I want to share a bit about something that ended up being a huge part of my fertility journey—even though I originally had no idea what I was getting into. I was just looking for a simple app to track my cycle days, nothing fancy. But what I stumbled into was a whole new way of understanding my body.
Before I knew it, I was learning about Fertility Awareness Method (FAM). Not from a book or a course, but just from tracking and observing and being part of a group of women who were doing the same. It wasn’t just about logging my period anymore. I started noticing patterns in my body—how the color or consistency of my period gave me clues about hormones, how spotting at certain times meant something, how long each phase of my cycle lasted, what my temperatures were doing. I was learning to read my body like a language. Every girl should be taught this method by approaching her teens. It's basic like knowing how to fry an egg.
Over time, all this information became second nature to me. With each pregnancy, I became more attuned to my body's signals, recognizing patterns and understanding how my body functioned.
In addition, reading other community members’ charts would give me more perspective, and I was learning to recognize symptoms or identify problems. I did it for so long and I had so many pregnancies, that overtime I was completely aware of what was going on in my body. And that kind of awareness… it’s powerful.
This became a strength and a weakness. Let me explain: I think there’s a lot of power in knowing what your body is doing. You have better control of the situation, and you can try to influence that in many ways.
But on the flip side, being so aware can get heavy. Every symptom becomes a potential clue—or a warning sign. Every twinge or shift in temperature can start to feel overwhelming. That awareness helped me advocate for myself and gave me insight I wouldn't have had otherwise.
I’m glad I had this power to understand what was going on and the things I was lacking. But I also had to learn how to let go sometimes. To surrender a little, to breathe, to not try to control everything. It took a while and a lot of internal work to release control. I wouldn’t change it though.
If you're just starting out, I’d say—yes, learning to track your cycle and understand your body can be incredibly useful. Knowledge is power! Just know that it’s important to find a balance.
So, what is FAM anyway?
The Fertility Awareness Method is a natural approach to understanding your menstrual cycle by observing and charting physical signs of fertility. The three main biomarkers are basal body temperature (BBT), cervical mucus, and cervical position. Some people track all three, others just one or two—it depends on the method and your goals.
It’s not new. FAM has been around for decades, developed and refined by doctors and educators who wanted to help women understand their fertility—whether to avoid pregnancy, achieve pregnancy, or just get in tune with their health.
Some of the earliest research into this started in the 1930s and 40s, but it really started gaining traction in the 70s with the rise of natural family planning and then evolved further into more secular, science-backed approaches.