Spice up your intimacy by taking joint responsibility for fertility

This is a guest post by Haley Thomas of Kindara

Being safe when it comes to your sexual health is extremely important, but imagine not having to interrupt the mood by asking, “do you have a condom?” Similarly, harmful chemicals and hormones found in birth control aren’t what typically come to mind as powerful aphrodisiacs, but through the use of science and the latest technology, Kindara, a fertility app company that I work for in Colorado, has turned up the heat on intimacy!

 

And it all started over my CEO’s debate with his girlfriend (now wife) about birth control…

 

Here’s Kindara’s Story

Will Sacks and Kati Bicknell had been dating for a few months when Will asked if she would be willing to go on the pill. Kati shared that in an effort to control her irregular cycles, she had actually been on the pill for over a decade but after a stirring experience of reading non-American warning labels on hormonal birth control while living in Pakistan, she stopped using it. On her birth control label she read a warning that if she ever wanted kids, she shouldn’t take it.

Understanding her hesitation, Will suggested an IUD. However, similar to the pill, Kati also had a negative experience. After an uncomfortable and painful six weeks Kati had it removed. Kati jokingly asked Will if he would be willing to get a vasectomy—Will did some research, but ultimately decided it didn’t sound appealing.

At an impasse, Kati introduced Will to Toni Weschler’s 400-page book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility. “Here, read this,” she said. “We can use this for birth control.”

Initially Will was skeptical, “Isn’t this just the rhythm method?” he said, not believing there could be an effective, hormone-free, side-effect-free birth control method.

“No, it’s completely different than the rhythm method,” Kati said, “Just read it. You don’t know what you don’t know.”

Will fell in love with the method (like the rest of us)—not only was it a way for them to avoid pregnancy without harmful hormones, implants or procedures, but Will also felt emotionally closer to Kati, experiencing a deeper level of intimacy through his newly discovered understanding of her body and monthly fluctuations.

 

Sharing the responsibility for fertility made them a team—it was theirs, and it was special. 

It seemed like a great opportunity to help others. Will’s business mind said, “How is it possible that there is an effective, side-effect-free, non-hormonal method of birth control that nobody knows about? This knowledge could help millions of people have an easier time with their fertility, and help millions of couples feel closer and better understand each other.”

After a few months, Will and Kati were inspired to share their experience and knowledge with others and Kindara was born.

Though I graduated from college with a degree in Women’s and Gender Studies, I knew shockingly little about fertility until I started working at Kindara. Since then, I’ve experienced numerous “Ah ha!” moments as I’ve learned about my cycle and my body, which have sparked honest, open conversations about birth control and intimacy with my partner (“Can you believe I’m not fertile every second of every day?!”).  Similarly, Will and Kati created a company culture at Kindara that values open, effective communication where everyone’s input is valued. I’m thankful for the understanding Kindara has given me – and continues to give me – about my body. I’m not the only one; many others have seen widespread benefits after joining the “Kindara Family.”

Kindara allows couples to share information health care professionals to develop personalized and customized plans to meet fertility goals. And we’ve helped over 35,000 women get pregnant and more than 500,000 women avoid pregnancy naturally using our app. We’ve also recently expanded charting capabilities though the introduction of Wink, a basal body temperature thermometer that automatically syncs via Bluetooth to the Kindara app.

Will and Kati’s overall goal is to elevate women’s health through the latest app and hardware combinations, and it’s amazing to be part of such a forward-thinking, innovative organization.

 

You might also be surprised to know that couples who use the Fertility Awareness Method have equal or more frequent sex (source) so here’s some sex trivia, Kindara style:

Q: What is the most popular day to have sex?

A: Sunday—followed by Saturday and Friday.

Kindara users have reported having sex almost 1.5 million times. Those trying to conceive reported to having almost exclusively unprotected sex (more than 95% of the time), and those trying to avoid pregnancy have reported to having unprotected sex 62% of the time. In some way, Kindara has helped its users trying to avoid pregnancy by having unprotected sex 150,000 times! Here’s to a safe sex weekend!

 

Q: What day is the least popular day to have sex?

A: Tuesday

Although Tuesday is the least sexy day of the week, there is still a large percentage of reported sex from couples trying to conceive. This is because women cannot control when they ovulate, but if they know they are the most fertile on a Tuesday, then Tuesday just became the new Sunday! TGIT!

 

Q: Do holidays have an impact on libido?

A: Yes!

Over the holidays there is a less pronounced difference between weekdays and weekends—resulting in a lot more overall sex. Regardless of the day, New Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day bring in the most sex according to Kindara users. Let Kindara spice up your holiday!

 

Need Evidence?

The Kindara app uses the Fertility Awareness Method and you don’t have to take our word for it spicing up intimacy; according to American Family Physician, this method, “empowers the couple in understanding fertility…and increases relationship satisfaction.” (Source) Not only is the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) a 99% effective birth control method, but it also eliminates the need for contraceptives.

From my personal perspective it’s easy to see how tracking cycles and eliminating the need for harmful chemicals allows you to take charge of your sexual and reproductive health. But the interesting part is the benefits for men. It gives men the opportunity to learn about fertility, gain a new understanding, and take joint responsibility for fertility goals.

Photo by  Tela Chhe on flickr