NFP 'machines'

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28562

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A couple things were mentioned on another thread about ‘machines’ that assist with NFP. I would be interested in buying one after my wife is not pregnant anymore. I am kinda scared about the rest of our life…she is ridiculously fertile and we are only in our mid 20s…We already have 3.5 and I can’t imagine that God would call me to be the next Jim Bob Duggar. :eek: So we are going to need some help!

What are the options out there? What are your experiences with them?
 
I second Marquette. You use the monitor to measure both estrogen and LH, to predict ovulation. Using that in conjunction with mucus readings and following the rules, I’ve found it pretty easy and effective. The downside is that it gets expensive, because you have to keep buying the test strips and sometimes you use 20 per month instead of 10 if cycles are long. There was one month where the monitor missed the peak, and I am fairly certain I did ovulate that month…so you have to be very careful to follow the rules and use the monitor as a cross-check and not rely more on it that on mucus readings.
 
We have used the fertility monitor with some successful and some unsuccessful cycles. It seems like it needs several cycles to “learn” the wife’s average estrogen levels and then more accurately predict peak. The monitor also missed peak completely for us on a cycle where temp. shift showed clear ovulation. I think the monitor is a good option in combination with sympto-thermal. But honestly, my wife says all the tech. makes her feel like a lab rat. Ugh.
 
If you already use Creighton there is a system in place for checking progesterone via lab draws on Peak+4 to ensure ovulation has occurred. If you aren’t loyal to a certain Method I’ve heard Marquette is the method of choice for post partum charting.

Also, there’s a device called LadyComp that you may be interested in. The downside is that it’s pretty expensive.
 
nfpandme said:
If you already use Creighton there is a system in place for checking progesterone via lab draws on Peak+4 to ensure ovulation has occurred. If you aren’t loyal to a certain Method I’ve heard Marquette is the method of choice for post partum charting.

Also, there’s a device called LadyComp that you may be interested in. The downside is that it’s pretty expensive.
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I second what’s stated above.

I would like to add - I’ve heard from several women that they have been very successful at avoiding preg. while using Creighton Method. No additional method needed to be learned and no additional devices needed to be purchased.
 
28562 said:
A couple things were mentioned on another thread about ‘machines’ that assist with NFP. I would be interested in buying one after my wife is not pregnant anymore. I am kinda scared about the rest of our life…she is ridiculously fertile and we are only in our mid 20s…We already have 3.5 and I can’t imagine that God would call me to be the next Jim Bob Duggar. :eek: So we are going to need some help!

What are the options out there? What are your experiences with them?
Click to expand...
Hi -
Personally we like the zetek acuvue - but it is like $300 - but they do have it so it tests your CM (cervical mucus) and your spit - although it does say that it is just for conceiving (I believe they put this out there so they won’t get sued if someone get prgnant while using it)- I’m really irregular and have kidney disease among other thing - I would never ever try any kind of NFP again without something like this. I PMed you because I didn’t want to be accused of advertising something. Of course nothing is 100% and NFP without this has not really been that successful at preventing.
Good Luck!
Rye
 
HOPE1980 said:
I second what’s stated above.

I would like to add - I’ve heard from several women that they have been very successful at avoiding preg. while using Creighton Method. No additional method needed to be learned and no additional devices needed to be purchased.
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If you’ve had any unplanned situations with NFP, I can completely understand wanting to do everything in your power to ensure that you won’t have another unplanned pregnancy - and yes, it does happen sometimes. The Lady Comp I’ve heard is good but personally we like the Zetek which takes both the CM and saliva. Nothing’s 100% at avoiding pregnancy if you’re active but if you’re going to use NFP I would go with the method you feel most comfortable with and the machine. I know people say they’re expensive but like my husband said “how much would the alternative wind up costing us…” (he didn’t just mean child - he meant hospital stays for me, etc.)
Only the two of you know how comfortable you feel with which method. Unfortunately the only way you find out a method hasn’t been successful for you is finding out your pregnant. I hope these comments are helpful for you!

Good Luck and God Bless
Rye

you asked for a link I believe

shopping.com/discount-codes-for-ovacue/products?sb=1
 
ladycomp has been very helpful for us. It is expensive but we have used it for 5 years and it has been remarkably acurate
 
I have always considered getting one of them, but they were so expensive I just couldn’t justify it.

Have you taken and NFP class? I know CCL offers them in some places. Make sure you have a good support person that you can email, or probably your wife will email, when she has unexpected questions. A lot of NFP teachers make themselves available.

We are in the same place as you and looking at 20 years of fertility is very daunting. Look for support in parishes, families, and the internet has become full of useful information.

nfpandme.blogspot.com/
realcatholicloveandsex.blogspot.com/
szansaspotkania.net/index.php?page=15729

There are a ton more.
Good luck
 
NFP1Kate said:
I have always considered getting one of them, but they were so expensive I just couldn’t justify it.

Have you taken and NFP class? I know CCL offers them in some places. Make sure you have a good support person that you can email, or probably your wife will email, when she has unexpected questions. A lot of NFP teachers make themselves available.

We are in the same place as you and looking at 20 years of fertility is very daunting. Look for support in parishes, families, and the internet has become full of useful information.

nfpandme.blogspot.com/
realcatholicloveandsex.blogspot.com/
szansaspotkania.net/index.php?page=15729

There are a ton more.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Sometimes you can find one on ebay for a little cheaper than online. I haven’t seen anyway to get a really inexpensive Good one - they’re relatively new to the market I think so there aren’t lots of old models. My husband (I think I mentioned this) mentioned something like “the alternative right now would be a lot more costly…” I really hope you can figure something out!
Good Luck and God Bless
Rye
 
HOPE1980 said:
…I would like to add - I’ve heard from several women that they have been very successful at avoiding preg. while using Creighton Method. No additional method needed to be learned and no additional devices needed to be purchased.
Click to expand...
This is true. In our case, however, we could not use Creighton alone to determine my fertile windows, so our Creighton instructor put us in touch with a Marquette instructor.
 
SwizzleStick said:
This is true. In our case, however, we could not use Creighton alone to determine my fertile windows, so our Creighton instructor put us in touch with a Marquette instructor.
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Marquette would be a good option. I have a personal friend who teaches Marquette. I know there is a cost to attend the classes (and of course you need the clear blue easy fertility monitor).

Link to purchase the Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor:
amazon.com/Clearblue-Easy-Fertility-Monitor-Packaging/dp/B0000532QB/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1329054081&sr=1-1
 
HOPE1980 said:
Marquette would be a good option. I have a personal friend who teaches Marquette. I know there is a cost to attend the classes (and of course you need the clear blue easy fertility monitor).

Link to purchase the Clear Blue Easy Fertility Monitor:
amazon.com/Clearblue-Easy-Fertility-Monitor-Packaging/dp/B0000532QB/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1329054081&sr=1-1
Click to expand...
Agreed.👍

The link to the monitor is helpful. An additional cost is the cost of testing strips (about $50 to $55 per box, depending on where you buy them). Amazon seems to offer the best prices even if you have to pay shipping. (I just checked, and currently you can get a box for $42.99 + $5.49, total of $48.48, which is still under the $55.99 + tax per box that Walgreens charges.) A box of strips lasts maybe 3 months or so.
 
With so many different choices for NFP methods, how does anyone ever choose?:confused:

We have 30 wks of pregnancy and 6 wks post partum to get something figured out.

The cost of a unit is not a deciding factor for me. Even the most expensive ones I have seen are way cheaper than the cost of us getting pregnant again.
 
Is NFP failing during the post-partum period? If so, I don’t know what to recommend as that period can be sooooo tricky. EVERYTHING is a variable that can alter the outcome. Needless to say, I chose not to trust any method after the 3rd baby. Abstinence is hard but it’s 100% 🙂 and the peace of mind is priceless. If you go down this path just make sure you are both on board amd get creative with being affectionate and loving. In the end, abstinence can be a wonderful thing too 🙂 Having the experience of 3 babies however I’m assuming you guys have figured a couple of things out. I for one now KNOW that I do not get my period or ovulate while I nurse frequently. I have also learned that that first ovulation can take several attempts so just jugdging by mucous we would’ve been in big trouble. If, on the other hand, her cycle returned everytime before weaning than you know you need to be on the lookout.

Once her cycle returns , if things are more or less regular anything should be fine, though cycles might be whacky upon return so you might still want to be extra careful. I got the Cyclotest (much cheaper version of the LadyComp) and it’s been great so far. i use it in conjunction with fertilityfriend.com (the chart) AND with Billings and things are pretty clear. Just consider that there may be longer than desired abstinence periods while these machines learn your cycles. Also if you guys have frquent night wakings with the baby, they are not very useful as the temperature reading is most accurate with stretches of hours asleep. Just nursing the baby shouldn’t affect them too much, but getting up and rocking or walking the baby around would.

In regards to knowing what to choose, what have you been using so far and what hasn’t worked? Feel free to PM me if you’d like…

God bless you guys, I know it’s a scary place to be and as excited as we are about one day going for number 4, at this point I am still petrified. Though I do know, God doesn’t give us more than we can handle 🙂
 
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