Anyone have experience with Lady Comp?

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AdamP88

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My fiancee and I are getting married this October. We have had several discussions about NFP and we decided that we should probably start doing it basically straight away. We are both involved in studies and while we do have enough to care for a baby if it came, we both agree it would be tight financially. We want to avoid for about 9 months initially.
We both have looked at lady comp and while it seems very good, we had questions about it.

For those who have experience with it:

Do you have to use another method in conjunction with it or can it be used as a “stand alone”?

Does it actually do what it says on the tin? (99% or something, rate of success if used correctly)

Is it particularly difficult to use? Could a couple that is basically new to NFP use it?

We were sort of thinking about this because we have no proper experience or instruction in NFP.

And, yes, I do realise it’s unusual for a guy to be posting about NFP. But we figure it’s not gonna work unless both of us are equally on board and communicating with each other… 😃
 
AdamPeter said:
My fiancee and I are getting married this October. We have had several discussions about NFP and we decided that we should probably start doing it basically straight away. We are both involved in studies and while we do have enough to care for a baby if it came, we both agree it would be tight financially. We want to avoid for about 9 months initially.
We both have looked at lady comp and while it seems very good, we had questions about it.

For those who have experience with it:

Do you have to use another method in conjunction with it or can it be used as a “stand alone”?

Does it actually do what it says on the tin? (99% or something, rate of success if used correctly)

Is it particularly difficult to use? Could a couple that is basically new to NFP use it?

We were sort of thinking about this because we have no proper experience or instruction in NFP.

And, yes, I do realise it’s unusual for a guy to be posting about NFP. But we figure it’s not gonna work unless both of us are equally on board and communicating with each other… 😃
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It can be used as a stand-alone.

I know people who have used it to successfully avoid, but I ended up having a fertility issue and so can’t speak to it myself. It works best for those with pretty regular cycles, IIRC.

It’s very easy to use, but your fiancee will want to start using it several months before the wedding so that it gets enough data to give you guys more ‘green’ days.

If you want something that requires the absolute bare-minimum effort, then go for it, but since it’s expensive, I feel compelled to suggest that getting a cheap basal body thermometer and using a free app like fertility friend is also a fairly easy option, with the bonuses that it will work better for those with irregular cycles and you can print out the charts to show your doctor if you start TTC or notice something.
 
AdamPeter said:
My fiancee and I are getting married this October. We have had several discussions about NFP and we decided that we should probably start doing it basically straight away. We are both involved in studies and while we do have enough to care for a baby if it came, we both agree it would be tight financially. We want to avoid for about 9 months initially.
We both have looked at lady comp and while it seems very good, we had questions about it.

For those who have experience with it:

Do you have to use another method in conjunction with it or can it be used as a “stand alone”?

Does it actually do what it says on the tin? (99% or something, rate of success if used correctly)

Is it particularly difficult to use? Could a couple that is basically new to NFP use it?

We were sort of thinking about this because we have no proper experience or instruction in NFP.

And, yes, I do realise it’s unusual for a guy to be posting about NFP. But we figure it’s not gonna work unless both of us are equally on board and communicating with each other… 😃
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My husband ( back then fiance) bought it for me at www.lady-comp.com a month or so before the wedding so the Lady Comp gets to know me and give me more green lights (infertile days) instead of mostly yellows and reds. And we have been using it ever since. It really works if done correctly. The reason we got pregnant was because we had sex when lady comp said red (fertile).

I suggest to use the Lady Comp any time now so you get more green lights by October.

Remember that she has to take the temp under the tongue on the same side (right or left) always. She has to sleep for at least 3 hours before taking the temp. (In other words, She can’t get up to the bathroom nor drink anything in the middle for the night at least 3 hours before taking the temp). When the alarm sounds or when she opens her eyes, she should reach the lady comp (I recommend next to the pillow) and take the temp without moving much.

Alcohol and medications can affect the temperature.

It can be use as stand alone and it even works for women with irregular cycles and for women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

My husband (revert Catholic) felt unsure about NFP, and the only way he could trust it is by using the Lady Comp. But he also downloaded this Overview app (purchased the paid version) and he put the temps of the lady comp in the Ovuview chart just to visualize it. And I, on the side, added my mucus observations on the toilet paper to the ovuview, just to know my body. So in reality, we use and follow only what the Lady Comp says.
 
Lady Comp is effective enough that the majority of people I know personally that use it are not Catholic and have no moral objections to birth control. They simply don’t like hormonal contraceptives and therefore choose something “natural” instead. A few also have latex allergies so barrier methods can’t be used and still they are able to use Lady Comp to avoid. When we were living in Europe, it was a pretty common device. Here in the US it is still kind of new and unknown, but I have met quite a few users. Most learned of it while stationed in Europe and switched to it before moving back stateside. I was told by one lady that it is ideal to start using it soon after your husband deploys so that you have several cycles with it before he returns, so if you are marrying in October I would recommend starting with it ASAP. None of the ladies I know using it have had a surprise baby. All have either had 100% success or knew that pregnancy was possible/likely based on the monitor reading. Some were not actually planning a baby but chose not to prevent one either. It is expensive, but for them it’s been worth it. If it ends up not working as well as hoped, you mention wanting to avoid for nine months, and that’s about how long a normal pregnancy is anyway. I know you don’t mean it that way, but it’s important to remember that God had that as part of His plan. He gives us nine months–almost a year!–in order to prepare. Congratulations on your marriage! Remember to always place God first in your family and allow His will to guide you. Trust that He has a plan for you that is for your benefit, even when it doesn’t seem to be going that way here on earth. He always has our salvation in mind, and the life He gives us is our path to heaven to be reunited with Him.
 
Just wanted to add that Lady Comp doesn’t work when the woman doesn’t have cycles (during pregnancy and breastfeeding ). Once the woman starts her period (can happen during breastfeeding or after giving birth and not breastfeeding ), she can start using the Lady Comp again from zero. In other words, erasing previous data.
 
So basically it works if you follow it properly and give it time to “learn” the user’s cycle?

I was thinking that it could be done with a basal body temp thermometer/app, but is that actually as effective as the LadyComp. We would definitely get one before the wedding. I guess the question is: is it worth the money, bearing in mind that we have zero experience of NFP?
 
AdamPeter said:
So basically it works if you follow it properly and give it time to “learn” the user’s cycle?

I was thinking that it could be done with a basal body temp thermometer/app, but is that actually as effective as the LadyComp. We would definitely get one before the wedding. I guess the question is: is it worth the money, bearing in mind that we have zero experience of NFP?
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With no experience using NFP is how everyone I know has started using lady comp. it’s worked well for them. For my husband and I, no the price is not worth it but I don’t know how it is in your situation. We gave up on NFP years ago and have no plans on going back to it. If you have reasons serious enough than it probably is worth it to you all. I can’t answer that.

I know no one using an app so I don’t know what that would be like. If you can afford the monitor and you feel that it is important enough to avoid, that would be the easier way to use NFP. It is simple to use and easy to read. But no, for me it is not worth it. Only you and your soon to be wife can decide that for yourselves.
 
AdamPeter said:
So basically it works if you follow it properly and give it time to “learn” the user’s cycle?

I was thinking that it could be done with a basal body temp thermometer/app, but is that actually as effective as the LadyComp. We would definitely get one before the wedding. I guess the question is: is it worth the money, bearing in mind that we have zero experience of NFP?
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Yes, it needs time to learn the user’s cycle, but it will work even if you use it for the first time in Octuber…it will simply give you more red lights and yellows to be on the safer side until it knows the user’s cycle. Even after using it for 6 months/cycles, you will see more red lights than if you compare it to 12 cycles+.

To be honest, I wouldn’t dare to say Lady Comp works just like any BBT app/thermometer. Lady Comp is different AND was put into test and research with I-dont-remember-how-many-women in Europe. I think there is a research paper at scholar.google.com about it, I’ll ask husband to share his findings. I didn’t do the research for the NFP in our lives, he did.

Lady comp has a life span of 7 years, and we plan to buy it again. It has our trust.

EDIT: Precisely because we were so inexperienced with NFP (plus husband was a revert Catholic), we bought the Lady Comp. It doesn’t require the user to analyze anything, the computer does it for you. That’s also one of the reason it can’t be compared to a simple BBT thermometer.
 
E_7 said:
Yes, it needs time to learn the user’s cycle, but it will work even if you use it for the first time in Octuber…it will simply give you more red lights and yellows to be on the safer side until it knows the user’s cycle. Even after using it for 6 months/cycles, you will see more red lights than if you compare it to 12 cycles+.

To be honest, I wouldn’t dare to say Lady Comp works just like any BBT app/thermometer. Lady Comp is different AND was put into test and research with I-dont-remember-how-many-women in Europe. I think there is a research paper at scholar.google.com about it, I’ll ask husband to share his findings. I didn’t do the research for the NFP in our lives, he did.

Lady comp has a life span of 7 years, and we plan to buy it again. It has our trust.

EDIT: Precisely because we were so inexperienced with NFP (plus husband was a revert Catholic), we bought the Lady Comp. It doesn’t require the user to analyze anything, the computer does it for you. That’s also one of the reason it can’t be compared to a simple BBT thermometer.
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Thanks for this. I was wondering if all the devices have the same effectiveness. Are the more expensive ones more accurate ir is it just a case of different grades of device? We were looking at getting the Daysy version.
 
AdamPeter said:
Thanks for this. I was wondering if all the devices have the same effectiveness. Are the more expensive ones more accurate ir is it just a case of different grades of device? We were looking at getting the Daysy version.
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Good question. I wonder too. I really don’t know. By the way, I found the Australia Lady Comp website where it has a pdf of the clinical testing and research done to/with the Lady Comp, Baby Como and Pearl. ladycomp.com.au/uploads/60328/ufiles/Clinical%20Tests.pdf

I’ll read about this Daysy…first time I heard of it.

EDIT: On the surface, it seems Daysy works similar to Lady Comp. The question would be how was it coded and what are the clinical test results and compare it if you want to determine which is more accurate. I know it’s a tough choice if you’re a first time fertility monitor buyer with various options…
 
AdamPeter said:
Thanks. I think the Daysy one is new, according to their UK website.
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Look what Lady Comp in Australia website say about Daysy. I was positively impressed. ladycomp.com.au/store/fertility-monitors/daysy/

Sounds good. Now I’m curious about what Daysy users have to say about it.

EDIT: I also read in Daysy website something that convinced me:

"Our algorithm is based on 30 years of research (sorry to keep saying it, but it’s true!) and the analysis of 5 million fertility cycles. Daysy’s ancestor, the Lady-Comp device, is the most popular and successful fertility monitor to date and Daysy is based on the same fertility monitoring system. Daysy has a proven pedigree that sets her apart from other fertility monitors on the market that have emerged only in the last few years and are still tweaking and testing out their algorithms. "
 
AdamPeter said:
My fiancee and I are getting married this October. We have had several discussions about NFP and we decided that we should probably start doing it basically straight away. We are both involved in studies and while we do have enough to care for a baby if it came, we both agree it would be tight financially. We want to avoid for about 9 months initially.
We both have looked at lady comp and while it seems very good, we had questions about it.

For those who have experience with it:

Do you have to use another method in conjunction with it or can it be used as a “stand alone”?

Does it actually do what it says on the tin? (99% or something, rate of success if used correctly)

Is it particularly difficult to use? Could a couple that is basically new to NFP use it?

We were sort of thinking about this because we have no proper experience or instruction in NFP.

And, yes, I do realise it’s unusual for a guy to be posting about NFP. But we figure it’s not gonna work unless both of us are equally on board and communicating with each other… 😃
Click to expand...
We used several things. The lady comp was the best for us. It’s conservative when you start off. You might have 15-20 abstaining days. Many don’t understand nfp does require a lot if abstaining. Try lady comp. it’s hard to say if it is best for you because people are different.
 
Hoosier_Daddy said:
We used several things. The lady comp was the best for us. It’s conservative when you start off. You might have 15-20 abstaining days. Many don’t understand nfp does require a lot if abstaining. Try lady comp. it’s hard to say if it is best for you because people are different.
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I think it’s good for young Catholic couples to get used to abstaining at any rate. I feel a lot of unmarried Christians idealize a marital future in which they will finally hit the “sex jackpot” after years or even decades of abstaining… But once you have young kids, NFP or no, you may find yourself abstaining for good chunks of time :p.
 
twf said:
I think it’s good for young Catholic couples to get used to abstaining at any rate. I feel a lot of unmarried Christians idealize a marital future in which they will finally hit the “sex jackpot” after years or even decades of abstaining… But once you have young kids, NFP or no, you may find yourself abstaining for good chunks of time :p.
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I don’t think this common. If a couple feels they may need nfp then it’s wise to know it before you need it yes. But rationing for the sake of rationing is not necessary.
 
We use Lady Comp for the same reason-we were totally new to NFP and wanted something fool proof. I really like it, and I trust it totally (we are avoiding). I think we’ve used it four months so far. If you decide to use it, I would start sooner rather than later, as it will give it time to get to know your wife’s cycle. We do use it stand alone, and for us, yes it is worth the money!
 
I got married last year. There are a couple of instructors around Munster and luckily my parents knew a doctor who had training in that area so we met her twice, but TBH by that stage she pretty much just confirmed what I already knew.

Now, I know they say you shouldn’t self-teach NFP, but the book “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” by Toni Weschler is absolutely amazing. It’s actually a FAM book, so just ignore the parts where it mentions condoms 😛 The book teaches the STM method and is well worth buying even if you go with Lady Comp, because you will be so educated about reproductive health even from just flicking through it.

Also (and this is my personal opinion so take with a grain of salt), it’s well worth practicing STM or a mucus-only method of NFP in conjunction with Lady Comp, because the knowledge gained from NFP is so empowering for a woman and observance of natural symptoms (even if you aren’t relying on them for NFP) will teach a woman so much about her body. The Lady Comp does a lot of that work for you and there might be a tendency to not rely on your own abilities if you ever found you couldn’t use it for a time. But I’ve never used a Lady Comp, so take that with a grain of salt, as I said.

However, it does take months to get used to any method of NFP. I would say 3-6 months, bordering on the 6 months unless one is lucky enough to have textbook cycles.
 
We did a bit of research and decided to buy a Daysy fertility monitor and start using it before the wedding. We figure it probably is the easiest way for us right now and worth the cash.

Thanks for all the advice. 👍
 
AdamPeter said:
We did a bit of research and decided to buy a Daysy fertility monitor and start using it before the wedding. We figure it probably is the easiest way for us right now and worth the cash.

Thanks for all the advice. 👍
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Easy isn’t always best. I would strongly recommend using one of the 4 methods and using a monitor only as confirmation.

I started Creighton charting for my health-- it took a long time to figure out things because I had health issues-- that Creighton was helping me identify. A napro doctor then uses my charts to help diagnose and treat.

14 years later I still chart and use it for my health, and its very easy.
 
agapewolf said:
Easy isn’t always best. I would strongly recommend using one of the 4 methods and using a monitor only as confirmation.

I started Creighton charting for my health-- it took a long time to figure out things because I had health issues-- that Creighton was helping me identify. A napro doctor then uses my charts to help diagnose and treat.

14 years later I still chart and use it for my health, and its very easy.
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I agree to an extent, but there’s nothing pointing towards health issues at the moment, and being newly weds is trying enough without adding more stress and learning into the mix. If after the 9 months stated they they initially want to avoid, they may want to start trying to conceive. If they are noticing any problems then, they can easily go look for answers then.
 
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