Lady-Comp®, Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most frequent questions people ask about the Lady-Comp. Have a click around, get educated but if you still have unanswered questions pop us an email on the form which you can find on out contact page.

What is Lady-Comp® exactly?

Lady-Comp® is an electronic cycle computer designed to fulfill the needs of women who wish to use knowledge and awareness of their menstrual cycle as an aide to assist or avoid pregnancy. This is 21st Century Natural Family Planning using thousand year old methodology.

Using a combination of temperature readings and cycle data, Lady-Comp® goes well beyond the traditional "rhythm method" in order to achieve a level of accuracy which exceeds that of the hormonal pill.

Daily temperature readings of the Basal Body Temperature (BBT) coupled with menstruation data recorded by the user allow Lady-Comp to build up a clear picture of the users menstrual cycle. It is able to predict ovulation many days before hand and not just when ovulation takes place as is the case with other contraceptive systems.

Who developed Lady-Comp®?

Lady-Comp® was developed by a team of Gynaecologists, software specialists, electronic experts and designers. Experience with the device in practical use and its proven live success have also made a considerable contribution. The project was supported by the Innovation Fund of the Berlin Senate and the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology in Germany. The electronic brain, containing knowledge about fertility, is manufactured by leading suppliers in Germany where the device is also assembled.

How long has Lady-Comp® been on the market?

Lady-Comp® has been available for purchase for over 25 years, which makes it one of the most dependable and trusted contraceptive monitors on the market.

So how does a computer stop me from getting pregnant?

Good question! Lady-Comp® doesn't effect your fertility like hormonal contraceptives and it doesn't act as a barrier to stop sperm like a condom. The fact is unprotected intercourse only carries the risk of pregnancy for about 6 days a month, Lady-Comp® like many similar contraceptive monitors lets you know when those days are, it gives you a red light, but it can't stop you getting pregnant during those days. You can use a barrier contraceptive or abstain. However, after a few cycles Lady-Comp® gives most women 20-22 'green light days' so you can enjoy contraception free love making without the risk of pregnancy. The chart below shows the relationship of egg development, hormone levels, Basal Body Temperature (BBT) and reg light days with Lady-Comp®.

How LadyComp Works

By understanding your cycle and knowing when there is a risk of pregnancy you have complete control over your contraception - your contraception doesn't control you.

Why aren't Lady-Comp® and other fertility devices recommended more by doctors?

The issue with the doctors is an interesting one. On the NHS the pill is promoted as policy. For a country with a social and a health bill to pay related to every unwanted pregnancy, the cheapest way to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies across the nation is the pill. When you look at observation based contraception such as Lady-Comp® the failures come about through user discipline (or lack there-of).On an individual basis I'm sure your partner is able to take a temperature every day she wakes up and respect the 'red light days' but it's not too hard to imagine more reckless users forgetting to check if it's a 'red day' or not and since they wouldn’t be habitually using other methods of contraception (which is the goal with these methods) the scope for user related failure would increase.

On the other hand if all you had to remember to do was take a pill most mornings, the user related failure rate would be lower.
So when numbers are crunched, the cost to the NHS of the pill, the reduced social cost of unwanted pregnancies and so on, the figures balance with the pill.

How can I use the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) in order to aide in conception?

The length of the monthly cycle varies upon each woman individually. In order to recognize your personal cycle, fertility monitors measure your Basal Body Temperature (BBT) each morning. A subtle change in your BBT signifies ovulation. By charting the length of your cycle and the day of ovulation, fertility monitors, such as Lady-Comp are able to create a pattern that displays when you’re likely to become fertile in the coming months.

Essentially, fertility awareness comes down to using your own knowledge about your body in order to make fertility-based decisions. In order to get pregnant, you will have to differentiate between your fertile and non-fertile days and then have intercourse on your most fertile days. Using fertility awareness is a great way to because it doesn’t involve any hormones or pose any health risks to you or your unborn baby.

How does Lady-Comp® account for varying days of ovulation?

Lady-Comp® assumes a certain fertility window based on prior data and allows for shifts in dates, the same way any gynecologist would. The actual calculation to do this comes from a complex algorithm which crunches hundreds of thousands of recorded cycles to create different models. That window is sufficient enough to handle all conceivable patterns from the tens of thousands of users that submitted their data to create the algorithm and programme the device.

For a comparison of Contraceptive Monitors, visit the Ethical Family Planning website.

RDO Medical, the operator of this website has chosen to no longer be an official distributor of the Valley Electronics range of devices. However we will support our faithful customers who have bought these quality devices from us over the years in any way we can but service issues will not be handled by us. Please do contact us as there are many things that we can resolve quite quickly however physically servicing the devices will ultimatley be the responsibility of the manufacturer.