Actively Charting

“The menstrual cycle and its hormones are parts of a woman’s whole complex body, part of her whole complex life, and she is part of a much wider ecosystem.”
– Katie Singer, The Garden of Fertility

~

Chart your basal temperature every day. Check your cervical fluid three times per day. Get the hang of it. Start the routine.

After the period, you’re safe for unprotected intercourse the first 3 days, then in the evening of dry days.

Once you observe wet cervical fluid or wet vaginal sensation, your fertile phase has begun. Either postpone intercourse or use a barrier until you can confirm by your temperature that you’ve ovulated.

Practice noticing your cervical fluid patterns and your point of change for the first 2-3 months of charting — as this will be invaluable knowledge unique to your cycle.

Use a manual app and chart consistently daily, recording your peak day and cover line.

When you can confirm ovulation with three consecutive temperatures above your coverline and four days after your peak (whichever is greater) you can have intercourse without a barrier for the rest of your cycle.

It’s Not For Everyone

Fertility awareness is natural, without any side effects, helps monitor reproductive health, allows for joint responsibility, aids in developing couples communication and is morally acceptable to all cultures. However, it’s not for everyone.

The best form of birth control will be unique to you individually – one that is most suited to your values, your lifestyle and which has the highest effective rate in a clinical study that you believe you will use most accurately and consistently.

Therefore, if the daily discipline of charting (and sometimes postponing intercourse or using a barrier method) isn’t for you right now, acknowledge it and don’t use this method to prevent pregnancy.

Mistakes To Avoid

Not taking your temperature consistency every morning – Mistake

You must take your temperature every morning in order to be able to accurately determine your BBT temperature shift according to the rules. This can seem overwhelming in the beginning but becomes automatic in less time than you think. And of course, if you
remembered to take the pill each day, you’re likely to remember to take your temperature each morning.

Not taking your temperature right when you wait up – Mistake

This means before you do ANYTHING – laying around in bed,
cuddling, scrolling through instagram, getting up to go to the toilet.
If you’re having trouble with this, I recommend the tempdrop
wearable thermometer.

Not learning or following the rules of a method correctly – Mistake

You must be diligent in learning a method and following its specific rules diligently. You cannot mix and match different methods,
the high effectiveness is because of the rules.

Relying on an apps prediction – Mistake

Be wary about prediction apps, whether they predict a fertile window or when to expect your period as these would be similar to the rhythm and calendar method. It’s advisable to chart without an apps’ prediction feature and instead interpret your fertile and infertile window based on your day to day fertility signs.

Not practicing thoroughly and/or casually ‘charting’ – Mistake

You must be diligent in selecting a method and following its specific rules diligently. There are various methods as each method has
specific guidelines and rules that makes that particular method
effective. ’Charting’ is not the same as practicing a Method.

Using a form of the calendar method – Mistake

The Calendar method is an unreliable form of birth control that uses a mathematical formula from past cycle lengths to predict future fertile windows.

It doesn’t allow for the potential variation in the day of ovulation, which is very common. It also doesn’t allow for the potential of external circumstances affecting one’s cycle; such as catching a cold, or having a stressful month. Practicing any form of the ‘calendar method’ (also called the rhythm method or the standard days method) does not have an effectiveness rating and will likely lead to pregnancy at some point.

Substituting ovulations & trying-to-conceive tools or tests – Mistake

Ovulation tools or tests should not be part of a Fertility Awareness method of birth control. These include fertility microscopes, ovulation test strips and pregnancy tests. These are fine to use if you’re curious, (and of course if you’re trying to conceive) but should not substitute following a method if you’re trying to avoid pregnancy.

Not recording your fertility signs in a chart or app everyday – Mistake

You must be diligent in selecting a method and following its specific rules diligently. It’s also very risky to mix and match different methods as each method has specific guidelines and rules that makes that particular method effective.

Chart 3 Months First With Protected Sex

Chart 3 cycles in order to correctly identify the point of change of the sensation of appearance of cervical fluid.

Most women need at least two or three cycles to chart their signals confidently. If you’re coming off of hormonal contraceptives, it can take much longer. Then use it as birth control after 3 months only when you’re confident.

When in Doubt, Don’t

And when in doubt, don’t.
Worrying that you might have had sex on a fertile day (and risking an undesired pregnancy) is not an effective use of the method. Being confident in your understanding of the rules is a necessary part of what makes fertility awareness effective.