It has come to my attention that a lot of women out there who don’t currently want to get pregnant are pretty misinformed about how you can use the Fertility Awareness Method as natural birth control. Quite a few people have asked me if FAM isn’t just the same thing as the Rhythm Method—AKA an outdated, ineffective method that’s caused a whole lot of unplanned pregnancies! Come on, do you really think that’s what we’re all about? :)
Granted, if you’re not familiar with FAM, the idea of having unprotected sex without being on the Pill or another form of hormonal birth control may cause some anxiety. I’ve heard a lot of women express that they would really prefer not to be on hormonal birth control, but they’re just not confident enough about their ability to use FAM effectively, whereas they know they can rely on the Pill.
Well, ladies, I’m here to let you in on something. The Fertility Awareness Method IS effective as a method of birth control (99.4% effective, when used correctly)—and it’s easy! It only takes a few minutes a day, and it's totally natural and free (other than the cost of a thermometer, I guess.) Plus, it’s just cool to learn about how your body works and how you can work WITH your body to achieve your fertility goals, rather than leaving that up to a pill or an IUD. Also, if you do decide you want to get pregnant at some point, being aware of your fertility signs will make it much easier for you to conceive.
So, how do you use FAM as birth control? First, you need to know about your cervical fluid and basal body temperature. You may also want to learn about cervix tracking. Then, you need to memorize the 4 rules of using FAM as birth control (explained below), which outline when you're fertile and when you're not. Outside of the fertile window, it’s impossible for you to get pregnant!
Note: Before relying on FAM as birth control, you should chart your signs for a few cycles so you have a clear understanding of your fertility signs and how they change throughout your cycle. We also recommend that you read a book about FAM, take a class, and consult with a fertility awareness instructor so that you understand EVERYTHING about FAM. You don't want to take any chances, right?
So, here they are - the 4 rules of using FAM as birth control:
1) First 5 days rule—You are generally considered infertile the first 5 days of your menstrual cycle, unless you have ever had a cycle that was less than 25 days long.
During your cycle, there are typically 6 days when you are fertile. This is due to the combined fertility of a couple: whereas an egg will only survive for 12-24 hours after being released from the ovary, sperm can survive in fertile cervical fluid for up to 5 days.
During the first five days of your cycle, your body probably isn't producing fertile cervical fluid, and ovulation is likely too far off for sperm to be able to survive until it occurs. So, you are considered infertile during that time. This rule applies regardless of how many days your period lasts. Any bleeding after the first five days of your cycle should be considered fertile, as the blood could mask fertile cervical fluid.
Note: This rule applies only if you observed a clear BBT shift 12 to 16 days prior to the start of your cycle. This confirms that the bleeding you experience is your period and not abnormal bleeding or ovulation spotting.
If any of your cycles in the past 12 months have been less than 25 days, you should consider yourself infertile for only the first 3 days of your cycle. This is to avoid the risk of getting pregnant due to early ovulation. Also, women who are beginning to experience signs of menopause should not rely on this rule, as they can experience major hormonal changes that could cause early ovulation.
If you experience spotting after your period ends, don’t assume you’re still infertile. Some women experience ovulation spotting, or spotting just before or during ovulation. Ovulation spotting, which is thought to be due either to a surge in estrogen levels or as a result of the egg rupturing through the follicle as it is released from the ovary, is actually considered to be very fertile cervical fluid.
A chart highlighting the first 5 days rule (Note: Solid heart=unprotected sex, heart outline=protected sex)
2) Dry day rule—You are generally considered infertile the evening of any day you observed that you had no cervical fluid.
The quantity and quality of your cervical fluid is key to whether you are fertile or not. Without cervical fluid, the vagina is very acidic, with a low pH of around 3-4. Because sperm requires a more alkaline environment (such as semen) to survive, it typically will not survive in the vagina for more than 1-2 hours if cervical fluid is not present. So, if there’s no cervical fluid, you’re not fertile. However, you need to wait until the evening to have unprotected sex to make sure your body doesn’t produce potentially-fertile CF during the day. FYI - arousal fluids and lubricants do not provide an environment in which sperm can survive, unless of course you're using a lubricant specifically made for sperm capacitation (but you're prooobably not doing that if you're using FAM as birth control, right??)
If you only experience one or two consecutive days of sticky cervical fluid and then revert back to dry days, you are considered safe again the evenings of each dry day. But note that this means if you ever observe creamy or eggwhite cervical fluid, you should NOT consider yourself safe even if you have a dry day afterwards.
Sometimes, residual semen from intercourse can mask the presence of cervical fluid. So, if there's any semen present in the vagina the day after intercourse, you should consider yourself potentially fertile, to be safe (to eliminate semen from the body so this doesn't happen, you can do Kegels exercises after intercourse).
Note: Women will almost always experience a slight moistness at the vaginal opening. You're still considered dry if there's no cervical fluid present (how do I measure cervical fluid?).
A chart highlighting the dry day rule
3) Peak plus 4 rule—You are generally considered infertile the evening of the 4th day after your most fertile cervical fluid and once your CF has become infertile again, and you have observed a clear BBT shift.
As you approach ovulation, your cervical fluid will generally progress from Dry --> Sticky --> Creamy --> Eggwhite --> Watery as it becomes more fertile. The wetter your cervical fluid, the more fertile it is. After ovulation, your CF will begin to dry up. The last day of wetness that you experience before you begin to dry up is your Peak Day - generally the point during your cycle at which you are most fertile. Note that I said the Peak Day is your LAST day of wetness, and not necessarily the day of the MOST wetness - so if you have lots of watery CF on one day, then a little watery CF the next day, and then sticky CF the following, the second day (with a little watery CF) would be your Peak Day.
You need to wait until the evening (6 PM or later) of the fourth day after your Peak Day until you can consider yourself infertile. This is because it's possible that you won't begin to ovulate until two days after your Peak Day. At ovulation, it's possible to release two eggs within 24 hours of each other (this is how fraternal twins are conceived), and since each egg can live a maximum of 24 hours, this adds up to 4 days after the Peak Day.
Note: women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or other hormonal disorders can sometimes experience ‘false peaks’ in which their cervical fluid builds up from infertile or less fertile (sticky) to fertile (eggwhite/watery) and back to infertile again, but ovulation does not occur. This is why it’s especially important to keep track of your BBT as well as your cervical fluid, so that you can confirm ovulation.
A chart highlighting the peak plus 4 rule
4) Temp plus 3 rule—You are generally considered infertile the evening of the 3rd day after your BBT shift.
A BBT shift that is sustained for at least 3 days confirms that ovulation has occurred. You need to make sure the BBT shift is sustained for at least three days because it's possible that you won't ovulate until 24 hours after your temperature shift, and again, it's possible to release two eggs within 24 hours of each other (this happens 10% of the time, so don't take your chances!). Also, you'll want to ensure that the rise in your temperature was due to ovulation and not to something else, such as drinking alcohol the night before, fever, lack of sleep, etc. Look for three consecutive temperatures above your coverline. Once a sustained BBT shift has occurred, you are considered infertile for the rest of your cycle.
A chart explaining the temp plus 3 rule
So, there you have it! Once you get the hang of tracking your fertility signs, you can have unprotected sex during your infertile days, and either abstain or use a barrier method of protection, such as condoms, during your fertile days. (Of course, it’s always a good idea to use condoms with new partners, whether you’re in your fertile window or not!) If in doubt, assume you’re fertile.
For more info, check out this cool video we made about using FAM as natural birth control. Feel free to show it to your skeptical or misinformed friends!
Also, watch Kindara co-founder Kati Bicknell talk about transitioning from the Pill to the Fertility Awareness Method.
Comments
26 comments
These rules are all really helpful! Thank you! If I'm still a little dubious about the FAM method, can I use the pull out method as well? :)
Hey sassmass, if you're not yet confident about your ability to use FAM, I recommend you use a barrier method (such as condoms) until you ARE confident enough. The pull out method is risky, and I can't recommend it as a form of birth control...unless you're totally OK with the possibility of getting pregnant.
I know charting can be confusing at first, but stick with it! After a few cycles, I think you'll get the hang of it. And, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask :)
Hi, I'm wondering if rule 3 supercedes rule 4 when usng FAM to avoid pregnancy. That is, does peak plus 4 trump temp plus 3 so that one should always wait until the 4th night after peak CF to consider oneself infertile? Thanks!
Hi! Not sure you can answer this but still I will ask... Since I am new to this and contraception in general, If the charts and my fluids says I am fertile, is it still safe to have protected sex with a condom and say that I will not get pregnant? I mean in the fertile window, do you know how effective condoms are? Not sure it is the right place to ask again but still ^^
Hey netfonze - To be extra safe, you'll want to wait until whichever comes later - the 3rd day after your temp shift or the 4th day after your peak day. However, if you had a clear temperature shift that's been sustained for at least 3 days, it's pretty safe to say you're infertile for the rest of your cycle.
taair - if you have sex during the fertile window, the effectiveness of the Fertility Awareness Method is as high as the effectiveness of the barrier method you're using. So for condoms, that's about 98% with perfect use.
Hi! I just quit The Pill a week ago. Waiting for my thermometer to arrive in the mail still but wondering if I should chart the withdrawal bleed? Or when to start? Thanks
Hey kels, You can start charting right away! You can chart any bleeding and cervical fluid you observe (and cervical position if you want to start charting that as well) for now. Just keep in mind that if you're new to charting, it's a good idea to use a barrier method of protection (such as condoms) for the first few cycles that you're charting, so that you can get the hang of the method. Also, it may take a few months for your cycles to go back in balance after coming off the Pill - so keep in mind that your signs may not seem to follow much of a pattern right away.
Since withdrawal bleeding doesn't count as a real period, you may want to just mark the bleeding without starting a new cycle (or you can start a new cycle, just to make your chart easier to read - it's up to you!). If you decide to mark the bleeding without starting a new cycle, you'll need to turn on the manual 'Start New Cycle Today?' row. To do this, tap More in the bottom right hand corner of the app, then tap Settings, then tap the slider next to 'Start New Cycles Manually'. Then, you can enter data in the Menstruation section without starting a new cycle in the app.
Hi Courtney, I'm wondering if a need a thermometer that shows two decimals or if it will do with an "ordinary" one that just shows .0? The one I use measures in Celsius.
Hey Sarah! If you're charting in Celsius, you need to chart to two decimals in order to get an accurate reading and catch the temperature shift. That's why it's not possible to chart to one decimal in Celsius in the app. In Fahrenheit, you only need to chart to one decimal to be able to catch the shift.
Hi! I just recently found out that the study that quoted the 99.6% (or 99.4%, if barriers are used during the fertile time instead of abstinence) used a slightly different set of rules than the ones described in this post. In the study, instead of using the Dry Day Rule, they used a variation of the Doering Rule, which basically specifies the last day that you can use the Dry Day Rule (calculated by earliest day of temperature rise in last 12 cycles minus 8), and after that day, even if your cervical fluid is dry, you are considered fertile. In fact, the study also noted that in a previous study which used the Dry Day Rule, all of the unintended pregnancies resulted from use of the Dry Day Rule. Could you provide some insight about how effective the Dry Day Rule is? I'm pretty comfortable with all the other rules, but am very nervous about the Dry Day Rule (and from reading comments from online forums, it seems many other women are also skeptical about this rule). I may feel more comfortable using it if you could provide some statistics about the effectiveness of the Dry Day Rule, or if many women are still not comfortable with it, would it be possible to have an option in the Kindara app to apply the Doering rule instead of the Dry Day Rule? Thanks.
Is it possible to go from very little sticky CF (I wouldn't have noticed if I didn't check) straight to very watery egg white?
I see a lot of "you can have sex the evening of".... Can I ever have sex in the morning?
I got pregnant using the Dry Day Rule! Ever since then I've used condoms from day 6 until after I ovulate but I wish there was a better way to know. I like the Doerig Rule idea...
Thanks for sharing about your experience with the Dry Day Rule. I've started using varying levels of protection. For the First 5 Days Rule and the after-ovulation fertile phase, I'm comfortable having unprotected sex, but after day 5, I use the Doering/Dry Day Rule with a Femcap to add a little protection. Once I observe cervical fluid or I'm past the Doering day, I use condoms since I don't trust the Femcap enough to use it alone on fertile days.
I find it hard to take my BBT everyday at the same time and after 6 consecutive hours of sleep. I have a toddler and an infant that wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and I have to get up. Any advice?
I have a question. I had marked my peak day, and had 4 days of 'non-fertile' CM, but on the fifth day, I seemed to have a tiny bit of water CM in the morning (none the rest of the day). I did have a temp shift following my original peak day. Does this water CM on day 5 mean I need to remark my peak day, and start counting again?
Does it matter if I take my temp under my armpit instead of orally? I don't have the winks thermometer yet, am using Vicks OviTrack digital thermometer.
With the dry day rule, it oughta be added that you can only go UP every other dry day. That's part of the dry day rule not included here.
Aren't you actually fertile for more than 6 days since you're fertile all the days before ovulation that you have CF?
Hi Micky, yes, when you're practicing the Fertility Awareness Method, you'll generally need to abstain or use condoms for more than 6 days per cycle. This is because, while women can only physically get pregnant for 6 days each cycle, it's impossible to know exactly which six days are prior to ovulation until AFTER ovulation is already over and you can look backwards on your chart. So that's why you need to start abstaining or using a barrier method as soon as you see any cervical fluid. I hope that helps!
Ok so on the last chart are you considered fertile all the way for CD 8-CD18? Are you fertile when you have your peak day? I can see when I have a temp shift not to have unprotected sex until the 3day rule. I also get the dry day rule and the 5day rule. The 4day rule is a little confusing. Is that taking about after the peak day or before? The day's in between cycle and 3rd day after temp shift are fertile days?? That seems like a lot.
Hi jamhogue, thanks for contacting us! Yes, on the last example chart, she would consider herself fertile from Day 8 through 18. And yes, you're fertile on your Peak Day - in fact, your Peak Day may be the most fertile day of the entire cycle!
The Peak +4 day rule means that you're fertile on your Peak Day and for the 4 days following your Peak Day. The rules are very conservative to minimize the chances of mistakes. I hope that helps!
My cycle is usually close to 50 days long. However, during the "dry period" before increased CF and ovulation, I always have a small amount of CF it seems. Can I still consider myself infertile and okay for unprotected sex (since u want to avoid pregnancy)? And keep in mind, bc of my long cycle, I don't ovulate until at least four weeks into my cycle..
If your temperatures are generally pretty low, 95.2 at the lowest and 96.8 at the highest, should you not trust your thermometer, or is it possible you just naturally have a colder basal temp.?
When will the app support cover lines? Also, how much time are cycles backed up for in the Web portal?
Wow. WAY easier to navigate reading this. Wish I would've read this in the beginning. HAHA! Hey, are there maybe worksheets available on how to read the graphs to practice? Just an idea
Please sign in to leave a comment.