Fertility Awareness Based Methods (FABMs) are tools for fertility management, meaning they can be used to prevent pregnancy or to increase the chances of conception. Symptothermal Fertility Awareness refers to types of FABMs that are based on direct observations of fertility signs: cervical secretions (“mucus” or “cervical fluid”), basal body temperature (taken upon awakening), and the optional sign of cervix changes. These observations are made daily and recorded on charts (electronic or paper).

The charts indicate if conception is possible on any given day, thus empowering people to prevent or to achieve pregnancy.  Fertility Awareness is more than just a system of fertility management. It is also a tool that can provide information about the menstrual cycle as a vital sign, hormonal balance, reproductive and general health.

As methods of contraception, Fertility Awareness Based Methods are not for everyone. The pros and cons should be carefully weighed by anyone considering using one. However, Fertility Awareness education provides valuable information, and has the ability to empower anyone on the gender spectrum with the capacity to cycle, including cisgender women and transmasculine and gender non-conforming people, around their sexual and reproductive health. We support comprehensive sexual education and reproductive healthcare for everyone, and we consider Fertility Awareness to be a form of literacy, a "life skill," like reading and cooking, that everyone should have access to.

The terms Natural Family Planning (NFP) and Fertility Awareness are often used interchangeably, and in terms of the science on which they're based and how observations are made, they are essentially identical. The main differences have to do with context, meaning how they are taught and how they are practiced.

Historically, Natural Family Planning methods referred to those that were taught in a Catholic context. Most NFP methods advocate chaste abstinence (refraining from all sexual activity) during the fertile phase of the cycle if a couple wishes to avoid pregnancy. NFP does not condone sexual activity outside of marriage and often restricts instruction to heterosexual, engaged or married couples.

Secular Fertility Awareness places no restrictions on who may learn or use the method, and will support clients as they choose from the full range of reproductive options, including sexual activity that does not involve genital to genital contact, the use of barrier methods during the fertile phase of the cycle, pregnancy termination, and assisted reproductive technology for all who need it.

Fertility Awareness and NFP teachers alike advocate for knowing how our bodies work (body literacy), for the cooperation between partners that these methods invite, and for working with our bodies, rather than against them, in order to manage our fertility.

In a nutshell, professional instruction leads to higher success rates and increased user confidence. In most evidence-based studies that demonstrate high efficacy of FABMs, users received standardized training and follow-up from experienced instructors. Books, social media groups, community, or peer support are all valuable but are not a substitute for professional instruction.  Professional instruction addresses your unique cycles, gynecological history, and integration of FABMs into your life. Member instructors on this site have all completed (or are in the process of completing) a rigorous training. They can help clients reach a deep, practical understanding of Fertility Awareness that takes into account their individual circumstances for meeting their goals.

There are many factors to consider when looking for an FAE:

• What kind of training and certification has the instructor received? 
• Are classes taught as a group or individually?
• Is it important to you to work with someone in person, or would you work with someone virtually (by video chat or phone)?
• Do you want someone with many years of experience, or would you consider working with a supervised student in training (whose fees may be lower)? 

In many countries, highly qualified instruction in a non-religious context may be more challenging to find locally. That’s why so many of us work virtually.  Members of our organization are happy to answer questions about how we teach and what we can offer.

That’s easy! Look here for a directory of highly qualified instructors.

It means that the person displaying the icon has graduated from one of the training programs whose certifications we accept. More to the point, it means that you can feel confident that the person displaying the icon is comprehensively trained, highly qualified, and has achieved recognition from others in the field of Fertility Awareness. Please note that people begin teaching in the latter stages of their training programs, but cannot display the icon until they have graduated.

There are no uniform licensing or certification requirements for becoming a FAE. Some training programs individually certify their graduates. AFAP-certified FAEs represent those trained in the profession whose course of study has met or exceeded the educational and professional standards outlined in the AFAP Core Competencies.
AFAP-certified FAEs are comprehensively trained in ethical, scientific, and competent practice. Educators are committed to professional development and benefit from a thriving, international network of FAEs, other medical practitioners, and researchers for peer review and collaboration. As a result, AFAP-certified educators have professional credibility with the public and health care professionals alike.

Please see our material about teacher training and certification.

Please read our material about becoming an instructor.

Absolutely! Please see our membership page.

The cycle tracking app business has boomed in recent years. There are MANY apps out there to choose from, some of which are “period trackers”, some of which are advertised specifically to help with getting pregnant, and some that specifically claim to help you avoid pregnancy.

We at AFAP endorse the Read Your Body (RYB) app and community. This app is female-led, was created by a trained Fertility Awareness Educator, and it is one of the few non-predictive apps on the market.

RYB also provides data privacy, which means the company does not sell your data to any third parties, which is very important to us especially in the current political climate in the USA and the criminalization of abortion access.

Furthermore, RYB is inclusive of all charting goals, values, and FABMs, and offers unique customization so that you can track a variety of other symptoms. We have found this app to be user-friendly and most of our accredited schools have pre-made templates that you can download so that the language and specific tools used match the method you’re learning.

This app is non-predictive, which means that you determine when you are in a fertile time of your cycle, rather than an algorithm. This feature may be one of the most important that separates Read Your Body from other “period tracker” apps. When using FABMs, regardless of your fertility goals, it is imperative that you are interpreting your own real-time fertility signs, rather than leaving it to algorithmic predictions. These predictions are usually based on your previous cycles and/or a larger database of cycles, so predictions are can be  incorrect due to the uniqueness of how each cycle and body responds to different human experiences (ie getting sick, coming off of synthetic hormones, being postpartum, travel, stress, etc.).

RYB also offers the first month free, so you can trial the app to see if it is a good fit for you.