Fertility Awareness

Overview

Fertility awareness (also called natural family planning) is a way to find out which days of the month you are most likely to get pregnant. It’s done by tracking the changes your body goes through during your menstrual cycle. Learning about these changes can help you know when your ovary releases an egg (ovulates). You can then time vaginal sex to try to get pregnant or to try to avoid pregnancy.

If you have regular periods, you are probably able to get pregnant for about 6 days each month. This includes 5 days before you ovulate to the day after you ovulate. This is because sperm can live for 3 to 5 days in your reproductive tract and an egg is fertile for about 24 hours after you ovulate.

To avoid pregnancy, you do not have vaginal sex on your fertile days. Or you can use a barrier method of birth control, such as a condom or diaphragm. If you want to get pregnant, you have vaginal sex during these days.

Fertility awareness is most effective if you have regular periods and are able to keep close track of your menstrual cycle and physical signs of ovulation.