NFP- anyone use a fertility monitor like Persona

  • Thread starter Thread starter MooCowSteph
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MooCowSteph

Guest
I just came across this Persona device in another thread. I think it might be very useful for me. With a new baby, I am concerned that it might be tough to get accuarate temp readings, and my CM observations have always been a little iffy - I needed to read CM and temps together to interpret my fertility. This looks super easy. Anyone have any experience with this or another brand?
 
40.png
MooCowSteph:
I just came across this Persona device in another thread. I think it might be very useful for me. With a new baby, I am concerned that it might be tough to get accuarate temp readings, and my CM observations have always been a little iffy - I needed to read CM and temps together to interpret my fertility. This looks super easy. Anyone have any experience with this or another brand?
Click to expand...
I think that I have heard of this, never used it, but where do you get it? Is it like the fertility monitors in the stores? I heard those just help you get pregnant, but not help you space pregnancies.
 
I used the Ovacue (zetek.net/) version for a few months, and it was easy to use, but I had been doing NFP for almost 7 months by that time. The Ovacue monitor takes both a saliva reading and a vaginal reading (althought that only needs to be done during phase II). I found that the readings from both tests seemed to be all over the place and not as clear as the website makes it out to be. I continues my sympto-thermo observations to compare, and could somewhat see a correlation. I thought it was easier to follow the NFP observations.

It is true that the monitor is meant for use to concieve, and it does not in any way claim to be a form of contraception. I tried it because a friend of mine had gotten it and claimed it was great. It has a scientific study that you can find on the website to show that it can supplement NFP methods if someone wants a more clear picture of their fertility. Overall, I don’t think it was worth it. The battery died after about 3 months of use, and me being lazy didn’t go get another battery for it. We were blessed in the next two (maybe one?) cycles with a pregnancy… weren’t totally committed to postponing pregnancy.

Needless to say… my friend who was using it just recently had a baby, and plans to use the monitor to try and catch when her fertility returns. Don’t know if it will work. Like I said, I’m more sold on NFP and sympto-thermo, but I thought my obeservations were pretty clear, and I didn’t mind taking my temp in the mornings. Maybe I will change my mind after our baby comes and I’m waiting for my fertility to return. let me know how it goes for you…
 
I think it’s the Marquette model of NFP that uses a fertility monitor as part of their charting. You might google it and see what you get.

A fertility monitor alone could not be used to TTA, but I think Marquette uses it in conjunction with the other signs of mucus and temp.
 
Marquette uses the clearblue/plan urine testing. Which I read that using just the urine testing w/o a nfp method, was only about 60% effective in avoiding pregnancy b/c it doesn’t give enough time before ovulation.
I have a ladycomp which is a huge waste of money. It didn’t work for me at all. A friend of mine also bought one and also hated it.
 
40.png
luvmykids:
I think that I have heard of this, never used it, but where do you get it? Is it like the fertility monitors in the stores? I heard those just help you get pregnant, but not help you space pregnancies.
Click to expand...
The FDA hasn’t approved it, so you have to buy it in the internet from Eurpoe or Canada. It’s marketed as a contraceptive device. But it’s pretty expensive. It works like the clearblue thingies where you pee on a stick and it reads where you are in a cycle. You also let the device know when you’ve started you period, and it is supposed to be able to predict your cycles as well as analyize at the information based on the urine readings. I’m not sure it would be worth it, but I have a feeling I won’t be as good at charting as I was before the baby came.
 
40.png
MooCowSteph:
The FDA hasn’t approved it, so you have to buy it in the internet from Eurpoe or Canada. It’s marketed as a contraceptive device. But it’s pretty expensive. It works like the clearblue thingies where you pee on a stick and it reads where you are in a cycle. You also let the device know when you’ve started you period, and it is supposed to be able to predict your cycles as well as analyize at the information based on the urine readings. I’m not sure it would be worth it, but I have a feeling I won’t be as good at charting as I was before the baby came.
Click to expand...
I’ve actually been thinking about trying to look into some sort of fertility monitor, because that’s exactly my problem. My charting has gone down hill since my 2nd and 3rd children. That’s why I am now pregnant with my 5th. 😃
 
We have friends who used a device like this (it might be the Persona, they said they got it from Europe) and they said it worked well for the first couple of months. They are now pregnant with their sixth, unplanned but loved.
 
I haven’t used Persona, but I’ve heard that it’s not meant for use while breastfeeding (though some women have done so anyway). You might want to ask on the NFP forum at BabyCenter. I think they had a discussion about this a while back.

Given the cost of the monitor + test strips + overseas shipping, you might consider spending the money to learn the Ovulation Method (Billings, Creighton, or FAF) instead. As far as I know, it’s the only systematic form of NFP that works reliably during lactation. In particular, it’s well able to deal with the “maybe-fertile” stage – those weeks or months, between the end of postpartum amenorrhea and the start of regular cycles, that can be very confusing with other methods.

Since they’ve achieved a high degree of effectiveness (95+%) by using the mucus symptom alone, I’m inclined to believe that a skilled OM instructor could sort out your confusion in this area. You’d need to be willing to start from scratch, though, rather than combining it with the methods and observations you’ve learned for the STM. (Part of the OM philosophy is that mixing different systems tends to lead to second-guessing and mistakes.)

BTW, inadequate mucus can be a sign of nutritional deficiencies or chronic, mild dehydration. You might try to work up to drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of plain, uncarbonated water – plus extra if you’re nursing, or drinking any caffeinated or carbonated beverages. (More on that here.)
 
40.png
luvmykids:
I’ve actually been thinking about trying to look into some sort of fertility monitor, because that’s exactly my problem. My charting has gone down hill since my 2nd and 3rd children. That’s why I am now pregnant with my 5th. 😃
Click to expand...
Have you used the Creighton Model? I have found this to be a pretty easy way of charting.
 
40.png
maryceleste:
Given the cost of the monitor + test strips + overseas shipping, you might consider spending the money to learn the Ovulation Method (Billings, Creighton, or FAF) instead. As far as I know, it’s the only systematic form of NFP that works reliably during lactation. In particular, it’s well able to deal with the “maybe-fertile” stage – those weeks or months, between the end of postpartum amenorrhea and the start of regular cycles, that can be very confusing with other methods.

Since they’ve achieved a high degree of effectiveness (95+%) by using the mucus symptom alone, I’m inclined to believe that a skilled OM instructor could sort out your confusion in this area. You’d need to be willing to start from scratch, though, rather than combining it with the methods and observations you’ve learned for the STM. (Part of the OM philosophy is that mixing different systems tends to lead to second-guessing and mistakes.)
Click to expand...
I’ve seen so many people on these boards who are happy with OM that I think I will look into it again. Thanks.
BTW, inadequate mucus can be a sign of nutritional deficiencies or chronic, mild dehydration. You might try to work up to drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of plain, uncarbonated water – plus extra if you’re nursing, or drinking any caffeinated or carbonated beverages. (More on that here.)
Click to expand...
Thanks, but I actually have the opposite problem - it’s there all the time :o
 
40.png
MooCowSteph:
Thanks, but I actually have the opposite problem - it’s there all the time :o
Click to expand...
Creighton’s chart and methodology specifically addresses that issue, just fyi!
 
My wife has used Persona but the days available for unprotected sex are usually only about 1 a month! - something to do with having a long and variable cycle I think, MO looks like a lot of hard work for her, are there other alternatives?

Has anyone used the “standard days” method (see below) - is it any good?

womens-health.co.uk/sdm.html

Thanks,

DD
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top