Anyone using the FAM method as birth control?

[Izzy03]

Oh wow! So happy about a new board! I have been doing nothing but lurking since getting married in the beginning of April because I felt like I didn''t belong anywhere! Good to be back

So when I was lurking on the TTC thread, I read some things about using Fertility Awareness Method to both prevent and achieve pregnancy. I did my research and decided to try it. After being on the pill for 7 seven years, I was really missing my sex drive! Plus I constantly forgot to take the pill anyway

Seeing that we really aren''t ready for children, I discussed the FAM method with my hubby and told him that if he would like, he could certainly use condoms for his own peace of mind, but in the meantime I would be reading my fertility signs (cervical mucus, basal body temperature) to prevent pregnancy. I am a biologist so this has been a fun experiment!

Instead of using condoms prior to ovulation, we have been using the "pull-out" method. And on high fertility days, we abstain or use condoms. In high school you are told how ineffective the pull-out method is because you can become pregnant from pre-ejaculatory fluids. However, after doing some research, I found that Planned Parenthood''s website (I assume the information they provide is pretty legitimate)said that the pull-out method is 96% effective WHEN USED CORRECTLY (meaning the man knows how to remove himself in time). The method is not very effective for teens because teen boys lack self control and self "knowledge".

I''m sure it sounds kinda risky, especially considering many newlyweds double up on the baby control, but I just really deal with the side effects of hormonal birth control anymore. I discussed IUDs with the gyno but she advised against it because I have a history of abnormal paps.

Anyhow, anyone else out there using natural family planning methods?

 

[newsboysgrl777]

WOW. A lot of good info here.

To preface this, I''ve only been married for 3 weeks and DH and I did not have sex (or do anything sexual) before marriage. That said, I''ve been having a lot of trouble with low sex drive, not really wanting to have sex (especially intercourse), etc. I kind of always KNEW my lack of sex drive would be an issue within marriage because I honestly never thought about it OUTSIDE of marriage. Anyway, that''s another topic altogether. LOL What I''m getting at is, I''ve been on anti-depressants for quite a number of years, and I''d also been taking the pill (seasonique) for the past year for cramping/PMS (but it hasn''t been really beneficial to me, anyway). Well, after getting married and experiencing my troubles, I decided to research about how both of those medications can affect libido. So...DH and I are discussing using another form of BC than the pill because of my libido, and I actually just spoke with my psychologist/psychiatrist(? I always get the 2 confused) about lowering my dosage of my anti-depressant to see if that helps me increase libido. She says that at least with an anti-depressant, it''s dose dependent, meaning that the higher the dose, the more it will affect libido.

Anyway, this long post is to say that I''m totally with you on wanting your drive back and not wanting to take the pill (or use the nuva-ring or do an IUD...I just get freaked out by all the horror stories of women who end up not being ABLE to get pregnant when they want to after it''s out), while wanting to prevent pregnancy. I''d be interested in hearing more about your experience with this, if you''d care to share. Specifically if you''ve noticed an increase in your interest. And, I am NOT a biologist (or anywhere NEAR being one), so how hard would the FAM method be for someone like me? A LOT of work?

 

[sba771]

News- grab a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It is really eye opening and also the new versions come with the software. I don''t practice this yet, but in a year or so we plan on it so I am already doing some preliminary checking of my fertility signs. I find it takes a little getting used to in terms of adding it to your routine, but once you do, its a habit like brushing your teeth.

 

[Izzy03]

News~ Well this has been my first month off of the pill, and I am currently on Cycle Day 35, meaning if I was on a 28 day cycle, I would be considered one week late for my period. I know it is normal to experience irregularity after stopping the pill so I am not concerned. No exciting findings yet, as it seems I have not started ovulating again yet, but I''m sure things will get more interesting once I learn my natural pattern. I have to set my alarm to take my temp at the same time every morning, but that hasn''t been as hard as I thought it would be. So far so good. Most nights before bed, I feel like I am forgetting to do something, then I remember I am not taking the pill anymore! Funny how I could never remember to take it before now! I know my periods will be more painful now, but I am relieved to be all natural. Research has shown that some people''s libido is permanently affected by taking the pill and the longer you are on it, the greater the chances are of this happening.

Learning how to find my cervix was kinda cool (sorry the gross biologist in me coming out). I found it helpful to go to this website (www.beautifulcervix.com).

If heavy periods really are a huge issue for you, and you do want to stay on pill, you could try Lo-Estrin. I talked to my gyno about my decreased libido so she put me on this due to its low hormones. I really liked it but I had crummy insurance at the time and my copay for it was over $50 a month so I had to switch. I also LOVED the Nuva-Ring, but again, crappy insurance. I did not like Seasonique at all because of the breakthrough bleeding. Seriously, I would much rather have my period for a week than have spotting for three weeks!

If you do want to try the FAM method, you really need to do your research to make sure you read your fertility signs correctly. I signed up for Fertility Friend to help track my cycles, but keep in mind, that website is geared towards people trying to conceive, so not all the features will help you.

Hopefully some experienced FAM users will drop by and leave some tips!

 

[Pandora II]

I would be wary about using FAM if you don''t have a very regular cycle, and if you are not happy about getting to grips (literally) with your insides and bodily fluids! You really need to be charting your BBT, your cervical fluid and your cervix position to be truly effective I think.

Even then, I would still only use it if an ooops wasn''t a problem.

Sperm can live up to 7 days - and ''pulling out'' isn''t a great method as most men have some seminal fluid that leaks out before orgasm and that fluid contains enough sperm to populate a small country. All it takes is one swimmer!

However, I am thinking of using it once I have stopped breast-feeding next year and my cycle is normal again. But, we will be using condoms until O and once that is confirmed then nothing. I have always had a 27 day cycle so it will be fairly easy.

FAM is IMHO a method that is better for getting pg than for avoiding...

 

[Izzy03]

Thanks Pandora! I know it definitely isn''t the most effective form of BC but I am questioning how effective my pills were anyway since I was constantly forgetting them!

The research I have done said that FAM alone can but up to 90% effective, and I''m sure once we figure out a rough estimate of when I ovulate, we will be more willing to throw condoms in the mix. I am also watching my cervical fluid and positions carefully. My hubby would kill me but what the heck.... my hubby has low testosterone (he used to play baseball and let me tell you all, steroid use in the game is MUCH MUCH MUCH more common than you think!) so he is on hormone replacements now, and we are pretty sure his count of swimmers is not up to par.

We are not really prepared to become parents yet, and while a pray we will not have an oopsie-baby, we would be able to handle it if that situation did arise.

 

[Lynnie]

I guess you could say we ''kinda'' use the FAM method...

I am extremely regular - 31 days like clockwork, every month. I''ve never used BC pills. DH has always been fine w/using condoms, anyway, so I never really saw the point in using pills - plus, I work night shift, and my sleep schedule can get really whacked out, so I KNOW I would end up forgetting sometimes. In the 10 years we''ve been together, we''ve only had 2 or 3 scares that required the morning-after pill... even then, I''m not sure if they were required for anything other than peace of mind.

Now that we''re married, we''ve been allowing ourselves to be unprotected a few days out of the month... the day after my period''s over, and the 5 days or so before I get it. So far we''ve had no issues, but we always use condoms in between those times. If an ''oopsie'' were to happen, we''d be thrilled, but a little under the gun to buy a house.

I wouldn''t trust the ''pull-out'' method... I''d be freaking out until I got AF. Plus, if this is your 1st month off pills, I''d be worried - it can take a few months to regulate again.

 

[ladyciel]

We use it, but very conservatively. I stopped birth control pills after suspecting (correctly) that it was depressing my libido. Without them I''m quite regular, and after reading TCOYF I figured out that my fertility signs are pretty textbook. However, we can''t really chance an oops right now, so we take a more careful approach than what she swears by in the book. From the start of my period until 5-7 days in (depending on my fertility signs...aka CM), we use condoms. We use them for peace of mind on the very rare chance I could have an early/unexpected ovulation. Then we abstain (only from intercourse...) until we''ve confirmed I''ve ovulated. The wait is usually a little longer than we''d like, but it''s worth it to us to avoid an oops. Our logic is that we''re waiting on my fertile window to pass - if we trusted condoms, we''d be REALLY testing the failure rate. Think of it this way - the condom failure rate is based on all days of the year - so pregnancies/sex-per-year. But, only sex during when a woman is fertile can actually result in pregnancy. So, a truer failure rate is something more like pregnancies/(maybe a fourth of sex-per-year) (assuming a woman is fertile for one week a month). I think TCOYF makes a similar argument about the underestimation of failure rates. Anyway, once I''ve confirmed that I''ve ovulated (temp rises), and several days have passed to ensure the egg is gone, we party like nature intended until my next cycle starts.

I think it actually helps our marriage, because we look forward to our mini-moons. Also, knowing my cycle inside and out will be helpful when we''re ready to TTC.

 

[anniee19]

We are also using the FAM method as birth control. I went off the pill about 3 months before our wedding, and started temping, charting signs, etc. The side effects for the pill included awful migranes for me, as well as lower sex drive, so I was happy to quit. I''ve been charting for about 5 months now and so far it''s been working great.
We both decided quite some time ago that after our wedding, we wanted to wait about a year and a half before TTC, but both agreed that if an uplanned pregnancy happened, we would be okay with that.
I also track using fertilityfriend.com and found lots of useful information on there.

 

[musey]

I started charting when I went off BCP last year... we''re not TTC in the least, I''m just tired of pumping myself with hormones

and I was actually using charting to give me some sort of insight to my cycle. I''ve always been relatively irregular, but I was hoping almost 5 years on BC would have regulated me a bit. Long story short, it did for awhile then wore off

so charting really helped me predict things.

We are not using the method as birth control, I''m just using it to help feel more connected to my body''s rhythms.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

We're using the FAM method and (knock on wood) we've had a lot of success with it. I'm pretty in-tune with my body and can easily tell when I'm going into ovulation/ovulating. I also keep track of all of my dates on a calendar. We just choose to not have intercourse during the sensitive time-so one week or so a month. Other than that we go for it and we don't worry about pulling out or anything like that.

I just want to add that this method isn't for everyone. I chose to go off the pill about 10 months ago after having been on various types of BC for 15 or so years. It was a conscious decision and one DH and I made together. We would not have done this if we weren't prepared for either success or failure. There's a certain element of luck and weighing risks/odds with this method and I think you need to go into it with open eyes and a commitment to really paying attention to your body and working together towards a positive and mutually agreeable outcome.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I stopped taking BC pills three years ago and we have been using FAM ever since. I am extremely regular in my cycle and I know when I''m ovulating. During the few days before and after we use protection + pull out since I''m super paranoid.

If you have a very regular cycle and feel you know your body''s signs, go for it. The only thing I would warn is that even with a regular cycle, as a woman, certain things can throw you off some months. Stress is a big one for me, as is working with new women, they make my cycle flop off a few days until I re-adjust.

Biggest thing, know yourself and take precautions when necessary.

 

[iwannaprettyone]

We are using FAM as specified in Toni Weschler book TCOYF. There is a software you can use for this, but I used fertility friend. We try to be as conservative as possible using other methods (Condoms/ Withdrawal) during peak fertility.

I don't do birth control pills (patches and the like) as they make me a wild woman.

It has been a year plus a couple of month since with started on FAM. However I will say, if I were to get pregnant that would be perfectly fine, perhaps not optimal timing but a baby would certainly come as a pleasant surprise for the both of us.

Good thread.


ETA: My cycle is like clockwork....if it was loopy I would not feel comfortable using FAM.

 

[April20]

We''re using FAM as well and have been since I went off BC in October. My cycles are still freaked out though, so I''m only on cycle 3 post BC and have a dr''s appt next week to get provera to end it. I never ovulated the first cycle off, did the second cycle (finally) and have not this cycle. Needless to say, if you''re just going off BC, I would NOT not use backup. It can be hard to read your body''s "signs" and until you get used to them, you can easily mis-read. I would err on the side of caution if you are not ready for babies. I''d also be careful just using withdrawl as it has been known to backfire.... I will confess we''ve done it a few times, but do not use it as a regular means of birth control.......

All that being said, I am THRILLED to be off hormonal BC. THRILLED. I am a much happier person. I find it takes just as much work to use FAM properly as it did to remember to take the pills, get the RX filled, etc.

I have both the Ovusoft software and Fertility Friend. FF is free, Ovusoft is a one time $30 fee. I think Ovusoft might be a little more conservative in how it charts FAM, but I like that I can use FF anywhere as it''s online, whereas Ovusoft is a download. If you have charting questions, the "cycling help" forum on Ovusoft is great. I also highly recommend picking up TCOYF and giving it a read. It''s a must in my opinion.

 

[Clairitek]

I would love to try this as I''ve always hated being on BC pills. Before getting married we just used condoms and then I went back on the pill in order to ditch them. Perhaps I will have Dh read this thread to see that there are many women out there who have successfully used FAM to avoid pregnancy.

 

[newsboysgrl777]

Hey all!! I know I haven't posted in a while, but I wanted to say that I got the book that some of you have recommended (Taking Charge of Your Fertility) and I'm excited about it (which is why I'm posting...LOL).

I'm only on page 40 and I've already learned SO MANY THINGS I NEVER KNEW!!! WOW. Also, a friend of a friend has been trying to get pregnant for quite some time and she went to a specialist and they said nothing was 'wrong' with her. Well, her husband doesn't believe in 'procuring semen' to be used for testing, so she's sort of out of luck. He's stubborn, so they won't know why they're having problems conceiving. WELL, I'm super excited about some of the things I've read in this book about how you can use FAM to TTC and I can't wait to tell her about it (the book)!! I know she (or he) may TRULY have fertility problems, but maybe not!! I'll report back after I speak with her and (hopefully) she gives it a go!

Anyway, this post had no point except that I'm excited and wanted to share with SOMEONE.

Thanks to all of you who have recommended this book and those of you who have shared advice/sympathy with me!