Can you use Glow as a birth control method on its own?

Question

My bf and I always use condoms. This app actually has me more paranoid on my fertile days when it says I have a 25-33% pregnancy chance, but also now I’m less concerned on my non fertile (~3%) days. Im considering going without protection on those low days...do other people do this? Is it a reliable method or have you gotten pregnant having sex on a low fertility day? On a similar note... would it be risky to have even protected sex on a high fertility day? 
(We’re tested and std free so that aspect of not using condoms is fine)

Answer

no, it's not reliable. it's essentially a guess based on set algorithms which are catered to you based on your input (logs). it can't be fully accurate because everyone ovulates differently and the only sure way to know when you do is doing ovulation tests. what you're talking about is called fertility awareness and it's not reliable. so if you're not trying to get pregnant, I wouldnt risk it.

Answer

this app is not birth control. its a tool that can help you keep track of your cycle but ultimately is not that accurate unless you are ready for a child but arent necessarily actively trying for one. like the other comment says, this app uses logarithms based on your data and averages. however, just like how it can be off about your period, it can be off about your ovulation. in fact, ovulation is a lot less accurate because you are probably not logging or tracking your actual ovulation. to put it this way, there are people who try relying on these apps to GET pregnant and cant. then they start tracking their ovulation and realize that the apps estimate is way off. also, like the other commenter pointed out, even when done right, fertility awareness is not a very reliable method of contraception. like i said, if youre okay with using a birth control method that has a high failure rate, then go ahead. its your risk to take. however if you do get pregnant, dont act too surprised.

Answer

It differs for everybody honestly. I’ve been using glow for about 3 years now and it has been tracking my cycle to a T for about a year and a half. My boyfriend and I have been having sex unprotected for a year without any scares. We don’t do anything during my fertile week, he pulls out any other time. JUST BECAUSE MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN GOOD WITH THIS APP DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE UNLESS YOU KNOW YOUR CYCLE WELL ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE AT IN YOUR CYCLE

Answer

My husband and I use condoms all the way up until I know I am done ovulating plus a few days, then we have about 11 days of unprotected sex leading up to my period. You can order a box of ovulation test trips to get the exact day. We have had no scares yet in 5 months. But we also wouldn’t mind too much if we did get pregnant as we eventually want to have kids anyway. 
You shouldn’t strictly rely on the app but fertility awareness method can be reliable if done right by carefully tracking symptoms yourself, do some research and know what all the signs mean for yourself in case your timing ends up different then the app says. My mom used it her whole life and never had any surprises, she had me and my siblings only when she planned. I have lots of friends who have successfully used it for years. It’s reliable only if you are very disciplined with tracking symptoms, and can always remember to use protection on the fertile days. The method itself is good, but it’s easy for our own errors to mess it up. I only recommend it if your married so if there is a surprise it’s not as complicated.

Answer

It worked for me for 3 years. My boyfriend and I always had unprotected sex, and we were just careful about pulling out on my fertile days. No scares! Until I accidentally got too wasted to tell him he had to pull out cause I was in the middle of my ovulation days and that one time got me pregnant..

Can you use Glow as a birth control method on its own?

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