How does hormone-free birth control work? 

How do you know Cycle Mapping is effective as birth control? 

Can I use FAM/Cycle Mapping postpartum? 

What is FAM? 

What is Cycle Mapping?

What if my current hormonal birth control doesn't give me negative side effects?

What happens if my back-up method fails? 

What happens if I get pregnant using Cycle Mapping/FAM? 

Are there any negative side effects to using FAM/Cycle Mapping? 

I have PCOS/irregular cycles. Can I still use this for birth control effectively? 

Do you recommend an app for charting? 

Fertility Awareness-Based Methods like the one I teach all focus on essentially the same thing: identifying the fertile window. Some methods do a better job of this than others. Basically, we know that sperm can't survive without cervical fluid for more than a few hours. With cervical fluid, they can survive for up to 5 days! So we learn how to identify cervical fluid and we learn how to identify ovulation. We can only confirm ovulation in hindsight, so we need to apply rules to our cervical fluid and temperature data to avoid pregnancy effectively. 

I know Cycle Mapping is effective because I've been practicing sympto-thermal fertility awareness to avoid pregnancy for nearly 11 years (as of 2025). Research shows us that sympto-thermal fertility awareness is effective, too, just like my personal evidence does. The most commonly referenced study is the Petra Frank Hermann study, on a similar sympto-thermal method (STM) called Sensiplan. We discuss efficacy in my Body Literacy Class Series.

While there is a LOT of nuance to this one, YES, you can. You will need to learn the guidelines for postpartum use before relying solely on FAM for contraception during this time (and always). 

FAM stands for Fertility Awareness Method, most commonly being referred to as a natural form of contraception using the tracking of various fertility biomarkers.

Cycle Mapping is a fertility awareness-based method of birth control developed by Sarah Bly of The Well School of Body Literacy. It is sympto-thermal, meaning we use symptoms (cervical fluid observation) and temperature (basal body temperature) to determine fertility ON ANY GIVEN DAY. 

I am SO happy for you! While a LOT of women report negative side effects, and while Dr Aviva Romm backs research that shows that younger users have much higher risks of depression and anxiety, I recognize that not everyone has a bad experience with birth control. Only you know your body and what works best with it! Use that knowledge as power. 

You're only as good as your back-up method! If you have sex during your fertile window and have an accident with your condom, diaphragm, Phexxi, or other back-up method, you are at the mercy of the efficacy rate of that method. If this happened to you and you need help, call your parent, OBGYN, Planned Parenthood, or Fertility Awareness Educator for guidance - you have options!

Even with strict adherence to the rules, ALL methods of birth control have method failure! Even women using IUDs have gotten pregnant. If you conceive while trying to avoid a pregnancy using Cycle Mapping, you have options! Call a trusted educator, OBGYN, parent, or friend to get started. A good place to start is to review your chart and find out if it was a user error or method failure. From there, you can make an informed decision about to do. Options include and are not limited to: adoption counseling, parenting, medical termination, herbal termination.

My take? No. Cycle Mapping has ZERO negative side effects - even if you learn the method and decide not to use it, I wouldn't consider it a waste of time to have learnt about your amazing body. 

Yes, in fact, FAM/Cycle Mapping might be your new best friend in this case. The reason this still works for you is because with Cycle Mapping, we are NEVER predicting ANYTHING in any cycle. Instead, we are looking at daily data readings to make decisions. If things are ambiguous, we encourage caution. This practice can help you get to know your cycle better if it's irregular. 

I don't. I prefer paper charting. I feel like paper charting gives me more control, privacy, and intimacy with my charts. For those who want an app, I prefer Read Your Body, which has a built-in template for Cycle Mapping. For those using Toni Weschler's TCOYF method, I recommend the Cyclisity app.