Taking Charge of your Fertility

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The book explains about the Fertility Awareness Method or FAM. It encourages women (and men) to know their bodies to be able to achieve or prevent pregnancy in the most natural way of just monitoring your body. No artificial methods, no medicines, no invasive interventions, etc.

I like this book because it's non-judgemental. The content is worded to be sensitive to women. No terms such as "defect", "failure", etc. It gives lots of insights and ideas about a woman's "private" life.

Here are some of the things I learned:

1. FAM is monitoring the following:

• BBT - basal body temperature - to know if you're ovulating
• Cervical fluid - to know if you're fertile
• Cervical position (optional)

2. BBT should be taken at the same time and at the same way (oral, vaginal or rectal)

3. BBT must be taken after at least 3 consecutive hours of sleep

4. Digital thermometer is the simplest, quickest type to use in BBT charting. Get a thermometer which can store the last temp and is accurate to at least 1 degree F.

5. What is often referred to as "infertility" may not necessarily be "sterility".

6. Sperm die within a few hours of intercourse when a woman is not in her fertile phase.

7. Minimum 18% of body fat to maintain normal ovulatory cycles.

8. FAM should always be the first step to achieve pregnancy.

9. Taking ovulation drug Clomid should be an informed decision, rather than a routine first step. Clomid increases a woman's fertility but it dries up the cervical fluid, thus hampers pregnancy.