Fertility awareness methods only work if you’re dedicated to using them correctly and consistently. There are lots of tools such as apps, thermometers, and cycle beads that can help with cycle tracking.
Fertility awareness-based methods—or natural family planning—are all about tracking your menstrual cycle to determine the days that you can get pregnant. The tricky part is actually knowing when those days are. To do that, you’ll need to pay very close attention to your body and its patterns. Here we list all the different ways you can monitor your day-to-day fertility.
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If your menstrual cycle is between 26 and 32 days long, you can use this method to record your periods and determine when you can’t get pregnant.
This is another method where you observe cervical secretions to see when you’re fertile.
Your body secretes a distinct kind of goo when you’re most fertile. This method is all about observing your cervical mucus.
Use this method to chart your body temperature every single morning to determine whether or not you’re ovulating.
There are many signs that communicate when you’re fertile and this method tracks several of them at once, including how open your cervix feels.
Breastfeeding naturally suppresses fertility. This method works if you’ve just had a baby and are breastfeeding in a very specific way.
In addition to using Fertility Awareness as birth control, tracking your period can be a great way to get to know your body better, notice changes, and understand your cycle.
Failure rates are kinda high if not used correctly—so if getting pregnant would be disastrous for you and you’re not a total pro at fertility awareness, choose another method or use a backup like condoms while you’re getting the hang of it.
Both you and your partner need to be completely down with the program. You also need to know your body really well.
If you’re not totally cool with taking a break from sex or using another non-hormonal method during your fertile time every month, fertility awareness-based methods aren’t for you.
Many people who use this method want something that doesn’t affect their bodies.
If you don’t want to use hormones, this is one option.
Don’t take our word for it. Check out the videos above to hear people talk about their experiences with fertility awareness-based methods.
Fertility Awareness-based methods—and tracking your body’s natural rhythm—take time and commitment, but they don’t cost a lot.
Fertility awareness-based methods come down to this: Track your menstrual cycles and don’t have sex on the days that you can get pregnant; if you do have sex on those days, use an alternate method, like a condom—male or female—or diaphragm.
There are several different methods you can use to track your cycle and ideally you’ll use a combination of them to help with accuracy and success. They all involve observing changes in your body and calculating where you’re at in your menstrual cycle. This takes effort and commitment, so before you decide this is the method for you, be sure you really understand what you’ll need to do. Be prepared not to have sex for at least seven days out of every month. And if you do knock boots on your fertile days, have backup birth control on hand.
There are apps that can help you track your cycle. One such app, Natural Cycles, is actually FDA-cleared as a form of “digital birth control.“ With it, you take your temperature every morning and record it in the app. The app analyzes your data and tells you if you’re on a fertile or not fertile day.
In order for this one to work for you, your menstrual cycle must be between 26 and 32 days long. This method incorporates CycleBeads, a handy string of colored beads that help you mark off the days of your menstrual cycle and track your fertility. Get more info here.
To get the hang of it, check out the Fertility Awareness Center. It has lots of information including where to find workshops in your area. They can even coach you on this over the phone.
Every day you’ll check to see if you have any cervical secretions. If you notice secretions of any type—today or yesterday—you’ll considers yourself fertile. That means no sex or using an alternative form of birth control if you notice any of your body’s natural goo. Get more info here.
Ready to check your goo? This involves monitoring changes in your cervical mucus on a daily basis. This idea is that you can get pregnant from the onset of your secretions (when your goo is clear, stretchy, slippery, and wet) until 3 days after it stops. Best when used with Symptothermal Method or Standard Days method.
You’ll take your temperature every morning before you get out of bed and write it down on a fertility awareness chart. Download one here or here. Best when used with Symptothermal Method or Standard Days Method.
This method predicts fertility by combining more than one of the other Fertility awareness-based methods, most often the Body Basal Temperature Method and Cervical Mucus Method. Get more information here.
There are entire classes you and your partner can take to learn how to use this one, so we’re not going to go into the details here. Churches teach some classes, healthcare professionals teach others.
Breastfeeding can be used as a family planning method up to 6 months after having a baby. For this to work, you have to meet all three of the following criteria:
There are positive and negative things to say about each and every method. And everyone’s different—so what you experience may not be the same as what your friend experiences.
We’re here to get this method working better for you. And if it still doesn’t feel right, we’ve got ideas for other methods. Just remember: If you change methods, make sure you’re protected while you switch.
Fertility awareness methods only work if you’re dedicated to using them correctly and consistently. There are lots of tools such as apps, thermometers, and cycle beads that can help with cycle tracking.
If you’re not sure you can monitor your fertility signs every single day, you might want to check out any of the highly effective methods that require less ongoing effort.
An IUD or the implant covers you for years, the shot lasts for months, the ring only gets changed monthly, and you switch the patch once a week.
If it’s been 5 days or less since you had sex on the wrong day, take EC. If it was more than 5 days ago, you might want to take a pregnancy test if your next period is late. Either way, if you’re having unprotected sex on unsafe days, you might want to consider a lower maintenance method.
If you’re having trouble getting your fertile times right, you might want to consider a lower maintenance method like the IUD or the implant.
Like the no-hormone aspect of fertility awareness? Check out the Paragard IUD or stick with a barrier method like condoms.
If you’re not 100% sure you’ll avoid sex on all of your fertile days, you should definitely be using another method in addition to fertility awareness-based methods. If you prefer to avoid hormones, you can use condoms (male or female), a diaphragm or cervical cap with spermicide, or the sponge.
If you and your partner are having trouble sticking to the fertility awareness-based methods schedule but you want a non-hormonal method, you might want to consider the Paragard IUD. It’s non-hormonal and super low-maintenance.
Fertility awareness-based methods are inexpensive and hormone-free.
Fertility awareness methods aren’t among the most effective—better when practiced perfectly.
None.
Daily tracking is required to REALLY use fertility awareness-based methods correctly.
Supplies online or from clinics. Take classes from some clinics or churches.
Thermometers for less than $10. CycleBeads for $10—$25. Free or low-cost classes. Wanna know more?
Of those who use fertility awareness methods exactly as directed, between 1 and 5 out of 100 will experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year of using one of these methods.
Of those who do not use fertility awareness methods exactly as directed, between 2 and 23 out of 100 will experience an accidental pregnancy during the first year of using one of these methods.