For Women/Couples: Do you/Have you ever used a Fertility Monitor or a FA method?

[dimensiontripping]

About a year ago my girlfriend stopped using birth control after 3 years because it was causing hormonal imbalance/mood swings etc.. the usual. So we started to use condoms in combination with the pull-out method. This was a big change for especially me and I heard about the fertility awareness method through my mom because thats what she used with my dad between pregnancies. I found a lot of cool products like Ova-Cue and Daysy that help track your period data and my girlfriend and I decided to buy one - Daysy. It is a fertility monitor and it takes your temperature each morning and it tracks your cycle so you can see when its ok to not use condoms.

After a series of disasters with her health (severe bronchitis this past winter), irregular periods, and just forgetting to use it, it has not worked out for us. And has caused a lot of tension in our relationship because I want her to use it but she often slips up and its not effective unless you use it nearly every morning on schedule, like birth control pills.

First, am I being ridiculous for looking for a way to make our sex life possible without condoms/pull out method? She wants this as well, but I think I want it more but gets stressed out if I remind her/ask her if she's used it.

Second, do any BL'ers out there use a fertility monitor or fertility awareness method? Any advice would be awesome.

I really miss the sex life we had on birth control and I think our intimacy has gone downhill since she stopped taking birth control.

 

[apatheist]

These methods are much more prone to failure than hormonal or barrier methods. She is already having difficulty keeping up with it - do you have reason to believe this will change?

I can't do systemic hormones like the pill, but the Mirena IUD works really well for me. The copper version is an option too. Both are very effective. You might consider a vasectomy also, if you don't want children ever or would be able to bank some of sperm beforehand.

 

[dimensiontripping]

These methods are much more prone to failure than hormonal or barrier methods. She is already having difficulty keeping up with it - do you have reason to believe this will change?

I can't do systemic hormones like the pill, but the Mirena IUD works really well for me. The copper version is an option too. Both are very effective. You might consider a vasectomy also, if you don't want children ever or would be able to bank some of sperm beforehand.

I don't think she would ever submit to an IUD. We have a few friends who had them with bad reactions to them. But yes, you are right. If she is already having difficulty keeping up with it, then I don't think anything will change. The effectiveness of the better devices is 98% when used correctly. Humans have been using FAM techniques for hundreds if not thousands of years - its not a new concept.

I also don't think I could commit to a vasectomy. I am 25 and I don't anyone my age who has done that type of surgery. It sounds great in theory but something about it feels to final. I appreciate your input.