| A | B | C | D | E | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | TCOYF | SENSIPLAN | COMMENTARY | |||
2 | GENERAL | Method | Single-check symptothermal method | Double-check symptothermal method | Sensiplan is the symptothermal method that's had the highest quality study thus far. It was only studied as being taught by an instructor, so that's the only way the full efficacy can be guaranteed. However, the TCOYF estimate is also based on studies where users were taught by instructors, so TCOYF isn't inherently better for self-teaching than the Sensiplan materials. | |
3 | Studied | No | Yes; Frank-Herrmann (2007) | |||
4 | Efficacy | Estimated 98% perfect use, 88-90% typical use | 99.6% perfect use, 98.2% typical use | |||
5 | Instructors | Unavailable except for Israeli version of TCOYF | Available; English - Reply OB/GYN clinic in North Carolina (insurance coverage for those in state; for others, $400 for classes + $75 for materials and thermometer), but they only teach in Celsius | |||
6 | Learning materials | Book, available in English, Hebrew, German, Croatian, Czech, Russian, Romanian, Spanish, Turkish, Finnish, Chinese, and Japanese | Handbook and workbook, available in English ("Natural & Safe" through Reply OB/GYN if in the US and through Kobo if not), German, Dutch, French, Slovenian, and Hungarian | For those strictly avoiding pregnancy and looking to maximize efficacy, I recommend working with NFPTA and SymptoPro instructors as the methods are similar to Sensiplan while being possibly more affordable and also accessible in Fahrenheit. | ||
7 | Book for teens | Cycle Savvy | What’s Going On In My Body? | |||
8 | Apps that evaluate via the method rules | Official - OvaGraph but it doesn't always mark things correctly (iOS/Android/web); unofficial - Lily set to FAM/NFP (iOS) | In English - Lily set to AG NFP (iOS), Lady Cycle (Android), Drip (Android); myWonder (iOS/Android), Ovy (iOS/Android); only in German - myNFP (iOS/Android/web), NEOME (iOS/Android); only in French - Moonly (iOS/Android) | NOTE: Several translations of TCOYF converted temperatures by equating Fahrenheit and Celsius (0.1°F to 0.1°C), which is mathematically incorrect. The correct conversion to Celsius is featured in the temperature section of this chart and it's now also available on TCOYF website. | ||
9 | Paper charts | Charts in Celsius and Fahrenheit | Charts in Celsius | |||
10 | CERVICAL MUCUS AND POSITION | Sensation (from least to most fertile) | Dry Dry/Sticky Moist/Wet/Cold Wet/Lubricative | d - dry/itchy feeling & no mucus Ø - no feeling & no mucus m - moist feeling & no mucus S - moist or no feeling & lower quality mucus S+ - slippery/wet feeling &/or highest quality mucus | Sensiplan essentially separates cervical mucus into non-peak and peak type, which is simpler. TCOYF's mutiple categories (which may also include Watery) are not really necessary and can be more confusing to those whose mucus doesn't precisely follow that pattern. Sensiplan puts focus on sensation as an equally important part of evaluation by combining it with mucus into daily symbols, and also makes it possible to use cervical position as a replacement for mucus if mucus is too scant, confusing or disturbed and if there are never any dry days. Sensiplan is more flexible with preovulatory unprotected sex because calculation rules are very safe even by themselves - in only 0.3% of cycles in their record was the calculation cut-off 5 days or closer to the estimated ovulation. Mucus checks are simply resumed as soon as possible after sex. TCOYF is more forgiving of constant mucus and irregular cycles, but not without sacrificing some efficacy. | |
11 | Appearance (from least to most fertile) | Nothing Sticky Creamy Eggwhite | ||||
12 | Cervix firmness | 3 categories (firm, medium, soft) | 2 categories (firm, soft) | |||
13 | Cervix can replace mucus | No - charted as a secondary sign | Yes - low, closed & firm cervix after menstruation the same as dry days; closed & firm cervix for 3 days the same as P+3 | |||
14 | Non-dry BIP in regular cycles | Allowed if accepting a somewhat increased risk | Not allowed; if never any dry days, can use cervix as a replacement | |||
15 | Patch rule (P+4) in extremely long cycles | Allowed | Not allowed; only during exclusive breastfeeding and in perimenopause | |||
16 | Preovulatory unprotected sex | Only evenings, non-consecutive days unless confident | Any time of day, consecutive days | |||
17 | BASAL BODY TEMPERATURE | 1st high temp | At least 0.1°C/0.2°F higher than the last 6 lows | At least 0.05°C/0.1°F higher than the last 6 lows | Sensiplan is originally in Celsius and TCOYF originally in Fahrenheit, but there's no issue with using either in the opposite scale. 0.05°C to 0.1°F conversion is virtually universal between methods, that's how Fahrenheit methods were created in the first place since the original research was in Celsius. So it's best to use one's native temp scale - whichever scale one has an intuitive feel for - and choose a method regardless of that. | |
18 | Coverline | 0.05°C/0.1°F above the highest of the last 6 lows | Through the highest of the last 6 lows | |||
19 | Standard shift | 3rd high temp is at least 0.15°C/0.3°F above the coverline | 3rd high temp is at least 0.2°C/0.4°F above the coverline | |||
20 | Weak shift | 3rd temp doesn't reach high enough; 4th temp needed anywhere above the coverline | 3rd temp doesn't reach high enough; 4th temp needed anywhere above the coverline | |||
21 | Fallback | 2nd or 3rd temp falls on or below the coverline; temp count restarted, 3rd high temp of the new count needs to be at least 0.15°C/0.3°F above the coverline | 2nd or 3rd temp falls on or below the coverline; 4th temp needed at least 0.2°C/0.4°F above the coverline | |||
22 | Slow rise | 1st temp rises 0.05°C/0.1°F, coverline is drawn through it, 2nd temp rises another 0.05°C/0.1°F, 4th high temp (3rd above the coverline) needs to be at least 0.15°C/0.3°F above the coverline | / | Since Sensiplan is already extremely safe (no post-OV pregnancies in the study), TCOYF's raised coverline can make it unnecessarily difficult to confirm ovulation and may make the luteal phase appear shorter than it actually is. Slow rise exception rule was added to try to compensate for it, but not entirely successfully. | ||
23 | Combining of exception rules | Fallback or slow rise can be combined with weak shift; fallback and slow rise cannot be combined unless an extremely obvious peak day and cervix can corroborate as well | No | |||
24 | Missing and disturbed temps | New edition - 1 of last 6 lows allowed, or 2 with counting back an additional day; old edition - like Sensiplan (most still follow it) | Unlimited; counting back or forward as much as necessary until one has the required 6 lows and 3 or 4 highs | Sensiplan often confirms ovulation much quicker than TCOYF, but since Sensiplan doesn't allow exception rules to ever be combined, sometimes it may not be able to confirm at all. | ||
25 | CALCULATIONS | No unprotected sex | First 3 cycles | Until first ovulation is confirmed; one more temp needed above the coverline if post-HBC or postpartum | TCOYF author Toni Weschler chose not to use calculation rules that limit dry days because she thought it would sound too much like the rhythm method and she wanted to give more infertile days at the beginning of the cycle, but it causes the method to be less effective than Sensiplan. She recommends Sensiplan calculation rules for those who want to be more conservative, though adding calculation rules to TCOYF won't give the same efficacy because of TCOYF's delayed shifts. | |
26 | Calculation rules | First 3/5 day rule | 5 day rule, Minus 20 rule, Minus 8 rule (Doering) | |||
27 | Calculation reset | Last 12 cycles | Only after hormonal contraception | |||
28 | Unlimited dry days | Yes; dry days are seperate from calculation rules | No; dry days are a part of calculation rules | |||
29 | © 2019-2025 Antonela Vuljan | |||||