Fertility awareness methods (FAM), when learned from a trained FAM instructor, can serve as effective methods of natural family planning (NFP) for couples who are on board to use the method together. This makes FAMs the only methods of family planning that require equal participation of the sexes.
Couples who use fertility awareness methods instead of pharmaceutical birth control report improved relationships by a number of indicators, including better communication. Still, as with anything, there’s a learning curve. And if you’re considering the switch to FAM or NFP, you’ll definitely need to discuss it with your partner first.
The articles below explore how to talk to your partner about FAM.
This page was last updated on May 21, 2024.
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“Why doesn’t he care?”: Talking with friends to figure out men’s role in birth control decisions
By Alex Rico • August 31, 2023Why some men think they don’t have a part to play in birth control decisions -
How to Talk Confidently About Fertility Awareness Methods With A Doubtful OBGYN, Partner, or Literally Anyone
By Julia Hogan-Werner, LCPC • September 13, 2019Fertility Awareness-Based Methods (FABM) and modern, evidence-based methods of natural family planning (NFP) bring a wealth of helpful… -
Of Charting, Pillow Talks and Honeymoons
By Emily Kennedy • March 15, 2015I’ll never forget our first meeting with a Fertility Care practitioner, a teacher of the Creighton method of… -
Quick Responses to NFP Doubters
By Cassondra Moriarty • May 18, 2018Anyone who’s even dabbled into the idea of using a Fertility Awareness-Based Method (FABM) knows there’s a lot… -
Marital problems as a side effect of birth control use
By Mike Gaskins • July 7, 2023Late last year, UK-based The Independent reported that according to data from the largest family law firm in… -
How to have difficult conversations about sex
By Julia Hogan-Werner, LCPC • October 14, 2022In a recent article for Natural Womanhood, Kristen Curran brought awareness to a very important but often overlooked… -
What to do when fertility awareness isn’t a magic pill for a great sex life
By Kristen Curran • September 2, 2022As the day of my wedding approached, I definitely felt nervous about how my relationship with my fiancé… -
When NFP is Used to Abuse: Part II of II
By Jeanette Flood • April 28, 2022Trigger warning: Spousal abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, pornography addiction Part II: Advice for NFP instructors and couples… -
When NFP is Used to Abuse: Part I of II
By Jeanette Flood • April 28, 2022Trigger warning: Spousal abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, pornography addiction At Natural Womanhood, we write frequently about the… -
How men can encourage a switch from birth control to fertility awareness
By Alex Rico • July 7, 2023What if your spouse asked you to give up golfing? Or to stop watching football every Sunday? You…