Clue Birth Control vs Symptothermal method

Loved it for 8 months but got pregnant because I ovulated late one month, I am normally regular in my cycle

Literally no side effects, no fake hormones affecting my body or mental health. Use symptothermal - 11 months in and find temping and checking cervical mucus easy and not at all laborious. We use condoms during fertile window (for me that’s usually about 9 days) and unprotected the rest of the time. No scares and I feel confident and secure with this method. I’ll never go back to hormonal birth control!

I developed a rare side effect on hormonal birth control (hormone mediated vestibulodynia) which I am finally feeling is mostly treated after almost 11 months off HBC. My libido is back and I feel so in touch with my body. Never going back!

You need to know what you are doing with this method (get a good educator to teach you) but once you’ve got a hang of it, it is such an awesome way to manage your fertility.

I follow taking charge of your fertility rules, track using Kindara app. I love no hormonal side effects, found it easy to detect ovulation and I’m enjoying learning about how my body works. We use condoms when I’m fertile which is around a week per cycle which has been totally fine and much better than I expected (having been on the pill for years!)

A very empowering contraceptive method that allows women to learn about their own bodies and to work around what's natural to avoid pregnancy. Any symptoms that I have listed such as migraines occur during PMS. I would highly recommend the Sensiplan method as it has a typical failure rate of just 2%, and a perfect use of 99.6%.

There are several methods under the symptothermal umbrella term, and efficacy rates are based on learning with an instructor. I learnt with an instructor from fertility UK, this was very affordable for a lifetime of cycle knowledge and a year of chart support. The method involves me taking my temperature upon waking and observing my cervical fluid throughout the day, recording this information on a chart which I use to work out my fertile and infertile days. This method is easy to use once you have learnt. The number of infertile days is very dependant on the individual users cycle, but I typically get ten days where I can go unprotected once I have confirmed ovulation and also four days at the beginning of my cycle available to use. The rest of my cycle would be considered my potentially fertile/fertile days, where barrier methods (reducing the efficacy to that of the barrier) or abstinence/non penis in vagina sex would be necessary. A consideration is that the altered sexual behaviour would have to have the sexual partners cooperation too, as they would also have to be willing to use a condom or have alternative sex on the fertile days. I personally have found this method very empowering, having real-time data of what my body is doing and fertility status, working with my cycle phases instead of fighting against them. Learning about my body and reproductive health in ways that are not talked about in society and it is knowledge that should no be hidden from menstruators.