Cycle tracking for contraception (part 1): does it really work?
What does cycle tracking for contraception mean exactly?
There’s a lot of controversy and misinformation about cycle tracking for contraception. Some people think it’s just the rhythm method or using apps that predict estimated fertile days.
For cycle tracking to be an effective method of contraception, it usually requires some combination of tracking cervical fluids, taking your temperature every morning, marking it down each day, and following specific guidelines on how to avoid pregnancy.
Goes by many names…
There’s a lot of different methods and names for cycle tracking for contraception including: Fertility Awareness (FA), Fertility Awareness Method (FAM), Symptothermal Method (STM), and Natural Family Planning (NFP, which is what those in the Christian community call it).
Although it started out more common in some Christian/Catholic circles, there’s a lot of different kinds of people who track their cycle for contraception. It’s also common among movements of feminists who believe in body autonomy and who are in all kinds of relationship styles.
Ancient Indigenous practice
A lot of people have used cycle tracking as a successful form of contraception for a very long time.
Cycle tracking to avoid pregnancy by observing cervical fluids was part of precolonial cultural wisdom of many indigenous tribes long before it was studied by western science.
Some of the early western scientists to develop the method first learned from, “African tribal groups (the Taita, Kamba and Luo) [who] have used the mucus produced by the cervix as a marker of fertility for generations past. And an elder of an Australian Aboriginal tribe, Niranji, have described how young girls of his tribe were taken away to a sacred place by the older women and taught about the mucus.” (source)
What does western science say?
The western scientific research has been developing over time since the 1950s. We’re still lacking having enough robust high quality scientific studies. But the biggest and highest quality study to date from 2007 showed a 99.6% effectiveness with perfect use of the symptothermal method of cycle tracking for contraception. (study link)
Perfect use vs typical use
Most forms of contraception are less effective if they’re not being used correctly.
Like missing a day of taking the pill sometimes instead of taking it daily at the same time can make it less effective. Or not using condoms correctly can increase the risk of pregnancy by a lot!
With perfect use, condoms only have a 2% risk of failing. With “typical use,” (all the people out there not using condoms correctly!) the risk of pregnancy goes all the way up to 18%!
The IUD, implant, and medical procedures might be more invasive options but have the benefit that they barely have any room for user error.
Less invasive, less side effects, but more responsibility
With the symptothermal method, there’s also a huge difference between perfect and typical use risk levels.
With perfect use in the biggest study to date, there’s only a 0.4-5% risk.
With typical use there was a 24% risk.
That’s a lot of room for error.
This is a form of contraception that requires a lot more effort and knowledge than all the others.
It also has a lot more room for making choices in the heat of the moment that can be riskier than you might have wanted.
FAM leaves the responsibility of managing your fertility completely in your hands (unlike an IUD or implant for example, that require no day to day decision making and responsibility).
This is what makes it both empowering AND leaves more room for user error or split second decisions that could lead to pregnancy risk.
Long term commitment… it’s a lifestyle!
Since learning takes time and practice, most fertility awareness educators recommend that you don’t rely on this method for birth control until you have charted for at least 3 full cycles.
Once you feel confident with:
charting & understanding your cycles
symptothermal method of contraception practice and guidelines,
then you can start relying on the practice in a way that aligns with you and your partner’s desires and agreements.
So for the first 3-4 months (or potentially longer) you can choose between the range of other contraceptive options.
Even after you’re confident using FAM, you still have to navigate contraceptive options during the fertile window (could be 7-10 days or more depending on your personal cycle).
So how successful you are with cycle tracking to avoid pregnancy completely depends on how well and consistently you are tracking your cycle and what choices you make with your partner during the fertile days of the cycle.
If you want to hear about my personal experience with cycle tracking for contraception, you can read Cycle tracking for contraception (part 2): my story.
If you’d like to work with me 1-1 to learn to chart & support your unique cycle experience and desires, you can learn more about my offerings here: