Fertility Awareness: A Natural, Empowering Approach to Contraception
In a world where hormonal birth control is the norm, one common topic amongst the women’s circles I’ve attended has been the unfortunate experiences accumulated as a result of “Birth Control”, but if you ask me, theres no “control” involved in any of the methods out there like the IUD, implants or any of the medical interventions surrounding contaception, they are more accurately defined as methods of suppression and intervention, disconnecting women from their natural cycles rather than supporting them in understanding their bodies. But thankfully, many women are waking up to a more natural, intuitive way of understanding their bodies. Fertility Awareness Methods (FAM) is all about tuning into your cycle, getting in sync with your natural rhythms, and making empowered choices about your reproductive health—without the side effects of synthetic hormones.
What is Fertility Awareness?
Fertility Awareness is a holistic approach to contraception (or conception) that involves tracking your body’s natural fertility signals to determine when you’re most and least likely to get pregnant. Instead of relying on artificial hormones, FA helps you work with your body’s wisdom rather than against it.
The three main fertility indicators you track are:
Cervical Mucus Changes – Your cervical mucus shifts throughout your cycle, becoming creamy, lotiony, stretchy, and egg-white-like during ovulation, and thick, clumpy, and sticky or dry throughout the other phases of your cycle.
Basal Body Temperature (BBT) – Your body temperature rises slightly after ovulation, telling you that you have ovulated, at which point you can count 3 days and then resume your love making.
Cervical Position – The cervix moves and changes in texture at different times in your cycle. During Ovulation it rises up, becomes squishy and open, during the other phases of your cycle it will remain low, close to the entrance, firm and closed.
Every woman’s body does a variation of these patterns throughout every cycle, tracking what you notice and abiding by your own bodies signs is the only sure way to know what your at in your cycle.
Why Go Natural? The Benefits of FAM
Switching to natural contraception is a game-changer for so many reasons:
No Hormones, No Side Effects – Say goodbye to unnecessary mood swings, weight fluctuations, and other unwanted effects of synthetic birth control.
Deepen Your Body Awareness – Understanding your cycle on this level is like unlocking a whole new relationship with yourself and with your partner as you are both able to take control of if or when you decide to create a new human.
Cost-Effective & Sustainable – No pills, implants, or prescriptions—just knowledge and simple tracking tools.
Works with Your Natural Cycle – Instead of overriding your body’s natural processes, you learn to work with them.
Helps You Spot Health Issues Early – Tracking your cycle can reveal imbalances or irregularities that might need attention.
How Effective is It?
When practiced correctly, fertility awareness can be 98-99% effective at preventing pregnancy. The key is consistency—tracking daily and understanding your cycle’s unique patterns. Many women combine multiple tracking methods or use apps like Natural Cycles or Kindara to increase accuracy.
Getting Started with FAM
Educate Yourself – Books like Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler are goldmines of wisdom.
Pick a Tracking Method – Go old-school with a journal or use a fertility tracking app.
Be Consistent – It takes about 3-6 months of daily tracking to truly get the hang of it.
Use Backup Protection Initially – If you’re coming off hormonal birth control, use condoms while learning your cycle.
Seek Support – Join fertility awareness communities or work with a FAM educator.
Is This For You?
Contrary to what is believed, FAM is for everyone— and everyone should be doing it to simply connect with their bodies but if you're doing it to prevent pregnancy, it requires a regular cycle, commitment, patience, and a willingness to check in with your body daily. And if you dont feel 100% confident to start tracking your cycle alone there are plenty of incredible Fertility Awareness Instructors available to support you through it to begin with, and is highly advised to get support if you have an irregular cyce.
If you're drawn to a more natural, intuitive way of preventing pregnancy (or preparing for conception), this method can be life-changing.
Tapping into your cycle is more than just birth control—it’s a radical act of self-trust and empowerment. If you’re ready to reclaim your reproductive health naturally, fertility awareness might be exactly what you’ve been looking for!
Listed below are the book recommendations that you MUST READ before starting FAM. They detail everything you need to know to get started on your own.
Listed below are non-predictive apps you can use to track your fertility signs
Download a chart here: