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Before we dive into the top misconceptions about fertility awareness, let’s define it!
What is a fertility awareness method or FAM?
FAM is an umbrella term that refers to a set of practices to monitor the biomarkers of the female reproductive cycle. Biomarkers of the cycle are vital signs that tell the story of what’s going on in your body.
They tell you what hormones are dominant, what phase of the cycle you are in, whether you are fertile or not, and if anything is amiss. Biomarkers include things like cervical mucus, temperature changes, hormonal fluctuations, and other signs and symptoms.
Many women wonder what the point of FAMs are outside of family planning and if anyone can use them.
Well I’ll tell you!
FAMs can be used to track your health and fertility. Your cycle tells the story of what’s going on in your body, and it also tells you how healthy you are.
The cycle is supposed to be regular, fertile, and with mild (if any) symptoms.
Now that we’re on the same page about fertility awareness, let’s cover some of the biggest misconceptions people hold about them.
Misconception #1: FAMs have low effectiveness rates.
FAM methods are often mistaken for outdated cycle tracking methods like the rhythm method.
The rhythm method is based on the assumption that every woman has a 28-day cycle and also ovulates on day 14. The reality is that less than 15% of women have a regular 28-day cycle.
This doesn’t mean that our cycles are not regular or trackable! Just the opposite. Unless there is a medical issue, our cycles follow a predictable pattern from start to finish every time.
Even with issues our biomarkers still paint a picture of what is going on in our body, whether normal or abnormal. Because of this predictable pattern, it’s more than possible to not only track your cycle patterns via your biomarkers, but also know when you are fertile or not to help avoid or achieve pregnancy.
When used correctly, scientifically-backed modern methods of FAM are up to 99% effective!
Misconception #2: It’s just for sexually active adults.
FAM is not just useful for family planning.
Tracking the cycle gives you real-time data about your health. It’s considered by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology to be the 5th vital sign of female health.
The other 4 are our heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. FAM is a great tool to help determine if your hormones are normal and if you are ovulating – which is vital to your overall health!
Every woman, young and old, sexually active or not, should be encouraged to track the biomarkers of her cycle and use the information her body gives her to monitor her health.
Regular observation of the cycle can help a woman get early diagnosis and treatment of things like STI’s, yeast infections, infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, adenomyosis, cervical cancer, and much more.
Misconception #3: It’s only for family planning, especially conception.
Our cycles tell us about our health.
We can use fertility awareness to track for family planning purposes, yes. However, and possibly more importantly, we can use FAM to view our overall health status and determine if there is a medical concern that we need to address.
Its purpose is really two-fold. Many teens and women use it for health monitoring, but also we can use it to prepare our bodies for a healthy pregnancy.
For adults who are sexually active, it’s so important that we have a healthy body when trying to conceive and carry a pregnancy. It takes 3 cycles for our body to mature the egg that will ovulate and eventually become a baby.
We could use at least those 3 cycles to monitor what’s going on to make sure we have healthy hormones and ovulation.
Misconception #4: I can’t understand my body.
Like Marie Forleo says, “Everything is figureoutable.” That means your body too!
We women are taught that our bodies are complex creations that no one can understand and our hormones make us do crazy things. Sometimes that’s true.
But, what goes on in the female body is also a scientific fact and we know this because it is supported by so much data!
I can’t tell you how many teens and women learn this information and feel a little annoyed if not angry that this wasn’t taught to them sooner, by their moms or even in a school health class.
The reality is that once women are taught the science of our reproductive system, so much clarity comes flooding in and it becomes easier to understand and love who we are as opposed to more difficult!
Misconception #5: My doctor won’t support it.
This is phooey. If you have a doctor who doesn’t want to listen to your concerns and help you discern what is the best choice for you, then you need to find new care.
Ultimately, your doctor is hired by you. They work for you. If you don’t feel like they are giving you all the options or informing you fully, then you have the right to find someone who does.
Honestly, most doctors are not taught all there is to know about the female cycle so they don’t understand the nuances and importance of charting.
They can’t support what they do not understand. You will have an opportunity to help educate and guide them on this subject so you can work as a team to find the right solution for your health and fertility.
Do not allow them to just write this option off if they are ill-informed or you feel it is best for you. You’re the one who lives in your body, not your doctor.
Misconception #6: FAM doesn’t work for me because I have irregular cycles.
Fertility awareness works for just about every woman.
Whether you have irregular cycles or are struggling with infertility or other reproductive issues, charting your cycle biomarkers will clue you in to what is really going on daily.
Also, regardless of irregular ovulation, women can accurately chart their biomarkers and note if and when they are fertile versus infertile. Women can successfully use fertility awareness methods if they have cycles that are 25 days or cycles that vary up to 100s of days.
I have seen it work for all types of cycles. Not to mention, by charting, many women with irregular cycles finally get to the root cause of their cycle issues and are able to fix them!
Misconception #7: Women ovulate spontaneously.
If only this lie would disappear forever. Just, no. We do not ovulate spontaneously or due to having sex or an intense orgasm.
We ovulate after very specific hormones have reached certain levels to trigger the right events to take place. Simple as that.
Our cycles follow predictable patterns, remember? If you heard this from a medical professional, I really hope you can educate them and then find a better provider.
Misconception #8: It’s just period tracking.
Not exactly.
Tracking your period just tells you when you’ve had your period. It doesn’t tell you anything about the health of your hormones or if and when you’ve ovulated.
Period tracking doesn’t tell you if you have a sufficient luteal phase to sustain a pregnancy or if your mucus patterns are normal. By the way, if you’ve got an app that “tells you when you ovulate,” please delete it. An app cannot predict ovulation because you are not an algorithm.
You are a unique human being with cycles that likely are not as regular as that app thinks they are.
Our cycles are influenced by many internal and external stimuli and the most likely event to be thrown off is ovulation. When ovulation is delayed for any reason, we will see a delay in our period as well.
Misconception #9: There’s only one protocol of fertility awareness.
There are many methods of fertility awareness. Most of them incorporate much of the same biomarkers, such as cervical mucus, hormone monitoring, or basal body temperature.
Each method has specific rules that are based in rigorous scientific research. By following the rules of the method you choose, you can use it effectively for whatever goal you have.
The best way to use fertility awareness is to choose a method you feel comfortable with, learn it from a trained instructor, and chart daily to create your personal health log and monitor your fertility.
But don’t forget, if you don’t love a method, you can absolutely change to another method that might suit your needs better!
Misconception #10: I can just buy a fertility monitor or use an app and it will tell me when I’m fertile.
No, and no. Once again, a fertility monitor like Daysy or Natural Cycles or apps that predict your period and ovulation are not reliable methods of fertility awareness.
They base their knowledge off of algorithms or the false idea that all women have a 28-day cycle. This leads to the predictions of fertility and ultimately skews your data.
It’s much better to observe and understand your fertility signs in real-time via your own unique biomarkers and then implement that knowledge through a successful FAM protocol.
Even if your cycles seem regular enough that the tech you use is mostly right, your cycle can be thrown off through internal and external stimuli, like stress or medication or a new diet. The predictability of your cycle could potentially change at any given day.
Misconception #11: I need birth control to “regulate” my cycles.
Hate to break the news to you, but hormonal birth control doesn’t regulate your cycles in any way.
The cycle relies on fluctuations of our natural hormones so that certain events can take place in a very particular order. These hormonal fluctuations are caused by ongoing conversations between the brain and the reproductive system.
Hormonal birth control shuts down this conversation completely.
Depending on the type of birth control it may shut down ovulation, thin the uterine lining, thicken cervical mucus, and flush out a fertilized egg from the reproductive system so it cannot implant.
A woman on HBC does not create many of the natural reproductive hormones that are necessary for overall health and wellbeing. The cycle is not regulated by HBC, but a fake cycle is actually created while a woman’s real hormonal cycle is depressed.
Misconception #12: FAM doesn’t work post-partum because you can’t know when you’re fertile and you are most fertile after having a baby.
Postpartum is often the most challenging time for a woman to chart because her postpartum hormones create mayhem in her body.
Many factors affect when a woman will see a return of fertility from feedings to sleep cycles to time away from baby and much more.
Usually, a woman will not see her typical cycle patterns right away, even when she does start cycling again. This transition can add to the confusion which makes women feel like they are incapable of charting their cycles well.
A few of the reasons people feel like you are most fertile after having a baby are myths like, “Your body wants to replace the baby that you just gave birth to.”
All I’m going to say to that is, no. If you think that or share that nonsense, please stop now.
Another one is, “You can’t know when you will ovulate.” It may be more difficult for a woman to observe her impending ovulation because of her changing cycles and hormones, but it is far from impossible.
What many women are unaware of is that you will always ovulate before a true period bleed. Therefore, you will have the potential to become pregnant before you even think you are cycling regularly again.
Finally, some women see a return of fertility very shortly after having a baby; some as little as 6 weeks.
This can be extremely disappointing for a woman who is just learning to be with her new baby and try to heal from birth. Especially so when her cycle patterns may be somewhat confusing. Once again, this does not mean you are “most fertile” after having a baby.
It’s simply the way your body responds due to your own unique hormonal pattern, your birth experience, your baby, and everything that goes with it.
Disclaimer: The information on this post is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this post is for general information purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.
About the Author
Mairead Suthoff
My name is Mairead Suthoff. I am a certified athletic trainer, which is not the same as a personal trainer. I work in sports medicine and cover a little bit of everything from first response medicine, musculoskeletal injuries, pre-evaluation for sports, evaluation and diagnosis of injuries, and rehabilitation. I am also a FEMM certified fertility awareness instructor and I teach through my business, Lumina Health Services. I love blending my knowledge of sports medicine with fertility awareness and hormonal health, especially for active females. In particular, I am passionate about the subject of cycle-syncing exercise and using the female cycle as a blueprint for switching up workouts.