Is there a gadget that's good enough for birth control?

July 5, 2009 2:19 PM

Can I use a Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor as birth control as well? Is there another device I can use?

Back in the '90s, I had friends rave about getting little "fertility machines" in France that helped them keep track of their cycles in order to not get pregnant. To the point that they scheduled trips to France to get the little test strips. None of them got "in the family way" before they were ready to.

Googling around, it sounds almost exactly like the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor. But, the fertility monitor in all its marketing material rates its effectiveness on how fast you get pregnant and is covered in pictures of babies.

I'm assuming that's an FDA-approval or marketing choice, not a functionality thing, but I am not an expert on such matters.

Am I missing something? Is there a good reason that I couldn't use this fertility monitor for the rhythm method/fertility awareness method? Is there another device *even better* for such a use that I can get in The States? (Also, $200 and you can only use it for trying to get knocked up seems a bit pricey.)

posted by Gucky to health & fitness (9 comments total)

You can't use ClearBlue Easy. You can, however, use FAM after reading all of TCOYF and then chart. You can chart online, or you can chart on paper. Book, basal thermometer, paper - it's pretty cheap and very accurate if followed exactly.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:39 PM on July 5 [1 favorite has favorites]

See also: previously and sorta-previously.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:42 PM on July 5

Here's what Toni Weschler says in Taking Charge of Your Own Fertility specifically about the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor:

...By analyzing both estrogen and [luteinizing hormone] within the urine, a computer is able to tell you if you are currently in a low, high, or peak phase of your cycle. If used correctly, it can effectively predict ovulation about one to two days before it occurs, while warning you even several days before that. Certain medical conditions can compromise its performance, though, so check the company's website before considering it. (TCOYF, 10th anniversary ed., p. 150)

posted by scody at 3:43 PM on July 5

I'm not sure if this was mentioned in either of the threads that DarlingBri linked to, but you can get either a Lady-Comp (pricey) or a Pearly (similar idea, but less expensive and with less tracking features) shipped into the US. Both of those gadgets are meant specifically for contraception unlike the one your friends got from France.
posted by thisjax at 4:02 PM on July 5

I have used a Persona monitor for birth control for a long time, and based on googling around, Clearblue seems to be more or less the same thing. Here in Europe, I've only seen Persona marketed for birth control purposes, having never seen any babymaking ads. (Perhaps they're not as keen to market monitors as birth control in America for fear of litigation in case they fail?)

I've always heard monitors recommended only to couples to whom a pregnancy wouldn't be a total disaster. Don't get me wrong, they're pretty reliable if you're very meticulous, and also take really good care of contraception during your fertile days. Which some people simply fail to do, rendering the monitor pointless.

Here's Wikipedia on fertility monitors for a short overview.
posted by sively at 4:12 PM on July 5

Yes, you can use the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor as a method of avoiding pregnancy, as long as you do so in conjunction with charting your cervical mucus. It is called the Marquette Method.
posted by Wavelet at 6:13 PM on July 5

(We used a Persona for a couple of years, back in the day. After awhile, we figured we could just as well rig up a red LED and some batteries inside a shoebox, open it every morning and say "It says no!", close the lid again and go about our frustrated little lives.)
posted by slightlybewildered at 6:57 PM on July 5 [1 favorite has favorites]

Yes, I saw those previous threads. Yes, of course I know about Taking Charge of Your Fertility. (Taking Charge of Your Fertility is the DTMF of birth control on MeFi.) Yes, I understand that it's a method for those for whom pregnancy isn't a complete disaster.

I was just hoping to find out if there was anything in the design or operation of a Clearblue Easy that would keep me from using it like a Persona.

Wavelet seems to have nailed it. (And as both my husband and I are bitter Marquette alums, it's about time we got something from MU. Thank you!)
posted by Gucky at 7:33 PM on July 5

I'm currently taking part in a clinical study sponsored by Marquette, and am using the Clearblue monitor as a birth control method. It's the same study that you will read about at the link Wavelet posted.

The only disadvantage to using the monitor, as opposed to just using symptothermal method described in TCOYF, is that those test strips are expensive! A box of 30 is $30-$45, and I tend to use 20 per cycle. Maybe that will change as the monitor "learns" my cycle, but it sure is adding up. The monitor itself is expensive too. It is nice to have something confirm ovulation though, especially since my thermal shifts weren't always obvious.

If you want more info feel free to PM me. I don't want to put details about my lady business on MeFi, but I'm happy to talk about it! :)
posted by apricot at 10:45 PM on July 5