The Daysy Fertility Tracker

Learn about the Daysy Fertility Tracker, how it works as a natural and trustworthy form of birth control as well as frequently asked questions.

Podcast: Modern Mamas Podcast

Episode: 83

Title:The Daysy Fertility Tracker and Fertility Awareness w/Holly Grigg-Spall

Link to full podcast episode at the end of my review!

Author of the widely known book “Sweetening the Pill: Or How We Got Hooked On Hormonal Birth Control”. She is a consulting producer on a feature documentary inspired by ‘Sweetening the Pill,’ which is currently in production and set to release later in 2019.

Holly herself was on the pill for a number of years and experienced severe mental health side effects. These symptoms lead her to do her own research regarding other symptoms related to being on the pill and if any other women were experiencing the same thing. The overwhelming answer was YES.

Her passion on this topic lead her to write a book and become an advocate for Fertility Awareness as a natural form of birth control. She now focuses on helping women come off of hormonal birth control should they wish to and implement fertility awareness instead.

For years she simply used condoms and manually tracked her menstrual cycle as her means of birth control until she discovered the Daysy Fertility Tracker.

What is the Daysy Fertility Tracker?

The Daysy is a small device that tracks your fertility days each cycle by measuring your basal body temperature. As women enter their monthly fertile period their resting body temperature rises allowing the Daysy to accurately indicate if you are fertile or not each day. The rise in basal body temperature is so slight that a standard thermometer is not able to indicate any difference. Whereas the Daysy is a medical grade thermometer specifically designed to read even the slightest change in temperature.

Through this method (and the online/phone application) the Daysy is accurately able to tell you when you have ovulated, when your fertile window is and when your period is coming.

This science-backed device is so useful because unlike what many doctors tell us, our period of ovulation can change month to month. Factors such as extra stress or a change in your workout routine can change your menstrual cycle. This is one of the biggest reasons why fertility tracking apps and calendars are not very reliable. They provide ovulation days simply based on when your period began and ended which, as Holly states, is not able to truly tell you when your ovulation period is.

The Daysy Fertility Tracker has been on the market for several years now and is backed by extensive research studies and over 100,000 research subjects. It is 99.4% effective (and fun fact, other forms of birth control like the Skyla IUD are only 99% effective and the pill…91% effective…).

A Chat About Fertility

The majority of women are not well educated on the fertility cycle. Many of us, especially when we were younger, lived with the fear that we could get pregnant any time we had sex. The reality is that there are only 6 days each cycle during which a woman can become pregnant. This 6 day window is due to the fact that the man’s sperm can survive within the uterus for up to 5 days. The women’s egg only actually survives 24 hours.

Hormonal Birth Control

A Few Facts:

Hormonal birth control was originally tested on both men and women.
The testing of hormonal birth control came about during a time where it was done mostly without consent and on oppressed or minority groups.
It was rejected as a form of birth control for men because of the common side effects, some of which include the shrinking of testicles.
Funny enough, hormonal birth control has also been shown to shrink the size of ovaries and have a huge list of side effects for women, yet these have all been ignored.
The first round of hormonal birth control contained huge amounts of estrogen which severely affected women.
Now, there are many different forms of hormonal birth control: the pill, IUD’s, the nuva ring, the arm implant, etc.
Most of them are either synthetic estrogen or synthetic progesterone and suppress ovulation as their main method for preventing pregnancy.
Some forms of birth control alter the cervical fluid making it an inhospitable environment for the sperm to survive.

Effects of Hormonal Birth Control on Women’s Health:

Can cause or increase clinical depression
Increases suicide
Raises risk for breast cancer
Can cause anxiety, panic attacks, chronic stress, mood swings

The 5th Vital Sign

For women, the menstrual cycle is a huge indicator of a woman’s overall health. Holly explains how Fertility Tracking can do so much more for women than simply act as a natural form of birth control. Using technology like the Daysy to track changes in the menstrual and fertility cycle are able to shed so much insight into things like thyroid health, hormonal imbalances, PCOS, food allergies and intolerances, chronic stress, etc.

Having this accurate portrayal of your cycle also enables you to take note of days you are more apt to feel tired, impatient, a little moody, irritated by certain foods, etc. She also points out how many women report feeling so empowered through the education of their body. They feel much more in control of their bodies and capable of making the right decisions for themselves.

This information allows women to learn how to best love and support themselves throughout the different periods of their cycle.

Men’s Hormonal Cycle

Men experience a daily cycle of testosterone levels. Their levels are highest first thing in the morning and slowing decrease throughout the day. Holly notes that this science is the main reason why many male dominant industries like the tech world hold their team meetings early in the morning vs. later in the day.

Questions About the Daysy fertility tracker:

The Daysy takes 3 menstrual cycles to learn your standard basal body temperature.
In the beginning, you will have more red days (fertile days).

What are the advantages of the Daysy over a standard basal thermometer?

Most basal thermometers average out temperatures over time whereas the Daysy waits until your basal body temperature stabilizes to gather your true baseline. The Daysy also logs and tracks the data and analyzes it for you and provides your fertility status with either a red or green light. Using a standard basal thermometer you would need to know how to interpret the data.

Why would you recommend someone choosing the Daysy over other forms of non-hormonal birth control?

First, there aren’t as many non-hormonal options available: condoms, other barrier methods, copper IUD. The copper IUD can be really hit or miss with women. Some love it and some absolutely hate it and despite being non-hormonal still has side effects. For those in long-term relationships, using condoms on a regular basis is not always preferred or as enjoyable.
The Daysy makes it extremely simple, allows you to enjoy sex to the fullest and allows you to be able to gain further insight into your body and any changes that migh tbe happening month-to-month.

Do you have to measure your basal body temperature at the same time everyday?

No. One day it could be 3am another day it could be 10am. The only requirement is that you have had at least 3 consecutive hours of sleep prior to measuring your resting temperature.
You can also miss a day here and there and it will not have an effect on your data.

Is someone able to use Daysy post-partum even if they haven’t received their period yet?

No, you do need to have your period in order to receive accurate readings.

Is it effective for women with PCOS, endometriosis or irregular periods?

Yes. It is designed for women with cycles between 19 and 40 days, which is most women. If you have longer cycles, you will get more red lights.
For PCOS, they still need to be within that 19-40 day cycle window.

When to take your basal body temperature?

Temperature can only be taken after 3 consecutive hours of sleep and before any movement. This means that as soon as you wake in the morning, even to simply go to the bathroom, you need to take your temperature before that movement occurs. The moment you begin to move your basal body temperature is no longer your resting temperature it becomes your active temperature.

Is Daysy covered by insurance?

It IS covered by some insurance policies. Women are often helped by their doctor giving a letter of medical necessity from either and MD or an ND (Naturopathic Doctor).
There are also two payment plans available through either Paypal or Affirm.

What is the cost?

$330. The reason being that every step of the process is completed in Germany. Everything is held to their high standards from the components to the testing. It is definitely an investment, but it is a long term product.

Link to full podcast here!