Here's a little bit about me. I'm 27 years old, married to the love of my life, and have the cutest puppy, named Brody. My husband and I love kids but are not quite ready for kids yet. Because we aren't ready for that chapter just yet, I have tried several methods of birth control. For a few years, I was on birth control (aka: the pill). And I hated every day of taking those pills. Despite what the doctor tells you, or what research you do online, they're all lying to you. You will read over and over again about how the symptoms should last for about 3 months (or until your body adjusts to the changes in your hormones). Well, I'm here to tell you, I had every single side effect while taking birth control...for YEARS. And I tried every trick in the book to help lessen the side effects. Nothing worked. I was frustrated. I was emotional. I was worried maybe this could cause infertility when we do decide we're ready for kids. I stressed out about what these hormones were doing to my body. I'm a very athletic person and I saw how it affected me in and out of the gym. I was not happy.
I remember one night after going to bed early, tossing and turning. Finally, I went downstairs with tear-filled eyes and I walked up to my husband. Of course he asked what was wrong. I couldn't keep my thoughts straight. I was crying. I was angry. I was insecure. I was miserable. He didn't realize this was a daily occurrence for me. I would only tell him about the "really bad days". I didn't want to bore him with the "sort of bad days". I finally went to the doctor. They prescribed another brand of oral contraceptive. So with an open mind, I finished out the month of my regular brand, had my period, and started the new brand. On the first day (within about 1 hour of taking it) I had severe itching and skin irritation ALL OVER! I brushed it off as "maybe I got some bug bites today". I woke up the next morning and was still itching!! No bug bites. No other symptoms of allergies. So I called the doctor's office and they discovered I was allergic to this one!! Again, they wanted to prescribe a different brand. So I finally called it quits with birth control.
I read a TON of research articles online about what to expect when weaning yourself off of birth control. Most of them talked about migraines, cramping, irregular periods, mood swings, etc. Let me tell you, I immediately felt like I was back to my "normal" self, within about a week. Never had any "withdrawal" symptoms or anything. I discovered my body does not want to adjust to these fake hormones. And I'm totally fine with that!! It's such a relief to not be ingesting chemical hormones. I have more energy, I can think clearly, I sleep better, and I'm doing better with my workouts.
When I started looking into natural birth control and family planning methods, I found Daysy! Using the device is super simple. All you have to do is download the Daysy View app (found in the app store). Every morning, before getting out of bed, you take your temperature by placing the device under your tongue until you hear a beep. Then, you connect the Daysy device to your phone and sync with the app. After enough data is collected, it estimates your fertility window and when you are expected to start your period. This is extremely helpful, whether you are looking for your fertile days (or looking to avoid those days).
Here are a couple snapshots of what the app looks like after you sync with your data'. The green days are "infertile", yellow days are "fluctuating", and red days are "fertile".
If you're anything like me and have tried just about everything, I strongly suggest looking into using the Daysy device. It's very user-friendly and easy to set up with the app. It is not considered a mode of birth control, but, rather a fertility tracker. It's extremely helpful to learn more about the pattern of your menstrual cycle and to be more cognizant of your visit with "Aunt Flow".
If you'd like to learn more, visit Daysy's site here.
XO,
Julie
