Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Me, NFP and Technology

I've written about our journey with NFP (Natural Family Planning) before, so please don't hate me for bringing it up again, but much like a woman's cycle, the topic comes up monthly in our house and there are always new things we are learning. 





It seems to me that the first year after a baby has been rough in terms of knowing thyself for NFP.  Recovering, breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, and weight loss/gain, they all wreak havoc on a woman's hormones and make a cycle unpredictable at best.  Even though I give up on breastfeeding around 5 months (or should I say, breastfeeding gives up on me) things still don't get back to normal until my baby is around 13-14 months old.  These months in the first year of a baby's life can be scary if you're trying to avoid pregnancy in the short-term, and I am always interested in any new fertility advances made since my last go-round at using NFP to avoid pregnancy.

We currently use the Marquette Method, which seems to be the best for us after having tried them all.  It's a simple method that uses an ovulation monitor to detect the LH surge that happens when a woman ovulates.  The monitor gives you a reading each day (after using a test stick) that lets you know if you are experiencing Low Fertility, High Fertility, or Peak Fertility:


I've been using the same monitor since 2011, and it's been pretty straight forward for us.  There is a more updated monitor here.  The test sticks can add up, but we feel the cost of them is cheaper than having to buy baby diapers, so...yeah!  

Disclaimer: We have conceived two babies while using the Marquette Method, so I won't say it's fool proof, but those babies were conceived when the monitor read Low Fertility later into the cycle (like Day 12) when I should have been abstaining anyway, but decided to chance it because the monitor hadn't read High yet.  

Soooooo now we start abstaining at Day 6 and wait it out until all signs point to go (and then usually wait some more!)  "All signs" meaning the monitor reads Peak, then wait 3 more days until the monitor reads Low and all other fertility signs are gone.  I know, TMI, but I need people to share like this with me, and we're all adults here, right?  

{Kids - get off the mom blogs!}

In addition to the Marquette Method, we also have two new tech savvy tricks up our NFP sleeves.  They are:


1)  YONO



I received YONO in exchange for a review and I think it's a cool idea, especially if you chart temps to track your cycle.  YONO is an earbud that is worn while you're sleeping that takes your temperature through the night and then sends the data to your phone once you place the earbud back into the base station.  This means you don't have to wake up to take your temperature if you are using Basal Body Temps to help chart fertility.  Not only does it transmit the info to your phone, but it interprets your temps, lets you add other fertility indicators, and charts it all for you.  The automatic charting on the app os a very nice feature, and is a great way to store data.  I am still getting used to wearing the earbud because I sleep on my side, and find myself moving the earbud from ear to ear so that I'm not laying on it.  I'm hoping I will grow more accustomed to it and would say it wouldn't be a problem for back sleepers!  You can read more about YONO here.






I received these tests in exchange for a review, and unfortunately, I seem to fall into the small camp of women who have low progesterone and can't get a proper reading....which I am going to bring up to my OB at my next visit.  It's not something I would have ever known without these tests, as I've never had an issue getting pregnant or staying pregnant, so I suppose the tests were great for that aspect!  I'm also hopng that as my body is still adjusting to life after baby (he's 15 months) my hormones will level off correctly.  

But!  Simcha Fisher is a fan, writing "Amy Beckley is a biologist with a background in hormone signaling, and is a co-founder of MFB Fertility, which developed the Double-Check Test Strips. Beckley says that after two frustrating years of trying to conceive, she realized that women could manage their fertility better if they could test their urine at home for the presence of progesterone, confirming that ovulation had occurred, not just predicting it.  The test strips she developed can be used both by couples trying to conceive (indicating that ovulation has actually occurred) and by those trying to avoid pregnancy (confirming that they are safely past the fertile phase of the cycle). MFB Fertility is currently in talks with Marquette, and the goal is to eventually include these progesterone tests into the Marquette protocols." (more here)



And that, my dears, is the newest NFP Technology to me.  I do want to add that as technology and science makes great advances in how we can track and predict a woman's cycle, we must not forget that Natural Family Planning is a tool to be used by couples who are in a constant prayerful discernment with living God's Will.  No technology can replace the graces that flow when we live open to life in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic church.  

(You can read more of my thoughts on NFP in my 15 years of on and off usage right here.  God Bless!)

14 comments:

  1. I am asking because I am sincerely curious, and do not mean to be snarky. But what is the difference between using technology such as these examples and using birth control itself? It seems to me that such NFP technology is like "living the letter of the law" so to speak or splitting hairs. Why is it okay to use a million methods to chart your every temperature, yet not use a diaphragm? I really do not understand.

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    1. Thanks for your question! We use the technology to gather info about my cycle. That's it. The technology is not acting as a contraceptive.

      After the info is gathered, we decide whether or not to have sex at any point in time. We use no method of artificial birth control (ABC) when we have sex, it is a total giving of oneself to the other. There is nothing preventing a pregnancy in the act of intercourse, unlike ABC. It is just the timing of when the intercourse happens (when the woman is fertile or not) that can let us know if we might or might not be able to get pregnant at that time. Using ABC doesn't work with the woman's cycle of fertility to try and prevent conception, it allows a couple to have sex anytime while trying to prevent conception. NFP is not changing the sexual act, it is just abstaining when fertile and participating when not fertile.

      All that being said, I believe NFP should be used when needed and that an openness to children is part of our marriage vows and they way we ought to live them out. When there's no deterant from having another baby, then by no means should anyone be using any kind of NFP, high-tech or not. Technology in NFP just enables us to better understand ourselves and what we do with that information should be part of a prayerful conversation with God and our spouse.

      I hope that helps!

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  2. Thank you! I appreciate your sincere response.

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  3. Yes! I had the same issue with the Ovulation test strips- I kept getting a second faint line every single time, after my symptoms and monitor both pointed to post-ovulation. I was wondering if my progesterone is low, too, but I haven't had it checked yet.

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  4. Thanks for sharing so openly, Colleen! I find this kind of post really helpful. We just found out that we're expecting baby #4, which is a blessing, but a really totally unexpected one. We've been using Marquette too, and I figure the only possible time this baby could have been conceived was on day 8, when I had no signs of fertility and the monitor gave a "low" reading. I didn't even ovulate until day 14.

    Has this happened to anyone else? I don't know anyone IRL who uses Marquette, so I thought I'd throw this out there -- do you have to be really careful at the beginning of your cycle with Marquette? Or was this just a fluke, potentially? Or, most likely, we're just very, very fertile.

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    1. CONGRATS!! In all my readings, the time after your period ends until ovulation is the most fertile time, that's why many forms of nfp say that to be strict you should stop at Day 6 no matter what the monitor/temps/signs say. I've also learned that sperm can live up to 5 days in the perfect environment so it sounds like you and your husband are just made perfectly for each other and for having an easy time getting pregnant! We are the same :)

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    2. Same boat here. We were using Marquette method and also temping to confirm a thermal shift. 6 days before ovulation- conceived twins while still breastfeeding our toddler. We definitely adopted the strict nfp criteria while I was healing from the classical csection from the twins' delivery :-)

      Thank you for writing this post. It's great for sharing with people who are interested in NFP but equate it with the rhythm method from days gone by.

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  5. Hiya! My husband and I are considering using the Marquette method. I'm due in 2 weeks with a baby we hoped to conceive. We were instructed in Creighton, and I'm glad for that, but I'd rather not have to rely solely on my mucus readings, plus I also have very low progesterone (which likely caused a prior miscarriage and has necessitated me taking progesterone injections throughout this pregnancy to keep the placenta strong). Does anyone know if Marquette has a special protocol for breastfeeding women with low progesterone, or if the method works just as well for women with a hormone deficiency as those without one? Since it seems to primarily track the Lutenizing (sp?) hormone, I'm unsure how much or if progesterone impacts the readings. Thanks!

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    1. From what I understand, the monitor tests the LH surge, which has nothing to do with progesterone. There is a breast-feeding protocol in the Marquette method. If I remember correctly you would test every other day and then reset the cycle once it asked you to stop testing? You should definitely look into that, as whenever I’m using the breast-feeding protocol I’m in a fuzzy-minded state! But progesterone should have nothing to do with using the Marquette method.

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    2. Thanks so much! I'm definitely going to look into it as it's been the postpartum/breastfeeding time that's been the hardest for me to confidently determine where I'm at.

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  6. Thanks for your kind response, Colleen. I think going forward we'll be more cautious. For some reason I had thought that sperm could only last for 4 days, and so I was truly shocked when the pregnancy test was positive. According to my very informal research, sperm can actually last up to 7 days! The more you know ...

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  7. Your honesty and willingness to share even the hard stuff of life....reason #182 why I like you. :) Good, good information. I'll be saving this post because this body is changing all the time over here with numerous issues I've got going on. It's good to know what resources and new technology are available.

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  8. The earlier comment that sperm can live up to 7 days is accurate and our 3rd baby is proof of that. I presently use an OvaCue Fertility monitor which I love as it confirms ovulation with 98% accuracy. Having said that we abstain all the way from day 1 of my cycle to 5 days past the confirmed ovulation from the monitor. Very strict but it works for us. Thanks for your openness regarding surpriise pregnancies while using nfp.

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