how i almost settled, and found fertility awareness just in time

i found my birth control in a hospital basement

I’m drinking drip coffee out of a paper cup. I’m here because I’m on a search for non hormonal birth control, and like Goldilocks, nothing I’ve landed on has felt quite right.

After settling (and I mean, settling) on a diaphragm, my doctor (who’s since retired) tells me, “those are really hard to get, have you heard of the fertility awareness method?”

She gives me a pamphlet for Serena, a couple-to-couple league-esque NFP organization.

And that’s how I found myself learning about cervical mucus, ovulation, fertility, and realizing just how little I knew about my body.

Everything I learned in that class, and in my research afterwards, blew my mind. I was shocked that I hadn’t known any of this information sooner, or that fertility awareness wasn’t a conventional option for birth control.

I found out that there was a lot we weren't being taught as women.

how i got here

I’ve been a social worker for treatment foster care families and in rural mental health. I’ve stocked produce at a bilingual outdoor market slash grocery store. I’ve wrangled kids at an inordinate number of day camps.

And after I left my last social work job in 2019 to pursue my masters in social work, my fertility awareness practice blossomed, and I just never found my way back.

I tell people that I don’t do “traditional social work” but many threads run through my history and the work that I do now. I strive to create non-judgemental spaces where you can unravel what you know about your body and cycles, and become an advocate for your own health.

Just like you, I was curious about an alternative to hormonal birth control, but FAM has given me so much more:

I’ve been charting my cycles with fertility awareness since 2016.
Charting has become a self-care practice, knowing where I am in my cycle anchors me into my sense of self.
It’s helped me diagnose my PCOS and care for my body in a new way.
It’s connected me to my sensual, feminine nature.

natural birth control that isn’t natural cycles

i'm ready to ditch the pill

fertility awareness method education — Education:

Certified Fertility Awareness Educator (**FEMM** and **Billings Ovulation Method**)
Cycle Coach Training, **Claire Baker**
Master of Social Work, **University of Manitoba**

some fun facts about me:

My big three are Virgo, Pisces and Leo.

I love being in nature and camping in nearby Kenora is my favourite way to spend the summer.
A juicy memoir, my favourite podcasts and reality TV are how I unwind.
When I was in middle and high school, I danced Flamenco and Spanish traditional dance in competitions all over the world. Now I dance every week for fun.
I’m momma to Kurt, my wobbly cat. At this point she knows more about cervical mucus than the average person.

listen to podcast interviews with nat