The convergence lately between hardline Catholics and Protestants… just sucks. I think (those) Catholics see an opportunity to expand their base into the Christian right by sidelining their church’s traditional social justice concerns, while right-wing Protestant Christians see the Catholic hierarchy as the perfect structure for their Evil Empire, sort of a Borg for them to plug into and take over.

But I’m way, way off the topic of this thread.

For that matter, I don’t understand completely why NFP/Fertility Awareness is OK by church standards but barrier and hormonal methods aren’t. But I think Catholics tend to ignore church teaching on birth control anyway, so.

Birth control is birth control, isn’t it? I’ve always said thet NFP is birth control, it’s just really crappy birth control, which is why the Church wants you to use it. It has the illusion of giving you control, but more often than not it’s going to get you pregnant.

I used to think it was weird that a lot of protestant and evangelical sects have become hard-core anti-birth-control advocates, but, as I’ve learned from reading this site, they’ve just been holding that tendency in check so they could pretend being anti-choice was about being pro-baby, not anti-woman.

For that matter, I don’t understand completely why NFP/Fertility Awareness is OK by church standards but barrier and hormonal methods aren’t. But I think Catholics tend to ignore church teaching on birth control anyway, so.

And have you continued to use it as birth control when you don’t want to get pregnant?

I mean, I’m all on board with learning about one’s body, but given that sperm hang out in the vaginal canal for up to 72 hours waiting around for an egg to show up, I wouldn’t be comfortable having sex with my husband and then discovering the next day that I’d ovulated overnight and, geez, I hope none of those little swimmers make it up there.

I used fertility awareness in my early 30s when I decided that 10 years of hormonal birth control was enough. It can be very effective. It’s about much more than counting days, and it does take into account the sperm’s ability to survive for several days (given the right conditions).

Monitoring the temperature tells you when you have ovulated. Monitoring the mucus levels and cervical position tells you when you’re approaching ovulation. I don’t remember all the details anymore, but it’s a very powerful level of awareness.

I don’t need it for birth control anymore (my guy’s been snipped), but I’m thinking of charting my temperature again just to see how often I’m ovulating. Now that I’m in my early 40s, my hormones are starting to get wonky, and a possible cause of the problem is anovulatory cycles.

So, a friend of mine went to buy underwear in a high-end boutique, here in town (ahem, KCMO). Apparently to impress her new girlfriend. Whatever. So, friend “G” said, “yeah, but I usually wear cotton”, to whatever the artist/owner presented. (I fucking love this store, and, yes I’m getting to the point)

To which one of the artist/designer/owners said about said fancy knickers: “Well, you know… it’s all about how juicy you’re feeling on a particular day…”

Oh, and G does dead-impressions, so I was simultaneously squicked-out, curious, and falling off of my chair at the same time. JUICY. New hate for me.

I don’t remember if I had this problem when I took a dislike to G, but I have a vocal chord disorder and the throat movement hurts these days.