For many of us trying to postpone pregnancy, fertility can appear as an obstacle. Sure, we may understand that in the grand scheme of things fertility is an amazing part of human existence, but still — we often wish we could just “turn it off.” But before we do, we should realize that most people don’t know much about their fertility in the first place!
In a study of Canadian women entitled “Childless women’s knowledge of fertility and assisted human reproduction: identifying the gaps,” it was revealed that, while most people rated themselves as fairly knowledgeable about fertility, only half of those people could answer 6 of 16 questions correctly on a survey.1
The study “Fertility awareness in women attending a fertility clinic” found that only 26% of women surveyed indicated “adequate fertility awareness,” which included:
- “level of fertility symptom awareness (cervical mucus and ovulatory pain)”
- “level of understanding of what these symptoms mean,”
- “level of use of this information to enhance [or avoid] conception.”2
In a survey of Ivy League students, “when asked when a woman is most fertile during her menstrual cycle, only 27.5% (382) of respondents were able to correctly identify the proper time period.”3
Many women are missing out on the crucial knowledge that our female bodies have periods of fertility and infertility within each menstrual cycle, and that our bodies give us signs of these phases.
The truth is that women only generally release one ovum (egg) per menstrual cycle. This process is called ovulation. This ovum only survives from 12-24 hours. So, is a woman only fertile for 12-24 hours out of a month? Yes, but here we need to make an important qualification. Sperm can survive in the female reproductive system for about 5 days. So even if a woman ovulates up to 5 days after having sex, there is still a chance of pregnancy, that is, she may ovulate while sperm is still alive in her reproductive system. So, on average, a woman can only get pregnant by having sex during a specific 5-6 days of every menstrual cycle. This time period is known as the fertile window.
One of the wonderful thing about fertility awareness methods of family planning is that they use our very own fertility to help us postpone and, when we are ready, achieve pregnancy without having to use any unnatural means. How? By teaching us exactly when our fertile window is.
The female body gives different signs (biomarkers) when she is in a time of fertility, such as, but not limited to, an increase in cervical fluid and a rise in basal body temperature (body temperature upon waking up). Learning to measure these changes means learning precisely when you’re fertile, which means having the ability to family plan effectively and organically, to successfully avoid and achieve pregnancy as desired. Fertility awareness empowers women to embrace and respect their natural bodies. We need not unnaturally change anything in order to meet our needs. Knowledge about our natural fertility can help us do that.
The co-founder of the fertility awareness app Kindara sums it up very well:
