Your monthly cycle: How does it work and how can you manage it naturally?
Periods, Monthly Cycles, and Fertility Awareness Methods
Monthly periods come along for some women on a regular basis like clockwork and others have varied patterns commonly known as “irregular cycles”.
Learning and practising Natural Fertility Awareness Methods (FAM) gives women the power to know their cycle, fertility and to manage it naturally so there is no need for hormonal or device-based contraception.
To use FAM we need to look closely at what happens each month naturally in the body to maintain that cycle and why.
It’s so much more than just counting days like the old fashioned rhythm method or modern-day apps may tell you. There are actually a number of different signs that when you track and chart altogether, it helps give you an accurate and detailed view of your cycle when your fertile and when you aren’t.
We all focus on when the period is due but for using FAM we need to focus more on discovering when in the cycle we are fertile. That is the time we are most likely to get pregnant.
Each month a woman has a window of fertility leading up to ovulation ( when the egg is released) The man is potentially fertile 24/7! The body provides us with signs that we can learn to recognise and track to be able to know the stages of our fertility throughout the cycle. No matter if you are trying to conceive (TTC) or trying to avoid (TTA) we will also learn about the life span of the sperm and the egg which is also important to take into account.
The science behind your cycle:
The cycle starts with the 1st day of the period ( new onset of fresh bleeding). The cycle is then split into three phases.
Pre ovulation of follicular phase
Fertile time
Post ovulation, luteal phase or late infertile time.
The early phase needs extra care as the signs and possible variables can lead to pregnancy if trying to avoid. How to know the signs and track is covered in the appointments offered.
You will hear a lot about the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. Hormones are chemical messengers which cause an effect on the body. They have a target and maintain activities needed in the body. There is a series of increases and decreases in each cycle which causes things to happen which give us the signs we are looking for each day.
This may all seem a bit daunting but with help it is possible. I have to admit that it really is something I find exciting! I just love how the body works and being able to support women to understand their own cycle. I also know not all women work in the same way and it is a hard time if you have problems with your cycle. Tracking can help identify issues or flag up the need to seek medical help.
So what do these hormones do?
Let me introduce you first to the master gland in the brain (hypothalamus). This has the overall control for releasing hormones, which target and control the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.
In the first part of the cycle, the follicular phase the pituitary produces follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This stimulates the follicles in the ovary where the eggs are stored to grow and develop. During this process, the follicles, in turn, produce increasing amounts of estrogen.
What does the estrogen do?
As it rises the estrogen will cause a change in the secretions we get from the cervix (neck of the uterus). We will be aware of these secretions from the vagina. They are sperm friendly and indicate your fertile time has started.
As the estrogen rises it reaches a point where it will trigger a surge in the luteinising hormone which releases the egg. This is what we call ovulation. The egg begins its journey along the fallopian tube while the follicle collapses and becomes what we call the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum produces rising progesterone.
What does the progesterone do?
This is to start thickening the lining of the uterus (womb) called the endometrium in preparation for pregnancy. It also. It also changes the mucus - cervical secretions, in the vagina to thicken so as to deter sperm and cause a slight rise in waking temperature.
If there is a fertilised egg it will embed in the uterus lining and the corpus luteum will be maintained keeping up the progesterone and triggering the pregnancy hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin)
If there is no fertilised egg the corpus luteum degenerates, progesterone levels drop and the lining comes away ( menstruation) about 14 days later. So the cycle starts back again as day one as the fresh bleed starts.
How is FAM different to the calendar method?
You might hear or read that natural methods aren’t reliable but this isn’t true.
People who don’t understand FAM often lump it together with the calendar method or rhythm method which are outdated ideas that only rely on counting days. Calendar methods leave A LOT of room for error and don’t take into account impacting factors that can have an effect on your cycle such as stress, alcohol and not sleeping.
FAM or Natural Fertility Awareness Methods are based in science and are backed by sound research.
Even within the world of FAM there are different methods that people follow. I teach and am trained in the sympto-thermal method.
It sounds fancy but is actually simple and involves tracking up to 3 key signs.
Tracking signs of your temperature, cervix and mucus will give you a thorough understanding of your fertility cycle. A lot of women choose to only use the temperature sign but I’d recommend using at least two of the three options, so you have a check and balance element to your fertility tracking.
The more signs you use, the more reliable the method becomes.
In fact, the Sympto Thermal Method was studied in one of the largest fertility studies in recent times which of its time which was led by Professor Petra Frank-Herrmann in 2007. It concluded:
‘Researchers have found that a method of natural family planning that uses two indicators to identify the fertile phase in a woman's menstrual cycle is as effective as the contraceptive pill for avoiding unplanned pregnancies if used correctly’
If you are trying to conceive a baby knowing about the fertile time will help you know when best to have intercourse.
And equally, if you’re trying to avoid pregnancy, you’ll know when to avoid intercourse or use other methods or avoiding pregnancy.
How can you start using FAM?
While it is important to know how this all works you can mainly focus on the signs we look for each day to track the progress of the cycle, you don't need to get hung up at this stage with the hormones' names and actions.
Working with a natural fertility practitioner like me can be a great way to use FAM and build your confidence in managing your fertility naturally.
Whether you use my FAM starter kit, or book in for my Learning FAM appointment series, there is time to get to grips with all the details as we work through the appointments.
My goal is to get you knowing what to look for and be able to interpret the information to learn your fertile time. The timing of ovulation can change in a woman so it's important to know the signs rather than counting days as the number of days may alter in any month.
