Learn on your own
The NHS suggests you get support from a Fertility UK practitioner like me before you use fertility awareness as contraception. Research suggests this is what works best.
But it’s your body and many women do learn on their own.
Before you do anything, check if fertility awareness is right for you, it's a great option but it's not for everyone.
Done? OK, next step...
But it’s your body and many women do learn on their own.
Before you do anything, check if fertility awareness is right for you, it's a great option but it's not for everyone.
Done? OK, next step...
Gather your kit, and your data
Here's the essentials:
- buy a basic fever thermometer - no need for anything fancy
- print some paper charts or buy the low-cost app Read Your Body
- Track your data - day one of your period, most waking temperatures and a double-check like fluid or ovulation tests. Also record any medication, illness or events that might affect your cycle.
Learn some cycle basics, and how to identity your fertile window
Learning some cycle basics will help you understand how to identify your first fertile (red) day and first infertile (green) day or your "fertile window".
Not sure about this?
I know it can feel like a leap. Here's some more from me, and something about how to get support.
- Does it work? It depends. Fertility awareness failure is not a random bolt from the blue. It can be up to 99% effective if you do it right.
- Can you trust an app? Not if it's a period tracker. Maybe if it's a contraception app but you're probably best off learning to interpret your own data. There's an app that can help with that.
- Using fertility awareness to get pregnant. Using fertility awareness as contraception means you can flip your knowledge when/if the time comes. If you're in a hurry, check out my getting pregnant page.
- Get support from me. Find out how I work and what I charge.
Reading, references and a Facebook group
- Fertility UK website, especially Getting Started.
- The Complete Guide to Fertility Awareness by Jane Knight (who runs Fertility UK). Authoritative textbook for health professionals, researchers, and anyone who wants to use fertility awareness.
- Taking Charge of Your Fertility (TCOYF) by Toni Weschler. Bestselling US fertility awareness book. More complicated charts than Fertility UK, and some different rules, but still helpful and very readable.
- Sensiplan Handbook. Very detailed guide, translated from German. Use with Sensiplan Workbook (which includes example charts). Fertility UK is a simplified version of Sensiplan.
- Frank-Herrmann et al. The effectiveness of a fertility awareness based method to avoid pregnancy in relation to a couple's sexual behaviour during the fertile time: a prospective longitudinal study - probably the most useful research article into the effectiveness of the method.
- BMJ. Fertility awareness based methods for pregnancy prevention. The method I teach (Fertility UK) is a simplified version of Sensiplan, which gets a very good rating in this article.
- College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health. Clinical Effectiveness Unit Guidance - Fertility Awareness Based Methods.
- Fertility Awareness Method of Birth Control Facebook group. Massive group of mainly US members, covering a range of approaches to fertility awareness.