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Feeling judged for using fertility awareness as contraception?

19/9/2018

 
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Using fertility awareness as contraception can mean you feel endlessly judged.

You might have noticed this in some of the recent press coverage of the contraception app Natural Cycles which is based on elements of fertility awareness.

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A better way to judge fertility awareness and the need for a better app (letter to BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health)

28/8/2018

 
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In their article about the Natural Cycles app, Hough et al quote a Cochrane Review that dismisses fertility awareness based contraception (natural family planning).

A Cochrane Review is an understandable choice but not an appropriate one. It would be more helpful to quote NHS Choices, the Family Planning Association or Faculty Guidance, which all have a more nuanced 

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Natalia's story

20/4/2018

 
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Myself and my partner tried natural contraception with one of the high-street apps for nearly a year before we realised that following the app’s algorithm is something we can’t get used to and will never trust.

We wanted to understand the rhythm of female cycles, and support our intimate choices with proven studies and knowledge.

We had seen lots of doctors and nurses. 

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Does fertility awareness work as contraception?

4/4/2018

 
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Fertility awareness has a terrible reputation. Never mind the Rhythm Method jokes - what about the statistics?

According to one very reputable source, the typical effectiveness rate for fertility awareness based contraception is only 76%.

That means it fails one in four women. 


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If we can fly robots to Mars...

9/3/2017

 
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I loved the start of this film from the Victoria Derbyshire programme.

​At last, women with terrible experiences with contraception services were getting a hearing. We heard about side effects, and trouble getting a diaphragm.

Unfortunately, it didn't follow up on these concerns, or look into how to improve support for non-hormonal methods of contraception

Instead it concentrates on the massive cuts ​

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8 ways to condom confidence

3/10/2016

 
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Using condoms might be an alarming prospect if it's a while since you last used them.

Or your most vivid memory is sniggering while you rolled one onto a banana at school...

They can work very well, but you need to know what you're doing - a bit like fertility awareness.

Here's some tips:


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Postpartum contraception - are we missing something?

18/7/2016

 
I wrote this letter [Free link] with Emma Pickett after reading this research about improving access to postpartum contraception.
 
We suggest that breastfeeding, and so child health, could be supported more effectively if those providing postpartum contraception:

1. Routinely offered the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) as a contraceptive option. LAM can be over 98% effective so long as a woman meets all three lam rules: fully breastfeeding, her child being less than six months old, and her periods not returning. The "fully  breastfeeding" rule means it supports good practice in terms of breastfeeding.  LAM is not always communicated effectively, but that seems like grounds for research into effective communication, not a reason to dismiss it.

2. Adopted a more cautious approach to prescribing hormonal postpartum contraception. There is substantial anecdotal evidence that this can cause breastfeeding problems for some women. Problems are less likely if women who want to use hormonal contraception start with the progestogen-only pill before moving on to the injection or implant. 
 
Please see this web page for further information.

Can postpartum contraception do more to support breastfeeding? [Full text of letter to Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare]

18/6/2016

 
As mentioned in the above post, I wrote this letter with Emma Pickett after reading this research about how to improve postnatal contraception. The full text is here, in case the other link doesn't work:

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Planning to breastfeed and want some support? Read this...

8/1/2016

 
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Reading this book made me realise how lucky I was with my breastfeeding experience. Thanks to absorbing information from friends and ante-natal classes, I expected breastfeeding to be a doddle and it was. Time-consuming but a doddle. There's worse things than having to sit around for hours at a time with a baby attached to your boob.

Unfortunately, not everyone has it so easy. We might be designed to breastfeed but we are also from the generation that was most likely to be fed formula ourselves. What was once routine can now seem mysterious and intimidating.

We hear the glib message “breast is best” but that doesn’t always help. "Best" is all very well but who achieves that? Women need support not just slogans. That's what this book is all about.


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My Champion of Choice post for BPAS

9/12/2015

 
BPAS kindly nominated me a Champion of Choice for my fertility awareness work so I wrote this:

Fertility awareness (natural family planning) is not a contraceptive choice for the faint-hearted.

This isn’t because the method is difficult or ineffective. You need to know what you’re doing, and you need to be able to handle your fertile time, but it’s not rocket science.

The hardest part is probably telling your doctor (and your friends) that you’re relying on it to avoid pregnancy.

I’ve heard reports of eye-rolling and angry sighs from some doctors, or more dramatically “Well, don’t come back to me if you need an abortion”. [Not all doctors are like this, mine was lovely]

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Podcast: Fertility awareness chat with Lisa from Fertility Friday

7/12/2015

 
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Listen to Lisa (Fertility Friday) and myself talk about all sorts of things relating to fertility awareness, including:
  • what kind of person can use fertility awareness;
  • the magic (and horror!) of cervical fluid;
  • the joy of digital thermometers;
  • the calendar calculations conundrum;
  • handling the fertile and potentially fertile time;
  • different ways of learning about fertility awareness;
  • getting ready for pregnancy. 

Listen here and find out more about Lisa's podcasts here

Is Ricki Lake scaremongering?

16/7/2015

 
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At the beginning of the campaign to fund this film about the pill I tweeted “Help out if you can. This is important stuff and I’m sure that Ricki Lake will do a great job.”  I put my money where my mouth is and became a backer, and then didn’t quite get round to writing a blog.

The main reason for my hesitation was I was nervous about the approach that might be taken. 

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Miscontraceptions: what a beautiful film!

18/5/2015

 
Funny, clear and wonderfully well made, this film has a freshness and honesty that makes it compelling viewing whether you’re new to fertility awareness as contraception or you've been using it for years.

The tone is steady, measured and not overly evangelical, which I found a relief. I love fertility awareness but I don't want anyone to feel like they don't have options. 
Those interviewed talk briefly about how profit affects healthcare but this doesn’t overwhelm the main messages, and the film is sympathetic to healthcare providers wanting to do the right thing by their patients.

That said, please stay in bed to take your waking temperature!! The film shows a woman standing up with a thermometer in her mouth. I'm sure there were reasons for this but I can almost hear fertility awareness/natural family planning users crying “Nooo!!” when they see this.

Your temperature changes once you get up and about. One of the advantage of fertility awareness is it means you have an official reason to stay in bed for a few more minutes. 


​
Even so, this is a brilliant film and beautifully done. Watch it!   

An extra safe way to use fertility awareness as contraception.

4/3/2015

 
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I love simplicity – especially when it comes to using fertility awareness as contraception - but sometimes things can be made too simple.

For example, some will say that the risk of pregnancy at the beginning of the menstrual cycle is the same as the risk at the end of your cycle.

It's safer to think of the early days (which start with day one of your period) as low fertility or
relatively infertile, at least while you're learning.

John Guillebaud (contraception guru) says to think of the early days as "amber" and only the late postovulatory days as "green for go".

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Contraception: giveĀ  choice a chance!

9/12/2014

 
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I cycle round London and I love it – the views, being in the open air, knowing how long a journey’s going to take, feeling my blood pumping a little bit faster.

You might think cycling is way too risky and that’s fine by me.  I’m not going to tell anyone to cycle if they don’t feel comfortable with it.

Nor am I going to claim that cycling works for every journey.


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    Author

    Fertility awareness (natural family planning) practitioner and advocate. Wants to see fertility awareness become a routine contraceptive option, not the only option. read more...

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