FAQs

  •  Lifestyle and self-care practice that includes charting your menstrual cycle to understand your fertility.

    Can be a useful tool for self-awareness, contraception, achieving pregnancy, monitoring health and wellness, and as a medical assessment.

  • A FAM educator can provide personalized care and empower you to not only know your unique body, cycle and patterns, but also be able to make decisions that honor your reproductive goals more effectively. I definitely recommend reading as much as you can! There are so many brilliant people doing important work to help folks understand our bodies better. 

    Apps can be tricky. Most apps are using algorithms to make predictions. They might have helpful insights and can help us be more aware, but they usually aren’t empowering you to be the expert on your own body. 

  • Nope! The Rhythm Method is based on your past cycles and the assumption that every cycle is the exact same length. Any cycling woman can attest to the irregularity of their own cycles throughout their lives. The Rhythm method is only 70-80% effective as a contraception. Whereas the Sympto-thermal method I teach is 99.4-99.6% effective. Which is equal to oral contraceptives! 

    Natural Family Planning methods are religious based methods that usually require abstinence only during fertile windows. The method I teach is not tied to any religion but it can be used to accommodate a variety of religious and cultural practices.

  • Anyone with a cycle! Whether you are a pre-teen and have not had a period yet, or are post menopause and every stage in between.

  • Ideally we are working towards getting you off hormonal birth control as one of the primary uses of the fertility awareness method is to replace a hormonal birth control. However, I can also support you in learning how to bring cycle awareness and body literacy into your life to be more aligned with your current needs. 

  • No this is for anyone that wants to learn to be in partnership with their body and/or effectively track their cycle. Learning with me can help folks achieve their reproductive goals to get pregnant or to avoid pregnancy. But it also can assist you during transition phases like puberty, perimenopause, postpartum, or coming off hormonal birth control. I especially love working with pre-teens and teens!

  • Definitely not. Many people come to work with a FAM educator specifically to help understand and support an irregular cycle.

  • It can be as effective as oral contraception at 99.4-99.6%. This is based on a 2007 German research study done on the Sensiplan method which is most similar to the method taught at The Well, as well as many other sympto-thermal methods in the US. This is based on what is called “perfect use”. All methods include a user-effectiveness rating and can be impacted by the user, how well the method is taught, and effectiveness of the other methods used during the fertile window (i.e. condoms, withdrawal, abstinence…) The typical user rate of efficacy is still high and comparable to other methods at 98.2%. More information about the effectiveness is taught in my classes. 

  • Absolutely! I struggled with adenomyosis myself and used FAM to help figure that out. So I know what it’s like to be searching for answers about your body. Cycle Mapping and body literacy can support you through the hardest parts of the period, during transition times and beyond.

  • 100% yes! I love working with couples. Even if your partner doesn’t want to join us for class, this method is really more effective if they know and understand it as well, so I encourage having them be involved in some capacity. 

    Teaching to a group is a great way to build a supportive community and friends and it is so helpful to have friends that chart too! If you have a group of friends, sisters, or colleagues that all want to learn together let me know and we can create a class just for you!

    Also mother-daughter connection is my jam! As a mother of 3 girls, I know how valuable it is to bring the womb wisdom into the home and strengthen the bonds between parents and children. 

  • Yes, if the prices I have listed don’t work for you right now, please contact me so we can work out a plan that is better suited to your needs. Everyone should have access to education and support for their body.

  • If you have never charted before, a basal body thermometer is needed. I can help you find the right one for you. Paper charts and educational materials will be provided by me. If you are wanting to chart with an app instead of on paper, the recommended app is Read Your Body and it does have a small monthly cost. However, working with me will give you up to 3 months free! 

  • It can be learned in a day! However, it really will take about 2-3 months. I like to spread out that learning over the course of 2-3 sessions (which can happen as quickly or as long as you need). Also it is recommended to chart for about 3 cycles with an educator before you feel confident to use the method on your own for contraception. 

    It is my goal for you to be empowered and able to use this method and the things you learn on your own. However, I am available any time for support while you are learning. After you finish working with me, if you need some help with a tricky cycle, or you are entering a new phase like postpartum or perimenopause, you can always schedule chart reviews or consultations with me.