Q. Is it possible to use Ladycompi Babycomp without being woken up every morning by, for example, taking your temperature when you wake up naturally?
A. Yes, as long as the time of the temperature reading does not vary by more than four hours. Ladycomp/Babycomp calculates the temperature reading time automatically on a daily basis. Using the previous reading times that have been saved, it then shows the time span for the next temperature reading. A tiny thermometer is illuminated during the time span for the next temperature reading. If you wake up and see that the sensor symbol is illuminated, all you need to do is press the button and take your temperature. If you want to be absolutely certain that you will not sleep through the entire time span, you can set the alarm for the end of the temperature reading time.
Q. If the temperature reading needs to be so accurate, is there not a risk that I will make a mistake when taking my temperature especially when I am still half asleep in the morning? For example the thermometer may slip or be incorrectly positioned in the mouth.
A. The entire temperature reading process is "intelligently" controlled by Ladycomp/Babycomp. This means that Ladycomp/Babycomp questions the electronic thermometer several hundred times a second and expects a clearly defined rise in temperature. If the rise in temperature proceeds in a different way than is expected, e.g. because the thermometer has slipped out of position during the reading, this is immediately noticed by Ladycomp/ Babycomp.f the temperature was not correctly positioned right at the beginning of the reading (e.g. on top of the tongue instead of underneath), this will also be noticed as it will be lower than the other readings stored in the memory. The same applies when the temperature reading is interrupted too soon (before the device indicates the actual body temperature and the acoustic signal confirms the end of the reading).
Q. Is it all right if I don't take the daily temperature reading once in a while - e.g. if I am sleeping away from home or because I want to wake up really late?
A. Yes. As we have already mentioned, Ladycomp/Babycomp can determine your level of fertility because it has worked out the course of your cycle by statistical calculations using the data which has already been entered. In the same way it is also feasible for Ladycomp/Babycomp to fill in missing readings. This is naturally only possible if there are readings in the memory. Therefore at the beginning you should take your temperature as regularly as possible. The more data that is stored, the better Ladycomp/Babycomp will be able to predict your fertility level.If there is not (or not yet) sufficient data in the memory to predict the infertile days with adequate security, Ladycomp/Babycomp will always play it safe: in case of doubt it will show "yellow" = learning area. It is therefore important not to omit a temperature reading unless there is a good reason.
Q. What happens if I have a slight cold or have had a late night and drunk alcohol? This can result in a rise in temperature. Will this not also result in a false reading and therefore incorrect fertility display?
A. No. As we have already explained, Ladycomp/Babycomp calculates the future course of the cycle (and the corresponding fertility level) from the temperature readings that have already been entered. These calculations are made for each individual woman and comprise the typical highs and lows of the temperature curve before and after ovulation, as well as the typical normal fluctuations in body temperature.
Q. How reliable is Ladycomp/Babycomp in comparison with other methods of avoiding a pregnancy?
A. The reliability of a method of contraception is expressed in the medical profession by the Pearl Index. The Pearl Index indicates how many unwanted pregnancies occur in 100 user years. A contraceptive pill with a Pearl Index of 1 means that if 100 women use this pill for contraception for one year, one woman will nevertheless get pregnant during this time. The Pearl Index of a specific method of contraception is determined by means of large-scale surveys. The scope of such surveys requires the observation of approx. 20,000 cycles.The development of Ladycomp/Babycomp was able to benefit from the fact that thousands of women had already been using the temperature method for years and had therefore been compiling their charts and data. It was possible to save this information on magnetic disks together with data concerning exceptionally difficult cycles from text books and the archives of research institutes. If Ladycomp/Babycomp shows "green", the likelihood of a pregnancy is less than when taking the pill (Pearl Index = 0.6).
Q. What happens when I start using LadycompiBabycomp? Does Ladycomp/Babycomp need a sort of "running-in time", during which I should continue to take the pill?
A. No, absolutely not. When you take the pill, you do not have a normal cycle since everything is "turned off" by the medication. The bleeding that you have every 28 days when taking the pill is caused by the withdrawal of the medication. It is triggered off by your discontinuing to take the synthetic pill hormones for seven days. This seven-day interval was introduced for psychological reasons to create the impression that you are having a normal cycle. The bleeding caused by the withdrawal of the medication is in no way related to normal menstruation. In the same way, no ovulation, and therefore no rise in temperature, takes place when you take the pill. If you continue to take the pill, Ladycomp/ Babycomp is not able to take readings of the natural temperature fluctuations in your cycle. It is therefore superfluous for you to continue to take the pill when you begin using Ladycomp/ Babycomp as the device does not require a "running-in time". At the beginning, Ladycomp/Babycomp works using data history which has been programmed into the device and is applicable for all men and women (therefore also for you) and which therefore enables the device to make reliable forecasts. This data history is increasingly individualised during use. The individualised data makes it possible to narrow down the fertile days from one cycle to another with more and more accuracy. The "infertile" display is however just as reliable on the first day of use as it is after two to three months. The difference is that at the beginning it appears less frequently.
Q. I am using the temperature method at the present time and have kept a record of temperature graphs. Is this also possible with Ladycomp/Babycomp?
A. Yes. You can recall previous temperature readings onto the display for up to 120 days. If for any reason you should want to have the readings in black on white, in the form of a hardcopy, we can let you have a printout at any time (for example after six months) to enter into your old graphs. Although this is quite possible, it is not essential as Ladycomp/Babycomp functions perfectly well without this information.
Q. How safe is Ladycomp/Babycomp technologically?
A. To ensure the technological reliability of Ladycomp/Babycomp, tests are carried out on every single device after manufacture instead of on a spot-check basis. A specially developed test-computer checks that all the components function efficiently so that we can be confident~that only entirely reliable devices leave our production.
Q. Can you also use Ladycomp/Babycomp vacationing or when camping?
A. Yes, of course. Ladycomp and Babycomp are delivered complete with a battery-box.
Q. How does Ladycomp/Babycomp operate when the electricity supply is unreliable? In some holiday countries there are frequent fluctuations in the mains voltage and occasional power cuts.
A. The device is safeguarded against power cuts and fluctuations in voltage. In addition you can always operate your device with batteries.
Q. What about when I have to work night-duty or other shifts, or when I go on long journeys involving changes in time zones?
A. Journeys within North America and South and Cetral America do not involve any changes as far as using Ladycomp/Babycomp is concerned. You set the device in line with the local time of the country that you are visiting and take your temperature in the usual way. The time difference of these countries still falls within the temperature reading time span of approx. 6 hours. In the event of extended journeys to countries with considerable changes in time-zones, such as Europe, the Far East, Australia, Africa, you set your device according to the local time. The following day Ladycomp/Babycomp will be ready to read your temperature and you proceed in the normal way. The same applies if you change the time that you get up because of shift work or some other reason.Ladycomp/Babycomp can still reliably predict whether you are fertile or infertile on days when you do not take your temperature by using the data that has already been memorised to make its calculations.
Q. Who developed Ladycomp/Babycomp?
A. Ladycomp/Babycomp was developed by a team made up of: Gynaecologists, software specialists, experts in electronics and designers. Experience with the device in practical use and its proven success in vivo 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. The electronic brain, containing knowledge about fertility, and other components are manufactured by leading suppliers from all over the globe. |
