Using fertility awareness as birth control
I was well into my 20s when I learned that I could trust my body’s natural signs for birth control.
I was looking for a non-hormonal method of contraception and decided to take a class in Cycle Charting (aka Fertility Awareness), and understanding the how’s and why’s of Cycle Charting blew my perception of my body wide open.
I learned:
I couldn’t get pregnant every day of my cycle
I could tell if I was ovulating without any predictive apps or LH strips
My cycles were full of information about how sleep, diet, stress levels, and more were impacting my fertility
While it may sound too good to be true, Fertility Awareness is a science-backed method that can be taught.
But how does it work?
What is Fertility Awareness?
Fertility Awareness offers present tense indicators of your health and wellness. In fact, the menstrual-ovulatory cycle is often called “The Fifth Vital Sign” because it offers a window into key aspects of your health.
That’s right: tracking your period is only the beginning.
At Earth Body, we teach a simple daily practice comprised of:
Daily cervical fluid & basal body temperature checks
Tracking optional secondary signs
Writing them down and interpreting them
And let’s get into why it works.
Why does the method work?
This method is not just about learning a random set of rules: it’s understanding how our bodies work.
The biomarkers we use - cervical fluid and basal body temperature - correlate with the hormones estrogen and progesterone that appear in an ovulatory menstrual cycle.
Once we learn how to interpret the signs our body is sending us on a day to day basis, we can understand whether or not we are in our fertile window: when we could possibly conceive.
Our body is sending us signs about our fertility every day… we just have to learn how to read the signs.
Show me the studies!
First, it’s important to know that not all Fertility Awareness Methods are the same.
There are dozens are methods out there that involve tracking your cycle. You may have heard of some of them (the Rhythm Method, Billings, Natural Family Planning, Sensiplan, etc.).
Some of these methods past data and algorithms, some are rooted in religious traditions, others use day-to-day observations. All of these methods seek to identify the fertile window, the difference is how.
At Earth Body, we offer education in a FAM practice that uses daily observations to understand your fertility, which is generally going to be more accurate that using past data.
According to the WHO, the symptothermal method (the method I teach!) is highly effective when properly learned and applied. Other, simpler cycle-tracking methods have success rates close to those of condoms.
There are many variables that will impact a FAM’s success, including:
accurate application of the method
quality education
motivation
supportive community/partners
Other recent studies include this 2007 study from Germany that found the FAM method was 99.4-99.6% effective in preventing pregnancy when used perfectly. Taking into account user effectiveness (human error, etc.), its efficacy rates at 98.2%.
Beyond the data
Like any method of birth control, Fertility Awareness has risks.
The method is generally more user dependent than an IUD or other methods of contraception, so it’s not for everyone.
However, its best, Cycle Charting can be incredibly empowering: it has the user take responsibility and make decisions accordingly.
And beyond this intellectual understanding of how our anatomy and physiology, we’re working towards an embodied understanding to come to deep listening and respect for our bodies and their wisdom.
Pretty righteous, huh?
Demystifying Your Cycle
If you’re interested in learning how to trust your body as birth control, take a look at my Natural Birth Control + Hormone Health course.
This online cohort will teach you to decode all the incredible signs your cycle sends you daily about your health and fertility.
