Understanding Fertility Awareness Methods: A Comprehensive Overview
Fertility awareness methods (FAM) are natural and non-invasive ways to track and predict a woman's menstrual cycle. These methods can help women understand their bodies, identify ovulation, and support family planning. FAMs can also be used to monitor reproductive health, identify potential hormonal and general health issues and provide insight into hormonal activity throughout your cycle.
When trying to avoid pregnancy naturally, without the use of synthetic hormones, FAM can be a highly effective and empowering way to do so. A woman is only fertile for about 6 days of their menstrual cycle. The 5 days leading up to ovulation that sperm can survive within the body, and the 24 hours after ovulation that the egg is viable and can be fertilized. As a woman only ovulates once per cycle, identifying the fertile window and abstaining from genital contact during this time can help you manage your fertility. But not all FAMs are created equally. In this post, I will provide a comprehensive overview of different FAMs to help you make informed choices about your reproductive health.
FAMs offer various benefits, including:
Non-invasive: Unlike hormonal birth control or surgical methods, FAMs do not interfere with a woman's natural cycle.
Low cost: FAMs do not require expensive medical procedures or devices. After an initial investment into proper education and tools such as TempDrop armband Basal Body Temperature Monitor FAM’s incur little cost
Empowerment: FAMs can help women understand their bodies, manage their fertility, and gain insights into their hormonal and overall health allowing them to be active participants in their healthcare and fertility journey
However, FAMs also have some challenges, including:
Not all fertility awareness based methods are equally effective and proper education and guidance is recommended.
Initial time investment: in order to properly and effectively utilize FAM, it is necessary to put in time to properly learn the method and begin understanding your body. This can sometimes take between 2-6 cycles to feel confident using FAM
Consistent monitoring: FAMs require daily tracking and observation of fertility signs.
Potential for user error: FAMs can be less effective if the tracking is not done accurately or consistently.
Reliance on a woman's menstrual cycle: some FAMs may not be suitable for women with irregular cycles or those going through menopause.
No type of FAM is effective at preventing the transmission of STI’s
The Different Types of FAM
Rhythm/Calendar Method:
The rhythm or calendar method involves tracking a woman's menstrual cycle over several months to predict ovulation. Women subtract 18 days from their shortest cycle and 11 days from their longest cycle to calculate their fertile window. Most period tracking apps use this method to identify the fertile window. However, this method can be quite unreliable and is only about 75% effective at avoiding pregnancy naturally. The main reason this method is considered ineffective at avoiding pregnancy is because your cycle can have variances, especially for those with irregular cycles. But even if you do have quite regular cycles, I would never recommend using this method for natural family planning or your health because it doesn't take into consideration premature (early) or delayed ovulation. Lifestyle and diet changes as well as life events such as stress, lack of sleep, routine disruption, illness or medication can have an impact on your cycle and lead to premature or delayed ovulation. This method also doesn’t track the signs your body gives you in response to fluctuating hormones and therefore won’t tell you much about your health.
If you are simply looking for a way to predict when you’re going to get your period so you can make sure to carry your menstrual products with you, then this method is simple as you only have to input your period into an app. But if your goal is to identity if you're ovulating, manage your fertility or gain insights into your health, I suggest you don’t rely on this method.
Summary
The Calendar method, also known as the Rhythm or Standard Days Method predicts ovulation based upon your previous cycles. It does not factor in varrienances in your cycle and is not an effective method of fertility management or significant health insights.
Billings/Cervical Mucus Method:
The Billings or Cervical Mucus Method is based on the changes in cervical mucus throughout the menstrual cycle. Women track the quantity, consistency, and texture of cervical mucus also known as cervical fluid to identify ovulation. While this method can be effective at identifying the onset of your fertility window it doesn’t absolutely confirm ovulation has occurred. Sometimes, due to low hormonal activity, PCOS or other factors, there may be multiple attempts at ovulation. This could look like seeing fertile cervical mucus for a few days then back to dryness. Followed several days later with another attempt. If you are only using the cervical mucus it may be difficult to fully confirm ovulation and therefore the end of your fertile window. However, this method does provide good insights into health and hormonal activity throughout the menstrual cycle. This method is 77.7-89.5% effective at avoiding pregnancy with typical use.
Summary
The Billings or Cervical Mucus Method tracks the quantity, consistency and texture of cervical mucus to identify the fertile window. While this method can identify the onset of the ovulatory phase, it does not absolutely confirm once ovulation has taken place.
Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Method:
The Basal Body Temperature method involves tracking a woman's basal body temperature, which is her temperature when she first wakes up in the morning. Women take their temperature at the same time each day and record it on a chart. The temperature rises slightly after ovulation, indicating that ovulation has occurred. While this method can be effective at confirming ovulation, it does not help identify the onset of the fertility window. Therefore, it is more limiting as unprotected intercourse can only occur after ovulation has been confirmed by a sustained increase in temperature for 3 consecutive days. Furthermore, there are things that can impact your basal body temperature such as illness, medication, time change and disrupted sleeping patterns. But tools such as the TempDrop armband monitor can be used to be more consistent with tracking temperatures. This method also doesn’t provide you with deeper health insights as it is not tracking cervical mucus which can reveal a lot about hormonal activity.
Summary
The Basal Body Temperature Method tracks your lowest daily temperature. After ovulation temperature rises slightly. Tracking your temperature can allow you to confirm ovulation has occurred, but it will not identify the onset of the fertile window.
Symptothermal Method:
The symptothermal method combines tracking cervical mucus and basal body temperature to identify ovulation. By tracking both cervical mucus and BBT, you are able to identify the onset of the fertility window as well as confirm that ovulation has occurred. In addition to the two primary biomarkers, women also track secondary fertility signs, such as cervical position and LH testing to “double check” the fertile window. This method can be very effective, in fact it is 80-99.6% effective at pregnancy avoidance which is almost on par with hormonal contraceptives that are 90-99.7% effective with typical use. Without the negative side effects and disruption of your natural cycle. The effectiveness of the symptothermal method relies heavily on consistency and careful observation of fertility biomarkers as well as proper education and adherence to instructions. This is the only type of FAM I would ever recommend and is the method I teach students in my Fundamentals of FAM workshop.
Summary
The Symptothermal Method tracks your cervical mucus and BBT to allow you to identify the onset of the fertile window and confirm ovulation has occurred. There are also biomarkers such as cervical position and LH testing used to “double check” fertile window. This is the most effective FAM for managing fertility and monitoring health.
In conclusion, fertility awareness methods offer women a natural and non-invasive way to track their menstrual cycle, identify ovulation, manage their fertility and gain insights into their hormonal and general health. It can be an empowering and effective way to connect to your body and be an active participant in your healthcare and fertility journey. Personally, I only recommend using the symptothermal method as it is the most effective at allowing you to avoid pregnancy naturally, increase your chances of conception and offers the most comprehensive insights into your health.
If you are considering learning the Symptothermal Method, I invite you to join my Fundamentals of FAM Workshop. In this 3 part workshop, I will guide you through understanding your cycle and the hormones involved, I will teach you how to effectively observe and track your biomarkers as well as instruct you on how to use the method to manage your fertility and understand your health.
The next Fundamentals of FAM workshop will begin on Sunday May 14!
