Explore your options

Fertility awareness

What am I?

Fertility awareness involves predicting when you’re in the most fertile phase of your reproductive cycle, so you can avoid unprotected sex during this time.1 To work out when your most fertile phase is, you can monitor your body temperature and consistency of cervical mucus every day, as well as record the length of your menstrual cycle1

Effectiveness2

Perfect useTypical use
N/A76%
  • A natural method that does not rely on devices or prescription medicines
illustration of a woman making a heart with their hands and smiling
illustration of a woman making a heart with their hands and smiling
  • Doesn’t protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)1
  • You must avoid having sex during your fertile phase if using this method alone, which can be up to 16 days3
  • Fertility signals can be affected by factors such as stress, illness and travel1
  • Requires time and planning – such as keeping a daily record of your fertility signals – and it can be difficult to evaluate temperature and cervical mucus1
  • It can take several menstrual cycles before you can determine your fertile time – so it cannot be used immediately1

Ready to test your knowledge?

Take the quiz!

References

  1. NHS Inform. Natural family planning (fertility awareness). Available at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/contraception/natural-family-planning-fertility-awareness/ Last accessed May 2025

  2. NHS. How well contraception works at preventing pregnancy. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/contraception/choosing-contraception/how-well-it-works-at-preventing-pregnancy/ Last accessed May 2025

  3. NHS. Periods and fertility in the menstrual cycle. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods/fertility-in-the-menstrual-cycle Last accessed May 2025

Skip to toolbar