Cycle tracking for contraception (part 2): my story…
Pressured in my teens
My story of how I started cycle tracking for contraception sounds like stories I’ve heard from so many others.
For years, through my teens and early 20s, I was consistently pressured by various OB/GYNs to go on hormonal contraception.
One told me that it was “healthier” for me to be on it since it lowered my risk of ovarian cancer.
This might be true, but I was concerned about other side effects and was not comfortable with staying on it long term.
I was on the pill (ortho-tricyclin) a few times for about 6 months to a year at a time.
I was prescribed the Nuva ring for maybe about a year and went off of it b/c I would bleed continuously for several weeks at a time for many of those months.
Research rabbit hole
To help me make a more informed choice, I did extensive research, reading scientific papers about the long term side effects, and read many personal accounts online, including many who had life threatening blood clots from being on hormonal birth control.
I read one scientific paper about how being on hormonal contraception led to lower levels of testosterone and even after going off of it, levels of testosterone didn’t come back to pre-hormonal birth control levels.
Since my sexual expression was important to me and testosterone is associated with sex drive, I thought, I don’t have a whole lot of testosterone in my body anyway as a non-testosterone dominant person, so I don’t want to lose any of it!
I also read studies that showed an increased risk of depression and anxiety with hormonal contraception. I already struggled with depression and anxiety and did not want ANY level of risk of making that any worse!
(Since that time, even more research has come out about the increased rates of anxiety and depression for those on hormonal contraception.)
When I was searching online for alternative methods of contraception in 2007, I found the fertility awareness method of birth control.
My life changed forever.
Cycle awareness awakening
I couldn’t believe I had never learned this basic information about my body before.
Like many who stumble into the FAM world, I was shocked and angry that I had never been taught this about my cycle and contraceptive practice.
I was upset that I hadn’t been taught that:
there are only a handful of days give or take per cycle that I could get pregnant
that there were many days of the cycle where it was impossible to get pregnant
that the emergency contraception pill was only effective if taken before ovulation and that there was an easy and accessible way to identify if I had ovulated
how much my body went through changes through different phases throughout each cycle
I became a huge FAM advocate and started telling everyone I knew about it.
I probably had convos with several people who didn’t want to be hearing and talking about cervical fluids lol.
Cycling magic as a lifestyle
These days, I have more awareness and boundaries about bringing up cervical fluids randomly to people lol.
But since I first learned about it, over the past 10+ years, it has gone beyond a method of contraception into a lifestyle choice that I can’t imagine my life without.
I’ll be enjoying going deeper in menstrual - fertility cycle awareness for the rest of my cycling years.
Tracking my cycle is a beautiful and comforting source of connection to understanding my body and always knowing when I’m ovulating and when I’m going to menstruate.
My charts are a picture into what’s happening in my body that gives me a broader reflection into what’s going on for me in my life overall.
I don’t always chart consistently or diligently, but when I come back to filling out my charts, I’m always so happy to see the picture of my hormonal story that month.
Not always the right choice of contraception
Cycle tracking as a method of contraception is definitely not for everyone.
It takes a certain level of capacity, desire, and commitment to the practice to be consistent and diligent with charting and following the guidelines.
It calls for a certain level of personal responsibility that can feel like too much for someone with limited capacity.
The pressure to be consistent with charting to avoid pregnancy can feel like too much for some.
For certain times in someone’s life, it might be the right choice to leave much less margin of error for risking pregnancy.
A rewarding gift that keeps on giving
For those who love cycle tracking for contraception, the learning and practicing journey is so worth it. It brings a deeper connection and passion for our cycles.
Whether or not avoiding pregnancy is in someone’s personal current picture, charting cycles through tracking cervical fluids, body temperatures, and cervix changes is so rewarding!
For general self-care and self-awareness, I imagine I will want to keep coming back to charting for the rest of my cycling years!
I’m so passionate about cycle tracking as an incredible form of scientifically based contraception and as a journey into deeper self discovery.
If you already chart your cycles, what are the biggest benefits you’ve found from charting?
Are you interested in charting your cycles for self-care, contraception, or getting pregnant?
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: