I love fertility awareness, but it isn't for everyone. Here's why.

It’s no secret that I love fertility awareness, and I’m so passionate about creating accessibility so more people feel empowered to rely on FAM for birth control. FAM has been life-changing for me personally, and it’s really incredible to see so many people explore fertility awareness as an alternative to hormonal birth control. FAM allows women and menstruators to better understand their bodies, identify their fertile window, and use this information to either achieve or avoid pregnancy. This knowledge is simply empowering.

Regardless of how much I love fertility awareness, I want to be really clear that it isn’t for everyone. In this blog post, we’ll dive into some of the considerations to make when making the switch to FAM, and who it’s for.

What is fertility awareness?

Fertility awareness is a form of cycle tracking that involves monitoring changes in your fertility to track your fertile window. Unlike hormonal birth control, which relies on synthetic hormones to regulate your cycle and prevent pregnancy, fertility awareness relies on your body’s natural fertility signs. With fertility awareness, your body is your birth control.

While some people may be skeptical of using fertility awareness as a form of contraception, it can be a highly effective method when used correctly. However, it’s important to understand that fertility awareness isn’t for everyone. It requires active participation, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to following the method’s guidelines in order to see results.

What it takes to track your fertility biomarkers

One of the key components of fertility awareness is tracking changes in your cervical mucus. Cervical mucus is a hydrogel secreted by crypts in your cervix throughout your menstrual cycle. It changes in sensation and appearance throughout your cycle, and these changes can indicate when you’re most fertile.

Another key fertility biomarker is basal body temperature. Your basal body temperature is the temperature of your body at rest, taken first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. Your basal body temperature fluctuates throughout your menstrual cycle, and tends to be lower in the first half of your cycle and higher in the second half. After ovulation, your basal body temperature will typically rise by about 0.5 to 1 degree Fahrenheit, and remain elevated until your next period

By tracking changes in your cervical mucus and basal body temperature, you can identify when you’re most likely to ovulate and therefore most likely to get pregnant. If you’re trying to avoid pregnancy, you can abstain from sex or use a backup method of contraception (such as condoms) during your fertile window.

Tracking your cycle requires implanting new daily habits. FAM requires an active participation in observing and recording any changes in your fertility biomarkers each day.

The learning curve

While fertility awareness can be highly effective as a form of birth control, it’s important to understand that it does require a commitment to learning and active participation. Unlike hormonal birth control, which you can take once a day and forget about, fertility awareness requires ongoing monitoring and observation of your body’s natural fertility signs. You’ll need to take your basal body temperature each morning, observe changes in your cervical mucus, and track these changes on a paper chart or app to identify your fertile window.

There is also a learning curve when it comes to learning a method of fertility awareness. We’re just not taught about the basics when it comes to our bodies, and a lot of the information you take in when you learn FAM is brand new. This means that it takes a little while to learn the ropes, and for FAM to feel like second nature. A fertility awareness educator can coach you through the transition and help you speed up the learning process.

Decision making in the fertile window

In addition to tracking changes in your cycle, fertility awareness also requires you to make decisions in line with your fertility intentions. This means being willing to abstain from sex or use a backup method of contraception during your fertile window if you’re trying to avoid pregnancy. It’s important to make the distinction that unlike being on hormonal birth control, you can’t have unprotected sex all cycle.

Your partner needs to be fully on board and commit to changing behaviour in the fertile window.

In addition to being an effective form of birth control, fertility awareness can also be a powerful tool for understanding your body and taking control of your reproductive health. By tracking changes in your cycle and observing your fertility signs, you can gain a deeper understanding of how your body works and what’s normal for you. This can be empowering and help you make informed decisions about your reproductive health.

Fertility awareness isn’t hard, but you need to be all in to see results. And because you put your mind, heart and soul into learning and mastering a method of FAM, it’s even more rewarding to interpret your body’s signs and confirm ovulation, to use your body as your birth control.

Of course, like any method of birth control, fertility awareness isn’t foolproof. There’s always a chance that you could get pregnant, even if you’re using the method correctly. However, the failure rate of fertility awareness is relatively low when used correctly, with studies showing a failure rate of less than 1% when the method is used consistently and correctly.

While I believe that everyone should have access to basic information about the functioning of their cycle, and fertility awareness as an alternative to hormonal birth control, FAM isn’t for everyone.

However, for those who are willing to put in the effort, fertility awareness can be a highly effective and empowering form of birth control that allows you to take control of your reproductive health and make informed decisions about your body.

Ultimately, whether or not you choose to use fertility awareness as a form of birth control is a personal decision that should be based on your own needs and preferences. If you’re interested in learning more about fertility awareness, read more about my fertility awareness course, Cycle Love.