Decoding methylcellulose

A few nights ago, I dug in. I really don't know why I'd had such a hard time cracking this one before but my googling must've been better this time. I kept it simple and just googled "methylcellulose". I have been somewhat apprehensive about using Contragel Green before (I have done it though regardless) because I didn't know what methylcellulose actually was. What is it? Well... The short story is easy, the long story is a lot more complicated, at least to me. The short story is that methylcellulose is a slightly altered form of cellulose from plants and/or fruits, the foundation "walls". In fruit it is the "flesh". Cracking cellulose was a tough one for me, I really need to envision it before I get it, so here's a little visual for you:

In its pure form, it is a white powder. You'll have to do your own research but I will tell you this... This substance has a cool feature to it. When you want things to gel, you speak of gelification, and there are substances that belong to that category. Most gelification substances get solid when cold and looser in warmer temperature. Methylcellulose gets solid when hot and looser when cold. So how does that benefit the product in its entirety (Contragel Green)? Now, this is only my speculation, but I'd assume that if you haven't left the Contragel in for longer than advised (no more than two hours, otherwise reapplication is needed for PIV sex), the gel would indeed get stickier as you get more aroused and as you are having sex. Why? Because I suspect body heat increases when you are aroused, and also from the shear in-and-out motion. Motion generates heat.

And now, the long story of methylcellulose: if you feel inclined to investigate it further, you'll soon discover that "methyl" has a significant meaning to it. It's included in the name because the cellulose has gone through methylation. I cannot be bothered to go through it again because it was a drag reading it all (I'm not a chemist!), but basically it's a chemical process where a highly toxic chemical is involved. My understanding is that just like soap-making can sound dangerous (and it could be!), soap could also be perceived as dangerous. However, the lye is never included in the final product.  Methylcellulose is time and time again mentioned as totally safe to ingest, so I feel very confident that the case is the same with this; dangerous step before the actual product is finished.

I hope this helps someone who is apprehensive about using Contragel Green because of this ingredient, I was for a while.

Setting the coverline in Celsius

Setting your coverline when you are charting in Celsius is no different than setting your coverline than if you were using Fahrenheit. Yet, most how-to's are written for the Fahrenheit audience, presumably the North American audience. While it's great that these how-to's are written at all online (they're scribbled down by people who have read a book about it or learnt from a teacher, who in turn have read about it and educated themselves), it might be convenient to have a how-to for the Celsius audience as well. That's why I'm writing this post! I'm writing this to you and to myself, in case I'd ever need to refresh my memory.

Okay. How does one draw a coverline?
To draw a coverline, you need to have noticed a temperature shift. A temperature shift occurs in your cycle at some point because of the effect the hormones estrogen and progesterone have on it. While estrogen is dominant, your BBT is lower. When progesterone is dominant, your BBT is higher. Have a quick look at this nifty little how-to, as that is what I will be replicating, just that this time, it'll be with the correct numbers for Celsius. I found it to be the clearest in terms of applicating to your own chart.

1. Identify a temperature that is at least 0.11 degrees higher than that of the previous 6 days'.
2. Highlight those previous 6 days.
3. Identify the highest of those 6 temperatures
4. Draw a straight, horizontal line that is 0.056 degrees higher than that of the highest temperature of the highlighted temperatures.
5. You're done! Finito!

Note: I did round these numbers a bit, but only appropriately so. A conversion from Fahrenheit numbers gives way too many decimals to be remembered easily, and the rounding is not going to affect accuracy. Do not stress about drawing the line at 0.056 or 0.055 if you are charting on paper, it really won't make a difference because the difference between the numbers is miniscule.

For how long is Contragel Green active?

Putting an end to the wondering, guessing and cautiously estimating! I am a user of the FemCap device, quite a new one at that (for anyone wondering), and one thing that has been really vague about the whole thing has been the instructions regarding the use of Contragel Green. I bought my FemCap from the official, Swedish distributor of it: Gröna Barnmorskan (= The Green Midwife). I received my parcel promptly after placing the order and the instruction pamphlet was thorough in all points but one. You'd think that it would clearly state for how long the product is active, as in, still immobilizing sperm, but that crucial piece of information was nowhere to be found. I scoured the web for information but all I could find was guesstimates from fellow wondering women on different forums. I find it very odd that there is no mention of this at all in the instruction pamphlet. Luckily, my wondering days are over! Curious as I am, I looked at this instruction video for the newly released Caya diaphragm (a onesize diaphragm that fits most women, made from medical grade silicone), even though I'm not looking for an alternative female barrier method. Caya utilizes what is called Caya gel. Caya gel is identical to Contragel Green ingredients-wise. This video informs you that if it was more than 2 hours since you applied Caya gel to your Caya diaphragm and you are about to have sex, it's time to apply a little bit more. The same goes for Contragel Green since they are identical! I logically cannot find a reason for why it would be different for FemCap. Sure, they are different designs, but the ingredients are completely the same!

The answer is out: maximum 2 hours! Finally! Just as a side note, I think this instruction video for Caya is excellent. It is exactly the thing I wish FemCap had. Seriously, theirs is just plain embarrassing. The audio is sub-par, the video just screams "the 90's" and frankly, it's not graphic enough. Well... If you think pubes are graphic, then yes, it's graphic, but it's graphic in all the wrong ways. Don't get me wrong, I'm not thrown off by some pubes (what the heck, they're just hairs on the pubic area), but what is really needed is a cut-through animated video showing the motions of getting it in properly, clearly showcasing what to aim for and what it all looks like up there. I'm wellfared in terms of female anatomy but not every woman is, so some enlightenment is highly welcome and helpful. Well done Caya, this is how it should be done! The animations and illustrations couldn't have been better. A+