For Your Information - Fertility Awareness

You can download this tip sheet and take it with you.

The Female Reproductive System: Everyone has an opinion about it, from politicians to parents to partners. But if you have one, it is yours to know. Have you ever wondered why you bleed (or don't) every month? Want to know when you can get pregnant and when you cannot? Have you ever anticipated ovulation as much as bleeding? Ever wished there was a more holistic way to identify the state of your reproductive health? Fertility Awareness is a simple way to access this information.

Fertility Awareness (FA) is a way to understand your body's cycle of fertility and menstruation and use the information to make responsible choices. FA is grounded in simple observation through daily note taking and in a scientific understanding of how the reproductive system works. In this way, it is as ancient as our bodies and as new as our ever-changing relationship to the environments in which we live.

Fertility Awareness is useful for...
- communicating with health practitioners about what is happening in your body.
- preventing pregnancy (as a safe and effective method of natural birth control).
- achieving pregnancy (know when you are fertile and timing your attempts more accurately)
- identifying and improving physical and emotional health issues.
- taking ownership of your body, developing a deeper relationship with your body, and feeling empowered around your sexuality and sexual health.

Practicing Fertility Awareness involves...
- observing the daily signs that your body provides about your fertility.
- keeping a simple record of your observations on a chart.
- using your chart to keep track of other things that are going on in your life such as stress, exercise and sexual activity.
- using this information to gain an overall picture of your health and fertility.

Who can practice Fertility Awareness? Any woman or female-bodied person. Practicing FA provides deep insight into a woman's cycle and reproductive health. Every woman should have this knowledge. FA involves daily charting and observation of the physical signs of fertility, so it requires daily commitment. Once you learn it, FA can easily become an integrated part of your day.

Resources
For NYC classes, check out The Fertility Awareness Center www.fertaware.com or call (212) 475-4490.

For excellent reading, check out The Garden of Fertility and Honoring Our Cycles by Kate Singer, and Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler.

For good web resources on FA, check out Justisse Healthworks for Women at www.justisse.com or look up "Fertility Awareness" on Wikipedia.