Understanding the various fertility awareness methods, or FAM, is one of the most important steps to take if you want to start a family and are trying to conceive or looking for natural family planning. It is a powerful but simple tool that helps you know your body better, check your fertility, and get pregnant or avoid pregnancy. Read below to learn more about this tool and how to track and optimise conception chances.
For effectively identifying fertile days and using the FAM properly, you should be aware of the details of your menstrual cycle. You should know when you are likely to conceive and get pregnant. For pregnancy to happen, fertilisation (the fusion of egg and sperm) has to take place. During your periods, there are some specific days when the sperm can fertilise the eggs, and these are called fertile days. Every month during the menstrual cycle, the ovary produces eggs that get lodged in the fallopian tube; this process is called ovulation. This egg remains in the fallopian tube for up to 24 hours. The sperm can remain in the fallopian tube and the uterus for up to six days. If the sperm joins the egg in the tube during this period, it fertilises and travels to the uterus. This then attaches to the uterine wall, and you get pregnant. If the egg does not fertilise, it dissolves, and you get periods. Since the egg after ovulation lives for about a day and the sperm for six days after intercourse, you are fertile for about seven days of your period. i.e., the day you ovulate and five days before ovulation. In rare cases, you can also become pregnant 1 or 2 days after ovulation.
There are three fertility signs to look out for:
There are a few other secondary signs that some women find, and these are mainly to back up the information that you have collected.
The fertility awareness method is an effective and highly accurate tool that helps determine the fertility days in a woman’s menstrual cycle. This period is called the fertility window and is used to avoid or get pregnant. The method uses fertility signs that are scientifically proven and that all women experience during their periods. These signs are then recorded in a digital format on paper using a tool designed specifically for fertility. Once you learn how to interpret it correctly, you can get a deeper understanding of your fertility and determine which day you are more fertile.
Fertility awareness methods help you track your periods so that you know when the eggs are released (ovulation). The days around ovulation are the days when you are more likely to conceive. Many types of FAMs allow you to track fertility signs, and you can use any of them to perform ovulation tracking.
The most effective way is to combine all the above methods and use them together, which is called the symptothermal method. You can also use ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) to check if you are ovulating.
When it comes to trying to conceive, knowing when you are fertile using the Fertility Awareness Methods is empowering. Some of the other benefits are:
Every menstrual cycle, the fertility chart gives you information on
The FAM's methods are 77 to 98% effective, which means out of 100 couples who use them, 2 to 23 get pregnant every year. If multiple FAMs are used, it is better. The success rate also depends on how well you utilise the chart and the tools. Tracking fertility signs is more effective for getting pregnant. There are ways to make it more effective; some of them are:
When it comes to conceiving, fertility awareness is very useful. When learned and done properly, you can increase the chances of conception.
The best chance for a woman to conceive is during her fertile window, which is approximately 5 days before ovulation occurs. In most women, the egg is released 12 to 14 days before the next menstrual period. It is advised to have sex every other day during your fertile window to increase the chance of conception.
Couples are encouraged to track ovulation and have frequent intercourse (every 1 or 2 days) during the fertile window to optimise the chance of conception. Adopting healthy lifestyle practices, such as quitting smoking and alcohol, maintaining a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting good sleep, can help improve your overall health and reproductive health. The intake of supplements is beneficial and can improve your egg quality.
Yes, fertility trackers can help to monitor ovulation. However, it is not accurate, and the results depend on the method used. For women with irregular cycles, calendar-based apps are not reliable. For a more accurate result, women are advised to choose basal body temperature trackers and cervical mucus monitors.
A woman trying to conceive can track fertility by monitoring her menstrual period dates. An increase in basal body temperature and egg-white consistency of cervical mucus may indicate ovulation. Ovulation predictor kits are useful to track the fertile window. It is encouraged to have intercourse on alternate days during the fertile period.
