On the journey of being a woman, there are countless measures of preventing or planning for pregnancy.
The most common form that is given as protective measures is birth control. If you’re trying to plan for pregnancy, birth control may be given to make your cycles more predictable. However, many are realizing the harms that the hormonal birth control brings and that they don’t feel like themselves on it.
With that being said, many are turning towards FAM – fertility awareness method. To explore this, I dove into the Tempdrop armband and their fertility tracking app to see how it would work.
Tempdrop Basics
You might be asking “What is this Tempdrop that they mention??” I thought the same thing initially.
Tempdrop is a wearable thermometer that goes on your upper arm. You have to wear it all night but it tracks your body’s temperature. When you order, it comes with the raindrop shaped thermometer, an armband, and you can download their free app on your phone. They offer a paid version if you are looking for more features besides the basics.
Per the Tempdrop website, there is no EMF emitted unless you are syncing it with your phone’s app. This was a major concern for me as I try to avoid as much EMF radiation as possible so I was glad to hear that the extra EMF is easily avoidable.
Press The Button
To start using this to track your temperature, you need to press the small button on the thermometer to put it into reading mode. A red flashing light means that the sensor is off and the slow green flash light means that it is on and ready.
If you hold the button down for a few seconds longer then the light will rapidly flash green so that you can sync with your phone’s app via bluetooth.
When you take your device off in the morning, you’ll need to sync it with your phone. Once that is done, it will go into automatic shut down mode as it will no longer sense the warmth of your body and realize that it can turn off.
There’s An Algorithm For That
Tempdrop’s algorithm can give you an estimation for your fertile window but it’s main goal is to provide you with accurate temperatures of your body at night regardless of waking up during the night or restless sleeping. This is another reason that I chose this device because when you have small children sleeping your bed or you’re up at times throughout the night, it’s still going to be taking the temperature so that you can track your fertility.
For the first thirty to sixty days of using Tempdrop, the algorithm is learning your body.
In my opinion, you might want to wait until after 60 days before you trust the readings it provides to accurately follow the FAM method.
Position Is Everything
Here are some helpful tips to make sure you’re using it correctly or if you run into some user error:
- The pointed tip of the Tempdrop sensor should be point towards your elbow.
- Make sure you have it high up on your arm, almost up into your armpit. This will help it make good contact.
- Many find that the Tempdrop’s armband is uncomfortable. You can create your own armband with stretchy fabric, fabric headbands, tape it to yourself with medical or latex free body tape, you can even use a bandaid to hold it in place if you have a large enough one. There are also stores on Etsy that custom make armbands for the Tempdrop.
- Wear the device on the same arm for your whole cycle.
Easy Battery Changing
The company made it easy to know when your battery is low and needs to be changed out. You will get a notification from your Tempdrop app that it’s time to change it. It should come with a green plastic tool to help you open the device so that you can access the battery to change it. Tempdrop takes a CR2032 coin battery which can be found at most stores.
Is It For You?
Overall, my opinion of the Tempdrop armband is that it is worth it. The cost might seem prohibitive, but in the long run, I don’t have to worry about putting hormones into my body and I am more in control of my fertility.
The armband the Tempdrop comes with does not bother me most nights, but now and again I do find it mildly uncomfortable only when I’m laying directly on the arm I’m wearing the armband on.
Do you think Tempdrop might be the right fertility tracking device for you? If you’re looking for a discount code, you can use my link to get $10 off your order at Http://tempdrop.refr.cc/carley.
I hope you enjoyed my breakdown of this awesome device! Let me know if you utilize any other fertility trackers or if you have found the FAM method to be the best fit for you or too daunting.
