According to that logic, I’m living proof that p-pills are ineffective as birth control. The existance of a single failure does not show that a method is ineffective, it shows that it isn’t perfect.
Well, personally, I would say this method might be useful in ACHEIVING pregnancy, but I certainly wouldn’t rely on it to PREVENT pregnancy.
It worked well for me for 11 months, till one day I miscalculated and had sex on what I thought was a “safe” day.
I have a lovely daughter, though. 
However I know a couple of people who have used it faithfully for years and did quite well with it, however they were using it more to space their kids apart a bit and were planning to have lots of kids.
I’d stay the heck away from this method – a recent study suggests that the hormonal cycle and ovulation are not nearly as well-synched as everyone thought – and that a woman can ovulate more than once a month.
http://www.health24.co.za/news/Sexuality/1-944,23218.asp
–Cliffy
There’s the old joke,
Q: what do you call a woman who practices the Rhythm method?
A: Mom
There was quite a bit in the news just a few weeks ago about recent studies indicating that some women ovulate more than once per cycle. If you’re one of those women, that would obviously complicate (or contraindicate) using any kind of temperature/calendar methods.
Sorry no cite.
Well, if you have a method that is 99.5% effective (I think that’s the number thrown around for Depo) then SOMEBODY is going to be that .5%, right? I have a friend whose lovely baby girl was conceived not long after a Depo shot. We all (jokingly) thanked her for taking one for the team.
Behold:
http://www.health-nexus.com/rhythm_method.htm
http://www.contraception.net/resource_centre/rhythm_method.asp
It’s true that the calendar method was once the only rhythm method, and that many advocates of “Fertility Awareness” methods equate the two (so as not to attract bad press for their own programs), but there is little difference in their effectiveness and no difference in the basic concept; moreover, all such methods are far less effective than chemical contraceptives or IUDs. Of course many people can report that they had no children while using such methods – limited abstinence is 25% effective even when you have no idea when you’re ovulating. Hell, my wife took the better part of a year to get pregnant when we were trying – what percentage of couples using a rhythm method would discover the same?
ultimately, only 1, really.
Thanks for the link Kaio.
The rhythm method is what I remembered being taught (loosely) in school.
This new “device” is basically a computer with a very senitive thermostat. It’s supposed to detect minute changes to temperature and figure when ovulation takes place. Because it takes your temp everyday I would assume if you ovulated twice in a month, it would detect the changes.
IUD is also another option we’re considering. She hasn’t seen her gyno yet to ask (she did ask about BCPs and got a free package of them to try out).
And withdraw is working for us now (in combination with condoms) and no problems yet for the past 2 years…hell, maybe one of us is infertile. We won’t really know until we start really trying for a kid (in the next 1-2 years).