Cycle charting (FAM)
Have you tried ALL the birth control options and it’s just not working for you anymore? Have you searched Google high and low for alternatives to the Pill, IUD, and condoms, only to come up empty handed? Have you been using a period tracker but you know there must be more to uncover about your cycles?
Cycle charting is the puzzle piece you need, and I’m here to help you learn!
I have taught hundreds of women to chart, and even after having charted my own cycles since 2011, I still remember how it felt to be brand new to FAM and totally overwhelmed with all the rules, graphs, and nuances!
With completely personalized support for ALL your questions and expert guidance on how to chart, you’ll feel confident using your charts to avoid pregnancy and know what your cycle patterns mean.
FAM allows you to know at any given time what’s going on with your cycle and what phase you’re in without guessing, counting days, or asking Google.
FAM is for you if:
You know there MUST be other options besides the pill, IUD, and condoms, but don’t know where to find it
You’re sick of relying on doctors to get intel about your cycles and your body
You’re curious about natural birth control but have heard a lot of bad things and aren’t sure you can trust it
You’re ready to finally crack the code on irregular cycles and figure out WHY
You know deep down that living in a female body should not be painful and confusing, and you’re excited to create a more loving, peaceful relationship with your cycle
You want to learn how to honor the phases of your cycle, and live more in tune with your female rhythms
You’ve been trying to DIY natural birth control but aren’t totally sure you’re doing it safely and want the support of a seasoned guide
You want to be part of the legacy of women who are remembering their power, taking back their sovereignty from male physicians, and remembering the art of tracking their fertility signs
Your 1:1 FAM package includes:
Video modules for you to learn the symptothermal method (4 modules)
Live zoom sessions to go over each module, review your charts, and answer all your questions (6 sessions)
Email support between meetings
Basal body thermometer and 110-page charting book mailed to you
3 months free access to the amazing charting app Read Your Body
15% off hormone health support
A lifetime of charting knowledge and natural contraception!
Option to book additional follow-up sessions for a discounted rate after you have “graduated” as a FAM student
“Before taking Caitlin’s class, I knew very little about my reproductive health. I had been tracking the days I menstruated for a couple of years, but never went further into tracking my cycle because I had no idea where to begin. After struggling with negative side effects from hormonal birth control for years, I feel so relieved to have found a solution that puts me in charge of my own body.”
— Sophie
Is FAM right for you?
free intro video: learn how it works, and the pros and cons of using fam for birth control
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![Happy woman named Thea in Sebastopol, California]()
Having reached my "no" with the copper IUD and its side effects, I decided to take Caitlin's course to solidify my Fertility Awareness Method skills. My goal was to learn how to confidently avoid pregnancy using FAM and the class has definitely given me the tools to do so. Beyond FAM skills, I have gained a new pathway for honoring, caring, and connecting with my body and myself! Understanding my body in this way is such a gift — I feel like I'm in the driver's seat.
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![Happy woman named Katie in Sebastopol, California]()
Books and podcasts were a great start, but the personal teaching with Caitlin really gave me the confidence and information I needed to do this effectively. I know my body, I trust my body and now I trust myself. I don't have to worry about getting pregnant and I don't need hormonal birth control to do this. Getting to know my body and making choices using the beautiful information it gives me everyday about my cycle and fertility is one of the best things I have ever done.
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![Happy woman named Courtney in Sebastopol, California]()
Before working with Caitlin, all my pieces about fertility charting were scattered and she was able to complete my puzzle. I had been on multiple hormonal birth controls for 10 years and I couldn’t help but wonder 'how would I feel without the hormones being fed into me?' Through Caitlin I have learned all kinds of facts about my body and how I can be in control. Honestly, what is more beautiful than being in control and aware of your body?!
FAQs about FAM
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FAM (the Fertility Awareness Method) is a simple daily practice of checking 1-3 physical signs that your own body freely gives you. These are called primary fertility signs: cervical fluid, waking temperature, and, optionally, cervical changes. You observe these signs each day and then record your observations on a special chart. Charting your signs allows you to see many things about your cycles you wouldn't know otherwise. There are actually several different types of Fertility Awareness-Based Methods (what you're reading about on this site specifically refers to the "symptothermal method," which tracks all 3 fertility signs, plus uses an optional calculation rule).
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Our fertility signs are in direct correlation to our hormone levels. Under the influence of estrogen leading up to ovulation, the cervix begin to produce cervical fluid, the cervix changes in height and texture, and our body temperature stays in a low range. Under the influence of progesterone after ovulation, the cervix stops producing cervical fluid, the cervix closes, and our body temperature rises to a high range. Pretty amazing how your body talks to you in the form of fertility signs, isn't it?
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Cervical fluid is a very special and remarkable substance produced inside the cervix that allows sperm to survive for up to 5 days. Without cervical fluid, sperm will die within a few hours! Cervical fluid is made only within the fertile window of our cycle (about 7 - 10 days of each cycle). "Discharge" refers to unhealthy and abnormal secretions, such as a yeast infection.
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Every morning, before getting out of bed, you take your temperature (1 minute). Throughout the day, you check your cervical fluid (10 seconds). Optionally, you can check your cervix (10 seconds). Recording your signs on your chart takes another 20-30 seconds and can be done at the end of the day.
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Learning FAM requires an initial investment (somewhere between $50-$500 depending on the teacher) but once you know it, you have the information for the rest of your life. After learning, all you need to do is print paper charts (or you can use a FAM app to chart) and buy a thermometer. Then you're all set. Your body provides fertility signs each and every day for FREE.!
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No, not at all. FAM and the Rhythm Method are completely different. Rhythm is based on rudimentary knowledge about the menstrual cycle from the 1930s and relies on trying to calculate when your fertile phase will occur each cycle. It doesn't require you to look at the signs your body is actually giving you in real time. FAM is based in modern science and relies on looking at your physical fertility signs to tell you each day if you are fertile or infertile.
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Yes! Regularity and predictability is NOT an important part of this method. Instead, you check in with your own body daily to see what's going on. If you want to use FAM for birth control, know that irregular cycles may have more days that are unsafe for unprotected intercourse - meaning more days that you will need to abstain, use a barrier method/withdrawal, or have non-penetrative sex - but you are still covered by the FAM Rules. A great benefit of practicing FAM is you may even see the cause of your irregular cycles on your charts, and take steps to smooth things out for better cycle health.
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It does! (I have personally used FAM since 2011 to avoid pregnancy). Many studies abound that demonstrate the effectiveness of identifying the fertile window via fertility signs, and following standardized rules to make sure that sperm and egg never meet. A 2007 20-year study from Germany found that the symptothermal method (using similar but not identical protocols as the ones that Cycle Wise teaches) revealed a perfect use rate of 99.6% (how well the method works when people follow all the rules), and 98.2% with imperfect use (how well the method works when people make mistakes). These exceedingly high numbers are based on the fact that the study participants learned with a certified educator, and received follow-up support with their educator, as well as followed standardized rules.
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Most people agree that once you learn it, FAM is as easy as tying your shoes. Like any other skill in life, such as learning to ride a bike or drive a car, FAM requires an investment of time and energy to master. Checking your fertility signs every day is a habit that takes a bit of time to establish, but it's really just a matter of adding on to things you already do every day: taking your temperature when you're already laying in bed in the morning, and checking cervical fluid when you use the bathroom.
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FAM is the most scientifically advanced, modern technique to know what's happening in your cycle. Our fertility signs have been studied for nearly 150 years. We know that:
The absence of cervical fluid means that sperm cannot survive more than a few hours, and that ovulation is not impending
The presence of cervical fluid indicates increasing levels of estrogen and that ovulation is getting close
Ovulation is an event that occurs once per cycle (with two eggs occasionally released within 24 hours of each other)
A sustained shift in temperature means that progesterone is present, indicating that ovulation has passed
We are unable to get pregnant once we confirm, via the temperature shift and change in cervical fluid, that the fertile window is closed and no more fertility will occur this cycle
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Fertility Awareness is not a new thing. Amazingly, temperature and cervical fluid were verified by scientists in the 1950s-60s at the exact time that the Pill made its world debut! Guess which method got more recognition? There are a few different reasons that FAM is still relatively unknown:
This method has been taught and practiced largely in a Catholic context since the 1960s, leading to the perception that FAM is only for those who have large families, who don't mind an unplanned pregnancy, or who hold certain morals
Since FAM does not offer much profit to pharmaceutical companies, it has never found the same footing as hormonal and device methods of contraception
The public, the medical community, and large health institutions still believe FAM to be the ineffective Rhythm Method
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Most apps that call themselves "fertility trackers" or "period trackers" are nothing more than the Rhythm Method since they don't require you to observe cervical fluid in conjunction with basal body temperature. FAM is also not the same as temperature-based apps like Natural Cycles, which attempt to tell you when you are fertile by only temps and an algorithm. This is risky, as cervical fluid is what opens the fertile window, and temps cannot tell you when you are fertile, only that you HAVE ovulated.
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Anyone from menarche to menopause can use FAM and can benefit from knowing how to understand their cycles and fertility. Unlike NFP, the non-secular branch of this method, you don't have to be heterosexual, engaged, married, in a traditional relationship, or adhere to a specific gender role to use FAM. You do NOT need to have regular cycles.