Fertility Awareness 101
You may have heard of Fertility Awareness at some point (sometimes referred to as Natural Family Planning), and wondered – what is Fertility Awareness? how exactly does it work? which method should I use? Is it trustworthy? Our mission is to help you understand it, so that you can make an informed decision about whether it is right for you.
What is Fertility Awareness?
Fertility Awareness can be summarised as:
‘Being aware of your own signs of fertility, so that you know when your fertility starts and ends each cycle’
Being aware of your own signs of fertility throughout your life can tell you:
- The start and end of your fertility each cycle
- Whether you are ovulating or not, and when
- When to expect your next period
- Whether your fertility is returning after stopping hormonal birth control, or breastfeeding
- If you are pregnant (without the need for multiple pregnancy tests)
- If your menstrual cycle is changing due to peri-menopause
- What hormones may be impacting on your fertility and health
Fertility Awareness is a body awareness skill that can support you from puberty, right up until menopause. Natural Fertility NZ (NFNZ) trains Educators to teach Fertility Awareness to individuals and couples.
How does Fertility Awareness work?
Practicing Fertility Awareness involves learning to recognise and record your signs of fertility on a chart, and then interpreting that information to work out where you are in your cycle. Your motivation, and goals will change throughout your reproductive life, whether you are wanting to conceive, avoid conception, or just track your fertility – therefore you need a trustworthy method of Fertility Awareness that can meet you where you are at, and be modified for your different life stages.
Which method/s does NFNZ teach?
NFNZ teaches the Sympto-thermal Method (STM) for both avoiding conception, and to those trying to conceive. The method incorporates cervical mucus, vaginal sensation, and basal body temperature. We also teach you how to check your cervix (especially helpful if you are not noticing much cervical mucus) – but this is entirely optional. The Sympto-thermal Method as taught by NFNZ also uses some key indicators to ‘double check’ – this provides an extra layer of assurance when using the method to avoid pregnancy.
We also teach the Lactational Amennorhoa Method and Breastfeeding Charting to those who have just given birth, and are breastfeeding.
Can I trust the Sympto-thermal Method as a contraceptive?
The Sympto-thermal Method is supported by international research and proven to be at least 98% effective by the World Health Organisation, as long as it is taught by an Accredited Fertility Educator, and practised consistently and correctly. The latest research from Germany shows an improved efficacy of 99.4% (Petra Frank-Hermann 2007).
In 2020, the Ministry of Health (now Health NZ), published their New Zealand Aotearoa’s guidance on contraception, which was an in-depth review on the current contraceptive options available and in use in New Zealand, along with recommendations. The main takeaways for the Sympto-thermal Method (STM) were:
The STM is much more effective at preventing a pregnancy than other forms of Fertility Awareness. With correct and consistent use, there is less than 1 pregnancy for every 100 individuals using the method over the course of a year. Combining fertility signs (like cervical mucus, sensation, and basal body temperature) is much more effective than relying on only one sign of fertility. It is important to learn how to use the STM from a trained Fertility Educator for the best effectiveness rate
Practicing Fertility Awareness Safely
When choosing a method of Fertility Awareness, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Firstly, you want to make sure that the method you choose has been proven to correctly identify your unique fertile window in every cycle. Not every method is the same, and some can be quite complicated. It is also vital that you understand that there is a lot of misinformation out there, especially if you wanting to avoid getting pregnant.
You can read more about other methods, and how they work here.
Secondly, you still need to keep both yourself, and your partner safe from sexually transmitted infections (STI’s), so using a barrier method (like a condom) still has a very important role to play until you have both been tested.
Why should I use Fertility Awareness?
There are many reasons why Fertility Awareness may be the right choice for you, some of them are:
- You want to use a method that aligns with your beliefs or faith
- You can not use hormonal contraception due to health reasons
- You have stopped using hormonal contraception, and you want to track your return to fertility in preparation for getting pregnant
- You are wanting to get pregnant – Fertility Awareness can shorten the time to conception
- You want to understand your body better
If you are unsure, or just want to have a chat to find out more, reach out to your local Fertility Educator: