FAM.



Fertility Awareness Methods



Many common contraceptives work by suppressing women’s fertility, with unwanted side effects. Natural alternatives, like FAM offer a gentler approach. FAM empowers women to understand their ovulation, providing effective protection—with a success rate of 98% in perfect use and 88% in typical use.


The ovulation cycle



Understanding ovulation helps you choose contraceptive method



A woman’s ovulation is central to keep a balanced libido, mood, sleep cycle and apetite. Fertility Awareness Methods (FAM) let women understand their cycles, giving a natural, side-effect–free contraception while supporting their ovulation and natural rhythm.


Ovulation





6 days when you can get pregnant



Fertility awareness is a method that involves tracking the 6 days each month when a woman can get pregnant, which occurs around ovulation.


  • Your menstrual cycle starts from day 1 when you begin bleeding.
  • The cycle is typically around 28 days long.
  • The first 14 days are dominated by the hormone estrogen, and the remaining days by progesterone.
  • Right before estrogen shifts to progesterone, is when ovulation happens and this is when a woman is fertile.
  • Ovulation occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. A sign of ovulation is when you notice clear, stretchy cervical mucus in your underwear.
  • Although ovulation only lasts for one day, sperm can survive for up to 6 days before ovulation, making the woman's fertile period: six full days.


After ovulation





Safe to have sex



If you know your ovulation, you can avoid unwanted pregnancy by using a condom or by avoiding sex during your fertile days. To identify when you are ovulating, knowledge and experience are required.


Therefore, you need to use a fertility app or take a course. After ovulation, a woman's body temperature rises, and when this rise has occurred, you know that ovulation has taken place. At this point, you can have unprotected sex without becoming pregnant.


A fertility app tracks this temperature rise. For example, the company Natural Cycles does this, and they are well-established in the market. We advise against using a regular period app or tracking it yourself, as there is a risk you may not be adequately protected.



The cycle restarts





From ovulation to menstruation



Sometimes the menstrual cycle is irregular. Identifying ovulation can then be difficult. Sometimes, the body may even try to ovulate twice. Therefore, you need to track it over time if you want to identify your 6 fertile days, and do so with a safe and approved app. Tracking ovulation to prevent unwanted pregnancy has several benefits:


  • No visits to the gynecologist or procedures are required.
  • No side effects.
  • All you need is an app and a basal thermometer. 98% effective if the method is used correctly.

Under "Webinar" you can listen to the lecture about contraceptives.


Contraceptives webinar

Fertility Apps



There are also other similar techniques (besides Natural Cycles) called FAM, Justisse, or natural family planning, where you can take courses and learn to identify your fertile days. They work similarly to Natural Cycles with temperature tracking and menstrual cycle charting to see your individual patterns.


Often, the charting is done manually with a calendar, for example. You can also learn to identify when you are fertile by looking at fertile mucus and the position of the cervix. But it requires some learning. For some, Natural Cycles may work less effectively if they have a low body temperature and rarely reach 36.8°C or if they have irregular patterns that the algorithm has difficulty recognizing. In that case, it may be better to look into Justisse, FAM, and similar methods.



Regular period tracking apps? Regular period tracking apps? They are not reliable as contraception, unless you have taken fertility classes. Some people use period tracking apps like FLO or similar, and they can be useful, but unfortunately, these apps alone are not reliable when it comes to using them as contraception.


Natural Cycles has a built-in algorithm that calculates your fertile window for you. If you want to learn even more and identify your fertile period without the app, you can of course read more and take courses in Justisse or natural family planning.
*Our recommendation is independent (not paid).



Further reading:



Common contraceptives and comparison of methods



Whats the effects of common contraceptives on the market? Many contraceptives are associated with side-effects in the body, and you have the right to make an informed choice. Compare methods and choose what feels right for you.


Compare contraceptives

Further reading:



Hormonal balance



Many women experience PMS. Read about the hormone balance in the body and how it is connected to ovulation and the menstrual cycle.

Read more

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