Fertility Awareness Methods (FAM Contraception) | Planned Parenthood (2023)

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• What is the Fertility Awareness Method?
• How do they prevent pregnancy?
• what is the benefit?
• What are the disadvantages?
• How effective are they?
• Are these methods safe?
• How to use FAM for contraception?
• additional tips

What is the Fertility Awareness Method?

The Fertility Awareness Method is also known as FAM birth control or "natural family planning." They include tracking ovulation (ovulation) and scheduling sexual activity during unfavorable months for pregnancy. For example, women can abstain from sex or take extra protective measures during their most fertile times.

Women use different types of methods to track their fertility.

includetemperature method,cervical mucus method,calendar method,standard day methodüTempering method.

How do they prevent pregnancy?

Pregnancy occurs when fertilization occurs, when a sperm combines with an egg. In a woman with a normal, healthy reproductive system, during her menstrual cycle, she sometimes becomes pregnant:

• impossible
• Not too possible
• in all possibilities

The Fertility Awareness Method or FAM birth control method reduces the chance of pregnancy by letting you know when you are most fertile. That way, you can take steps to keep sperm from getting to your eggs when you are most fertile. In other words, you can find out when you are most fertile, andremembersex, sportsrunning outdoors, or use additional protection such ascondom,sponge,cervical cap,spermicide, Enz).

Fertility awareness can also help prevent pregnancy by encouraging its useemergency contraception(NPR.plan b), if a woman has unprotected sex during a very fertile time of the month.

In order to use these methods effectively, a woman must have a good understanding of her menstrual cycle. There are 7 days in each menstrual cycle that the sperm has the opportunity to meet the egg and conceive. These days can be determined by knowing when you ovulate.

what is the benefit?

The advantages are as follows:

• cheap
• sev
• Possibility of use during breastfeeding
• Chances of Pregnancy After Miscarriage

Other benefits are not:

• Effects on Hormones
• side effect
• Physical contact
• The need for medication
• Preparing for intercourse

What are the disadvantages?

Fertility awareness methods often require a great deal of discipline. she tooRequireSupport for all sex participants. If you feel like you can't track your menstrual cycle properly, take a look at other peoplecontraceptive method.Also, if you have multiple partners, it may be difficult to follow the FAM birth control method.

Medications can also affect your abilityuseAn approach based on fertility awareness. This can cause abnormalities in your cycle. If your periods are irregular, you should not rely on FAM for birth control.

Those who are going through hormonal changes, such as teens, breastfeeding women, women approaching menopause, and those who have just stopped using hormonal birth control pills, may not be able to accurately track their menstrual cycles.

For more information, please contact your doctor.

How effective are these methods?

The average effectiveness depends on the type of fertility awareness method. Used in 100s of couples:

• Cervical mucus method correct, 3 will get pregnant
• The standard number of days is correct, and you will be pregnant in 5 days
• If the combination method (that is, the same temperature method) is correct, 0.4 will become pregnant
• Fertility awareness method is not correct, 24-year-old can also be pregnant

Are these methods safe?

These methods are very safe. No negative side effects, hormonal or medical.

their effectivenessbased ondepends on the ability of the useruseThey are accurate.

However, it is also important to remember that FAM birth control does not reduce the risk of STDs. If you are interested in this field, please use amale condomfromfemale condomto prevent infection.

How to use FAM for contraception?

The four main types of FAM birth control are:

• temperature method
• cervical mucus method
• calendar method
• standard day method
• Tempering method

Using any of these methods requires the cooperation and support of both parties. You can learn more by taking classes or meeting with a trained sexual health or family planning specialist. It is recommended that both parties learn skills together and build mutual understanding.

This page contains basic information about fertility awareness methods and should not be construed as professional medical advice.

temperature method

Using the temperature method, each measurement of body temperature can determine the time of ovulation. This is because a woman's body temperature rises slightly after ovulation and remains high until the next menstruation begins. The goal of this exercise is to avoid unprotected sex for 72 hours after ovulation ends.

This means taking your basal body temperature (BBT) every day while your body is at rest. For the most accurate results, take your temperature the same way every day. To do this, you should take your temperature right after waking up before starting your day or any activity.

After taking your temperature, use a large basal thermometer to measure the temperature to the nearest tenth of a degree. Changes in body temperature are subtle but must be detected. A woman's average body temperature is 96 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit before ovulation and 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit after ovulation.

Your temperature should be recorded on a separate chart. They can be obtained from a health professional or a women's health center. If you're angry, sick, or dealing with any other situation that might raise your blood pressure and temperature (even just a little), it's a good idea to write that on your chart to help you understand how it affects your results. It is also recommended to have a health professional help you interpret the chart in the first place.

Record your temperature for at least 90 days before relying solely on this method of birth control. This will give you an idea of ​​your normal cycle.

Using the temperature method, a woman's safe (fertile) day begins 72 hours after the temperature starts to rise. They are over when the temperature drops before her next period begins.

cervical mucus method

The cervical mucus method is also known as the ovulation method or the Billings method. It involves monitoring the quantity and physical properties of vaginal mucus. This works because vaginal mucus changes its consistency depending on whether a woman is ovulating or not.

This method is best for women who produce a lot of vaginal mucus and feel comfortable touching their vagina. If you plan to use this method, it is recommended that you avoid unprotected sex throughout the cycle until you feel your mucus levels are normal.

Women generally produce less mucus after menstruation. You can call them your "dry days," or if you're on a long cycle, they can be "safe days." As the eggs mature, more mucus is produced. You can find this yellowish-white substance at the opening of your vagina. It should be sticky. As ovulation approaches, your mucus increases and becomes slippery. That's when a woman is most fertile. After doing this for 4 days, your mucus may become cloudy and sticky again before gradually drying out, which is considered safe.

To use this information to know when you are or are not in your prime, check your mucus several times a day and record it on your calendar.

You can do this by wiping the opening of the vagina with toilet paper before urinating, checking the nature of the discharge in your underwear, or inserting a finger into the vagina and checking the color and consistency of the discharge you find. Mark your calendar with attributes of slime. Is it sticky? cloudy? wet? slip? almost non-existent? Mark it on your calendar and try to see the pattern. When you get your period, you don't need to check your mucus, but count it as a "flow day."

Remember, women who are breastfeeding, have undergone cervical surgery, are postmenopausal, and have just stopped taking hormonal birth control pills,spermicideOr people with STIs or vaginitis may have irregular mucus patterns, which could affect the accuracy of the method.

Your least safe slime days begin three days before the slippery slime first appears. They end three days after the slippery mucus phase peaks. Menstrual days are also unlikely to be safe. This is especially true for women with short cycles. Possibly safer days start after the slippery mucus clears and cloudy mucus takes its place. The days most likely to be safe are the following "dry days".

calendar method

The calendar method means you can track how many days your cycle has from one period to another. To do this, count the days from the first day of your period, then count the days until the first day of your next period. This method is not recommended for women with cycles shorter than 27 days.

After tracking at least 8 cycle days in each cycle, you can determine your "safe days" and most fertile days (for accuracy, 12 cycles is best).

After determining the number of days per cycle, for 8 to 12 cycles, you will findshortest periodRecord and subtract 18 from the number of days in the period. Using this number, count the number of days from day 1 of the current cycle and mark the day that ends with a red X. This represents the first day of your fertile life.

Repeat the same exercise, but this time subtract 11 from your number of dayslongest cycle.Using this number, calculate the number of days from the first day of the current cycle and mark the due date with an X. This represents the last day you can possibly conceive.

Because this method uses past averages and information to predict future fertility, it can be risky if your cycles are inconsistent or irregular. Therefore, you should always use this method with otherscontraceptive method.

standard day method

The standard days method is a calendar method used to track your fertility. This usually involves tracking your cycles by moving rubber rings around special bead chains called Cyclebeads. This method is only suitable for women whose menstrual cycle is never shorter than 26 days or longer than 32 days.

Cyclebeads contain 33 beads: 1 black bead, 1 red bead, 6 brown beads, 12 white beads, and 13 brown beads. Each bead represents a day, except the black bead.

The black ring is placed on the red ball on the first day of menstruation. Since then, every day the black ring will move to the adjacent ball in the direction of the arrow printed on the black ball. The brown beads represent "safe days" and the white beads represent days when women are more fertile.

This method is not recommended for women who:

• have been or are using hormonal contraceptives orspiral
• for breastfeeding
• you recently got pregnant

Tempering method

Co-warming is the method of combining several fertility awareness methods at the same time. This is done for greater accuracy. This is good for women who are looking for peace of mind and are willing to closely monitor their menstrual cycle.

This includes using both of the above FAM birth control methods at the same time.

This allows you to accurately track safe and fertile days when only one method could fail. For example, your temperature chart may be off due to illness, in which case you can rely on the cervical mucus method to maintain accuracy.

additional tips

If you have recently used hormonal birth control, switching to fertility awareness methods or FAM birth control is not recommended, includingemergency contraception.This is because their effect on your hormones can make it difficult to accurately track your menstrual cycle.

If you decide to use fertility-based birth control methods, you should seek the help of a medical professional who can advise you on the proper use of these techniques. This website is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice.

you cangetThere are many things you need to implement the free fertility awareness method. Contact your local women's health center or doctorDirect land.

If you want to know when you ovulate, you can also check it online for freeovulation calculatormore details.

You should also check other peoplebirth control methodbefore making any decisions.