My thoughts on Daysy…

Earlier this year I threw out all my birth control pills after dealing with some of the harmful side effects those little pills can cause. You can read more about my experience in this blog post. It has been some months since I’ve been using the Daysy fertility tracker, and it is now safe to say that it has changed my life.

Now I am not a doctor or medical professional, nor am I a fertility educator or coach. What I write, I write as my own personal opinions, thoughts, review, and what I learned myself. I strongly feel that each should do their own research and review multiple sources before making a decision.

How does the Daysy Fertility tracker work?

If you are a woman, you are aware that from puberty to menopause you go through an endless cycle every month known as: the menstrual cycle. Basically your period marks the beginning of your cycle, then your body starts to mature an egg and grow a new lining in your uterus. This is followed by your body releasing a mature egg, this is called ovulation. After ovulation, the egg travels down through the uterus and if it is not fertilized it dies, and then you get your period once more, thus starting the cycle all over again.

At different points in your cycle, different hormones surge in your body. These hormones can have small minute effects on our bodies that, unless we are looking for these effects, we barely notice! Daysy takes into account your menstrual cycle length. That is Day 1 of your period to the start of your next period. So however many days pass between periods is your cycle length. Daysy then charts and records your Basal Body Temperature. Your basal body temperature is your body’s temperature when at rest. Your basal body temperature is lower at the start of your cycle, and then after ovulation occurs, it jumps to a more higher temperature. To get an accurate reading of your BBT, you take your temperature right when you wake up after you’ve slept for no less than 3 hours.

By putting your period dates and temperature together, Daysy can help guide you to when you are fertile. Believe it or not, there is only a very small window of time where you could get pregnant. By avoiding intercourse or just simply using a barrier method of protection during your “fertile window” you significantly reduce your chances of getting pregnant!

This is just how Daysy works in a nut shell. Obviously please do your own research to see if this method of birth control is for you. You can always visit Daysy’s Website.

I took this photo off Daysy’s website, it shows an example of a typical menstrual cycle.

How do I personally use Daysy?

I take my temperature at 2am every morning. Why 2am? Well, 2am guarantees me 3 solid hours of undisturbed sleep before I usually need to get up and use the bathroom, or the dog wakes me up. Also, sticking to the same time every single day can help make your temperature reading even more accurate. I then synch my Daysy to my phone and view my chart in the Daysy App.

I then take the temperature reading and record it in another app called Kindara. I will not be sharing a screen shot of that chart because I also chart more personal fertility symptoms in that app. I double chart because Kindara rounds my temps making my chart even easier to read as well as helps me to see where other fertility symptoms fall in my cycle. Other fertility symptoms include: mood, libido, types of pain, sensations, and cervical mucus. Cervical mucus being one of the most important. To learn more on that, I highly suggest reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility.

Putting all my fertility signs and symptoms together, I am able to confidently pinpoint my “fertile window” and act accordingly to avoid pregnancy. So far, in my five months of using Daysy, we have not had a single scare or “accident”. I am now confident to know where I am in my own personal cycle and I communicate that to my husband so he knows as well.

Is Daysy for me?

Research, research, research. That is all I have to say. Also, if you are considering switching to a Fertility Awareness Based Method, I highly suggest you really consider with your spouse whether you are in a position to have a baby. Like, ask yourself, “If I got pregnant tomorrow, would we be ok?”. Accidents happen, even with prescription hormonal birth control. Accidents happen with Daysy as well. As I did research, I found that the most common reason for an accidental pregnancy while using Daysy was due to user error. There is a lot of other factors that come into play when using Daysy. Stress, amount of sleep, traveling, environment, sickness, alcohol, and much more can affect your cycle and cause either delayed ovulation or early ovulation. I feel that Daysy is best suited for a couple in a stable and secure monogomous relationship, where both parties are mature, reliable, and trustworthy. I also feel that one must educate herself on all her fertility signs and symptoms and be able to read a fertility chart. The biggest tool you will need will be the book I mentioned before; “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” as well as the Kindara app.

In a nutshell, I don’t suggest you just jump into this head first. I cannot stress enough the importance of educating and empowering yourself, and giving yourself time to build your confidence with Daysy. For me, it took 3 months for me to really be able to say: “Yes! I know where I am in my cycle and I can finally read my chart and trust what Daysy is telling me!”. If you do decide to make the switch, keep your spouse informed and involved as well. It takes two to tango! All in all, I love my Daysy!!!