Failure of the Calendar Method

I've had regular, monthly, fairly predictable menstruation cycles for what seemed like forever, and I'll admit that for a long time, I've relied a lot on the calendar method for contraception. This method, also called the rhythm method, assumes that you will be able to predict your "fertile days" based on the average length of your cycles. So, if I could have predicted when I was due to ovulate, then why did I get pregnant and why am I now suddenly a mother? What went wrong, or you might say, right?

Don't get me wrong - I'm very happy I had my daughter. But I'll be the first to admit that the pregnancy came at a time I wasn't ready. I was in first-year medical school then, and had high hopes for myself for a successful career ahead. I didn't have a steady source of income, except if you count weekly allowances from my parents. =) The closest thing that I ever had then to becoming a parent was a steady boyfriend. And yes, that's still a pretty long way from being really ready to become a parent.

Anyway, things happened, and I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain it here. But there it was - a missed period and a big fat positive on a home pregnancy test. So, why did the calendar method fail me?

For one thing, having regular periods isn't in any way an assurance that you'll be a regular "menstruator" for the rest of your life. There are things that can influence your periods, such as nutritional deficiencies or problems with your thyroid hormones or your ovaries. For me, what did it was stress. I was studying day in and day out, even on weekends.

So there, two missed periods and I finally decided to take a pregnancy test. It showed me two lines which meant that it was indeed positive. I was in denial at first, and even took a blood test in the hope that my two home pregnancy test have shown false positive results. But gradually, I came to accept the pregnancy, just as I came to accept the fact that I had been wrong to rely solely on the calendar method as a contraceptive measure.

So, my recommendation to readers out there who want to prevent pregnancy but aren't sure about the calendar method, better use a back-up method, such as condoms and/or withdrawal. A combination of different methods definitely means a lesser chance of failure, and I'm sure it would put your mind more at ease as well.