Connecting with your body through the Fertility Awareness Method

A growing amount of people are opting for more holistic solutions in their life, and are leaning more towards natural ways to connect with themselves. There has been a large shift of becoming aware of the impacts that methods such as hormonal birth control pills may have on your body. While seeking ways to still prevent pregnancy or as part of your goal to get pregnant, the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), is at the forefront of natural birth control/ family planning strategies. With the ability to connect with and learn more about your body, FAM can be an incredible part of your wellness routine.

Getting to know the Fertility Awareness Method

So, what is the Fertility Awareness Method? FAM involves tracking your cycle using various biological indicators to detect ovulation and become aware of your fertile days in order to prevent or achieve pregnancy, or just generally to understand your body better.

Many people are under the impression that they can become pregnant at any time of the month. When actually, there’s a narrow time frame surrounding ovulation that allows the body to become pregnant.

Using fertile indicators such as body temperature, cervical fluid (discharge), and cervical position, one is able to better understand the hormonal changes that their body goes through.

Consistent tracking of these markers can be as effective as the hormonal birth control pill (90-98% effective). But it does require rigid tracking for a minimum of 3 months so that you can begin to see patterns and understand your body better.

How does the Fertility Awareness Method Differ from the Rhythm Method?

Another common method people may use to track their ovulation that is commonly mixed up with FAM is the Rhythm Method.

• The calendar rhythm method involves using your past menstrual cycles to estimate your time of ovulation. It should be noted that this can be the least effective method when used on its own so it’s suggested to combine it with the following methods.

The Rhythm Method does not rely on biological markers - and it is actually impossible to predict ovulation’s exact occurence. You can get close, and be great at guessing, but the actual event is often affected by so many life factors and can happen at slightly different times each cycle.

In FAM, we measure temperature, which involves tracking your temperature using a highly sensitive basal body thermometer, before getting out of bed in the morning. Changes in hormones will increase your body’s temperature following ovulation. My favourite one to use is Tempdrop, an arm band you put on before bed, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to measure. It also comes with an awesome app to help you chart. (Use my link for 10% off - here)

We also check cervical mucus, which involves tracking the colour, texture, and thickness of your cervical mucus to provide fertility insight. During ovulation, your cervical mucus will become thinner, slippery, and stretchy - like egg whites. So, yes! That sticky stuff we were freaked out by as teens in our underwear is actually a vital signal of the body’s health! Using this method of tracking does require a bit of extra time getting to know your body signals and getting used to touching the slippery parts of your yoni throughout your cycle.

In addition to the app that comes with Tempdrop, there are some great phone apps out there that can really help (and remind you) to use FAM on a daily basis. It is important that if you are using FAM that the app that you use includes space to track ALL of these signals AND space for journalling about the activities that you did that day (yes, that can affect your hormones too). One of my favourite apps to use is Read Your Body) If you’re more of a paper and pen person. I also really love Cycles Journal - this journal is JAM packed with information, is beautiful AND lets you track your fertile indicators.

Is the Fertility Awareness Method effective?

The effectiveness of the Fertility Awareness Method varies based on how consistent you are following it. In a nutshell, thinking about how realistic it will be to follow FAM is what’s most important for determining how successful it may be for you. If you’re really great at sticking to a morning routine then integrating FAM into that routine could be very doable for you.

It is suggested that you integrate it into your routine for several months before fully relying on FAM alone. This is especially important for those who are coming off years of hormonal birth control pills, as it can take months, or years, for their cycle to become regular. If your cycle is irregular, working with a holistic health practitioner may be beneficial to help get it on track first before fully relying on FAM.

One major benefit of using the Fertility Awareness Method is the opportunity it gives you to get to know your body more and follow your own signals and intuition. Whether you’re using FAM as prevention or to help achieve pregnancy, it’s a great way to connect with yourself and get to understand your cycle on a deeper level.