FAM/NFP

[lyssa1985]

My H and I are going to plan on TTC later this year. I've been on the pill since I turned 16 (stupid acne). My question is, has anyone tried charting as birth control? I'm going to talk to my Doctor more on it..but I wanted to get other opinions first

[ilikedonuts]

I would pair it with condoms or refrain from having unprotected sex until you are positive you O. At least until you figure out if your cycles are the same every month (after like 4-6 months of charting).

We use it when we aren't TTC, but I have pretty dead on cycles every month (O on CD13 or CD14) and have been charting for almost 3 years. If we are going to have sex anywhere from CD8-CD15 we use a condom.

[lyssa1985]

Yeah, I think I'm going to make sure we use condoms with it

[marie427]

We currently do - I had to stop taking BC pills in May after my doctor discovered I have a clotting disorder. Since we do want to TTC sometime this year, I figured I would start charting once I couldn't rely on the pills. So far, it's worked out well, but we are overly cautious with condoms and the only time during my monthly cycle (which is 26-28 days) where we don't use condoms is after O is confirmed with BBT (my charts are, thankfully, easy to read when it comes to when I O). We are never condom-less before O. We'd be less strict about it if we weren't adamantly TTA right now.

[lyssa1985]

Marie- Thank you!! That helps me out a lot. Do you ladies find it hard to chart? Do you just use your BBT or do you take down your BBT and CM? Just wondering? I'm new to all of this.

[marie427]

I indicate everything - BBT, CM, symptoms (just so I'm aware of any existing patterns going on in my body for when we eventually do TTC). Fertility Friend is great for this even when you're not TTC. I have weird CM patterns so I know I wouldn't be able to rely only on CM when TTA or else we'd increase our chances of an oops baby.

It's not hard at all for me to take my temp every day - I'm a good sleeper and get enough sleep every night, and I set my alarm for 4:45 am every day to take my temp. During the week, that's when I get up and go for a run but on the weekends, I fall back asleep for another couple of hours. I like to be very consistent with my waking times for temping.

Good luck!

[lyssa1985]

Thank you!!

[belovedbride07]

We used FAM for about 4 years before we started trying (of course, I seem to be having problems getting pregnant on purpose, so I'm not a good poster child for it's reliability).

We used condoms when I first started charting, and during my FW. I charted BBT and CM, but I only charted my cervix periodically.

[ilikedonuts]

I definitely recommend fertility friend as well. My chart is in my signature if you want to take a look at what I chart. I temp, use opks, and usually check my CM. Never checked my cervix and I don't plan on it.

I'm not the best sleeper and wake up a lot and I still have no problems seeing a significant temp rise after O. I'm lucky in that aspect.

[lyssa1985]

Ilikedonuts~What type of opk's do you use? I know some can be pretty pricey.

[mandapanda18]

I charted/did NFP for 7 months before TTC. No issues! Good luck, listen to your body, and when all else fails rubber up

PS, if you started taking BC for acne though, it will come back with a vengence!

[thoseareradishes]

I use wondfo OPKs, you can order them on Amazon. They are cheap so you don't feel bad if you need to use a lot at first.

You could get the digital OPKs to confirm a positive wondfo if you are having trouble reading them.

[ilikedonuts]

Jan 8, 2013 19:41:01 GMT -5 thoseareradishes said:

I use wondfo OPKs, you can order them on Amazon. They are cheap so you don't feel bad if you need to use a lot at first.

You could get the digital OPKs to confirm a positive wondfo if you are having trouble reading them.

This all what I was going to say. I use Wondfos. I always get a clear positive, but if you have issues you can confirm with a Clear Blue Easy one (more expensive). I like to start testing at CD8 just in case I O early (like this month for example, I think I'm going to end up Oing early), but with wondfos I don't feel bad peeing on a lot of them because they are so cheap.

[winecheery]

I'll also chime in and say how helpful charting is. I also think FF is awesome and the app icon on your phone is really discreet which is nice for being able to keep it secret, for people like me!

I'd also say condoms for you until you're ready to TTC and get used to your cycles. And be aware, even once you're used to them, you can always have an off cycle and O early or later, so be cautious!

[lyssa1985]

Thank you ladies!! This is all very very helpful I'm going on Amazon right now and ordering some Wondfo's! I also started a chart on FF. So far, I am just recording my temps because I'm still spotting, so I hard to figure out the CM. And yes, I will be using rubbers to make sure there is no oopsies! Haha!