Fertility Awareness, Any Fans?

No. I'm not willing to take a chance. Just because you're more or less fertile at a certain time doesn't mean that you *can't* get pregnant. While nothing is foolproof, the chance of getting pregnant is much higher than with other methods.

Actually, when used correctly FAM is 98% effective. That's more effective than condoms. This isn't at all like the rhythm method, which gives you an "estimate" of when you're fertile based on previous cycles. FAM tracks your three scientifically proven fertility signs every day so that you can pinpoint the day you ovulate, if not within 3 days. I know people are commonly taught that natural birth control is "dangerous," and this is why I promote it so much. There is so much misinformation on the subject, and honestly I think it's a scam to keep women buying birth control pills and continue to be ignorant of their reproductive health. If you know what's going on in your body, why would you need an expert other than in serious cases?

Anyway, please check out the facts before dismissing it, or you may be missing out on something very useful.

It can also help when trying to get pregnant, or trying to figure out when you can get pregnant.

I discovered that my luteal phase (which is "average" of 14 ish days in alot of women) is only 9 days. This leaves less days for actual fertilization and implantation.

I know that seems pointless to mention on this thread where it seems people clearly do not want to get pregnant - but, it is true.

And truly, FAM4LIFE is right. This method is 98% effective. I have been sexually active for the entire 4 years I've been doing FAM - and the only kid I have is the one we planned (and the only pregnancy for that matter), and it took us one month to get pg with him. other than that we haven't even had a scare.

I will say, though, that around the time I ovulate and my fertile days we do use condoms, just to feel a little more pro active.

I find monitoring the signs of the body to be absolutely fascinating, but I don't appreciate the negative attitude you take towards women using other forms of birth control. Honestly, it really turns me off to what you're trying to promote.

There are positives and negatives to every form of birth control. I use the withdrawal method, which until recently when more research was done, got me nothing but criticism from doctors and friends.

I realize FAM can be great for a lot of people especially if they have problems with hormonal birth control, but some people are fine with hormonal birth control and are on it for balancing their hormones and periods as well as a method of preventing pregnancy.

Also, a lot of women just don't have the time and patience to monitor their cervical mucus level and their temperature every single day.

In real life, the failure rate for FAM and similar methods is 15-25%. The failure rate for the pill is around 1% (this site has a lot of good resources: link). For many, many, many women, hormonal contraception is safe and effective. Do some people have problems? Sure. Does that mean pills are evil and kill people? No. In fact, the risk rate for hormonal contraceptives is quite low, and recent studies have shown that they even confer benefits.

I'd also like to point out that the fact that your sisters got pregnant seems to be because they failed to take the pills properly. I don't really see how that's a pill problem. When someone doesn't take their full course of antibiotics, for example, and has a relapsed infection, no one blames the antibiotics.

The point is, everyone will choose the birth control method that's right for them. For many, many women, this will be hormonal birth control. It's great that FAM works for you, but there's no need to put down women who use other birth control methods.

Last time I'm addressing this: I am not putting down the WOMEN who use other forms of birth control. I am simply pointing out the negatives and positives, as the pill is very widespread and in my experience, the risks are not thoroughly talked about. Please don't take it so personally. I was not intending this to be a war of comparison. This is really just taking away from anything that's said about FAM. So, don't be surprised if I don't respond to personal accusations. If anyone has real questions, I will be glad to answer them the best to my ability.

I wasn't blaming the pill for my sisters' unwanted pregnancies, but it is the nature of the pill that allows you to forget about your fertility and leave that the decision in the hands of a doctor. This is a downside. This is my point in comparison to what I've been trying to say about FAM.

Pills do in fact kill people. This is one of the risks. Whether this makes them evil or not is up to you to decide. And these "benefits" are relative. Again, good for some women, but not for all.

And the sources you list for FAM and "similar methods" being only 15-25% effective do not target FAM specifically. FAM stands alone in it's class because it has extensive research. Again, like the pill, it's failure rate is for perfect use. Mistakes are not calculated in this number.

Please check out the following sites which have tons of information on FAM:
FAM FAQs
FAM home

Final disclaimer: I am supportive of all forms of birth control. I am supportive of women choosing the birth control that is right for them. I also understand that little is commonly known about FAM and strive to make information more available. I would also like to talk honestly about these methods in an objective way. So please ask questions if you have them!

Are there women for whom this is not a viable option? Like if something is affecting their cervix/temperature?

You're looking for the big picture with FAM, and this gives it a lot of room for diversity among women who use it. You want to see an obvious, dramatic change in your fertility signs to confirm that ovulation has passed. The most safe sign that ovulation has occurred is a "high"(in comparison to your pre-ovulatory temps) waking temp for at least 3 days. This is because your body produces large amounts of progesterone (a heat inducing hormone) right after ovulation, and is a very strong sign of ovulation. There are particular situations where you can't read your fertility signs, and FAM suggests that you abstain(or use barrier methods) until you have witnessed obvious changes in your fertility signs. The most frequent situations are: fever, drinking alcohol at night (raises your morning temp), and vaginal infections (which can mask your cervical fluid)

For certain circumstances there are special rules. For example, a woman who doesn't have an obvious thermal shift, or if her cervical fluid never builds up to "maximum fertility," this is a sign of potential infertility, so the rules change a little. One rule that takes into account your "peak" day of fertility would be defined by "creamy" cervical fluid rather than "eggwhite" (if she never gets the "eggwhite cervical fluid). I can't specifically think of any situations where a woman couldn't use FAM at all. Toni Weschler's book goes into great detail about all these special circumstances. She has a great section for breast feeding and potentially infertile women, giving them the ability to see when and if they ovulate.

Some women have dramatically lower or higher waking temperatures, which is sometimes linked to thyroid conditions. For these women, the rules are still the same. FAM uses your cervical position as an "optional" fertility sign because it's not as strong of an indicator as your waking temp and cervical fluid, and you can have effective birth control without it. Some women can't reach their cervix with their fingers, and that's fine. If you're really curious, you can get yourself a stainless steel speculum to observe your cervical position visually. Observing your cervical position has a lot to do with the height of your cervix throughout your cycle, and the size of your cervix's opening. FAM takes into consideration that women who have had vaginal childbirth will always have a slightly more "open" cervix.

Thanks for the question! I hope this was helpful, and not too technical

I think it's great that there [italics|are] so many different options available to women for birth control. While it's true that not all are created equal and each person has to figure out for themselves which is the best method, I think it's important to be aware of risks; risk of both medical side effects and failure rates.

This forum can be a great place to discuss such things, but probably the best place to go for valid statistics and information on side effects would be your own doctor or other trained professional in this area.

Happy New Year everyone!

I can probably see me getting involved when I want to become pregnant, it is a major commitment and I can not see me keeping it up on an ongoing basis. There are more effective methods of birth control......

I use the Lady Comp (Pearly). It is FAM method perfected by German Doctors and Engineers so that it takes the guess work out of the method. It is awesome and easy to use and well worth the investment. It is as simple as taking your temperature in the morning before you get up to see if you can have unprotected sex during the next 24hrs with a red or green light. The FAM method is great, it just requires diligence and perfection in order to get it right. The Lady Comp does it for you, making it really easy, accurate, and useful for people with busy lifestyles.