Learn More About Fertility Awareness
What is fertility awareness?
Fertility Awareness is a woman observing and charting her fertility signals to assess fertility health and help her make reproductive decisions.
Fertility Awareness is a woman observing and charting her fertility signals to assess fertility health and help her make reproductive decisions.
What are the benefits?
- Get acquainted with how your body works.
- Monitor fertility health.
- Assess how lifestyle changes affect one's fertility.
- Determine fertility status for daily decision-making in family planning.
- Yes, you can practice natural birth control.
Is fertility awareness just for sexually-active women?
No, I encourage single women and teenagers to become more acquainted with how their bodies work and how to monitor their menstrual health with fertility awareness. Many girls and women suffer from menstrual disorders, sometimes without realizing it. Practicing FA gives menstruating women of all ages the power to take charge over their reproductive health.
No, I encourage single women and teenagers to become more acquainted with how their bodies work and how to monitor their menstrual health with fertility awareness. Many girls and women suffer from menstrual disorders, sometimes without realizing it. Practicing FA gives menstruating women of all ages the power to take charge over their reproductive health.
What are fertility signals?
Fertility signals are observable, non-invasive signs that women can monitor and chart to assess fertility status. Here are the primary signals.
Fertility signals are observable, non-invasive signs that women can monitor and chart to assess fertility status. Here are the primary signals.
- Urine hormone tests - available for monitoring estrogen, luteinizing hormone (LH), progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)
- Cervical mucus, aka cervical fluid (CM or CF)- vaginal discharge that changes in amount, color, wetness, texture, and stretchiness
- Cervix changes - The cervix is located in the back of the vagina. It serves as the door to the womb/uterus. It changes position and texture depending on fertility status.
- Basal body temperature (BBT) - one's waking body temperature after sleeping at least 3 hours
What is charting?
Charting is keeping a log of one's fertility signals. It's important to keep a written/digital log because signals are not assessed in a snapshot moment. They are assessed best through their patterns over time.
Charting is keeping a log of one's fertility signals. It's important to keep a written/digital log because signals are not assessed in a snapshot moment. They are assessed best through their patterns over time.
What is the fertile window?
Though overall fertility has to do with one's general ability to reproduce, women are not considered "fertile" all of the time, even during her menstruating years. She only releases an egg (ovum) once a month on ovulation day, which lives for up to 24 hours before losing viability. If sperm are available to fertilize the egg on ovulation day, then conception results and new life is formed! During several days leading up to ovulation day, the woman produces a fertile cervical mucus that promotes sperm survival. Sperm deposited in a women during those several days may live during that time to await the release of the egg on ovulation day. Those 5 days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation make up a women's most fertile days, i.e. her/their fertile window.
Though overall fertility has to do with one's general ability to reproduce, women are not considered "fertile" all of the time, even during her menstruating years. She only releases an egg (ovum) once a month on ovulation day, which lives for up to 24 hours before losing viability. If sperm are available to fertilize the egg on ovulation day, then conception results and new life is formed! During several days leading up to ovulation day, the woman produces a fertile cervical mucus that promotes sperm survival. Sperm deposited in a women during those several days may live during that time to await the release of the egg on ovulation day. Those 5 days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation make up a women's most fertile days, i.e. her/their fertile window.
What is the cost and time commitment for practicing fertility awareness?
Fertility awareness literally takes a few minutes each day. Unless one chooses to observe using the urine hormone tests, there are no repeat costs. If one tracks BBTs, then a small investment in a basal thermometer is necessary. Urine hormone testing is the most costly and time consuming, though the costs can be kept to a minimum ($15 a month). But, some may choose to do urine testing because it provides objective data that requires minimal interpretation. It is also helpful when monitoring suspected health issues.
Fertility awareness literally takes a few minutes each day. Unless one chooses to observe using the urine hormone tests, there are no repeat costs. If one tracks BBTs, then a small investment in a basal thermometer is necessary. Urine hormone testing is the most costly and time consuming, though the costs can be kept to a minimum ($15 a month). But, some may choose to do urine testing because it provides objective data that requires minimal interpretation. It is also helpful when monitoring suspected health issues.
Can one practice fertility awareness even with a fertility disorder, like PCOS?
Yes! Fertility awareness can help you monitor your condition and prove whether changes you are making to address your fertility disorder are actually working.
Yes! Fertility awareness can help you monitor your condition and prove whether changes you are making to address your fertility disorder are actually working.