Reproductive Intentions: Matching Behaviour to Intentions

MATCHING BEHAVIOUR TO INTENTIONS: THE THREE PHASES OF YOUR FERTILITY CYCLE

It’s one thing to be aware of where you and your sexual partner sit on the Reproductive Intentions Scale, and it’s another to make the conscious daily decision to modify your sexual behaviour to match those intentions.

For the Symptothermal Method to be successful as contraception, you will need to be able to consistently achieve the following:

Accurately observe and chart your fertility biomarkers
Accurately apply the rules of the Symptothermal Method to identify the fertile window
Modify your sexual behaviour during the fertile window

It can be very helpful to sit down with your partner and discuss how you plan to modify your sexual behaviour during the fertile window. This will allow you to have a clear “game plan” ready. These discussions can be very difficult when you are in the middle of having sex or even in the fertile window. Therefore, it’s a good idea to have these conversations when you are level-headed, outside of the bedroom.

The benefit of having these conversations well in advance often becomes clear once you are ovulating in the late follicular phase – during this time, your body has a clear evolutionary drive to reproduce, which can often result in a higher libido which may bring a risk of “throwing caution to the wind”!

THE THREE PHASES OF THE FERTILITY CYCLE

Understanding the three different phases of your fertility cycle will help you to develop a suitable plan of approach.

As a refresher, each menstrual cycle can be divided into three key phases of fertility:

PHASE 1 “The Relatively Infertile Time”: The first day of your period through to the day before your fertile window opens.
PHASE 2 “The Fertile Time”: The fertile window as identified by the Symptothermal Method.
PHASE 3 “The Definitely Infertile Time”: The day after the fertile window closes, until the day before your next period.

The relatively infertile time is named as such because we can never predict in advance exactly when ovulation will occur. We can do our best to pinpoint the opening of the fertile window (and the Symptothermal Double-Check Method is extremely conservative with this being 99.6% effective), but there is still a small element of uncertainty.

The three phases of the fertility cycle.

Based on your reproductive intentions, you and your partner will need to decide what level of risk you are comfortable with in each different phase of your fertility cycle.

There are no right/wrong answers here as these decisions are highly personal and unique to you as a couple. The important thing is that you are both comfortable with the risks and benefits of any approaches you decide to take during times of fertility.

It’s always important to keep in mind that the Symptothermal Method is only ever as effective as the barrier method you decide to use during the fertile window – choose wisely!

DEVELOPING A GAME PLAN

This week, we will be discussing different methods of barrier contraceptives and their effectiveness and pros and cons. We will also be investigating the merits of “doubling up” on barrier contraceptives and how this might be useful for you if you are lower on the intentions scale.

As an example, you can see below how different situations/intention levels will change how you choose to navigate the three phases of your fertility cycle. Remember, this diagram is an *example only*. How you choose to navigate each phase will ultimately be based on your own personal risk assessment and comfort levels. This choice is entirely up to you and your partner and there are no right or wrong answers.

The most important thing is that you feel confident that your sexual behaviour is matched to your reproductive intentions.

Matching behaviour to intentions will look very different for everyone. For example, someone who is seriously trying to avoid a pregnancy may choose to use condoms plus withdrawal during Phase 1, followed by abstinence during the fertile window (saving unprotected sex until Phase 3). Someone who is higher on the Reproductive Intentions Scale may choose to have unprotected sex during Phase 1, then use condoms during the fertile window, before returning to unprotected sex again during Phase 3. There is no right or wrong answer here, and this diagram is purely to help you visualise how your approach *may* shift as you move through the phases of your fertility cycle.

Using the information that we cover this week, fill out the “Game Plan” in your Welcome Kit with your partner. This will help to ensure you are both on the same page when it comes to matching your behaviour to your intentions.