Fertility Awareness Education

What is fertility awareness? 

Fertility awareness is a general term for a group of methods women (and their partners) can use to track symptoms of fertility, whether for general health knowledge or to avoid or achieve conception. (If fertility awareness doesn’t ring a bell, you may have heard of FAM, the symptothermal method, natural family planning, or cervical fluid only methods such as Billings, Creighton or Marquette.)

The FAM/symptothermal method of fertility awareness taught by Palouse Women’s Wellness utilizes basal body temperature, cervical fluid and sensation and (optionally) cervical position to measure changes throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle. Learning to successfully record, interpret and apply these symptoms as desired is the cornerstone of fertility awareness education. Utilized correctly, the symptothermal method can be up to 99.4% effective in helping avoid pregnancy. For those desiring to conceive, either now or in the future, proper understanding of a woman’s individual ovulation patterns can take much of the the guesswork out of trying for a pregnancy. Having a record of cycle data can also streamline the fertility troubleshooting process should issues arise.

While some organizations consider the rhythm or calendar method to be a type of fertility awareness, it does not share the efficacy of data-based methods, and is not a fertility awareness method taught by Palouse Women’s Wellness.

What is taught?

The Palouse Women’s Wellness fertility awareness class gives an intermediate introduction to the menstrual cycle and how to chart it. (If you’re looking for a basic introduction, please check out our free community classes on body literacy!)

Topics include:

  • Menstruation
  • The follicular phase
  • Ovulation
  • The luteal phase
  • Charting basal body temperature
  • Charting cervical fluid and sensation
  • Charting cervical position
  • Charting additional signs and symptoms
  • Understanding symptothermal rules and interpreting charts
  • Variations of normal
  • Cycle troubleshooting
  • Applying knowledge to avoiding pregnancy
  • Applying knowledge to conception

Investment: 

Fertility awareness classes are approximately three hours long and cost $45, including handouts. One partner per attendee may join at no additional charge.

How to join us for a fertility awareness class: 

Fertility awareness classes will be added to our schedule soon. If you’re interested in being notified when a class opens up, please send an email to us at hello@palousewomenswellness.com.