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Fertility Awareness Method was a lifesaver for me. In fact, it was the catalyst that changed the entire direction of my life, and led me down the path of holistic health and wellness.
I had no idea what to do for pregnancy prevention. I did not want to be on hormones, and was terrified of the adverse health risks with a copper IUD. I did not want to use a barrier method that would not be as effective. I was reading everything that I could, trying to find an alternative route to what I innately knew I did not want to do.
I am not even sure where I first stumbled across the words, Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), but when I did, they changed my trajectory in life. I did not even know it at the time, but I was about to discover a world in which my body has its own intricate language that speaks to me in various signs. I learned that I can be wisely rooted in my body’s innate wisdom, which knows far more than any pill ever could.
I had absolutely no idea that the body’s fertile window is only 6-8 days per cycle. You heard me right. Your body can only get pregnant 6-8 days out of every cycle!! Women can only get pregnant when ovulation occurs, which only occurs once per cycle. The fertile window is longer than one day for two reasons: cervical fluid provides an environment for sperm to survive up to 5 days, and the egg can last up to 24 hours post-ovulation.
This newfound knowledge opened my eyes to root cause wellness and holistic health, but it all began with the Fertility Awareness Method, which is in my personal opinion, the most ideal form of birth control. It is also the most ideal method to use when trying to conceive.
It is simply freeing, and based on the specific method used, has an effectiveness range of 94-98% with perfect use. That’s right, these methods are just as effective as the pill.
Why the Fertility Awareness Method?
Fertility Awareness Method is a great option for those who do not want to risk the adverse outcomes of hormonal birth control. You can read all about the various types of hormonal birth control, as well as how they affect your body, here.
It is both a form of birth control, and a way to increase your chances of fertility when trying to conceive.
It helps a woman to achieve whatever her fertility goals are, whether trying to plan or prevent pregnancy.
I will go more into this later in this post.
It is like a book that keeps track of your health. It gives you a picture of your hormone health and overall health throughout the various stages in life. Lisa Hendrickson Jack, in fact, describes fertility as “The Fifth Vital Sign,” giving those who use fertility awareness method a picture of the true state of their overall health.
What is the Fertility Awareness Method?
Fertility Awareness Method is, simply put, learning how to know when you are not fertile, and when you are fertile, and then using this information to optimize your fertility goals- whether this be pregnancy prevention, or pregnancy.
This is an evidence-based practice that observes biological signs in order to determine the fertile window.There are several different biological signs which can be tracked in order to determine fertility. This means that there are several different methods of fertility awareness method available, so you have the ability to choose which one works best for you.
What are the different Biomarkers of Fertility?
First off, a biomarker can be defined as a physical trait that indicates the state of the body. So biomarkers of fertility can be defined as the different physical traits which define when the body is in its fertile window. Now we can talk about the different biomarkers that the body uses in order to tell you when you are in your fertile window.
Cervical Fluid
Also known as cervical mucus (though I prefer the term fluid), is closely tied to ovulation. Cervical fluid occurs when small pockets within the cervix, called cervical crypts, respond to high levels of progesterone by creating a thick substance. This thick substance limits sperm motility. You can read about how certain hormonal birth controls work to thicken the body’s cervical fluid here.
Cervical crypts respond to estrogen by creating a stretchy, egg-white substance that is also lubricating. This stretchy, liquid substance allows sperm to migrate freely to the uterus, and survive for up to five days in a safe environment.
When a woman is in her fertile window, she will notice cervical fluid appear and become more stretchy and egg-white-like as she approaches ovulation.
After ovulation, cervical fluid will dry up completely, or appear as a dryer substance than during the fertile window.
Cervical fluid can be observed through sight, touch, consistency, and observing a feeling of wetness or dryness throughout the day.
I would argue that this is the most reliable biomarker to follow in the fertility awareness method, as it will align well with ovulation, and can also be a key biomarker in showing any hormonal issues that may exist.
Basal Body Temperature
Basal body temperature (BBT) is a measurement taken of the body’s temperature when it is in a state of rest. While BBT can be useful for indicating many other health markers (such as thyroid issues) for the case of fertility awareness method it is an amazing tool for determining if ovulation has occurred. This is because a woman’s body temperature will rise after the body has ovulated. A woman will be most fertile two to three days before the rise in body temperature, which should coincide well with cervical mucus consistency.
If a woman does not conceive in her fertile window, her BBT should drop back down the day that her period begins.
BBT should be taken in the morning, before rising out of bed. Things like drastic differences in waking times, as well as alcohol consumption can influence the body’s temperature leading to inaccurate readings.
I strongly believe that BBT should not be used as the only biomarker in fertility awareness methods. It cannot tell a woman when her fertile window is, it can only tell when it has passed. I prefer using BBT to give myself more confidence after cervical fluid has dried up that I am indeed not in my fertile window anymore. It is extremely helpful, but not the only tool available for use.
BBT Thermometers that I recommend:
Cervical Positioning
Did you know that the position of your cervix changes with the changing of your hormones? I did not believe this when I first read it, until I started checking. I was absolutely blown away by the innate design of my body upon realizing that this is absolutely true, and a really amazing tool in determining my fertile window.
As the body approaches ovulation, the cervix gradually begins to soften, rise, and open up further to allow for an easier journey for the sperm. After ovulation, the cervix will close more, get stiffer, and be lower.
With CLEAN HANDS, you can manually check your own cervix. Just know that if this is not done in a sanitary way, it has the potential to expose the vagina to unwelcome bacteria.
Like BBT, I would not recommend letting this be the only method used to determine the fertile window, but it can be used as a helpful aid.
LH Testing
I absolutely love LH testing. When I was first beginning on my FAM journey, it was a game changer for me. Again, I would not solely rely on this method, but it is very helpful in hinting at how soon ovulation will be.
The luteinizing hormone will have a surge 24 to 36 hours before ovulation. This means that when a woman has a positive LH test strip, she will likely ovulate in the next 2 days.
Like other tests though, these may not be definitive, and since the fertile window is more than 2 days, it should not be solely relied upon. For me personally, it gave me the confidence that my body was working and would ovulate, but many women do just fine without LH strips, again, it is just another helpful biomarker that indicates fertility.
Here are the LH Test strips that I use:
What is the Best Biomarker to Use in Fertility Awareness Method?
I would argue (and most fertility instructors would agree) that cervical fluid is the best way of determining the body’s fertile window. Unplanned pregnancies will be most likely to happen when Fertility Awareness Method is practice without monitoring cervical fluid, because it creates more of a guessing game to the actual fertile window.
What are the Different Fertility Awareness Methods?
Sympto-Thermal Method
This is a more commonly used fertility awareness method that tracks three different signs in order to determine the body’s fertile window. This method monitors changes in cervical mucus, basal body temperature, and cervical positioning.
Creighton Method
The Creighton Method is a fertility awareness method that simply tracks changes in cervical mucus. This method has a chart of 18 different types of normal/abnormal cervical mucus, with consistency, sensation and stretchiness. It requires the observation of touch, along with specifically timed windows for intercorse in the case of pregnancy prevention.
Billings Ovulation Method
This method also observes only cervical mucus, but does not require touch. Instead, those who use this method must observe how they feel in regards to cervical mucus while going about their day. Visual observations can also be observed.
Marquette Method
This method is a sympto-hormonal method that has high effectiveness rates in pregnancy prevention. This method uses urine sticks in order to test rises in estrogen and the luteinizing hormone. In this method, LH tests are taken on specific days each month, depending on previous cycle patterns. This method can be combined with other methods such as monitoring cervical mucus and basil body temperature, which is what I have found to be most successful for myself, and is what I will most often recommend.
Recap
This is a basic breakdown of the fertility awareness method. It can be just as effective as the pill with proper use, and will give you so many insights into the health of your body. It is also such a gift of knowledge to have for those trying to conceive, as it gives clear indications for when a woman is in her fertile window.
If you want to try out the Fertility Awareness Method, and are adamant on not getting pregnant, I would highly recommend doing some in-depth reading, and book sessions with a certified Fertility Awareness Method Instructor.
My two favorite books to recommend are Taking Charge of Your Fertility and The Fifth Vital Sign. Both have very helpful information on how to practice FAM. I would also recommend practicing before jumping into it. I practiced FAM the 6 months leading up to my wedding, and have been very successful ever since.
Knowing if and when you are ovulating is key in becoming wisely rooted in your body’s innate language and wisdom. If you are interested in learning more, please feel free to reach out to me so I can point you in the right direction!
