The (Financial) Costs of Birth Control and Fertility Awareness
Let’s dive into what it costs to practice NFP versus using contraceptives. We’ll be focusing on the financial costs (potential health/emotional costs of contraceptives are for another time!).
It’s important to remember that not all methods can be compared apples-to-apples. NFP typically requires more upfront than ongoing costs due to learning the method. On the other hand, there may be a monthly cost for birth control pills, and the cost of condoms depends on the frequency of intercourse.
I also want to be clear that NFP is not “birth control.” NFP can be used to try to avoid pregnancy, but there are very distinct differences between NFP and contraceptives. The purpose of this blog post is to look at financial expenses (or investments!) corresponding with family planning.
The Sympto-Thermal Method
The start-up investment for learning the Sympto-Thermal Method with SymptoPro is the cost of the program, which is usually around $150 but ultimately depends on the instructor’s pricing. This includes course instruction, thermometer, A Couple’s Guide to Fertility book, three blank charts, and more!
You’ll be using common household goods like toilet paper and pens to observe your biomarkers and chart.
Ongoing costs could include replacement thermometers ($9), thermometer batteries ($4 for 10), printing charts ($0.15 ea), and any post-program follow-ups with your instructor.
Other NFP methods (Marquette, Billings, Creighton, Boston Cross Check, etc.) will likely have similar costs. Sympto-hormonal methods that use the ClearBlue Fertility Monitor can cost around $120 for the monitor. Ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) have varied costs, which some couple also like to use. It’s important to note that OPKs cannot confirm that ovulation occurred (and do not take the fertile window into consideration), so couples should not solely rely on OPKs.
Contraceptives
The following average costs for contraceptives are from Planned Parenthood’s website.*
IUD: $0-$1,300
Birth Control Pill: $0-$50/month ($0-$600/year)
Condoms: $6.67/month ($80/year)
Depo-Provera: $0-$150 per shot
Tubal ligation procedure (permanent): $0-$6,000
The cost for contraceptives can greatly depend on your health insurance coverage.
One may assume that women would also spend less money on menstrual products like pads, tampons, cups, etc. because most hormonal contraceptives stop ovulation, which would then cause a menstrual bleed not to occur. That can be true; however, many women experience spotting (withdrawal bleeds with the Pill) or prolonged bleeding (typically with an IUD).
FemTech
There are many apps that claim to track your cycles, but many times, they can be unnecessary or inaccurate. I always say that you should not rely on an algorithm to predict your fertility! However, sometimes the apps can be helpful just to keep track of your biomarkers (and then you can make your own analyses).
I personally use Tempdrop to help me take my temperature. Tempdrop can be costly, and a basal thermometer is perfectly fine to use instead! You can receive 10% off of Tempdrop with my referral code HERE. Read more about Tempdrop on my blog HERE.
Sample Costs of FemTech (Note: most apps have various subscription levels that can be paid monthly or yearly).
Tempdrop: $169-$219 list price
The app is free; there is a paid version where you can get sleep data and other information
Oura Ring: $299- $349
Flo App: $40-$50 annually
Natural Cycles: $15/month
Daysy: $319-$546
Conclusion
Financial impact is just one aspect to consider when selecting your family planning method. However, it’s important to consider your values, risk factors, etc. when choosing a method.
The Sympto-Thermal method is typically a one-time upfront cost. If you’re interested in the SymptoPro program but are concerned about the program cost, please reach out to me to see if financial assistance or payment plans are available! It’s important to me that fertility awareness education is accessible.
*Sources:
IUD (Planned Parenthood)
Birth Control Pill (Planned Parenthood)
Condoms
Average frequency of sex (Hims)
80 times per year for couples in their twenties
Average costs (Planned Parenthood)
Depo-Provera (Planned Parenthood)
Tubal ligation (Planned Parenthood)
Please note that the information and costs are accurate at the time of publication, and they are subject to change at any moment. I do not officially endorse these products and cannot guarantee their quality or performance. I may receive a small commission when you make a purchase using my Tempdrop code.