Fertility Awareness Method

The Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) is a natural method of determining when a woman is most fertile. It can be used as a form of birth control or to optimize a woman’s chances of getting pregnant. It is different from the less effective “rhythm method.”

Approximately midway through her menstrual cycle, a woman ovulates – releasing an egg from one of her ovaries. While sperm can live for as long as five to seven days within a woman's body, this egg will only survive for about 12 to 24 hours. If a man and woman have unprotected sex in the seven days before ovulation, or in the 48 hours after ovulation, there is a chance that the woman will become pregnant. If you want to avoid getting pregnant, you can use the FAM to avoid having intercourse during this time. If you do want to get pregnant, you can use FAM to plan to have sex during this time when you are most likely to conceive.

The FAM depends on observing body signs that change over the course of your menstrual cycle. These include: your waking temperature (also referred to as basal body temperature) and cervical fluid (sometimes referred to as cervical mucus). An additional sign – the position of the cervix – can also be observed to corroborate these other signs.

To use the FAM as a form of birth control, you need to:

• spend some time monitoring and keeping records of your 'safe' and 'unsafe' times
• abstain from sexual intercourse or use a barrier method of birth control on your fertile days
• have a partner who is also committed to abstaining or using a barrier method during these times

Some women may have trouble following these methods if they:

• have frequent vaginal infections that make it hard to monitor their cycle
• have very irregular periods
• take medications that affect their body temperature,
  cervical fluid or menstrual regularity

Advantages

• 95 to 98 percent effective, when used properly; with typical use, it is 75 to 88 percent effective
• no health risks or side effects
• helps you understand your body and menstrual cycle better
• little or no cost
• non-invasive

Disadvantages

• does not protect against sexually transmitted infections
• requires careful record-keeping to be successful
• requires that both partners use FAM consistently
• illness, infections, alcohol, medications and recreational drugs can alter your body signs

To learn how to use the Fertility Awareness method, click here.