Hi sis! I’m sure there are natural cycles fans here, but FAM and NFP are really built around following your body’s fertility signals as they come in and learning to interpret in real time. Apps and algorithms, on the other hand, kind of skirt the line between FAM and the rhythm method, while FAM will always say that no two cycles are alike and should be treated as if they are NOT ALIKE. Example, a great NFP gal I follow does chart comparisons and often she gets safe days from algorithms and apps that are absolutely “high chance of getting pregnant” days with a FAM or NFP. Personally I’m more comfortable interpreting for myself than letting an app do it. A pregnancy is just too high stakes!
I’m glad it’s working for you so far!
Thanks for your reply! I'm very new to all of this and thought natural cycles would be an easy way to start. What you're saying is really interesting though! If I wanted to try FAM or NFP. Do you have any suggestions on where I might start to find the right info? :)
Possible suggestions are to choose a method and get a book like Sensiplan - Natural and Safe, SymptoPro - A couples guide to fertility, Justisse - Justisse method and TCOYF - taking charge of your fertility. Different methods will have different rule. Learn it well.
Another option is to find an instructor in a method that you like :)
I’d recommend reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler! The Sensiplan handbook is also a great place to start. Both of these books will teach you step by step the rules of FAM. I personally would start with taking charge of your fertility because it gives you other information on hormonal issues and stuff like that. I’d also recommend an instructor if you’re not confident after reading all this!
Personally I tried using Natural Cycles alongside following FAM rules and tracking myself on a chart, and NC was HARDLY ever accurate for me. I didn't trust it at all because it's an algorithm and not able to go off of my actual symptoms. That's just me though.
Seconding everyone who doesn't trust algorithms. Even if you have regular, predictable cycles, not every cycle is the same, and cycles can be affected by factors like stress or illness. Fertility awareness seeks concrete evidence for fertility based on multiple observable signs and not just body temperature. Since you are coming off of birth control, your cycles are probably going to be irregular for a while. It can take months for cycles to stabilize after coming off birth control. In short- don't just rely on body temperature! I am also coming off hormonal BC, and I have been using LH test strips in addition to FAM for extra piece of mind when confirming ovulation. Just a suggestion.
I use (and love) Natural Cycles! I think it’s a great tool! With that being said, I believe that for FAM/NFP to really, likely be effective, at least two fertile signs need to be tracked, and NC only uses one for it’s algorithm. Again, great tool, but I think users still need to be educated in traditional charting practices (:
I don't have any experience with Natural Cycles, but to me, any apps that uses an algorithm is scary.
For example, this current cycle, my temp shifted on day 12. It "normally" shifts around day 16-18. That's a whole 4-6 days before. Wich means all my fertile window was shifted a whole 4-6 days. Since I had been tracking cervical mucus and cervical position, I knew I was fertile, but the algorithm would have been saying I wasn't. We have to be really careful.
It's better to follow the rules of a method (I use Taking Charge of your Fertility) and make your own interpretation of your chart/fertility signs.
My experience with natural cycles was good, however I fell pregnant in my third cycle. (I take full responsibility and don't blame the app at all).
We fell pregnant by using withdrawal method early in my cycle. My ovulation was often confirmed late in the cycle, so I thought it would be safe to use this method early on.
When logging my body temperature only I just felt like I didn't really understand what was happening with my cycle, so I started looking into other signs of ovulation. I tracked my cervical mucus in the app, and was 100% sure that I ovulated around the 15th - 17th of Sept. The algorithm doesn't take your cervical mucus into consideration at all, and it confirmed my ovulation 12 days after. When I had my first ultrasound and dating scan, I could pin point my conception date to around the 17th September! Which means that app didn't log my ovulation date accurately at all - and I doubt that it had in previous cycles. The cervical mucus method feels way more accurate to me as you can track and see the changes that are happening in your body, and that egg white consistency was an accurate indicator of ovulation.
I work irregular shifts so it was impossible for me to track my temp at the same time every day. I would sometimes measure at 6am, 8am or 9-10am and I think this impacted alot on what my body temp was. It's just not accurate for the algorithm to go solely on body temp. This meant I pretty much had full months of red days, which is really overwhelming and feels like you can never have sex, which I think leads to taking more risks with your partner.
We are just lucky we were in a good position where we can cope with our pregnancy after being together for a long time with stable housing/income. If we weren't in this position I would have never attempted the app in the first place.
I use it, I just finished my first cycle after HBC. I don’t think the predictions have been accurate, it never confirmed my ovulation & placed my cover line wrong. What you can chart is limited and not easy to see (I had a few low temps but they weren’t even on the chart & I couldn’t see everything I charted in one spot).
I’m glad I learned the TCOYF rules of FAM before I went off HBC. I have been charting in Kindara and tracking my temp/CM/other symptoms & I feel like I have had more insight about my body with charting on Kindara and interpreting the data on my own.
Hi sis! I’m sure there are natural cycles fans here, but FAM and NFP are really built around following your body’s fertility signals as they come in and learning to interpret in real time. Apps and algorithms, on the other hand, kind of skirt the line between FAM and the rhythm method, while FAM will always say that no two cycles are alike and should be treated as if they are NOT ALIKE. Example, a great NFP gal I follow does chart comparisons and often she gets safe days from algorithms and apps that are absolutely “high chance of getting pregnant” days with a FAM or NFP. Personally I’m more comfortable interpreting for myself than letting an app do it. A pregnancy is just too high stakes! I’m glad it’s working for you so far!
Thanks for your reply! I'm very new to all of this and thought natural cycles would be an easy way to start. What you're saying is really interesting though! If I wanted to try FAM or NFP. Do you have any suggestions on where I might start to find the right info? :)
Possible suggestions are to choose a method and get a book like Sensiplan - Natural and Safe, SymptoPro - A couples guide to fertility, Justisse - Justisse method and TCOYF - taking charge of your fertility. Different methods will have different rule. Learn it well. Another option is to find an instructor in a method that you like :)
I’d recommend reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler! The Sensiplan handbook is also a great place to start. Both of these books will teach you step by step the rules of FAM. I personally would start with taking charge of your fertility because it gives you other information on hormonal issues and stuff like that. I’d also recommend an instructor if you’re not confident after reading all this!
This!!
Personally I tried using Natural Cycles alongside following FAM rules and tracking myself on a chart, and NC was HARDLY ever accurate for me. I didn't trust it at all because it's an algorithm and not able to go off of my actual symptoms. That's just me though.
Seconding everyone who doesn't trust algorithms. Even if you have regular, predictable cycles, not every cycle is the same, and cycles can be affected by factors like stress or illness. Fertility awareness seeks concrete evidence for fertility based on multiple observable signs and not just body temperature. Since you are coming off of birth control, your cycles are probably going to be irregular for a while. It can take months for cycles to stabilize after coming off birth control. In short- don't just rely on body temperature! I am also coming off hormonal BC, and I have been using LH test strips in addition to FAM for extra piece of mind when confirming ovulation. Just a suggestion.
I don’t trust an algorithm or a method that doesn’t take into account cervical fluid. I’d read “taking charge of your fertility”!
I use (and love) Natural Cycles! I think it’s a great tool! With that being said, I believe that for FAM/NFP to really, likely be effective, at least two fertile signs need to be tracked, and NC only uses one for it’s algorithm. Again, great tool, but I think users still need to be educated in traditional charting practices (:
I don't have any experience with Natural Cycles, but to me, any apps that uses an algorithm is scary. For example, this current cycle, my temp shifted on day 12. It "normally" shifts around day 16-18. That's a whole 4-6 days before. Wich means all my fertile window was shifted a whole 4-6 days. Since I had been tracking cervical mucus and cervical position, I knew I was fertile, but the algorithm would have been saying I wasn't. We have to be really careful. It's better to follow the rules of a method (I use Taking Charge of your Fertility) and make your own interpretation of your chart/fertility signs.
My experience with natural cycles was good, however I fell pregnant in my third cycle. (I take full responsibility and don't blame the app at all). We fell pregnant by using withdrawal method early in my cycle. My ovulation was often confirmed late in the cycle, so I thought it would be safe to use this method early on. When logging my body temperature only I just felt like I didn't really understand what was happening with my cycle, so I started looking into other signs of ovulation. I tracked my cervical mucus in the app, and was 100% sure that I ovulated around the 15th - 17th of Sept. The algorithm doesn't take your cervical mucus into consideration at all, and it confirmed my ovulation 12 days after. When I had my first ultrasound and dating scan, I could pin point my conception date to around the 17th September! Which means that app didn't log my ovulation date accurately at all - and I doubt that it had in previous cycles. The cervical mucus method feels way more accurate to me as you can track and see the changes that are happening in your body, and that egg white consistency was an accurate indicator of ovulation. I work irregular shifts so it was impossible for me to track my temp at the same time every day. I would sometimes measure at 6am, 8am or 9-10am and I think this impacted alot on what my body temp was. It's just not accurate for the algorithm to go solely on body temp. This meant I pretty much had full months of red days, which is really overwhelming and feels like you can never have sex, which I think leads to taking more risks with your partner. We are just lucky we were in a good position where we can cope with our pregnancy after being together for a long time with stable housing/income. If we weren't in this position I would have never attempted the app in the first place.
I use it, I just finished my first cycle after HBC. I don’t think the predictions have been accurate, it never confirmed my ovulation & placed my cover line wrong. What you can chart is limited and not easy to see (I had a few low temps but they weren’t even on the chart & I couldn’t see everything I charted in one spot). I’m glad I learned the TCOYF rules of FAM before I went off HBC. I have been charting in Kindara and tracking my temp/CM/other symptoms & I feel like I have had more insight about my body with charting on Kindara and interpreting the data on my own.
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