As a FEMM instructor, I often see my beginning clients struggle to understand their LH test results. When I learned about Proov Predict test strips, I decided to try them out to see how they compare to the test I typically order from Amazon. Spoiler alert: I think Proov tests are pretty awesome, but I don’t think they’re for everyone. This post contains affiliate links. If you order Proov Predict tests through my link, I’ll receive a small commission at… Read more »
You may not think something as simple as charting your menstrual cycle could have such a significant impact on someone’s life, but it truly does. Charting your cycle is different than using a period tracking app. You chart your fertility biomarkers (cervical mucus, basal body temperature, bleeding, hormone tests) and you interpret that data. I’ve been charting my cycle using the FEMM method of fertility awareness for almost a year and a half. I love this method so much! … Read more »
Do you like looking behind the scenes? You came to the right place, friend! Today I’m walking you through my daily charting routine and YOU get to see a behind the scenes look! First, I pay close attention to what I feel when I’m wiping. Does the toilet paper feel dry? Moist? Slippery? How many wipes does it take to feel clean? These questions help me determine my cervical mucus sensation. Second, I look at the toilet paper…. Read more »
Feeling nervous about preventing pregnancy naturally? I totally get that! I remember waiting anxiously that first month Caleb and I were married. Was I pregnant? Does Fertility Awareness REALLY work? When my period started, I breathed a sigh of relief and grinned. Fertility awareness is so cool! So if you’re feeling nervous at the thought of trying to avoid pregnancy without hormonal birth control, I’ve got 3 reasons why you should learn FEMM. Reason #1: Discover how to identify & chart cervical mucus… Read more »
Have you heard about natural family planning and thought it was cool but you didn’t know how to get started with fertility awareness methods? Well, never fear! Today I’m going to tell you all you need to know about it! If you would rather listen to this, you can do so below or by listening on your favorite podcast app. (Search for “Coffee With Kara.”) How To Get Started With Fertility Awareness 1. Research the Different Kinds of Methods The… Read more »
If you’ve been in the fertility awareness community for any amount of time, you’ve probably come across some acronyms: NFP FAM FEMM STM LH BBT CM TTA / TTC / TTW The list goes on and on! Well, today I’m going to break down what each of these acronyms mean :) *IMAGE* NFP = Natural Family Planning NFP/ Natural Family Planning is an umbrella term for natural family planning methods, such as Billings, FEMM, Creighton, Marquette, etc. NFP requires the… Read more »
When I was fourteen, I learned that some types of hormonal birth control might cause abortions. I shared this new information with my best friend. She told me that that’s one of the reasons that she wanted to use NFP when she got married. “That’s what my parents do,” she said. My best friend is Catholic and I’m so grateful for her introducing me to NFP from such a young age. Later on, in high school, I started having bad… Read more »
I want to shout this from the rooftops! When I was first researching Natural Family Planning and Fertility Awareness Methods as a 21-year-old single, 99% of all blog posts I read were either targeted at married couples or newly engaged couples. And I didn’t fit into either of those categories. Because of that, I wasn’t sure if I should start charting or wait until I got engaged someday. As I read article upon article, I somehow learned about the book… Read more »
Over on Instagram, I’ve been posting a lot about charting. If you get my email newsletters, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been talking about charting a lot there too. But what even is charting? Is it creating bar graphs of your family member’s favorite ice cream flavors like you had to do in 2nd grade? Lol, no! When I say “charting” I mean charting your cycle. But what does THAT mean? What Is Cycle Charting? Cycle charting is so much… Read more »
I’ve been charting my cycle since 2017 and over the past four years, I’ve found so many benefits to this practice! Before I explain why I love charting, let me state what charting is not. Charting is NOT putting your period start date into an app and letting it predict when your next period will be. When I bought my first iPhone when I was a freshman in college, I downloaded a random period app that would predict when my… Read more »
