There are three main fertility awareness methods to prevent or plan pregnancy, which are different in their function and imply varying risks and benefits. The first approach is the temperature method, and it means taking a woman’s temperature every day in the morning before getting out of bed (“Fertility awareness,” n.d.). Since it changes at the time of ovulation, the rise of this indicator shows the corresponding period in the menstrual cycle. This approach is beneficial in terms of its simplicity but requires a person to regularly write the temperature a fertility awareness chart. In this case, the risks are related to the possibility of other conditions affecting the results.
The second way to track ovulation is the cervical mucus method. It means that a woman should track the changes in her vaginal discharge throughout the whole cycle (“Fertility awareness,” n.d.). This approach also required having a chart with daily notes on color, texture, and other characteristics. Any changes in cervical mucus usually indicate the beginning of the so-called fertile days (“Fertility awareness,” n.d.). The described technique is advantageous for women who have no other problems causing the distortion of indicators and easy. However, the risks are the high probability of incorrect results if used only for one month.
The third fertility awareness approach is the calendar method, which allows predicting fertile days. It is performed by tracking the length of a woman’s menstrual cycle. The calculations are made on the basis of the first and the last days of the period and the number of days in a cycle (“Fertility awareness,” n.d.). The advantages of this method are precision and simplicity, especially when using special apps. Nevertheless, the risks are more significant than in the case of the temperature or cervical mucus methods. They include the possibility of errors when the cycle is shorter than twenty-seven days and the necessity to track them for at least six months.
Reference
Fertility awareness. (n.d.). Planned Parenthood. Web.