Reader -
I’m sitting on the floor surrounded by tiny objects that used to be the most important things in the world:
A miniature clay oven with a loaf of bread inside.
A painted ceramic water canteen the size of my thumb.
A little chicken, a wooden cage, 2 tiny eggs, a lantern.
A foraging kit with a tiny basket and chilies and flowers.
This weekend my sister and I are unboxed tiny cherished items that haven’t seen daylight in, twenty five years?
Growing up, American Girl was a FULL FAMILY EVENT of glossy catalogs, coveting items arriving in red boxes.
And now, as my parents get ready to move, it's sweet and disorienting to go through these things that once mattered so much.
Because (in between selling tiny problematically represented historical accessories online) I’ve been doing another type of time travel, going back and reopening blog posts I wrote 6 years ago.
And one of those updated posts feels especially timely heading into this year as the idea of "methods" are shifting:
My blanket advice to anyone learning fertility awareness was to learn a method thoroughly (emphasis on the method).
And in some ways, it still stands. I believe that you need to:
learn the rules...
...and learn the why behind the rules...
...before you break the rules...
But I think the reign of the traditional fertility awareness method is shifting.
People who use traditional methods are tired of being blamed when cycles don't fit under their method umbrella (when it's the strict method that's the problem).
Fertility awareness educators are going rogue, adding in additional biomarkers (when those strict method parameters can't confirm ovulation).
Reddit groups and Facebook groups bristle when you say you're using a custom charting approach "that's mixing methods!"
Unfortunately, not all training programs are created equal. And not all training programs, even ones that are more respected, teach pure methods that they independently developed and researched.
Most formal programs are structured approaches to fertility charting based on research into ovulation biomarkers. Over time, different researchers, clinicians, and organizations have developed methods that vary in:
- which biomarkers they prioritize
- how those biomarkers are interpreted
- what protocols are taught
- what assumptions are made about users
Some methods are built around a single researcher’s work. Others are institutional methods that synthesize research from multiple sources. Some are narrow by design. Others are more adaptable.
This isn’t inherently a problem, but it does mean that “fertility awareness certification” isn’t a single, standardized thing.
If you’re navigating that landscape and wondering how to choose, I wrote about it here:
On the Blog: How to Choose a Fertility Awareness Method Training
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