I am currently on the shot after having my child, and I am concern with the health risk of any form of birth control. At this point, I am considering no longer using any forms of birth control. Has anybody tried tracking their fertility instead of birth control? Has this method been effective for anyone? Any advice on the fertility awareness method?
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Yep!
Iâve used it for 6 years now and havenât gotten pregnant lol.
Only advice I have is, get to know your cycle for several months first. Pay attention to your body. Youâll get to learn it and that combined with taking your basal body temp will let you know when youâre fertile each month.
I have not, but my best friend has used this method for 25 years now. She has no children, so it appears to work for her!!
You can get pregnant at anytime. The egg does not have to be released for sperm to fertilize it.
The sperm can travel up the fallopian tubes into the. OvariesâŚ
So rather or not you ovulate (egg being released before period) you can still get pregnant.
Sperm can live up to 72 hours in the vagina and fallopian tubes.
I have never been on birth control, always tracked my cycle (Iâm blessed to have a very regular cycle) and never got pregnant until we were ready. HOWEVER we are still careful because just like with anything it isnât 100%
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Yes! I used an app to help me keep track but you should give it a few months to make sure itâs get your cycle down correctly 
I have been off birth control for 6 years and just track my periods and when i ovulate. I have a 3 and 1 year old, both planned.
A lot of people donât know their bodies and this method is risky if you donât know your body super wellâŚthen youâd end up being pregnant and itâs just not a good idea unless you really know what youâre feeling like knowing everything about your period, feelings and such and knowing how you are when youâre ovulating. If youâre in touch with your body, itâll be easy to track but like I said, not many people know and anything can happenâŚ
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Iâve seriously considered this⌠
I have before and im currently using two different apps to track my cycle.
Yes! This is also called Natural Family Planning and can be done. Be sure you know your body well and track everything. Works well for my husband and I! Good luck!
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I havenât been on birth control since January. I know I can get pregnant, same partner as with my first child. Sex almost everyday. Used pull out method which is supposedly not a great method but on ans off periodically throughout the years (8) we have used this and not gotten pregnant. My first pregnancy I became pregnant after one time of him not pulling out. The rest of that time we had used condoms or just didnât have sex.
I successfully used the Natural Family Planning method for months with no issues! I also used the ovulation strips to help and double check to update my calendar accordingly. And the very last month of using the method we got a little careless and got pregnant lol
Tell me why this is what I wanted to do and tried to ask my doctor and she looked at me crazy like it wasnât a real thing lol 
Itâs a lot of work. I highly recommend getting a period tracker app to help you. Itâll tell you your window of fertility and is a great place to start.
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yes NFP and pull out have work for us for 5 years only got pregnant when we wanted too
Iâve never used tracking as birth control, but I have used it to get pregnant. My warning would be donât rely solely on basal body temp. My BBT never indicated ovulation, I had to track through other symptoms and regular ovulation tests.
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Also consider what how you feel if it fails and you get pregnant. When other birth could be more effective.
Idk with my son I was using a app and we had sex when it said fertile and I got pregnant that same month this time around same app we had sex 2 weeks and a half before I was supposed to ovulate and still got pregnant
My mom did after i was born until she got pregnant with my sister 10 years later. Worked for her
I have used this method for the last 4 years. My periods are very regular and I always know when I am going to get my period within a day or two. I was on the pill for 8 years, took it every day at the same time and ended up getting pregnant and having a miscarriage. After that I decided to just track my cycles and it has worked very well for me. Only got pregnant when we started trying for a baby.
I use the natural family planning and itâs worked for me for almost 9 years now. I have an almost 2 year old and one due August 10th. Both where planned and we couldnât be happier. I would advise though, if your going to do natural family planning that you watch your cycles for a few months to really get a hold on what your normal cycle is off of birth control
You will get pregnant. Everyone I know who has used the rhythm method has gotten pregnant. Itâs not effective because itâs impossible to track your fertile days to a tee as theyâre not always going to be exact.
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Clue is an app that would track it for you
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I did⌠worked for a while but then wound up getting pregnant because I ovulated earlier than was supposed to.
Yes, itâs called natural family planning
Nope didnât work for me at all even though I was regular. Itâs how I became pregnant the last 2 times
I do! I had my first baby at 17 and I started tracking my fertility/ovulation. And did not get pregnant again for 14 years and after 14 years I decided to try and got pregnant on the first try!
Yep! Went a LONG time using this and condoms until I got with my boyfriend now of 4 years. We have 2 kids but they were planned. We have always only used my fertility as protection though. But I had my tubes removed last week so no accidents can happen!
Yep. Got pregnant 4x.
If your cycle is normal then you can utilize tracking it as birth control. Thatâs what my and my SO do. Iâm not a fan of hormonal birth control and we have been doing it this way for 14 years. When we new we wanted kids each time we were pregnant the first month we tried each time.
If you have a 28 day cycle yes you can track it more or less and it should be as accurate. From the first day of your period is day 1 and then count 14days from day 1 and that would be your ovulating days so of course you would do the opposite of getting pregnant so those would be the days you DONT WANT TO HAVE SEX. Wait a few days after that and then you may have sex and wont get pregnant.
Yes, im pregnant with #2 currently oops lol
The apps arenât typically accurate. As every woman and her cycle is different.
I use this method, but on the opposite end (trying to get pregnant). Had to take a class to learn about cervical mucous and the actual fertile days with that.
Successfully used this method my whole life until 6 weeks into my relationship with my current husband when we got pregnant because my body ovulated 4 days early. I had an EXTREMELY regular cycle- like down to the same time of day like clockwork every 28 days.
Definitely threw us both for a loop (I had just gotten good health insurance through a new full time position and was planning on getting into a gyno for birth control for the first time so we could be sure to be extra safe when I found out I was pregnant instead)
I hadnât planned on having a kid ever, let alone with someone I had known for 6 weeks 
But my body had different plans and obviously it knew better than me. 
I track my cycle and use condoms. Iâve only gotten pregnant when I wanted to. Iâve slowly learned over the years my bodyâs signs of ovulation and avoid sex at those times.
I track mine. I did when I was married and now since Iâve been single. Just make sure you get a good feel for when you might be ovulating. I ovulate between days 12-14, so condoms are used between day 8 and 16
Get your tubes tied. The natural method will leave you pregnant every 2-3 years
Yes! The only babies I had were all planned. Never been on BC (except for a month) and it was terrible.
Yes we did it for two years in between each child. Downloading a. Tracker app is helpful and usually after three to four months worth of periods you have enough Collective data pretty much pinpoint when youâre ovulating so you can avoid having sex during that time. We usually use protection or just didnât do it 3 days before ovulation during ovulation and for at least a day or so after ovulation just to be sure there werenât any mistakes
Have a friend that âplannedâ every pregnancy using this methodâŚright down to temperature takingâŚhas 8 childrenâŚall planned to the dayâŚ
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I was on BC pills when I got pregnant with first son 22 years ago. Stopped taking and used rhythm/cycle method for 6 years till second was planned (currently 16). Didnât take anything for 15 years, stuck to rhythm method & now I have a 3 year old! 
I used the âwomenâs healthâ portion of my Fitbit app as birth control, and eventually as a tool to get pregnant⌠and it worked perfectly! My honeymoon baby is 3 months old tomorrow!
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Yes. But you do know you can always fail and get pregnant. Itâs not as reliable, unless you will be so thorough, careful, and always on point with it. My suggestion (which mostly all of my friends and family did) talk it over with your mate how much kids you want. Then, he either gets a vasectomy or you tie your tubes. No birth control is safe from side effects later on. Good luck.
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This can work, but every womanâs cycle is different and can be different every month depending on stress, hormones, illness, or weight. It requires you to be very aware of your cycle, sexual intercourse timing ( somewhat less romantic or spontaneous), and very detail oriented. There are other non hormonal ways, such as a copper IUD, diaphragm, condoms, sponges, or if you are done with children, consider a tubal ligation or a vasectomy. This method can be done, but on a grading scale of birth control, Iâve told people itâs a low B. Nothing ( other than abstinence) is 100%, not even vasectomy or tubal ligation but those two are As.
I have successfully used the tracking method for birth control for the past 4 years with no unplanned pregnancy. I use the Clue app, but there are several apps available to track your cycle. As I have a regular cycle, the app is pretty accurate in letting me know my fertile days. This may not be reliable for individuals with an irregular cycle. In the beginning, I would use condoms as a backup method during my fertile days. Afterwards, we simply used the withdrawal method and were still fine. I would say in order for the tracking system to work, you have to have a partner that is equally as dedicated to this method of birth control. So that will either mean abstinence, using condoms (or if really trusting withdrawal) during the fertility window. I have also successfully used this method to conceive.
Been tracking for 5 and half years. Itâs my only option since I cant take bc. It can be very effective if you know your cycle really well. I would suggest tracking with some form of protection for a few months first.
I did it with 100 percent success for 20 years. Nobody believes me because I have 6 kids. I put 8 years between 2 of them and only got preggers when I tried to.
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You should actually learn the methods from a teacher. I recommend couple to couple league or NaPro Technology teacher. Their failure rates are similar to this of the birth control pill. These methods work with irregular cycles, while breastfeeding, and during menopause. They are entirely natural. No chemicals or foreign objects in your body.
I tried that and got my 4th and 5th child. Good luck though
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Yes! Ive been doing it for 5 years and never even had a scareâŚyou just have to know your body very well!
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I use it for bc, weâve had a scare but it was because we were too in the moment to really care.
Yes. And my 7 year old is proof 
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It worked great until I broke my thermometer and couldnt afford another one. My husband wasnt too crazy about it because of the restrictions. After I broke my thermometer I got PG.
Yup! Itâs pretty awesome!! And very easy once you get the hang of it!!!
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Donât mean this in a condescending way, but Catholics have used it since the invention of other types of contraception. Works great.
Donât do it. Get you tubes tied and donât look back . Snip Snip 30 minutes
We used to call it the Billings method was an acceptable form contraception for Catholics couples
I did for awhile, only draw back you have to take your temp everyday and keep tract of it. Itâs called the Natural method.
I decided to use a tracking instead of birth control and am now 28 weeks pregnant.
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If you can pay attention to small details, you can make it work. I did for years.
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Yes i did in order to have daughters. Then i got a tubal bc who has time for that
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Actually they had me do this when I was trying to get pregnant. 40 + years ago.
Its really risky, and youâll probably not have sex a week out of the month. Itâs not reliable at all though and very risky.
I was on depo for more than 10yrs, worth no side effects except stopped period.
I tried it, thatâs why I had my second child.
I got the shot for 6 yrs never had an issue. Went off had another baby and am back on
You can get a copper IUD. No hormones and lasts for 10 years then you have to have it removed.
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Yes im 57 and never used BC âŚi have two planned kids âŚand never had an unexpected pregnacy theres only about 4 days a mo that your fertile
I suppose you can, instead of purposely having sex during fertile days, you avoid it but it is probably not as fool proof as actual birth control. Maybe try to find something more natural/less hormonal? Can your husband wear a condom?
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I do. 7 days after day one of my period we begin using condoms. Usually I can feel when I ovulate. If I donât feel it we use condoms until I have my period again. I usually have pains for 3 days around ovulation and continue using condoms until the pains go away. Then we put the condoms away until after my period. Works just fine so far.
Yes the shot absolutely ruined my body and mental health so I went completely off BC and started tracking my cycle using a couple different apps and learning my own bodys signs more. I didnt get pregnant until I started trying and literally got pregnant the very first month we tried
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Unless your periods are extremely regular and on time every time its not gonna be a very accurate way. For example mine are always 5 days before or after the expected date to start, never regular. Therefore this method wouldnât work for me because Iâm never really gonna get an accurate read. If that makes since. I have a copper iud and have had it for 5 years now with no issues. Theres no hormones or anything and all I have to do is check the string to make sure its still there at least once a month
This is how I got pregnant Even took my temperature everyday to help track it. Oh well, we were planning to start trying after our wedding this summer but covid changed those plans so it works out well that weâre having a baby first and wedding later.