Reddit reviews Lady-Comp Fertility Monitor - Fahrenheit

I chart my cycle and know when it is and isn't safe to have unprotected sex. Condoms are over 99% effective and we use those when it isn't safe to go unprotected. You could also just abstain during those times if you don't trust condoms, or engage in alternative intimacy options (mutual masturbation, anal sex, etc.).

I use a Lady-Comp to assist me with the charting. I personally love it.

There is a way to track irregular cycles. As a disclaimer, I've never done it, but many couples do it when they're trying to conceive, but there are couples that do it when they're trying not to get pregnant and they either use condoms or don't have sex during fertile times.

The more involved ways are that you need to do a few things.

1. Take your basal body temp daily, every morning at the same time. When your temp rises, it means you're ovulating.
   
   
2. Check the position of your cervix daily. Soft and low means ovulating.
   
   
3. Check your cervical mucus daily. Thick means not ovulating, thin means fertile.
   
   Many women recommend the book/website Taking Charge of your Fertility. Since the Copper IUD doesn't affect your cycle, you can track this while it's in place if you choose this route. While you begin to get the hang of it, use condoms.
   
   There's also a device that's around $500 called a LadyComp that has an alarm and a thermometer that will do the temp logging for you, and it will have green (non-fertile), yellow (danger zone) and red (use condoms FOR SURE) days. They're usually used for couples who want kids, but again, you can use it if you are scared of spending $800 on an IUD that may expel again.
   
   As far as Apps- I've heard of and used Eve by Glow and it allows you to track symptoms, if you've had sex (with or without a condom), and your discharge, but it doesn't really have support for logging your basal body temp, and I've heard some women say that the ovulation dates that the app predicts are off.
   
   It looks like Bedsider has a really good breakdown on how to combine apps with other tracking to optimize protection.

What about a diaphragm-cervical cap? I don't know much about them besides I think you have to get them specially fitted... might have to use them in conjunction with spermicide though; not sure.

I've also heard of fertility tracking devices on this sub (like the ladycomp--seems kind of expensive though and would also take a fair amount of self control/responsibility.

Otherwise, good on you for taking a stand against unprotected sex!

Or, you can try the lady-comp, for just shy of $500:

> A computer programmed with data from 700,000 cycles, the Lady-Comp sensor captures Basal Body Temperature and then analyzes, learns, and predicts the users cycle with a 99.3% accuracy rate.

Haven't tried it myself, but friends have recommended it.

Look into getting a lady-comp. I got sick of taking hormonal birth control and have switched to the rythem method and haven't looked back. They are pricey machines but they last ten years. Best decision I ever made.