4 ms·

I don't think it necessarily contradicts the NYT chart. Fertility awareness ~can~ be fairly effective. I think the problem is that the linked paper only studie

I don't think it necessarily contradicts the NYT chart. Fertility awareness ~can~ be fairly effective. I think the problem is that the linked paper only studied women for 12 months (try doing NFP for 10 years and saying it's effective) and they cherrypicked them too... normal cycles (!), partnered, specific age range, para 1 (!!!). That is definitely not going to match up with what NYT used and I wouldn't be surprised if any one of those points ends up making a difference. I'm trying to get pregnant for the first time right now with still irregular cycles, and NFP for the purpose of pregnancy (educated, and I spend a LOT of time on a lot of communities about this) is a huge headache. There's no way I'd try this as birth control.

michaelsbradley 12y ago
I'm in my late 30s and have met and know couples who use/d NFP for a decade+. No one I've spoken with has said it's a huge headache, though some have candidly admitted that the self-control factor is sometimes challenging (that aspect is going to vary by couple, of course). I can't speak to your experience, and as you say you have irregular cycles. BOM can actually be quite simple for many couples, STM a little less so since it tracks more fertility signs. Here's a more recent report on a German study: http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/22/5/1310.short http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/22/5/1310.short "The STM is a highly effective family planning method, provided the appropriate guidelines are consistently adhered to."