Any ladies using Persona?

Teamhair · 23-08-2006 11:02AM #1

Hey, just a quick post. Is anyone here using Persona as a method of contraception? Just wondering what people's experiences are and how they feel about it. Thanks.

Nevyn · 23-08-2006 11:31AM

http://www.persona.org.uk

PERSONA works by monitoring the hormones that directly control your cycle.

The levels of these natural chemical 'messages' rise and fall as they regulate the various stages of your cycle. This makes it possible to identify the days around ovulation when you are at significant risk of becoming pregnant.*

The Test Sticks collect hormones from your first urine of the day and process them into information that can be read by the Monitor. The Monitor then reads, stores and uses this information to let you know whether you are at risk of becoming pregnant ('Red' Day) or free to make love without a contraceptive* ('Green' Day).

To see an example of how hormones change and how the Monitor reacts click here.

The egg usually only survives for up to a day, however it is possible for sperm to survive for several days inside your body around the time of ovulation. PERSONA takes into account both egg and sperm survival times.*

During the first month of use, PERSONA will ask for 16 tests (day 6 and days 9-23) in order to build up a complete picture of your individual cycle as quickly as possible. From then on it will only ask for a test on 8 days of each cycle.

*Based on independent trials, PERSONA is 94% reliable when used according to the instructions and as the only method of contraception. This means that if 100 women use PERSONA for one year, 6 are expected to become pregnant as a result of sex on a 'Green' Day due to PERSONA incorrectly identifying their fertile days.

http://www.persona.org.uk/PersonaLegal.cfm

You must NOT use PERSONA if…

*
your cycles are shorter than 23 days
*
your cycles are longer than 35 days
*
you have experienced menopausal symptoms
*
you are breast feeding
*
you are using hormonal treatments e.g.
- hormonal contraception
- fertility treatments
- hormone replacement therapy
*
you are using any other treatment which may affect your cycle
*
you are currently taking antibiotics containing tetracyclines. If you have any doubts about whether the antibiotic you are taking contains tetracyclines, you should consult your pharmacist or doctor.
*
you have impaired liver or kidney function or polycystic ovarian syndrome
*
you are unable to accept the risk of pregnancy associated with the use of PERSONA

No method of contraception can provide 100% protection against pregnancy. Based on independent trials, PERSONA is 94% reliable when used according to the instructions and as the only method of contraception. This means that if 100 women use PERSONA for one year, 6 are expected to become pregnant as a result of sex on a Green Light Day due to PERSONA incorrectly identifying their fertile days. The reliability of PERSONA is dependent on abstinence on all ‘Red’ Days. The risk of pregnancy is considerably greater if you have sex on a ‘Red’ Day even if you use a barrier method of contraception, e.g. a condom.

Hope you find this helpful.

23-08-2006 11:39AM

Would the onset of a stressful event leave you vulnerable?

SingingCherry · 23-08-2006 08:57PM

I use persona and have now for the past 4 months. So far so good! It can be a pain sometimes when you would like to have sex and the light comes up red. Or when you're on holidays and you would like to sleep in late but you have to check the device within a speicified 6 hour window of time.

For example, I get up at 7 every morning so when my cycle started I set the monitor at 7am. So, I have three hours before 7 and three hours after 7 to check the monitor for the rest of the cycle. If I sleep in while on holidays and forget to check it, it can throw off the rest of the month (mostly more red days than green).

I really do like it, though. It lets you be a bit more spontaneous, which is always good, and get to know how your own body works. It's better than the alternative but I wouldn't recommend it if you can't afford to become pregnant. It can't always be right, you know?

I hope this helped.

Teamhair · 24-08-2006 11:35AM

Thanks for that. I'm planning to start using it with my next cycle, which starts end of this month. Only thing is, I'll be travelling to Canada in September and I'm not too sure how to deal with the 5 hour time difference. I'm guessing there will be detailed info in the pack, but I'd still be curious as to what I may be expected to do. I really don't want to mess it up in the first month! Maybe I should wait until my cycle begins again end of September?

SingingCherry · 24-08-2006 08:01PM

It would be a problem if your travel and your first cycle overlap, unless you are willing to wake up 5 hours before your usual time to check it and pee on a stick, i.e. If you usually check it at 7am in Ireland, then you would have to check it, at the latest 5am (since there is a 3 hour window each way).

Also, you have to pee on the stick with your first pee of the day because your hormones are highest then, so you just can't start later on in the day in ireland to compensate for the time difference.

Again, I hope that helps

d-redser · 20-03-2007 11:20AM

Blue_Lagoon wrote:

Would the onset of a stressful event leave you vulnerable?

I am considering using this as my contraception and that is a good question...

Any ladies using Persona?

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