Natural Conception
Fertility awareness for conception
Most women don't think about their fertility until they want to start a family. Do you know if you ovulate? You can find out without expensive tests. All you need is a basal thermometer and a little instruction.
But don't be fooled, your basal body temperature (BBT) will not actually help you get pregnant. Knowing when you ovulate is helpful for evaluating your fertility and calculating your due date, but by the time you can confirm ovulation it's too late to conceive because an egg only lives for 12-24 hours (unless it is fertilized).
Thankfully, you don't have to time intercourse during the egg's short lifespan. Normally sperm die within minutes in the vagina, but as ovulation approaches the body produces cervical mucus that can keep sperm alive for 2-5 days. Learn to observe your mucus to know when the time is right.
Fertility awareness allows you to know when you're fertile and time intercourse to maximize your chances of conceiving naturally and quickly. Have you been trying to get pregnant for a while? Charting your cycles can help troubleshoot infertility problems more comprehensively than any lab test.
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Natural Birth Control
Fertility awareness for birth control
It sounds like an oxymoron, but it's not: birth control can be something to smile about. Fertility awareness is an effective, non-hormonal option that will transform your relationship to your body and your sexuality.
If it's so great, why haven't you heard about it before? The effectiveness of calendar methods (i.e. rhythm method) and observation methods (i.e. Justisse Method) are often combined under the same "natural birth control" umbrella. Calendar methods predict when you are fertile based on a calculation which is not accurate (don't bother with most "fertility awareness" apps). Effective natural birth control is the result of tracking your cervical mucus, basal body temperature, and cervix position. This practice is very reliable with a perfect use effectiveness of 99.6%; the method is as effective as you are.
Concerned about abstaining when you are fertile? There are many other kinds of play and it just might be the push to creativity your relationship needs. You can also combine fertility awareness with barriers if you don't mind the lower effectiveness of a condom, etc.
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Problem Free Periods
Fertility awareness for hormonal balance
Period problems are a sign of hormonal imbalance, not an unfortunate part of being a woman that you must accept. Conventional "treatment" of your period problems is the pill. The pill may provide a band-aid solution, but don't be fooled - the pill does not regulate your hormones. The pill shuts down your estrogen and progesterone production in the ovaries and puts you in a chemically induced menopause (of sorts). Your regular monthly "period" on the pill is not a period at all - it is a withdrawal bleed from the synthetic hormones.
Alternatively, charting your cycles reveals the imbalance causing your period problems and together we can heal your hormones holistically. Your menstruation, cervical mucus patterns, basal body temperature, and luteal phase length reflect exactly how your body is producing and eliminating estrogen and progesterone. Lab tests reveal a random sample of hormone levels in the blood at any given time, whereas charting reveals a comprehensive picture of your hormone profile over the whole cycle.
Think of your periods as your monthly report card for how well you are taking care of yourself - your 5th vital sign. Stress got you down? You'll see it in your cycles. Eating lots of inflammatory foods? You'll notice the difference in your periods. Fertility awareness is an incredible tool for monitoring your reproductive and general health and can inform life choices way beyond family planning.
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