Compare NFP methods?

[minnieg]

Hmmm, sounds interesting. Wonder what Dr. Fehring at Marquette would have to say about that? I am member of the forums there - maybe I’ll mosey over there and ask!

 

[mylo]

So! Determined not to give up, I’m thinking I need a cross-check method. I read about the ClearPlan fertility monitor but I see that it only tells you that you have ovulated, which may be five days too late (for both avoiding and conception). I discovered a new monitor that can predict ovulation five to seven days in advance and the total “fertile window” with 99% accuracy as reported in clinical studies - sounds great, right? But before I cough up $400 bucks for this, I was wondering if any of you have used it? It’s called the OvaCue Fertility Monitor. zetek.net/

Whatcha think ladies?

I have the OvaCue. I have the saliva sensor and the vaginal sensor for it for more accurate readings. It would try and predict my peak day but I paid more attention to the level of fertility + confirmation of ovulation. IIRC, it used a series of blocks to show how fertile I was until I did ovulate, then the blocks would be replaced by “Ovulation Confirmed” that would be that. We used the OvaCue with STM and everytime the OvaCue said “Ovulation Confirmed”, I would have a full thermal shift and fertile CM. It would also tell me some other things leading up to ovulation, like" Cue Peak Identified" (I think) which helped us out, as well. I haven’t used it recently () and it’s 4am where I’m at right now. :yawn: But that’s what I remember.

I had to use the saliva sensor when waking and the vaginal sensor in the evenings, around the same time each day until it confirmed my ovulation.

DH and I used the OvaCue and STM to conceive twice - once in October of 07 and once in December of 07 (our first baby miscarried). We obviously have only used it for conceiving, so I don’t know if it would be good to invest in if you’re avoiding. We’re pretty geeky so we liked having the plethora of cross-checks available to us (temp, CM, cervical position, and the OvaCue). It was pretty sweet to see the little fertility blocks increasing and how well it lined up with STM.

It does store charts but we never bought their software to download them into the computer. We figured since we had the STM charts we didn’t need the OvaCue charts. It’d be a tad redundant.

So, that’s my sleepy thoughts on the OvaCue. I liked it, it worked for us wonderfully (did I mention we were married in October of 07), and we think it pretty much paid for itself quickly.

Hope that helps! Let me know if anything is foggy - my brain is shutting down!

 

[ChristinaM]

Thanks for your post, Mylo. I am also interested in the OvaCue. DH and I have gotten a sizable cash present from his grandmother and we were thinking now might be a good time to invest in a fertility monitor. So right now we’re doing our homework on OvaCue, LadyComp, etc. I personally would like to just use Billings for a while and see where that takes us. DH is an engineer though and likes the idea of a computer.

 

[Princess18]

Hmmm, sounds interesting. Wonder what Dr. Fehring at Marquette would have to say about that? I am member of the forums there - maybe I’ll mosey over there and ask!

ACTUALLY (so tickled that I know this) there was a study done by Richard J. Fehring of Marquette University in 1996 on the OvaCue. I believe it was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. If you can wade through all the technical mumbo jumbo, it’s a pretty interesting read.

zetek.net/Fehring_JAANP_1996.pdf

He discovered that it predicted ovulation in agreement with the Creighton model ovulation method and was more accurate than measuring urine (which is what the ClearPlan Fertility monitor does). I read several studies out of journals yesterday and I think another two talk about the accuracy of the monitor at reducing the fertility window (less abstinence for avoiding and greater likelihood of conceiving by timing it right). The one this particular study reviewed was the early model that doesn’t chart for you, so there’s been an upgrade since then.

Even though it’s not been FDA approved as a NFP device, there were about five studies that specifically addressed is use for that.

I also love the geeky gadgets, can you tell? If you do hear anything on the other forum, please share! Thanks!

 

[minnieg]

EXcellent, Princess18! I don’t need to mosey after all!

Thanks for that!