things like I noticed I was a bit ill and had a raised temperature, then knew when I was back to normal.

 

I'd highly recommend reading up about using one if you are sick of taking hormones. If anyone wants to ask me about it, I'm happy for you to PM me.

[Renourish 10]

Thanks for sharing this information! Good to hear first hand experiences. I also know several people who have been badly affected by those implants.

[GoGo_dancer 10]

I've used temperature charting and my own body 'signals' to find out when I was most fertile, so I guess this is the same principal in reverse!

 

I found it fascinating and it amazes me when women have no idea about their own cycles and most/least fertile times, when you know the signs it just seems so obvious!

 

I think schools should teach young girls all about their cycles (and how they can vary in length) so there might be fewer accidents through ignorance!

[nerd 10]

this is an interesting idea, I wonder if anyone has figures for how effective it is?

What I only discovered when a friend was having trouble conceiving, is how few fertile days women actually have in their cycle - for all the "if you so much as look at a penis you will fall pregnant and be riddled with disease" hype for young people suddenly I learned that you have about 36 hours a month where you are most fertile. I guess for younger women/teen girls they may be more fertile perhaps. Or maybe it is that hormonally you are proabably geared up to want sex more at your most fertile times?

Anyway, interesting concept but I would like to know how effective it is at preventing pregnancy

[GoGo_dancer 10]

You're right about a woman being fertile for around 36 hours (that's how long the released egg is viable for) but you also have to remember that sperm can survive inside a woman for up to 5 days, so you'd have to factor that in aswell!

 

The main problem is some women's cycles vary from month to month so unless you monitor your cycles very closely then you could still get caught out.

I guess the best bet would be to use a condom mid-cycle just to be on the safe side.

[The Blonde 10]

Has anyone who has the implant found that they put on weight. I've not necessarily put weight on but am finding it hard to lose it.

[Jess22 10]

You're right about a woman being fertile for around 36 hours (that's how long the released egg is viable for) but you also have to remember that sperm can survive inside a woman for up to 5 days, so you'd have to factor that in aswell!

 

The main problem is some women's cycles vary from month to month so unless you monitor your cycles very closely then you could still get caught out.

I guess the best bet would be to use a condom mid-cycle just to be on the safe side.

 

Yes, the machine I had been using takes into account the 5 days and we used condoms during this time. I had always been aware of changes during my cycle but using a proper monitor gives you confidence you get the mid cycle right. Some months my cycle is longer than others and this can work it out better than I ever could.

 

I just checked and Lady Comp advertises that it is 99.3% effective IF USED properly which is higher than some other methods. Obviously you have more control over the effectiveness and sometimes will power on red days has to come into play.

[Strix 11]

Recent research has shown that sperm can live for up to two weeks, which makes 'natural' methods of contraception a little worrying if you really don't want to get pregnant

 

On the teenage pregnancy thing - I watched a documentary once which was interesting. There's a tribe of people where the girls dorm with the boys from the age of 14. There are rules about NOT keeping the same partner for longer than (forgotten, but it's a matter of days), and they NEVER get pregnant

 

It used to be believed that some sperm are dim and attack random other stuff on the big swim, but it's since been discovered that there are two types, and these 'dim' sperm are doing the job they were intended for - fending off anything else which may succeed in the quest before 'their' team crosses the line

 

An ejaculation produces different mixes of sperm according to the known status of the relationship between the copulating couple. If 'he' knows his partner to be 'true', lots of pregnancy capable sperm are ejected, but if another is known to have been there first, the aggressive sort are dominant

 

Ever wondered why it's the 'nice' girls who are unlucky, but the school bike gets away with it?

[Strix 11]

PS - my cycle is somewhat irregular, but I have a 'computer' to tell me when I'm most fertile Scent hounds count as a 'natural' indicator don't they Jess?

[GoGo_dancer 10]

An ejaculation produces different mixes of sperm according to the known status of the relationship between the copulating couple. If 'he' knows his partner to be 'true', lots of pregnancy capable sperm are ejected, but if another is known to have been there first, the aggressive sort are dominant

 

Ever wondered why it's the 'nice' girls who are unlucky, but the school bike gets away with it?

 

That's very interesting! But how do you explain the guests on Jeremy Kyle??

[Strix 11]

That's very interesting! But how do you explain the guests on Jeremy Kyle??

Inbreeding is a different topic

[Jess22 10]

Recent research has shown that sperm can live for up to two weeks, which makes 'natural' methods of contraception a little worrying if you really don't want to get pregnant

 

 

Do you have any links to this research Strix? As I haven't seen anything about it and it goes against so many proven methods I would like to know what the research is.