Effectivness of multiple forms

[johan_hammy]

What is the effectiveness of more than one form of birth control? Examples: the shot (or the pill) when used with say the rhythm method or a spermicide or whatnot.

We're both clean, so there's no risk of anything transmitting that's not supposed to be, but would prefer to not use a condom.

If for example, both methods are 95%, could I take 95% + 95% of that remaining initial 5% (resulting in 99.75%)? Perhaps assume a little less, cause nothing works perfect?

Using the numbers from the site for the shot (99.9%) and rhythm (87%) would result in 99.987% percent (1.3 failures out of 10,000 times).

[thetease13]

Excuse me while I become stupid, but what the fudgenut is the "rhythm method"?

What does rhythm have to do with BC?

The condom is always the safest bet to use with another form of birth control.
Nothing is of course 100%, even if you use every form their is out there (such as the pill, condom with that noxlkjglfkglfdgjljd 9 stuff, female condom, and spermicide lube), but the more you use, the better your chances are of something not getting through.

But really, even if you're both clean, you should still use a condom because it's going to stop at least a fair amount of them little squirmmies (yes, I just said that but it's 12:30 in the morning and I'm tired. lol.) and it's a lot better than letting them swim around freely inside of her.

[soulmates82]

my thought here is that most couples in dating relationships should use another form of birth control rather than the rhythm method. the rhythm method involves the woman knowing her body and what stage of "the month" she is in. you take your temperature every day, observe the consistency of vaginal dischage, note breast tenderness, moodiness, cramping, ..... really get to know and read your body which helps form a pattern of sorts and you can determine the days you ovulate, days eggs are most furtile and thus i you WANT to conceive would be best days to try. or days to avoid or use a rubber on if you DONT want to get pg....
it is not fullproof. it requires you follow a routine which you have to pay STRICT attenton to accuracy to detail and you keep charts and factor in outside influences such as illness....
there are several good web sites that explain this way better and more clearly and give step by step instruction....
im 45 and have used RM for 20 years or so. im not saying you have to have a set trial period to learn before it is ALL you use but really suggest you start the charting and take temp and watch the other indicators for quite some time and use another form of bc until you have master control of reading your body rhythm and are 200% comfortable with the knowhow to the extent you are really really really sure you understand what the signs signal and are 300% so sure that you know, you are willing to risk getting pg to "prove" it.

[johan_hammy]

thetease13: Check out the main site ( www.sexinfo101.com ). They have all kinds of BC methods.

soulmates82: Thanks for the caution, however we wouldn't be doing JUST rhythm. She'd be on the shot, and we'd use a simplified rhythm. Basically she's on the shot, but there's also no intercourse during that time of the month where she's likely to get pregnant if not on the shot.

[demonbuttercup]

Yeah but isn't the pill/shot and using the rhythm method kind of hard to pull off? or pointless?
I mean to use the RM you are supposed to read your body and know when you ovulate.
When you are on BC you don't ovulate. That's why it works.
Only time you might accidently ovulate is if you miss a pill or are late w/ a pill?? right??
So if you do that, then how do you know the window you might ovulate. Is it the minute you forget? is it a day later? 2 days??
Too confusing.
I'd probably just use some kind of spermicide and not always cum inside her.

[johan_hammy]

I dunno, I'm new to this whole thing.

So ovulation is different than her period? On the pill, she has her period in that week window, right? How does this work with the shot that's always there?

thx for the recommendation

[demonbuttercup]

Yeah ovulation is when she would actually release her egg to be fertilzed. You count the first day of her period as Day 1.
You ovulate around Day 14, so a week or so after your period.
Now the pill and other hormonal BCs work because they actually stop you from ovulating. So there is no egg to fertilize.
Yes shots do usually stop your period b/c it is a constant release of hormones.
Technically you can do that with regular BC pills as well. Instead of taking the placebo "period" pills, you would just start a brand new pack and if it works right, you wouldn't get your period. Now they have a new BC pill that does exactly this but it lets you have a period every 3 months I think it is.

RM is sometimes hard because if you are right on schedule you could ovulate on day 13 or 15. And remember sperm can live a little while in the vagina so even if you had sex on day 11 or 12 and she happened to ovulate on day 13, the possibility is there... does that make sense? lol kind of confusing
Does this help any?

[thetease13]

Ah, ok. I see now.

But yea, rhythm method? There's no way in hell i would rely on that.

Most women ovulate around the same time of their cycle every month. But sometimes it comes a little early and sometimes it comes a little late.
And as demon said, sperm can live inside her vagina for a couple days or so, so if you did it, and then the next day she ovulated, she could still become pregnant.

[johan_hammy]

So let me see if I got this... With the shot and proper usage of such, there is no specified time where she is likely to get pregnant? If it does happen, its because at that particular time, the hormones were unable to prevent ovulation AND the semen were able to go past that increased mucus at the cervix?

Because she is not ovulating during this time, there is no period.

Is it safe for her to never ovulate\never have her period, or should she have scheduled down times? Well, I take that back. It's supposed to take 6 - 9 months after being removed from the shot for her to be fertile again, so I suppose on and off isn't real effective.

[thetease13]

Here, I'll put it in simple terms.

Just because you're not "supposed to" get pregnant while on BC (no matter what form), doesn't mean it can't happen.

I knew someone on the pill AND they used a condom and one still got through.

There's no exact pinpoint in time really where she can or cannot get pregnant (unless you of course want to walk around with a thermometer and measure when her temp is up during a certain time and that's why she's ovulating). The most logical time where she wouldn't would be while she's on her period, like the first or second day. But that's not to say it can't happen because some people do ovulate while on their period and those are the people with shorter cycles.