Natural Family Planning Tracker

[Robb Bates]

My wife and I practice Natural Family Planning. It's a method of avoiding pregnancy without the use of contraceptives. There are various methods of this, but they all involve tracking the woman's ovulation cycle.

I've looked for something specifically designed for this but have had no luck other than one that predicts the ovulation cycle based on the phases of the moon and the orientation of the constellations. (no, really!)

So, unless someone can point me to an NFP program, what programs are out there that my wife can use to track this. All she really needs is some program that she can enter a small amount of text or display some kind of icon in a monthly calendar format. I guess some kind of journal program.

I wonder if PI5 would do that. I haven't looked at it. But I don't know if I need to spend $25 for such a simple task.

Any ideas?

Robb

[karinatwork]

Have you checked out Pocket Woman?
http://www.mobi-systems.com/product-info.asp?ID=49&PlatformName=PocketPC

It's a little pricy, and I haven't used it yet, but it seems like it's supposed to do just what you asked it would.

Maybe you can download a trial. Good luck!

K.

[Robb Bates]

Thanks, That seems to be just what my wife is looking for. But dang are they proud of their stuff! $30? :? I don't think so.

Robb

[Godsongz]

Keep an eye on it though Rob, eventually you'll catch it on sale I'm sure.

[famousdavis]

If I recall correctly, my sister-in-law and her husband tried Natural Family Planning for a while. They live in Chicago....they, and their 5 children. 8O

[Godsongz]

If done right, (which means keeping very accurate data on the woman's cycle, hence a good use for a PDA), NFP can be very effective.

[Robb Bates]

Too true Godsongz. Most bad experiences with NFP have been because of not following the instructions. Plus there are good NFPs and not so good NFPs. The best ones, if followed correctly have a 99% effectiveness. Not so with other birth control methods. And NFP has ZERO side effects. Most women would be SHOCKED to find out what dangerous side effects come along with the pill.

Anyway, back to the topic. I've looked at Pocket Woman and it seems pretty cool, but it's $29.95. I think just a simple journal with a monthly view would work just as well.

Any ideas?

Robb

[Godsongz]

Maybe a pocket excel spreadsheet with columns laid out for the data you need to track.

[JvanEkris]

My wife uses it. Apperantly (i'm just the inocent victim of this tool) it is verry intelligent. It works both on just measuring the normal time between ovulations, but also on measurements of the body temprature. It displays nice graphs of her body temprature and prediction of the periods she could get pregnant, and when she ovulates. It needs a couple of months to make more accurate predictions. All data is encrypted on the PocketPC using blowfish: so i can't get to these data (it is always good to have some surprises in married life).....

I convinced her to write a review for the dutch PocketPC club, but after some months of testing she still has not delivered the review. Some other woman on the board use it for NFP, and according to their account it is reliable......

Jaap

[karen]

And NFP has ZERO side effects. Most women would be SHOCKED to find out what dangerous side effects come along with the pill.

Robb

Ok, every decision has costs, benefits, and risks...of course there are side effects...they just aren't chemical.. :oops:

[Paul Martin]

You might check some of the major sites, like Handango, to see if they offer it (they do, I checked.) You can often find discount codes available. Even 10-15% is better than nothing!

[Jason Dunn]

Thanks, That seems to be just what my wife is looking for. But dang are they proud of their stuff! $30? :? I don't think so.

Pocket PC = niche market (comparatively speaking)
Family Planning Software for Pocket PC = niche of a niche

$30 isn't so unreasonable when you consider they probably don't sell many copies of the software...it's the nature of the business.

[Jason Dunn]

You might check some of the major sites, like Handango, to see if they offer it (they do, I checked.) You can often find discount codes available. Even 10-15% is better than nothing!

He's a PPCT subscriber (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/subscribe.php), so he has access to a 15% Handango discount coupon already. ;-)

[JGRicci]

i found a piece for 7.95$ on handango that does what you want as well


http://microsoft.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=75&jid=67F558DDEX4F68X7FX26F6982XCEB62X&platformId=2&productType=2&productId=27397&sectionId=0&catalog=30

called P&P control

[Robb Bates]

Hmmm, that's not bad.

All the programs I've seen use their own form of NFP and they tell you when the woman's ovulation period is based upon their calculations. Unfortunately, the method they use is different from the the one we use.

I'm going to give up on looking for a NFP specific program and start looking for a journal program. Just a simple daily diary kind of thing. I think I'll start a new topic.

Thanks y'all,

Robb