* Natural contraception??

Hey!

Well, sadly, DP and I have decided to put off TTC for about 2 years!! We want to wait until I have finished my study (starting in Feb next year) and until we have a house and a bit more money behind us, and are a bit older etc......

So, as we know, I am not taking the pill anymore and it's been great!! I had so many problems on it last year (unexplained, mind you! - very costly gyno appts!). My question is - should I stay off the pill for the next couple of years and just use natural methods....observing EWCM, maybe using OPKS, and using condoms/withdrawal in fertile time??

Or should I go back on the pill? I know that my cycles went back to normal 30 days this time after 2 months, but what if that doesn't happen next time I want to stop taking it to TTC? I really like being able to see what my cycles are naturally and not have to put extra hormones into my body, but is it fair to ask DP to use condoms, when I am the one who doesn't want to take the pill?

If I was to fall pg before 2 years, would DP blame me for not going back on the pill (therefore, ruining our plans)?

Sorry, VERY long-winded, but I would love some advice from you great ladies!! :)

Hi Jb,

Wow 2 years, thats great that you want to get yourselves set up before you have kids, great idea and you will thank yourself for it later im sure.
As for the contraception thing, it depends on how you would be if you were to have an accident, and also DP. How do you think he would react?

Your safest option is to go back onto the pill. It only took you a couple of months to get into a regular cycle this time so hopefully it will be the same next time. Seeing as you are aware of how long your first cycle went for you can stop taking the pill in enough time for you to start trying again (does that make sense?)

But, saying that, i know alot of people who rely on natural contraception and it really works for them. But like i said, it all depends on how you and DP feel about the chance of getting pg. They say that the withdrawal method is only about 80% effective which i dont think is very reliable.
I think if you were to use OPK's every month that would be pretty expensive!

I hope i have given you some ideas etc. Please let me know how you go and dont be a stranger!!


Dee

I would feel safer on the pill personally. Or what about condoms?

If you did want to try natural contraception there are some good books out there.

I use the billings method (CM) and have done so since Dec. We have been TTC but as we are trying for a girl we have been not BDing for a few days before O and keep being too early to get PG LOL!
As we are in no rush it isn't a problem and I'm very confident in the billings method as a method of birth control. I guess you have to be prepared for an accident but the pill can fail too. I have very good signs for O so that helps as I definately know after I have O'd and we are right to go for it.
I found the book to be excellent and have spoken to Dr Billings over the phone about my cycle. There are teachers around as well that can help you if you need it.

Hi,

Thanks! DP talked last night and we decided to stay off the pill. We are going to use condoms around the fertile time of my cycle. As we know, nothing is 100% effective against pg (except not having sex!) so you always have to be prepared for it!

I will keep an eye on my CM, but I is too hard for me to take daily temps. I had really good EWCM this month (CD17) so I'm hoping that I have this every cycle!

Do you know where I can get this book? I think it would really help, and it would help DP to understand it all too! which I think is really important!

Personally I wouldn't go back on the pill. I would simply use other forms during the fertile period.

Seriously, when you chart and get to know your cycles....the amount of time you actually NEED protection doesn't warrant being on the pill IMO.

Friend of mine said the best form of contraception is to put a 5 cent piece between your knees and keep it there! LOL.

I have never been on the pill, and we used withdrawal right throughout the whole month, not just in fertile time. When we told the OB that, he said DH must be a man of steely discipline! hehehe. He did very well, we never had any 'accidents'.

Having said that tho, it could have been a combination with my PCOS that stopped us ever falling pregnant.

I'll just also quickly say that a friend of ours fell pregnant with twins while on the pill. So I wouldn't trust it! hehe. I know some people, even on the pill, use a condom during what would be a fertile time, just in case.

Good on you for having talked it out and decided which way to go. At least if you did happen to have an accidental pregnancy, you know that you both want kids anyway, just that the timing would be a bit off.

Good luck with all your plans!

Ivana_baby,

Thanks! We also use the withdrawal method quite a bit, DP is very good at this (I think he likes it!). I would not be totally confident of this method tho I don't think - we will just see at the time, whether we want to use condoms or withdrawal.
How long did you use withdrawal for, before you got pg??

I printed out a booklet on Billings method yesterday and gave it to DP to read - he seemed very interested and I am glad that he can also understand the method (and fertile times!). Hopefully this will be a fun and interesting thing for us!

You're right! - we do both want kids, just not yet. So if we were to have a 'surprise' we would both be very happy! We know the chances and risks etc. and it's great that this way, we can both be involved in following my cycle and being as careful as we can be.

Thanks! :)

We did withdrawal for a few years. Then we started going for it "normally" towards the end of last year. But this was in the middle of me having no AF due to pcos (it stopped last July until April this year!) Once the OB got my cycle going again, we got pg pretty quickly. So it's hard to say if it was DH's discipline that prevented an earlier pg, or if it was coz of my pcos that I probably wouldn't have got pg anyway.

I think if you're going to continue to chart, and if you know your cycles well, you should be right :) I always had such irregular periods, and of course never charted back then, so DH was made to pull out all the time coz I had no idea if I'd be fertile or not.

I might add tho, that if we were inclined to BD more than once in a short space of time, he'd wear a condom the next time, because I read that left over spermies in the tubes can come out before he even goes the next time. We were always careful with that. So it's not always DH failing to pull out in time that causes withdrawal method to fail.

Anyway.. sorry if that was all a bit TMI! 8-[

No, thats fine! Thanks :)

I printed out some charts as well that I will start next cycle. AF is due any day now...... I saw EWCM on CD16 or 17 and today is CD31 so I'm hoping that AF will show up soon actually!!

I will be keeping the chart of my daily CM observations and we will either use condoms or withdrawal on the fertile days. It should be easy enough if my cycles are regular, which I think they are.... last one was 30 days, they were always regular before being on the pill and going from when I O'd this cycle, it should be about the same.

I'm starting to get a bit nervous actually, that AF hasnt showed up!! Im not quite sure of my luteal phase (coz I dont know when I O'd last cycle - just that I got AF on CD30)...... My CM has been quite wet and creamy last few days and I keep thinking AF is there but its not! I did take a HPT this morning (ebay one) and it was BFN, so Im not sure.....

(Coz we BD on CD20 - which would've been about 3 days after O)...

hehe... well if you get a BFP.. that'll change all your plans right back to where were you before!

I guess that's one thing with natural contraceptive methods... you get a bit nervous at the end of each cycle.

With regular cycles and charting you'll probably be nice & safe :) Good luck with all your plans!

Thanks again! :)

Do you think maybe there is a chance I am pg? What kinda symptoms did you have? What CD did you BD?

I just thought AF should be here by now if I O'd on CD17!! I don't have any symptoms to make me worried...... only white, creamy CM, AF pains and NO AF!

I thought it was safe to BD after O? I definitely saw EWCM on CD17, and BD on CD20 I thought would be fine? Im sure I am not pg, but I just wish AF would hurry up!! :)

I'm afraid my symptoms will probably make you more nervous about being pg... coz I had none! LOL. In fact.. normally after O I would get sore boobs up until AF, but I had nothing! I guess looking back, I had a couple of day naps which is unusual for me, so the tiredness was starting to kick in, but thats about it. No cramping, no extra CM, no extra thermal shift in my chart.

I O'd on CD 13, and BD'd before and on that day (but we were definitely ttc'ing then). I tested a very very very faint positive on CD27. The tests didn't really darken for another week or so.

If you definitely o'd on that day, I'm pretty sure the egg doesn't last very long, so you might be safe.

I don't know whether to wish you a BFP or not! hehe. As lovely as it would be for you, I know you've just rearranged all your plans to wait a couple of years. I hope you're not left hanging for too long!

Haha! Wish a BFN for me!! :)

Everything I have read/heard says that I should be fine if we BD 3 days after O :)

But, if the normal luteal phase is 14 days, then AF should come today! I'm probably speaking too soon, and I will go to the bathroom and AF will be there!! Last time I checked tho, it was just white CM.

I cant actually remember whether my CM usually dries up just before AF, or whether it is normally like this! But I have also been hell tired the last couple of days and Ive been getting same amounts of sleep...... but I have been getting pains every now and then like AF is coming.

Anyway, I will let you know what happens! Here's hoping AF comes soon!

Good luck JB,
im sure you will be happy either way!!! let me know how you go.

I am tempted to take a break from TTC after this month too. Coming up to christmas and all it would just be way too much stress for me. The stress of christmas sends me mad already let alone if i was TTC aswell!!! AAAAAGH. But we will see how we go, im sure it will be hard to stop.

Dee

Yeah, it's hard to get it off your mind! Even now that we have decided to wait until TTC, I still find myself analysing everything and wondering if there is a possibility I could be pg!! lol :)

I would love it to happen anytime between now and the next 2 years, but it will happen when its meant to! And I will be happy whenever that is! Hoping DP will be happy as well :)

I decided to pretend my sisters pg is my own!! LOL....
Since she is single and needs a lot of support from me. I am going along to all her u/s appts and she even wants me to be there when she gives birth! And once she has the baby in March, she won't be able to get rid of me!!....... I will want to babysit all the time! It will be good practice for me and DP, and maybe I will be able to see how he is with her baby and guage his reaction if I was to get pg!

Wishing you the best of luck, just let it go and it will happen...... no stress!! Keep in touch pet!! :)

Oh, Tulip - yes our situation is very similar!! :)

If i were you I would read up on the Billings method - this is about charting by observing your CM. You could also go to Fertility Friend website if you want to chart by taking temps as well.

By the way - an egg won't be released randomly at any time!! An egg will only be released when you are ovulating - which you can detect by checking your CM, taking your temp and using an OPK.

I printed off some of the info about Billings method (just do a google search) to show DP and he was really interested!! Now that we are both aware of how it works, we are both responsible for adhering to it!

You could also look into taking Vitex to help regulate your cycle, because it is herbal. The liquid form is apparently better than the pills (but tastes horrible!). I am lucky that my cycles have gone back to normal after 3 cycles off the pill.

Good luck. Just talk to your partner a bit more (armed with info!!). Keep in touch. I hope I have helped you a bit! :)

Tulip,

Exactly!! - nothing is 100% 'safe'. I didn't buy the book, I just printed out the booklet from the website and did up some of my own charts. Maybe your DH will take it more seriously if you get the book? (so he knows its more reliable). I haven't worried about working with a teacher, but maybe that will reassure your DH more as well?

I know exactly what you mean tho.... my DP is worried about getting pg now, coz he really wants to be financially secure first and do a few more things (go overseas snowboarding, buy a new car etc..) but I wouldn't mind at all if it was to happen now! :)
But, in saying that, I also don't know how he would react if I was pg, I would feel to blame coz I am the one who stopped taking the pill. So, yeah, thats why I contemplated going back on it. But, we talked, and came to this decision together and we will work towards this together and both try when we are both ready.

Good luck! :)

Thats great news!!

It does say on the website, than when used properly, it is just as effective as the pill!! :)

I'm not sure if we are going to abstain in the month of using this method - I doubt it tho!! :) Seeing as my cycles seem to be quite regular 30-35 days, we will probably just use condoms around the fertile time (from about CD12 to CD20). I'm actually pretty sure that I can tell the difference between semen and CM anyway. We will probably only DTD every 2nd night up to CD12 anyway, just to try and keep a better track of CM.

.......in saying all this tho - AF still hasnt arrived for me yet! Was due yesterday (seeing that I had EWCM on CD17), and shows no signs of showing up! CM is still white/creamy and lots of it..... and I have thrush -again!! Well, I think its thrush, going to doc tomorrow to see about it, as I have had it twice in the last few weeks :(

oh no Jb! hope AF comes soon!

secretly woohoo's that it might be a BFP ;)

Thanks Ivana_baby!! :) :)

I have no idea what to think about all this!! I am kinda hoping its a BFP, but then again it would throw DP's plans into a twist!!

Maybe I should mention this to the doc as well, when I go tomorrow to see about this damn thrush?!! I'm pretty nervous about it tho.......

Af really isnt showing any signs of arriving. I have lots of creamy CM, just like I do at the start/middle of my cycle (normally CM dries up a bit before AF comes)........ I have been having a few AF type pains, not many, but some small ones!

I will let you all know what happens after the weekend!! I really wanted to get in to see doc tonight after work, but they were fully booked :(

yeah, ask the doc. Altho when I went in to see my GP when I got my faint BFP, she didn't want to see me until I was 2 weeks late, coz their tests aren't very sensitive. Have you used another HPT? How nerve racking for you! hehe. To want it, but NOT want it at the same time :)

I havent tried another HPT, I have just been hoping that AF will show up! The one I used the other day was an ebay one, and I dont have any of those left - what one should I get?

Ive heard that Fortel Ultra may not be so good? And I dont know of any others that pick up low levels?......

I'm pretty sure that my GP will tell me to wait a bit longer and then come back if AF still hasnt arrived - coz thats what she said to me before, when I went in my 1st cycle off the pill (which just ended up being 48 days long, not pg!!).

Ooooohhhhhh, this is so hard! I am very nervous...... maybe I will go and get another HPT and try tomorrow morning.... :)

I used Fortel Ultra, didn't work as early as they say. But I got my faint positive on day 14 after O, with Discover Onestep. I've heard people are happy with Crystal Clear too.

Hey ladies!!

Well, AF arrived yesterday CD34! :) Seems like a long luteal phase then, if I O'd on CD17 or 18......

Tulip, I made up my own chart. I thought it might have been too hard to keep it in a diary or calendar, coz it may get lost amongst all the other info in the diary!! I wanted something separate.

I'm quite excited to get into this charting now..... and hopefully we can avoid conceiving for another year or so!! :)

Tulip,

Sorry, I can't help you with temping - I am only observing CM, and not taking temps (coz I am the same..... never get a full nights sleep!)

I can't wait for AF to be over, so I can start checking my CM and filling up my chart :) I'm lucky I think, that I have pretty good CM and I have had EWCM for the last couple of cycles.

I am confused about my luteal phase tho...... last cycle I had EWCM on CD17 and AF didn't arrive til CD34, seems too long?? (17 days) I might even try OPKs this month, coz I still have some of the ebay ones to use up!!

Good luck Tulip ;)