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The effectiveness of calendar contraception: is it possible to get pregnant before menstruation?
The method of calendar contraception is the calculation of the days in the menstrual cycle during which a woman has a high chance of becoming pregnant. By identifying the most dangerous days, you can protect yourself by using traditional contraception or by abstaining from sex until the safe period.
Effectiveness of calendar contraception
Methods for calculating fertile days
Fertile days are usually calculated using the calendar and temperature method. In the first case, a woman must mathematically determine the days favorable for conception, focusing on the first day of menstruation. However, this method is only suitable for women whose cycle duration is 28 days, since with such a cycle, ovulation occurs somewhere on the 14th day.
Thus, from about the tenth to the eighteenth calendar days are favorable for conception.
The temperature method involves determining fertile days by tracking changes in basal temperature and cervical secretions. During ovulation, the basal temperature rises sharply, and the cervical mucus becomes viscous and viscous, increasing in quantity.
If you are going to use the temperature or calendar method after childbirth, discard this idea. It is unlikely that you will be able to measure basal temperature at the same time in the presence of an infant, and missing periods will prevent you from calculating fertile days according to the calendar.
Remember that this method of contraception will definitely not insure you against sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection.
Is this method effective?
If you use calendar contraception consistently and correctly, its effectiveness can vary from 91% (accurate calendar calculation) to 93% (basal temperature measurement). Thus, 91 out of 100 women can not get pregnant during the first year, but in practice these numbers can be 75%, since the body is a delicate matter.
You can determine the effectiveness of this method specifically for yourself, based on three factors: – the accuracy of calculating fertile days; – a good understanding of the essence of the method; – responsibility for the use of barrier contraception during the fertile period.
If you are breastfeeding and have not yet returned your period, you may not get pregnant. Fertility and ovulation are restored depending on the intensity of feeding and the regimen and return in a period from two months to one and a half years.
Since ovulation starts two weeks before your period, you can conceive before your period resumes.
If you have a six-month-old baby whom you are breastfeeding on demand, and the break between two feedings is less than four hours, and there is no menstruation yet, you can use the contraceptive method according to the calendar. However, it will only be effective if all of the above conditions are met. Otherwise, this method is contraindicated for you until you have had at least three menstrual periods. The best solution is to use a barrier contraception such as a condom.
Drugs that interfere with the calculation of calendar contraception
There are a number of medications that make it difficult to use calendar contraception. These drugs include antipyretics, which lower the basal temperature and change the nature of cervical mucus.
Long-term use of sedatives (except for benzodiazepines), antihistamines and neuroleptic drugs (Clozapine, Haloperidol, Aminazine, Risperidone) also complicates the task. Antidepressants, a number of antibiotics (indicated in the instructions), paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ibuprofen, Aspirin) affect the performance.
If your menstrual cycle becomes irregular or misplaced, be sure to stop or postpone the use of calendar protection. The same applies to women with irregular or long absent cycles during the approaching menopause.
Is it possible to get pregnant
If you have recently had an abortion or have had a miscarriage, remember that such contraception will only help you after resuming a regular cycle that will last at least three months.
The nature of changes in cervical secretion cannot be accurately estimated if you have a fungal infection, candidiasis or sexually transmitted diseases
Basal temperature can deceive you if you slept for less than three to four hours or did not sleep at all. The same will happen if you have a cold or any other factor affecting your body temperature.
If you have had sex during your fertile period, use emergency contraceptive pills, which must be taken the first day after unprotected sex. The effectiveness of such drugs lasts for five days after unsafe sex. Store these medications in your home medicine cabinet to minimize your chances of getting pregnant and quickly use the pill when needed.