CycleSense:

Natural Birth Control

Learn how to work with your menstrual cycle so you can choose if or when you get pregnant - without relying on a dismissive doctor's advice or birth control options that make you feel crazy

FALL WAITLIST NOW OPEN

You have the option of natural birth control without the downsides the world has taught you are normal

You don't take "just because" as an answer in any other part of your life - so why is your reproductive health the one area where you’ve been handed a single option and told to be grateful for it?

Maybe you've sat in an appointment, described what your body was doing, and watched a doctor's eyes glaze over before they reached for the prescription pad.

Maybe you tried the pill, the IUD, the implant - and when you felt foggy, flat, or just totally off, no one could tell you why or what your other options even were.

Or maybe nothing dramatic happened at all. You’ve just presumed “hormones or nothing” is your only option because no one ever taught you that your body is communicating with you every single day, and you can learn how to read it.

You've spent over a decade having a cycle without ever learning its language.

You need the education you should have gotten at your first period - and never did.

Natural Birth Control is a 6-week live program that helps analytically-minded women and menstruators learn to read their body's fertility signs with contraceptive-grade confidence

Cycle charting is not a lifestyle. It’s a learnable skill.

You don't want to rebuild your fridge, buy a shelf of supplements, or adopt a new identity. You want a method that you can learn, apply, and trust, the same way you'd trust any other well-built system.

In 6 weeks, you’ll learn how to:

  • Know exactly when you’re fertile (without an app, algorithm, or guess)

  • Understand why you feel the way you do throughout your cycle, whether it’s energy crashes, creativity surges, mood swings… and how you might support it

  • Make informed choices about conception or contraception based on YOUR data, not corporate interests

  • Recognize when something’s actually wrong and advocate for yourself with doctors who had only a few hours of menstrual cycle education 

…Without guessing, without apps doing the thinking for you, and without turning cycle tracking into a part-time job - so you can make reproductive decisions from real data instead of fear or default medical options

  • “Working with Kate to understand and map my cycle gave me an education I didn't know I was missing… Observing my body's patterns through cycle charting has felt like uncovering the magic that's been happening this whole time.”

  • “This class changed my relationship to my body fundamentally - instead of being frustrated by changes in my cycle or symptoms, I now understand what my body is trying to tell me, what it needs for support, and why these changes might be happening.”

  • “This program was one of the most illuminating, life-changing experiences of my adult life, and I cannot believe I went most of my life without understanding the basic tenets of my hormonal and reproductive cycles.”

Go from not understanding your body to trusting it (with real, trackable data to back that trust)

Hi! I’m Kate, Certified Fertility Awareness Educator.

My credentials:

  • Certified Fertility Awareness Educator (C-FAE) & Holistic Sexual and Reproductive Health Educator (SHE)

  • Dr. Lara Owen’s Contemporary Menstrual Studies program (2026)

  • Founder of Earth Body

  • Head of the Research Committee at the Association of Fertility Awareness Professionals

  • Additional training in mat Pilates, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, and bodywork

My story:

I found this practice in my 20s and was seeking a non-hormonal contraception option.

I was already interested in herbalism and bodywork - but I had never considered that my cycle (which was often painful and taboo) would be a renewal resource in my life. 

Not only has this practice been my primary birth control for 8+ years, but it also empowered me to seek out a fibroids diagnosis and get additional support.

Now, I know exactly where I am in my cycle and how to adjust my lifestyle accordingly with clarity and confidence.

I am a total cycle nerd, and I have made it my mission to teach others this life-changing skill.

WINTER 2026 GUEST FACULTY:

  • Naomi Murray is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN) based in Vancouver, BC, who helps women worldwide transition off hormonal birth control, balance hormones, and heal chronic symptoms like acne, PMS, and irregular cycles through root-cause, evidence-based nutrition. She specializes in supporting women with menstrual challenges -- from PCOS and PMS to endometriosis and PMDD -- guiding them to reconnect with their natural cycles and feel like themselves again.

  • Angelica Merritt is a Community Herbalist, Full-Spectrum Pregnancy Loss Doula, Postpartum Caretaker, and Author of the book Womb Witch, Herbal Magick for Reproductive Health [Microcosm Publishing, March '25]. She has years of formal training in herbalism, holistic energy work, functional nutrition, birthwork, and a B.S. in Journalism from Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Her work aims to assist others in "awakening the wild within" through herbalism, storytelling, nature immersion, and practices that invoke intuitive guidance. Find more of Angelica's work and teachings through her project Dandelion Dazed, where she encourages others to frolic in nature, gather wild foods and medicines, and contemplate life through the esoteric lens.

Testimonials

  • I had a bad experience on the birth control pill when I was young and hadn't gone back. When I spoke with practitioners about managing some symptoms I had regarding my cycle, they have me BC as the only option. I wanted to find an alternate solution to managing my symptoms and wanted to feel safe with my sexual practices as someone who does not want to conceive at the moment. My questions were answered through the content of the course and through questions asked in class. I learned even more than I thought I would. I am excited about charting and taking matters into my own hands. I have a technically minded brain, so having a robust and researched process for tracking has worked well for me. I am looking forward to seeing what I learn as I continue to chart and see trends over time!

    Tijen P.

  • My body literacy went up ten fold!

    M.H.

  • But this class completely blew my mind - there was so much I didn't know, or had incomplete information on.

    Kate Helen Downey

  • You deserved access to this information whenever you first got your period! Don't deny yourself this knowledge any longer! On a personal note, reproductive healthcare spaces can be a nightmare for nonbinary and trans people and Kate handles a range of genders in her classes with care and ease. This class is for you too.

    Sarah

  • Kate’s course gifted me with immense confidence in tracking my cycle.

    Holly

  • Thanks to the intimacy of my one-on-one sessions with Kate I was able to have supported and informative time to dedicate to think about and center my unique cycle, something that I have not been able to do on my own time, thank you Kate!

    CLO

Learn a practice that will ground every reproductive decision you make in knowledge - not fear, default, or guesswork

By the end of six weeks, you will leave with:

  • A reliable method for tracking and interpreting your body's fertility signs, built on decades of established research in fertility awareness (not trend-cycle wellness content)

  • Contraceptive-grade confidence in your ability to determine, day by day, whether you're fertile - with enough precision to make real decisions about your body, not just "loosely stay aware”

  • A personalized fit to your actual life because the method flexes around your actual schedule, your body, your goals - instead of demanding you conform to it. No rigid rules, no moralizing, no second full-time job.

  • A lasting asset that grows with you: the same charts and skills that serve you now for contraception will serve you later - whether that's trying to conceive, understanding your hormonal health more broadly, or finally having the vocabulary to advocate for yourself in a medical conversation

  • A community of curious charters learning alongside you

Fall waitlist now open ~

Fall waitlist now open ~

    FAQs

    • According to the World Health Organization, 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%.

    • Absolutely. In fact, learning to chart your cycles may help you understand why your cycles are irregular and equip you with tools to help regulate them.

    • This is a 5 minute day practice that soon becomes a habit - as my mentor Sarah says, “it’s like brushing your teeth each day.”

    • We cover modifications for shift work, travel, and other situations. I am passionate about working with clients to find solutions for all schedules!

    • No! The Rhythm Method relies on calculation and predictions, but at Earth Body we teach a sympto-thermal method that uses real-time observation of your body’s fertility signals. Completely different - and more effective.

    • Just a basal body thermometer ($10-15). I provide recommendations for students!

    • Illness, travel, stress, and other disruptions are covered in the course. You’ll learn how to handle a range of situations!

    • Apps predict based on averages and are making their best guess. Cycle Charting observes YOUR fertility signs in real-time so you can comfortable know when you’re fertile window.

    • While live attendance is encouraged, all classes will be recorded and shared with all participants.

    • Ideally, folks who join the class series are off hormonal contraception before we starting working together so they can take part in the full practice with biomarker checks.

      However, many clients take this class in anticipation of coming off hormonal birth control.

      Please reach out if you are want to join and have any questions!

    • If you know the rules for contraception, you’ll have a basic understanding of how to chart to conceive. But if you are looking to prepare for conception, I suggest my Charting to Conceive course!

    The CycleSense Experience

    2 hours of audio lessons

    Split up into 6 modules that cover your cycle foundations (what you should have learned in sex ed!) through creating a lifelong cycle charting practice, accessible at once so you can take in the materials at your own pace

    Module workbooks for every lesson

    Work through each audio lesson with PDF workbooks so you can integrate the materials as you go

    6 weeks of ongoing support, including live calls

    Join the live calls to ask questions in community PLUS receive ongoing live support on email/messenger

    A 1:1 session + “mark-up” chart review

    Submit your chart in progress for feedback so you can make sure you’re implementing the method accurately from the very beginning, then schedule your private 1:1 session to make sure you’ve got your charting practice locked in (must be booked within 3 months of enrollment)

    Bonus classes, discounts + more

    Receive exclusive access to 3 free months of the charting app Read Your Body (the only app I recommend for charting) PLUS additional classes + resources on relevant menstrual health topics

    This information was always supposed to be yours.