Cosmopolitan_Australia_October_2017

REALITY CHECK

ARE THERE ANY RISKS TO USING A TAMPON THE DAY BEFORE

MY PERIOD STARTS?

Generally, it’s safe, although it can be uncomfortable. Blood

helps lubricate your vagina, making it easier to insert and take

out a tampon. And you’ll still need to swap tampons regularly

(to avoid toxic shock syndrome), regardless of whether you’re

bleeding. If you’re worried about spotting on a brand-new swim-

suit or a new pair of white jeans, stick with a smaller, slimmer

tampon to reduce chances of vaginal irritation. (^) #
safeguard you if you can’t commit
to abstinence or strict condom
use on all your fertile days.
The major drawback
Even if you are up for more than
a week of abstinence or back­up
protection every month, FAM

• like the Pill – does not protect
  against STIs. So make sure you
  and your partner test negative
  before signing up. Then enjoy
  the perks. ‘FAM is free or low­
  cost and has no side effects,’ says
  Dr Katharine O’Connell White,
  assistant professor of obstetrics
  and gynaecology at Boston
  University School of Medicine.
  It may seem unlikely that a
  generation raised on pharma­
  ceutical birth control could ever
  really trust pregnancy prevention
  to an app. But surveys suggest up
  to 60 per cent of contraceptive­
  using US women (there aren’t any
  Aussie stats yet) are interested in
  learning more about it.
  If you’re thinking of going
  all­natural, download an app and
  ask your gyno to show you how
  to assess your cervical fluid and
  any other markers you need to
  track. And before giving it a try,
  have an honest discussion with
  your partner. ‘You both have to
  be able to respect the restrictions
  during your fertile period,’ says
  Dr White.

The withdrawal method

(aka pulling out) may also

be non-hormonal and all-

natural, but at 22 per cent,

its typical-use failure rate is

higher than that of modern

FAM. Despite this stat –

and the fact that everyone

seems to know someone

who got knocked up this

way – it’s gaining in

popularity. The number of

sexually active women

ages 15 to 44 who’ve tried

it increased 140 per cent

between 1982 and 2010,

per the CDC. But pulling

out means trusting your

man to think clearly at

precisely the moment he’s

least likely to be thinking at

all. Also, it’s possible to get

pregnant from pre-ejaculate.

The bottom line: don’t take

a chance with it.

Ask

Dr

Ashton

WHY CAN’T

HE JUST

PULL OUT?

WORDS BY RACHAEL SCHULTZ. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHARI NEMENTZIK. SOURCE: DR JENNIFER ASHTON, MD, OB-GYN AND ABC NEWS CHIEF WO

MEN’S HEALTH CORRESPONDENT. GETTY IMAGES

Best

apps

BILLINGSMENTOR

Using your cycle

dates and changes

in cervical fluid,

it tracks your

fertility in a bar

chart. Top-rated

by FACTS.

NATURAL

CYCLES

Input your daily

temperature and

it’s algorithm spits

out green (good

to go) or red (keep

your pants on).

LILY

Use the calendar-

based mode if

your cycle is

regular. If it isn’t,

you can track your

cervical fluid and

body temperature.

THESE THREE ARE

BACKED BY ACTUAL

SCIENCE – NOT

JUST GLORIFIED

CALENDARS

generations mostly relied on

marking down your period on

a calendar and using math to

estimate when you’d ovulate

(hence the rhythm method’s

high failure rate), the modern

approach to FAM involves taking

your temperature and observing

changes in cervical mucus, which

more accurately predict fertility.

A new crop of apps makes it

easier than ever. One, Natural

Cycles, was recently deemed as

effective as the Pill by a clinical

study. Earlier this year, it was

certified by a European Union

regulatory body as a method of

contraception – although not

yet here in Australia.

The failure rate of modern

FAM is between 2 and 14 per

cent with typical (not always

perfect) use according to the

most recent study review. (The

CDC’s failure rate, which still

includes the old­school rhythm

method, is 24 per cent.) Condoms,

by comparison, have an 18 per

cent fail rate with typical use,

and the Pill, 9 per cent.

FAM fails not when people

have unprotected sex during

their non­fertile window but

when they misjudge or ignore

their fertile window, says Dr

Duane. The best fertility tracker

apps can help reduce the margin

of error. But beware: no app can

REALITY CHECK

ommit

dom

e than

ck­up

AM

rotect

e you

tive

njoy

low­

’ says

White,

trics

n

cine.

hat a

The withdrawal method

(aka pulling out) may also

be non-hormonal and all-

natural, but at 22 per cent,

body