Maybe Baby contraceptive?

Maybe baby is an alternative to fertility predictors, such as the urine tests. It is based on hormonal fluctuations namely estrogen fluctuations during a month time and it shows the fertile period when a woman is most likely to fall pregnant. It is a very simple and convenient alternative as the determination of the fertile period is done using saliva. The estrogen variation levels can also be detected in the saliva of a woman. A simple saliva test helps you find out whether or not you are in the most fertile period.

The way it works:

Maybe Baby is but a mini microscope that you need to use in order to examine the dried saliva because it creates an image of your saliva.

So what you need to do is to simply place a small saliva sample on the lens of the maybe baby microscope, allow it to dry and then look through the viewfinder. There are different patterns that can form with the dried saliva, depending on how the estrogen changes its concentrations. Two or three days prior the fertile period the estrogen levels found in the saliva pass through a considerable increase, increase that can help you determine it's peak which represents the ovulation day. It is then when the conceiving expectations are the highest.

There are different patterns that the dried saliva will take, depending on the low or high estrogen levels. The estrogen changes will be revealed as grayish patterns against green background. For instance when you are in your non-fertile period, the patterns will look like dots or pebbles. Obviously this is the period when you are not likely to conceive. During the transitional phase when estrogen levels increase – this occurs 2 to 3 days prior to ovulation - the patterns on the microscope lens will reveal a combination of pebbles and small ferns. When the peak occurs - the ovulation day - the saliva crystals form obvious fern patterns. The period represented by the days when the estrogen levels are rising reaching their highest level in the ovulation day, is the most fertile and the microscope will show a full fern. Now it is most likely to conceive.

After the ovulation, the transitional "picture" will occur again. The conception usually does not take place when the intercourse occurs later than approximately 24 hours after ovulation.

The full fern might appear again during the menstrual cycle, but then it has nothing to do with conception, therefore it doesn’t indicate a fertile period.

It will take but a few moments to take this ovulation test and it is not messy, you don’t need to go to the doctor, that’s why it is very convenient. What’s more, it is cost effective, because you can reuse it whenever you need to.

Should it be used as a contraceptive method too?

I first heard about it from my sister, she said she’s using it as a contraceptive method because it is very convenient, you know when you are fertile so, the rest of the time, you should be "safe". However "Maybe baby" is not a contraceptive method. It was intended to indicate the most fertile period for couples that have difficulty conceiving. It is not only due to infertility reasons; at times even couples that are perfectly fertile encounter the difficulty of conceiving. Many times it takes more than one year for healthy couples to fall pregnant and this is because of the rather limited period of each month when the conception is more likely to occur. This is the reason why it is essential to know when this small door of opportunity is open, which is actually the fertile period.

However using it as contraceptive method is not exactly "safe". It is convenient indeed, no pill, no other trouble but, we’ll see maybe the future will bring a better method. Until then it is good to keep in mind that sometimes the estrogen levels are low and not detectable with this method so, even if the fern doesn’t come in the picture, it doesn’t mean that you can’t conceive.

This method might not be suitable for everyone because anything that affects estrogen levels can cause the results to be inconsistent. For instance different medication, age, infections pregnancy and breastfeeding can jeopardize the results.