Cycle computer

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As a cycle computer measuring devices are facing women their fertility can analyze and record. Body characteristics such as basal temperature , hormones in the morning urine and the consistency of the cervical mucus are recorded and evaluated. The aim of using a menstrual cycle computer can be to induce conception when trying to have children; if it is also suitable for natural contraception , it is called a contraception computer or contraceptive calculator. These simplify the application of the methods of natural family planning . The user can limit herself to regular and conscientious use of the device, while the interpretation of the measured values ​​is carried out by the computer and fertile and sterile days are clearly displayed. Contraceptive computers are classified as class IIb medical devices in the European Union .

Types

A distinction can be made between the following types of devices on the market:

  1. Measurement of the luteinizing hormone using test strips in the morning urine. A prospective multicenter study with 710 women and 7209 cycles showed a method reliability for the device Persona of 12.1. After changing the algorithm, which is based on a more careful calculation of the pregnancy risk, the calculated method reliability of today's devices is 6.2. The Stiftung Warentest states that a Pearl Index of 6 was determined for these devices ; in the case of application errors, it is up to 20.
  2. There are also systems that measure both LH and estrone 3-glucuronide, an estrogen , and are sold under the brand name Clearblue .
  3. Temperature measurement (daily by measuring sensor directly on the device): Devices for temperature measurement are sold by a number of manufacturers under different trade names. A pearl index of 0.6 was shown in a single study for the products from VE Valley Electronics.
  4. Combined systems (temperature and hormones or cervical mucus) are available in Germany to determine the fertile days when you want to have children ( cyclotest baby , cyclotest 2 plus and cyclotest myWay ). Only the cyclotest myWay is suitable for symptothermal evaluation; The symptothermal temperature cycle computer from the Sophia product range by the Japanese company Nishitomo is not approved in Germany .

An alternative to manual evaluation and contraceptive computers is software that offers both the temperature and the symptothermal method. The Stiftung Warentest pointed out in 2000 that the manual entry under the strict rules of natural family planning (NFP) of the working group NFP is more secure in the methods Security with a Pearl Index of 0.26 as the use of a contraceptive computer.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ J. Bonnar et al .: Personal hormone monitoring for contraception. In: The British Journal of Family Planning 24, 1999.
  2. ↑ contraception . Stiftung Warentest, accessed on April 27, 2016.
  3. ↑ P. Binkiewicz, K. Michaluk, A. Demiańczyk: Calculation of the Pearl Index of Lady-Comp, Baby-Comp and Pearly cycle computers used as a contraceptive method. ( Memento of the original from January 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Ginekologia Polska. 81 (11), Nov 2010, pp. 834-839. PMID 21365899 (Polish / English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ginekologiapolska.pl
  4. ↑ Dr. med. Dorothee Struck: Of course, prevention . 1st edition. Gräfe and Unzer, Munich 2019, ISBN 978-3-8338-6844-3 , pp. 121 .
  5. ↑ Stiftung Warentest: Pencil beats baby computers. In: test. 8/2000 (PDF, 318 KB)