Learning fertility awareness can feel confusing and frustrating, and cycles can change month to month. There is also a lot of information on the internet and in books that can be hard to parse through. Depending on the method you learned and practice, there could also be more to learn as there are nuanced differences between FABMs. No matter the reasons you are tracking, working with a Fertility Awareness Educator can help you reach a point where you feel confident using the method correctly and effectively.

Like many FABMs, the Justisse Method and FEMM involve an initial dedication of time to learn, usually at least three months for the basics in order to get some experience charting and understand the rules of the method on an intellectual level. Oftentimes, it takes longer to build confidence relying on the method if you are avoiding pregnancy. Once it all starts to makes sense and the new observational routines are integrated with your lifestyle, it can become second nature like setting an alarm before bed or going to the bathroom. That said, it always depends on the person. Everyone learns differently and at different paces.

The Justisse Method is primarily a Sympto-Thermal Method, which means it is already one of the more thorough methods of fertility awareness due to the observation of two primary and accessible signs of the body, cervical mucus and basal body temperature (BBT). However, it can also be practiced as a Mucus Only Method. One of its distinguishing aspects is the detail and standardization of both mucus observations and sensations. This standardization is beneficial not only to identify fertile and infertile days, but also gain insight into reproductive and hormonal health.

You can still learn fertility awareness if you are on the pill, have an IUD, or take hormone therapy. However, learning by tracking the menstrual cycle is most useful when you are not taking hormonal contraception or other endocrine disruptors. Some people track their cycles while on the copper IUD because it is non-hormonal, but this may still interfere with cervical mucus observations. Fertility awareness can also be used to learn about your cycle before or after taking transitioning hormone therapy.

Sensiplan is a Sympto-Thermal Method, which means it is already one of the more thorough methods of fertility awareness due to the observation of two primary and accessible signs of the body, cervical mucus and basal body temperature (BBT). One of its distinguishing aspects is that is has research behind it as a cohesive method, especially when it comes to avoiding pregnancy. You can learn more about it here: https://www.sensiplan.de/en/professionals/science-publications.

Menstrual cycle health can be a reflection of overall health, so tracking your cycle can give you a lot of information. Whether you are trying to achieve pregnancy and/or fertility or not, you can begin to understand, identify and manage the impacts of premenstrual symptoms (PMS), dysmenorrhea, stress, anxiety, trauma, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis and uterine fibroids among other health issues in relation.

Yes, many people find tracking perimenopausal symptoms such as irregular periods, fibrocystic breasts, fatigue, headaches, depression, mood swings, weight gain, etc. all helpful to better address symptoms. You can also track ovulation during perimenopause and learn more about your cycle parameters for birth control and/or optimizing for conception during this time.