Showing posts with label fertility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fertility. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

When Is Your "Due Date"?

Do you even know how they come up with that day?

Ever wonder or get frustrated about why your "due date" changes as your pregnancy progresses or after you have a sonogram? Do you really want to rely on a sonogram to tell you the date you are due?

And then, do you get hung up on all those dates they are throwing out at you?

Unless you know the exact day you conceived or you have a 28 day cycle on the dot every month, combined with the fact that you were trying to conceive, you may not know that the "due date" you were given could be off.

Did you know that your caregiver is taking that pregnancy wheel out and calculating your "due date" based on a 28 day cycle? What if your "normal" is a 35 day cycle and you have been that way for years? Your "due date" is going to show that you are due a week earlier than you really are.

Or, what if you haven't had a period in 6 months and you become pregnant?

As women with such wonderfully fashioned bodies and intricately designed cycles, we should be aware of how our bodies work. Women who observe and chart their cycles and what is happening with their body throughout the month will find it much easier to formulate a "due date" for pregnancy. This is because you will know exactly the days you were most fertile and what day you most likely could have conceived on. In fact, you may be able to tell your care giver when you are due instead of the other way around. It is a great feeling to know you have that knowledge!

And, remember, before setting your sites on that magical "due date"...
  • Your baby does not know its "due date".
  • First babies tend to come late.
  • As long as the baby is inside of you, it has everything it needs.
  • Patience is a wonderful thing when it comes to giving birth.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

What Is Your Fertility IQ?

As many of you already know, I am an advocate of Natural Family Planning and Fertility Awareness Methods as a form of birth control, pregnancy achievement, and maintaining the optimum health of your reproductive system as a healthy woman.

Using the these methods, I prevented pregnancy for 2 years with my husband before we chose to start our family. I have now become pregnant twice by utilizing these methods and find them very effective. And, not only is this an excellent way to prevent and become pregnant, but I have also been able to detect specific reproductive issues while charting and was able to contact a health professional for a healthy women's consultation.

So, What Is Your Fertility IQ? This quiz comes from The Garden of Fertility website. After you take the quiz, you can check your answers at the bottom.

QUIZ
1. The Rhythm Method is another name for Fertility Awareness. True or False

2. To conceive from sexual intercourse which takes place before ovulation, three things are required: sperm, a mature egg, and ________ _______.

3. A girl can get pregnant before her first period. True or False

4. A woman can have intercourse on Monday and conceive as a result on the following Friday. True or False

5. Fertile cervical fluid (CF) can keep sperm alive in the cervix for how many days?

6. Cervical fluid and arousal fluid are the same thing. True or False

7. It is possible for a woman to get pregnant if her partner does not penetrate her or ejaculate. True or False

8. Pre-ejaculate contains enough sperm to become pregnant or cause HIV. True or False

9. Lambskin condoms are as effective as latex in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. True or False

10. A woman can conceive as a result of intercourse that takes place while menstrating or breastfeeding. True or False

11. Females are born with all their eggs already in their ovaries. True or False

12. The lifespan of a mature egg:
(a) 3 days
(b) 6-8 days
(c) 6-24 hours.

13. Beginning at puberty, how many sperm do healthy males produce per second?
(a) 100
(b) 10,000
(c) 1,000
(d) 10

14. ____% of infertility issues are due to problems in the male; ____% are due to problems with the female; ____% are due to problems with the couple.

15. Which of the following can decrease sperm count?
(a) hot tubs
(b) hot weather
(c) tight pants
(d) marajuana
(e) environmental toxins
(g) all of the above

16. Before ovulation, the women's basal temperature is warmer or cooler than after ovulation?

17. A man's testicles are like a woman's (a)________. A woman's fallopian tubes are like a man's (b)____ _______. A man's seminal fluid is like a woman's (c)________. The penis is like the woman's (d)________.

18. Charting fertility signals can alert a woman to thyroid problems, vaginal infections, propenstity of miscarriage, propensity of ovarian cysts, ideal times for surgery, etc. True or False

19. Fertility Awareness and The Pill are equally effective forms of birth control. True or False

20. What are the two most common forms of birth control in the U.S.?

ANSWERS
(1) False (2) Cervical Fluid (3) True (4) True (5) three to five (6) False (7) True (8) True (9) False (10) True (11) False (12) 6-24 hours (13) 1,000 (14) 40%, 40%, 20%, (15) all of the above (16) cooler (17) ovaries, vas deferens, cervical fluid, clitoris (18) True (19) True (20) Female Sterilization and The Pill.
See website for an explanation and more information for each answer.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

The Basics of Charting Your Fertility

Fertility charting can be used by those who want to use a natural form of birth control and determining the optimal time to achieve pregnancy. You will need to chart your own cycle to find what your most fertile days will be. These are very basic charts and simplified for the specific needs of this woman. By reading Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, you will be able to detail a chart that is specific to you. I recommend charting for a few cycles in order to understand your body enough to use this as a form of birth control. Charting is also a great tool for women who have irregular periods, women who have been told they are infertile and still want to try to conceive naturally, those who have gynecological issues or are prone to infections in order to be diagnosed more easily by a physician, and many other needs.

This method has worked as a form of birth control for us for several years and for pregnancy achievement when we desired. Once you get the hang of charting, it becomes very easy! You get to know your body very well. And, in some cases, you can determine when "things just aren't quite right" with your body and you can seek further care.

Refer to the charts below:

1. Chart the cycle you are on (in this case, she is on #11), your age, the length of the cycle (first day of period to first day of the next), and the date your cycle started.

2. Then, chart the cycle day starting with "1" as the first day you see blood. The "date" is the day of the month, the day of the week.

3. Each day you will take your waking temperature at the same time each morning. Your temperature will be low until after you ovulate. The day after your most fertile day of ovulation (peak day), your temperature will rise and you are safe for intercourse without protection. It will drop again when you begin your period. If it does not lower again on the day you expect your period, and you have 18 days of high temperatures in a row after ovulation, you can expect to see a positive pregnancy test!

4. Check the days you have intercourse and be sure that you are especially noting your most fertile time which is shown below in this example highlighted in yellow. You will need to abstain or use a protective barrier method, such a condoms, when having intercourse on your fertile days if you are not wanting to become pregnant. If you do want to become pregnant, you will want to chart your fertile days carefully and plan intercourse on those days.

5. Your cervical fluids are the indication of fertility. If you are not on your period, you will be dry, creamy, sticky, or have fertile egg white cervical fluids. Click here for a website that has a great representation of the cervix and fluids.

6. Notes can be taken on travel, moods, stress, PMS, illness, exercise, etc....

Chart #1: This women did not want to become pregnant on this cycle
and did not. She started her period again after her 28 day cycle.



Chart #2: This women wanted to become pregnant on this cycle
and did. Her temperature remained high after her 28 day cycle.


These charts are only examples and this is a very simplified review of charting. If you have questions or are interested in using this method, I encourage you to read up on it and ask questions on how it can be used by you.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Can You Relate?

First of all, I want to say thanks for all the great comments on the Attachment Parenting post below. I think that the diversity in parenting is great. I do not have children yet, so I have not tried any parenting techniques. I will be curious to see what we pick and choose to use to form our own style.

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Many of you know that we lost a baby to an ectopic pregnancy a year ago. I love to read all the blogs of women and families who are trying to conceive a child. It is a challenge and very difficult emotionally, spiritually, physically..... I don't feel alone in the journey. Today/tomorrow is a year since it all happened and I have this on my heart......

Dear Baby,

It's your mom here. It has been a year since I found out about you and lost you all in the same hazy moment. I think about you all the time. I am thankful for your short presence because it truly did change me. I know that sounds so cliche, but it did. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if you had decided to really come and live in this world. I tease you that you wanted to be big and muscly like your daddy and that is why you didn't make it all the way down the tube. That gives us a bit of comic relief. But, if you were here, I wonder what you would look like. Were you going to be a boy or a girl? What would your personality be like? All these things I want to know about you.

When I say I think about you all the time, I really do. I know your time here inside of me had a purpose. You weren't meant to make it and sometimes I wonder why? I kind of know better, but still I ask why? God placed you inside of me for a reason and I guess I don't need to know all the whys right this moment. I know enough.

We really want you back though. I take it a lot harder than your daddy does. I wonder when I will see you again. Will you come back or will it be another? I try and tell myself not to take the tests...that I am only setting myself up for disappointment when they only have one line instead of two. Sometimes I beat myself up and wish I had been a more observant mother. If I had, then my tube would not have gone with you, or maybe it still would have, I don't know. Saying or thinking that won't change what is though.

So, baby, I want you to know that we are waiting for you. You are very much anticipated and being prayed for constantly. I will be a good mommy and your daddy is amazing. We can't wait to meet you. I know that you are waiting for just the perfect moment and that is really okay. We will do our best to be wait patiently. I will try not to cry the tears of sorrow any longer. It makes your daddy sad when I cry for you. You just come when you are ready.

I love you baby.

Love,
Mom

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

FAM "Miss-Conception"

Natural methods of birth control have kind of gotten a bad reputation. I hear women say "I got pregnant using those methods". If used correctly, this will not happen. But, FAM and NFP are often confused with the rhythm method. The rhythm method is an unreliable method of family planning in which the fertile phase of the cycle is calculated according to the lengths of the previous menstrual cycles. Because of its reliance on regular menstrual cycles and long periods of abstinence, it is neither effective nor widely accepted as a modern method of natural family planning. In addition, the rhythm method technique is known to use information based on a 28 day cycle. This is just simply not what all women experience. If you were to tell your caregiver that you use the rhythm method as a form of birth control they would most likely scoff and tell you it is an ineffective method, which it is because of what I just mentioned above. However, their calculations for pregnancy and "due dates" are based on a 28 day cycle wheel. Something is missing here.

I believe that if you are wanting to conceive and especially if you are having difficulty, it is crucial that you begin to document and chart your cycles. And, if you are wanting to avoid induction you must chart!

A quick story:

Dana was a 25-year-old women who had recently come off the Pill, so her cycles had not yet returned to normal. Because she and her husband wanted to get pregnant, they practiced Fertility Awareness to determine her fertile phase. After she became pregnant, he doctor asked her the date of her last menstrual period to apply the standard pregnancy wheel. Dana mentioned that the pregnancy wheel would be inaccurate in her particular case since it assumes ovulation on day 14. She explained that she practiced FAM and knew that she didn't ovulate until day 37, so it would inaccurately predict her due date a full three weeks earlier than it really should be.

You can imagine Dana's surprise when the doctor not only did not give her credence to her charts, but actually expressed great concern when his pelvic exam revealed that the fetus was "extremely small for dates." Had this women not been practicing Fertility Awareness, she would have been distressed to be told by the doctor that something was wrong with her fetus, all because he was basing her cycles on the average women's day of ovulation, rather than her own. As if that wasn't enough, he actually red-flagged her chart with a "medical alert" tag, indicating that her pregnancy was high risk and needed to be followed carefully.

I believe this story is also a classic example of the importance of charting not only to know the exact day of conception, but also to avoid a possible risky induction. Had she not been charting and instead relying only on the date of her last period, she would most likely be induced before the actual 40 week mark and never even know it. Her baby would not even be 40 weeks when they would possibly induce at 10 days past her "due date" according to her doctors calculation based on the pregnancy wheel.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Why I am a FAM girl

FAM - Fertility Awareness Method and NFP - Natural Family Planning Methods

I often use the description of birth control like this. Men are fertile every single day of their lives from the age they hit puberty until the day they die. Women are fertile 12-24 hours of each month. So, to me, the idea that birth control methods that fall completely on the responsibility of the woman seems a bit unrealistic.

Although I do not use all of the ideas in FAM, such as feeling my cervix for softness or hardness, I am aware of my fertile cervical fluid, which is the most important aspect of using FAM as birth control and for pregnancy achievement. What makes this method so great is that you and your spouse can become very aware and knowledgeable of her body and the changes it goes through during her cycle. He can be an active part of helping chart and staying informed on fertile days for pregnancy and "safe" days for prevention. Fertile days, when trying to avoid pregnancy, can be spent SPICE-ing it up. Spiritual - Physical - Iintellectual - Communicative - Emotional

The basics of FAM and NFP are charting your cervical mucous. As I described in my previous post, your "peak day" is the day you are most fertile. This means that you will best be able to conceive on this day. All of us use the restroom several times a day. Each time you use the restroom, you check for cervical mucous. With a tissue, you wipe the area (front to back) before and after using the restroom. Cervical mucous is described as sticky, creamy, or eggwhite. In the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, cervical mucous is described in great detail, so I won't go too much into it in this post. The most important cervical mucous you need to be aware of is the eggwhite mucous that looks very similar to the eggwhites of an egg. It is very stretchy and slippery. Estrogen peaks the day before ovulation and creates the most fertile fluid. Sperm can live in this very fertile cervical mucous for 3-5 days. With the absence of eggwhite mucous, sperm will die within hours.

I know that some people believe that you can get pregnant at any time during the month. This is simply not true. If you diligently chart your cervical fluid, you will know what days you are most fertile and what days you are not fertile for pregnancy. These methods, FAM and NFP, when used properly are very effective (99%) in preventing and achieving pregnancy. I strongly suggest you look into it. This method is totally free. With the exception of buying the book of your choice to read up on the method, you will only be using pencil and paper for charting. Birth control pills, condoms, and other contraceptive methods have an initial or ongoing cost. This can be difficult to manage if you do not have health insurance or the means to keep replenishing your methods.

Charting your cycles can also be effective in determining if you have specific reproductive issues such as endometrieosis, low progesterone, or even cancer. If you are having spotting between periods, spotting during pregnancy, history of miscarriage, missed periods with no pregnancy or more, then charting could be very essential to knowing what to tell your caregivers.

Some more facts:
* Spotting or miscarriage during the 1st trimester of pregnancy could mean an issue with low progesterone.
* When checking for cervical mucous, you use the 3 C's, color, consistency, change, and sensation.
* After birth you are fertile for 56 days if you are breastfeeding.
* "The Pill" does not prevent pregnancy. It keeps the uterine lining so thin to you will miscarry and abort the baby if you do indeed become pregnant while using the pill. You will most likely never know you were even pregnant when you miscarry.
* From fertilization to implantation it takes nine days. Pregnancy tests are designed to detect HCG levels. HCG is produced by implantation. It is recommended to not take a pregnancy test until 16 days following your peak day.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Sneak "Peak" on Fertility

Remember my post on Birth Control and Pregnancy Achievement? If you are trying to conceive (or not), it is nice to be aware of your most fertile or "peak" day of fertility. If you already chart your cycles, you are aware of how this works. If not, the following information may be very helpful.

Charting the Most Fertile Day of Your Cycle


Your peak day, as the name suggests, is the day that your fertility peaks and the best time to get pregnant. If you are charting you can determine your peak day by checking your cervical mucous. After you have ovulated your cervical mucous will begin to dry up. This is one way to confirm that you have ovulated. Your peak day is the last day of fertile cervical mucous. You won’t be able to identify your peak day until after it occurs, when you notice your cervical mucous has become dry. Mark your peak day on your chart with a P.

Charting your Peak Day

You will want to look for your peak day when you are charting. You will know it is your peak day by the days that follow it. Once you see the shift from wet fertile cervical mucous to dry cervical mucous you will know that your peak day has occurred. Mark your chart with a P on the last day you see fertile cervical mucous. Then mark the following four days of dry cervical mucous with 1, 2, 3, 4. Once you have seen four dry days you can assume you are no longer fertile.

Peak Day and avoiding pregnancy

If you are trying to avoid pregnancy, do not have intercourse until four days after your peak day. Your peak day usually occurs the day before ovulation or the day of ovulation. Since your egg can survive for about 24 hours you will not want to have sex until around four days after your peak day to avoid pregnancy.

Peak Day and trying to conceive

If you are trying to conceive you will want to start having intercourse before your peak day. After your period ends you will notice an increase in cervical mucous. The typical pattern is tacky cervical mucous, that turns to creamy, that changes to clear stretchy egg white looking cervical mucous. While it is true that you are looking for egg white slippery cervical mucous to indicate ovulation, it is a good idea to start having intercourse before you see this. The reason behind this is that sperm can last up to five days and your egg can only last 24 hours. If you wait until the day you see slippery egg white mucous, you only give yourself a one day opportunity to get pregnant. If you have sex prior to ovulating as well you will increase your chances of getting pregnant.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Give Away for Moms

Calling all moms and moms-to-be!

This is an invitation to share the experience(s) you had as you tried to conceive and during pregnancy. Bringing a new life into the world can be such a joy and there are so many things that a woman goes through to get there. I would love to hear anything you can share that may help me when I get there. Sometimes the best advice and support we get is from those who have already walked that path. On Wednesday, May 20th I will randomly select one name from those who commented and send you a special gift! This is open to all no matter where you live!

Share your thoughts on topics like:

  • working out
  • foods and cravings
  • the relationship changes between you and your husband/partner
  • things that worried or scared you
  • the first movements you felt
  • preparing for your new arrival
  • your journey to conceive
  • ...and more!
Thanks for sharing and I look forward to hearing from you!

Friday, May 8, 2009

What's going on "down there"?

If you chart your cycle or know your body well, you may have questions when you see bleeding besides your period, have painful cramping, or are trying to become pregnant. What does it all mean?

Ovulation spotting
is defined as a very light bleeding that may accompany ovulation - though it is rather uncommon fertility indicator and can be easily missed (even if it occurs). Unless you are fertility charting and observing daily changes in cervical mucus, you may not even be aware of this secondary fertility sign.

The source of "ovulation spotting" is traced to the rupture of the ovarian follicle when the egg is released. When you ovulate, luteinizing hormone causes the surface of the ovarian follicle to weaken and disintegrate. This leads to the formation of a hole, or stigma, through which the egg will ultimately "escape" into one of the fallopian tubes. At this "midcycle moment", a residual trace of blood may accompany ovulation when the stigma ruptures.

The trace amount of blood that may appear due to the rupture of the follicle will not be red (like menstrual blood), but will rather exhibit a brownish or pinkish color. For example, you may see just a faint streak of pinkish blood intermingled with cervical fluids during your daily CM check.

During this "fertile phase" of your cycle, cervical mucus will likely be transparent and stretchy, like egg white. If you do happen to discover a small amount of blood at this time, note this light bleeding on your fertility chart as a possible indicator of ovulation. If this is indeed O-spotting, you should see your bbt temperature rising shortly thereafter. This bleeding should not last long, and if it persists for more than a few days, contact your doctor.

Implantation bleeding (which will typically take place about a week after you ovulate). Implantation bleeding (also typically characterized by a light brown or pink spotting) is caused by the fertilized egg burrowing into the endometrium. While ovulation spotting may be viewed as a natural fertility indicator, implantation bleeding is considered an early pregnancy sign.

It should be emphasized that ovulation spotting is not one of the more common or reliable indicators of fertility. Like mittelschmerz (or midcycle pains), you should be aware of the possibility that these fertility signs may appear, even though many women will never experience these physiological symptoms.

To pursue a visual metaphor, there are a number of other ways to "spot ovulation" - or at least predict when ovulation will take place. Along with using a basal thermometer, you can observe daily changes in the texture and color of cervical mucus, as well as follow the rise and fall of the position of the cervix iteself. Into your daily fertility charting rituals, you can also selectively integrate effective testing methods like an ovulation microscope, urine ovulation tests, or a digital fertility monitor to anticipate when you will be at peak fertility.

An ectopic pregnancy may seem like a normal pregnancy at first. You'll have a positive pregnancy test. Early signs and symptoms may be the same as those of any pregnancy — a missed period, breast tenderness, nausea and fatigue.

But an ectopic pregnancy can't continue as normal. The first warning signs of an ectopic pregnancy often include:

  • Light vaginal bleeding
  • Lower abdominal pain
  • Cramping on one side of the pelvis

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Track Your Cycle

Pregnancy achievement can be a touchy subject for some women who long to have a baby and expand their family. Some women have difficulty becoming pregnant while others seem very fertile. I have been using the "Fertility Awareness Method" to track my fertility for a few years. If you are having difficulty becoming pregnant, I believe this is the first step in understanding your cycle. You will learn how to track exactly what days you are ovulating. In addition, you will be able to track your most fertile days. This is why this is also an effective form of birth control.

When you become pregnant, your care giver will most likely give you a "due date" based in your LMP (last menstrual period). They will determine a "due date" based on a 28 day cycle.That is assuming you ovulated on day 14. Some women may ovulate as early as day 10 or as late as day 26 or later. Essentially, you can get pregnant while on your period if it lasts for 5-6 days, although it is rare.

A "normal" cycle starts on day 1 with your period. On day 14 you will ovulate and on day 28 you will start your period again.
But, this isn't the case for all women. If you start your period on day 1 and ovulate on day 21, then you will not have your period on day 28. Your period will most likely come 12-16 days after you ovulate. So, you will have your period on day 33 or 37.

Sperm can live up to five days on fertile cervical mucous (eggwhites...explained below). If you have intercourse on day 14 assuming that is the day you ovulate but then you acutally ovulate on day 21, then you will not get pregnant. Charting your cycle will significantly help you in understanding your body and when you ovulate. You will also understand all the "fluids" that are coming out down there.

One sign of pregnancy is missing your period. You are considered pregnant from the first day of your last period. That means that if you have a normal 28 day cycle and you take a pregnancy test the day after your miss period, you are already just over two weeks pregnant.

Types of Cervical Mucous

Cervical mucous can be dry, sticky, creamy, or egg white consistency. You will want to record the type of cervical mucous you have on your fertility chart. If you do not want to use the fertility awareness method of charting, you can simply watch for fertile signs. What you are looking for is an increase in cervical mucous. Cervical mucous during ovulation has the appearance of eggwhite. If you are charting it is a good idea to write down what kind of cervical mucous you have during your cycle. This will help you to establish the most fertile days of your cycle. You can also watch for the day that your temperature shifts on the bbt (basal body temperature) chart. Your temperature will rise when you complete ovulation and go back down when you start your period again. You can also and detect what kind of cervical mucous you are having. If you are having a hard time deciding what your most fertile cervical fluid looks and feels like, having your chart to look at can be a guide. This is explained more in depth in the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler.

These are the types of mucous you will see during your menstrual cycle.

Dry: At the beginning of your cycle, prior to ovulation you will likely produce little to no cervical mucous. Also right before your period should start your cervical mucous may become dry again. If you do not notice cervical mucous you will want to record this on your chart as dry.
Sticky: You may notice sticky cervical mucous prior to ovulation. It feels sticky to your fingers when you touch it.
Creamy: As you get closer to ovulation you will notice thicker, creamy-looking cervical mucous. This mucous looks and feels similar to lotion.
Eggwhite: Eggwhite cervical mucous is the term used to describe the mucous you have during ovulation. It looks like eggwhites and is slippery, clear, and stretchy.
Watery: Watery cervical mucous is wet and may be stretchy. You may notice this type of cervical mucous during ovulation or before having eggwhite cervical mucous.

Cervical Position and Ovulation

You may want to check the position of your cervix to help you tell when you are ovulating. Not all women are comfortable with this and some women have a difficult time feeling their cervix. To find your cervix you may want to be in a squatting position or have one foot on a stool. Insert one or two fingers into your vagina and push them towards the back of your vagina. You will reach a spot that feels firmer than the rest of your vagina. Your cervix may feel soft like your lips or firm like the tip of your nose. You may notice your cervix feeling more open or closed. Find a comfortable position to check your cervix and use the same position each time you check. If you use a different position, you won't be able to compare the position of your cervix accurately. It may take you a cycle or two to determine when your cervix is softest, firmest, highest or lowest. Right after menstruation, your cervix will be low and easier for you to reach. It will feel firmer and closed. During ovulation your cervix will be higher and more difficult to reach. It will also feel soft, wet and you may notice it feeling more open. If you have given birth before your cervix may feel more open than someone who has not. After ovulation, your cervix normally returns to a more firm, lower position.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Birth Control and Pregnancy Achievement

We have made the personal choice to use the Fertility Awareness Method form of birth control. In the summer of 2006, just before getting married in August, I read the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler to prepare for natural birth control. We have never used any other form of birth control and find FAM to work well for us as birth control, as well as for pregnancy achievement. Using no drugs or hormones, a woman can determine whether she is fertile or infertile by observing body signs and following simple rules.

This past July, as we were using FAM to achieve pregnancy, I took an ovulation test to ensure I was on track with recording my ovulation. Sure enough, I was and got pregnant on our first try. Unfortunately, it resulted in an ectopic pregnancy, but it confirmed that it is a good method for us as we will use it again in the future for pregnancy achievement.

I recommend using this method because it enables couples to both feel responsible for birth control and allows the couple to connect on a deeper level. No one person has the responsibility all on their own. Plus, it is natural and allows you to abstain from putting anything unnatural or synthetic into your body.

Visit http://www.ovusoft.com/ for more information and read the book too!