Experience with different models of NFP?

[pensmama87]

Actually, I should clarify. We’ve had 3 unplanned pregnancies. However, the first 2 were known risks. We knew pregnancy was a possibility but went ahead anyway. The 3rd one almost fits into that category. I knew we were cutting it close but was off by 1 day.

All three of ours are, “aw, sure, what the heck” babies.

 

[momma2015]

We use Marquette. We used Billings before this but I was having real trouble with interpreting my signs and Marquette is much easier. The monitor and sticks and website are expensive though.

 

[alphawoman]

I use Creighton. I also have severe PCOS and endometriosis. However, despite what others have said, I have no problems with Creighton. I’ve heard some people say that nfp isn’t really for people with irregular cycles, but that’s nuts.

As with anything, generalizations on either side of an argument offer minimal value. It depends on what “irregular” means, and the underlying etiology of the irregularity. Only a doctor–ideally a faithful Catholic doctor–is able to make that determination based on individual patient characteristics (ideally in consultation with a priest and, if necessary, Catholic bioethicist) as to whether NFP is possible after medical treatment.

It’s amazing to see the degree to which there is variability across individuals, even across time, in health needs and compatibility of NFP with various health conditions. I also have a PCOS diagnosis and spent multiple years following the birth of my son in amenorrhea.

Prior to my son’s birth, I cycled irregularly (cycles ranged 24 to 35+ days) and used the symptothermal method to avoid for 5 months before my son was conceived. At the time, I didn’t have a PCOS diagnosis yet. In the four years following his birth, I didn’t cycle once. We used LAM for the first 6 months, then attempted to transition to Symptothermal postpartum rules (which are, effectively, Billings rules with cervical check prior to first ovulation). I had fertile mucus for all but a handful of days during the period up to 2.5 years postpartum, so we had to switch methods. I used Clearblue advanced digital tests as a test of the Marquette postpartum method, but cycled constantly from low to peak, with no high days, still with constant fertile mucus. I later learned that my LH is in a persistent elevated state with PCOS due to my body’s rapid cycling failure to ovulate (due to elevated androgens, verified by serology and an extremely high antral follicle count).

I am currently taking oral contraceptives therapeutically as part of a suite of treatment for PCOS.

This message is meant to convey that different methods will work to different degrees even within an individual over time, and that even with the best efforts and intentions, sometimes medical treatment that contraindicates NFP use is necessary. There are limitations and advantages to each method, and it is largely individual in how those attributes are manifested.

 

[Kelfa28]

We used STM.

I learned it through both Taking Charge of Your Fertility and the CCL home course.

Worked great the first couple of years until after the birth of my second child.

Then something happened with my cycles and it became very, very difficult to chart. I was struggling to chart PP for months. I had continuous fertile mucus for my entire cycle. Literally from day 4 or 5 until day 30-32…after I would have something that would look like a temp spike. Then my phase 3 would last 1 or 2 days and I’d get my period and it would start over again.

We got pregnant with our third after 11 months of iffy charting…where I followed the rules to the best of my ability. I had a temp spike at day 11. It stayed high for three days and I thought I was seeing my mucus change and the cervix was closed.

Three weeks later I had clear as day pregnancy symptoms and a positive test.

After this last pregnancy…we were scared. I refused to do STM anymore. We started looking into Marquette because I really liked the idea of an objective test that would tell me when I was ovulating.

But…finances were too tight. We just couldn’t swing the $300 for the monitor, $20-$30 monthly strips and the $60 Marquette membership fee to use the site and forum and have access to the current method breakdown.

So we abstained for the most part. Intimacy less then once a month…when I was 100% sure we were in the clear. I would wait a week or more after I noticed my mucus changed and my cervix closed up.
If waiting that long resulted in the start of the next cycle…then too bad…so sad.

All in all…it’s a totally moot point because I started having some major gynecological issues over the past few months.

Pain that far exceeded any normal menstruation cramps and also a lot of pain when I ovulated.
I was also bleeding so heavily and for so long that it was keeping me from heading out in public and it was giving me anemia.

We aren’t sure what is going on…it looks like PCOS but my OB isn’t sure. I have an ultrasound scheduled on Monday to see what is going on.

In the meantime…my OB put me on the pill to stop the cramps and the heavy bleeding.

 

[kptrs]

We use Marquette. We used Billings before this but I was having real trouble with interpreting my signs and Marquette is much easier. The monitor and sticks and website are expensive though.

Oh yeah, I forgot you have to pay for the Marquette website now. When I first started it was free. I let my subscription expire since I’m pregnant (totally planned), but will have to get going with it again after the baby’s born.

 

[Regina7]

As with anything, generalizations on either side of an argument offer minimal value. It depends on what “irregular” means, and the underlying etiology of the irregularity. Only a doctor–ideally a faithful Catholic doctor–is able to make that determination based on individual patient characteristics (ideally in consultation with a priest and, if necessary, Catholic bioethicist) as to whether NFP is possible after medical treatment.

It’s amazing to see the degree to which there is variability across individuals, even across time, in health needs and compatibility of NFP with various health conditions. I also have a PCOS diagnosis and spent multiple years following the birth of my son in amenorrhea.

Prior to my son’s birth, I cycled irregularly (cycles ranged 24 to 35+ days) and used the symptothermal method to avoid for 5 months before my son was conceived. At the time, I didn’t have a PCOS diagnosis yet. In the four years following his birth, I didn’t cycle once. We used LAM for the first 6 months, then attempted to transition to Symptothermal postpartum rules (which are, effectively, Billings rules with cervical check prior to first ovulation). I had fertile mucus for all but a handful of days during the period up to 2.5 years postpartum, so we had to switch methods. I used Clearblue advanced digital tests as a test of the Marquette postpartum method, but cycled constantly from low to peak, with no high days, still with constant fertile mucus. I later learned that my LH is in a persistent elevated state with PCOS due to my body’s rapid cycling failure to ovulate (due to elevated androgens, verified by serology and an extremely high antral follicle count).

I am currently taking oral contraceptives therapeutically as part of a suite of treatment for PCOS.

This message is meant to convey that different methods will work to different degrees even within an individual over time, and that even with the best efforts and intentions, sometimes medical treatment that contraindicates NFP use is necessary. There are limitations and advantages to each method, and it is largely individual in how those attributes are manifested.

I too had a ton of fertile days (even though I wasn’t ovulating). Napro doc told me to take 2,000 mg of vitamin c in morning and evening. It actually worked. I was a bit lax (ok, totally lax) on vit c around holidays, and I noticed immediately.

 

[Regina7]

I wonder if it would help OP (and I’m curious) if we briefly explained various types of nfp?

Since I’m only really familiar with Creighton, I’ll take that one. Creighton checks for signs of fertility using cervical mucous testing. There are quite a few various types of mucous that show not only fertility but other problems, like PCOS and endometriosis. Interestingly, my napro doc diagnosed a yeast infection from my chart even though I had absolutely no symptoms. I was reluctant to go to doc to get swabbed, but napro doc was right. From what I hear, Creighton is the “medical” nfp, meaning women who are dealing with infertility and other problems are often told to try this.

 

[white_sheep]

We’ve used the monitor for about a year and I would recommend using a different ovulation test. One reason is because I don’t like them. I feel that their marketing literature is dishonest. Their device doesn’t seem to do what they actually say it does. Say you start testing with sticks on day 9, hit high on 11, and peak on 12. You have to keep using sticks through day 18 so it can learn you. Uh-huh, sure. All the readings from day 13-18 are pre-programmed, they aren’t test results. What exactly would it be learning? No one thinks any information about estrogen or lh levels post ovulation are in any way effective at predicting the next month’s ovulation date, so what would it be used for? We missed peak half the time, probably due to their recommendation of morning testing. You can’t do extra tests during the day, it wants to stick with its own schedule. A regular stick you can use 3 times a day if you want and I am sure you are just as competent at picking a day to start testing as the monitor.