Full Moon Fertility

Which little miss are you?😍

Today I’m little miss cervical mucus, reminding you to check for mucus throughout the day to determine if it’s a fertile day 🧐

Brb while I cry over how beautiful my family is 🥲

Thank you to the moon and back .a.photography for these captured memories.

We’re one of those families that has less than a handful of pictures together so to have this many feels so incredibly special to me. 🥲

Just some simple reminders💖

It’s Monday and we all need a few reminders to get through it. Charting can be simple. Take your bbt, check for mucus and then chart it! 🎊

You got this! 💖

Let’s set the record straight!!

There’s some pretty outdated and incorrect information out there about FAM. Especially since it is not super mainstream yet, you may here these myths when learning about FAM.

Another reason to consider working with a FAM Educator (not just me!) to get the right and up to date facts/science behind the method.

Do you have any questions about FAM or comments about it that you aren’t sure are true? 💖🧐

Learning any new skill takes time, folks!
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We don’t expect to be perfect guitar players the first time we play or a perfect driver when we first sit behind the wheel. Skills take time to learn and perfect, FAM being one of those skills. ⁣
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The learning curve with FAM can be steep (thanks to our lacking reproductive health education) but it is one you can get more familiar with over time. ⁣
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To make things easier, many FAM educators and users will use abbreviations. ⁣
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What are some abbreviations you use or have seen? I’m sure I’m missing some good ones. 💖

I wish I knew this when I started my period⁣…
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Maybe you had a conversation with an adult in your life about your period, the blood and what period products to use. ⁣
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But rarely do we talk about ovulation when we have these period talks. Ovulation is what precedes true menstruation. Ovulation is accompanied by cervical mucus which we all experience but may have never spoken about. Cervical mucus tracking is a massive part of fertility awareness because it typically tells us when we are fertile. ⁣
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Before I knew what cervical mucus was, I thought I was getting recurring yeast infections. I had no idea the cyclical pattern of mucus was telling me when I was ovulating and not that something was wrong. ⁣
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I wish I’d known about the importance of cervical mucus earlier so it wouldn’t have been something I saw as dirty or gross. Cervical mucus is beautiful and essential for us to conceive. ⁣
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Share to let others know that cervical mucus isn’t gross!! 💖🥰

Every partner has the ability to support you with your birth control use💖⁣
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Within the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) there are so many ways that your partner can support you in the process. ⁣
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Because FAM requires learning about your body and often forages a new connection to your body. ⁣
Your partner can support you in sooo many ways while learning the method and while you continue to use it!⁣
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Please let me know in the comments:⁣
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How has your partner supported you in practicing FAM?⁣
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𝗼𝗿⁣
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What support would you like to have from a partner while using FAM?

But don’t stress, I’ve got a waitlist!

I’m working with so many amazing people right now to help them understand and connect with their menstrual cycles.

Because I’m only one person, I can only take on so many folks at once. If you want to work together in the next few months, reach out to me and I can add you to the wait list OR recommend some amazing FAM Educators that can help you in the meantime.

Happy charting xx,
Joy❤️

What is the goal of Full Moon Fertility?⁣
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When I first learned about a method of birth control that was highly effective, free and synthetic hormone free, I was blown away. ⁣
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I had so many questions like:⁣
🌻Why had I only been taught about the Pill and condoms growing up?⁣
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🌻Why wasn’t FAM mentioned as a birth control option from my doctor?⁣
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🌻Why was I medically gaslit to think that the terrible symptoms I experienced on the pill were my only option?⁣
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When I created Full Moon Fertility, I had a goal to continue to make FAM accessible. To all who want to learn. To all who are curious about if it would work for them. To those who hate their current birth control. To the those who feel like they have no options. ⁣
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It feels surreal knowing that I am currently doing that. Client testimonials 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 bring tears to my eyes because I see the lives that are changed from the Fertility Awareness Method. And I am so privileged to help bring FAM to you. ⁣
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Thank you to my amazing client Oriana for such beautiful words that had me crying. ❤️

Which fertile signs do you pay the most attention to?⁣
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Cervical Mucus or Fluid is your day to day opportunity to interpret where you are in your cycle. Changes in cervical mucus can tell us when we are entering or leaving our fertile window. The consistency of the mucus changes as your hormones fluctuate. Thanks ✨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘯✨. CM should be your most important fertile sign as it is your window into what your menstrual cycle is doing!⁣
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Basal Body Temperature is great for confirming when ovulation happens. When ovulation occurs, our bodies begin to produce progesterone which increases our temperature and even our metabolism in the luteal phase. (Fun fact: this is why you might feel hungrier in your luteal phase). BBT doesn’t allow us to know when our fertile window opens. Which again is why CM is so amazing!⁣
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Finally, the cervix is a possible third fertile sign that many people don’t know about or track. The cervix changes from being hard to soft while you’re ovulating and moves higher or lower in the va**na! 🍩 ⁣
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Have you tried tracking any of your fertile signs? Which is your favourite? 😍

Good FAM charting apps are hard to find…⁣
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But I believe I’ve found the one that’s perfect for many FAM charters. ⁣
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May I introduce you to:⁣
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🌟Read Your Body🌟⁣
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This app is fantastic and customizable for all your menstrual tracking needs. ⁣
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When looking for a period tracking app you 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 want one that:⁣
🚫Predicts when you are fertile⁣
🚫Predicts when your period will be⁣
🚫Is expensive⁣
🚫Isn’t customizable⁣
🚫Doesn’t allow you to track cervical mucus⁣
🚫Doesn’t let you track intimacy⁣
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This is why I love Read Your Body. ⁣
It’s:⁣
✅Affordable⁣
✅Customizable⁣
✅Doesn’t predict your cycle⁣
✅Can be used by different FAM methods⁣
✅Allows tracking of intimacy⁣
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Have you tried this app? Will you? 😍

2022 is the year for not putting up with things that are no longer serving us!!⁣
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This applies to everything including your birth control. ⁣
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If you birth control is causing you symptoms that you don’t want, it might be time to consider a birth control that works better for you. ⁣
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Obviously I’m all for Fertility Awareness because it’s:⁣
✔️Affordable⁣
✔️a life long skill⁣
✔️body literate⁣
✔️synthetic hormone-free⁣
✔️empowering⁣
✔️fun⁣
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So with the new year upon us, if you birth control isn’t feeling good for you anymore then try something new 🥰

✨𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧✨⁣
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Nat and I recorded this beautiful session a few weeks ago. It’s an authentic conversation about our own cycles, training to be FAM Educators and how I incorporate my Anishinaabe culture into my business. ⁣
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I truly enjoyed recording this with Nat because this felt like a vulnerable conversation with a dear friend. ⁣
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Thanks Nat for thinking of me for your new podcast. Miigwech!! ✨

Listen to the episode, link in bio!

✨Tempdrop Sale!!✨

If you’ve been waiting for a good sale to buy a Tempdrop, this is the time!!⁣
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Tempdrop is a wearable overnight basal body thermometer perfect for:⁣
✨if you have irregular sleep schedules⁣
✨are a shift worker⁣
✨are breastfeeding⁣
✨if you go p*e in the night⁣
✨if you’re a light sleeper⁣
✨can’t wake up at the same time everyday⁣
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Basal body temperature is the resting body temperature used in Fertility Awareness Methods to confirm ovulation. ⁣
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I love using my Tempdrop along side an oral basal body temperature to have two ways to confirm ovulation. ⁣
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If you’re interested, this is a huge Tempdrop sale! ⁣
20% off regular price AND 10% off using my code. ⁣
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Visit the first link in bio to visit their site! ✨

FAM Educator in front of v***a-esque shell?
S-Hell ya!!⁣
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I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a photo with such a beautiful piece of art. Doesn’t it give you v***a feels?? 🐚 ⁣
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📸: ⁣

You know your body best!!⁣
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Any app or thermometer that tells you when your fertile is not going to be nearly as accurate as deciding when you are fertile for yourself. ⁣
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These apps and thermometers that predict your fertility based on only temperature are missing one big aspect of your daily fertility:⁣
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🎉 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗹𝘂𝗶𝗱 🎉⁣
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Cervical fluid is the day to day fertile sign that we can easily learn how to look for. As we approach ovulation, cervical fluid will increase (maybe looking stretchy and clear like egg whites!) and can help us understand when we are in our fertile window and when pregnancy could occur. ⁣
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Basal body temperature (BBT) is a great tool to 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺 ovulation but it cannot predict ovulation. ⁣
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Basal body temperature rises slightly following ovulation in response to the body producing progesterone. Why is this important to understand? The temperature only rises 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 ovulation has happened and it 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 let you know when ovulation is going to happen or is happening. ⁣
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So by using an app to decide fertile days, you are trusting in an apps algorithm and not the signs your body is actually producing. ⁣
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Did you know this about period predictor apps?⁣ Share with someone you feel would learn something from this post!
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Me in my most natural form:⁣
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V***a plushie in hand and uterus necklace around my neck. ⁣
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Special thanks to both and for such creative pieces 🌸

***aart ***a 🌸

Interested in FAM?⁣😍
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I’m now accepting new clients!! 🎊🎉⁣
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After months of working through my waitlist I am now ready to accept new charting clients. ⁣
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Are you:⁣
🌸Looking for an effective natural form of birth control?⁣
🌸Looking for a better connection to your body?⁣
🌸Wanting to manage your period symptoms beyond hormonal birth control?⁣
🌸Wanting to figure out when you are or aren’t fertile?⁣
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FAM might be a great fit for you!
Let me know if you’re interested through DM. I offer a free consultation to answer your questions 💐

I spent YEARS hating my periods🖕🩸⁣
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Oh uterus why do you have to do me so dirty, I would say. 😫⁣
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Being told “that’s just part of being a woman” in regards to period pain. 🤷‍♀️⁣
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Only when I started my reproductive health journey did I realize that our periods are a reflection of our health. They tell us more about our body’s monthly health than any any other symptom can!⁣
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Instead of getting mad at our bodies, let’s embrace periods and take the way they present as something much bigger than we ever thought.

So excited to share my new branding photos from . Check out my website to see some of the amazing shots she got 🥰😍❤️

WERE BACK BABY 🌟⁣
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After a much needed summer hiatus, and I are back for more 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 here on Instagram. ⁣
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This Friday at 1pm EST tune in to hear us talk about these topics on Antoinette’s page:
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🌈 The phases of the menstrual cycle⁣
🌈 Cervical mucus and why it rocks⁣
🌈 What role the corpus luteum plays ⁣
🌈 Optimizing your cycles and fertility⁣
🌈 Hormone fluctuations in our cycles⁣
🌈 What to expect within each phase of the cycle⁣
🌈 Cycle balancing foods⁣
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And you 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 we always save time for any Q&A’s you might have about your cycles!⁣
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Antoinette and I are great friends and have an immense passion for reproductive health and fertility. Join us for a light and fun convo, you will learn something 😍⁣🌈
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Despite What You May Have Heard 🌺🌸⁣
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You’re not fertile everyday of your cycle. And your fertile days can be tracked with great accuracy!⁣
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✨ We’re fertile the 12-24 hours when the egg is released from the o***y. ⁣
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✨ We’re fertile up to 5 days before the egg is released because cervical fluid can keep s***m alive during that time. ⁣
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Understanding your fertile days allows you to know when to avoid unprotected s*x or have unprotected s*x if you do or don’t want to get pregnant 🥰🤗

Wait what?! Wanna read more?? ⬇️⁣
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Hormonal birth control can be prescribed as a way to “regulate” someone’s cycles. Sometimes prescribed as a way to “fix” hormones, this kind of birth control actually shuts off our hormones⁣ completely.
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Have you ever heard someone say, “hormonal birth control tricks your body into thinking you’re pregnant?”⁣
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🙋‍♀️ I know I have!⁣
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This isn’t accurate though! Hormonal birth control actually causes our bodies to stop producing natural hormones needed for ovulation and menstruation. 𝗦𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆. Menopause involves the slow and gradual decrease in the persons ability to produce the amount of hormones needed for ovulation/menstruation, until they are no longer have a menstrual cycle. ⁣
Pregnancy involves massive amounts of natural hormones for the entire 9 months. Whereas birth control doesn’t allow us to produce similar hormones as pregnancy at all. ⁣
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So really we should say, “𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲” 😳⁣
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This is why often when people come off of birth control, all of their symptoms may return of:⁣
❌ irregular cycles⁣
❌ painful periods⁣
❌ PCOS ⁣
❌ acne⁣
❌ and so on…⁣
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By not actually addressing the root cause of these symptoms and going on birth control, the symptoms are (sadly!) likely to return. ⁣
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Have you heard about birth control use for “hormone regulation”? ⁣
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Please share with friends who may benefit from this info 🥰

5️⃣ Things I wish I’d Learned Sooner About My Body⁣ 🌷
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1. Fertility is a sign of health and matters long before you want kids (if ever). Healthy cycles and periods are not something to only worry about when you want to get pregnant. ⁣
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2. Cervical fluid accompanies rising estrogen and ovulation. It is healthy and necessary for keeping s***m alive. I thought it was some kind of va**nal infection every time I had cervical fluid when I was a teenager. ⁣
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3. You deserve as much pleasure from intimacy and s*x as your partner. It wasn’t until much later in my life that I understood how important my pleasure was and started to advocate for it more. ⁣
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4. Using the Pill for birth control isn’t the only option. Many people use FAM, barriers and non-hormonal methods successfully. You don’t have to be depressed, with low libido and recurring UTI’s to successfully prevent pregnancy. ⁣
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5. You’re only fertile for a small window of time in your cycle. There are approximately 6 days a cycle that you’re fertile. (5 days for the length of time s***m can stay alive in the presence of cervical fluid and 1 day that the egg is released from the o***y)⁣
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What are some things you wished you learned sooner about your body?⁣🌷
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Wait… so it’s not just an inconvenience?! ⁣
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Regularly we are told that periods are an inconvenience, painful and something to dread each month. Rarely growing up did I hear positives about menstrual cycles or periods. ⁣
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But there’s so much more to this conversation than just dreading your period. ⁣
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We have a monthly report card on our overall health. Which is pretty helpful to figuring out what our bodies need. ⁣
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Painful periods, irregular cycles, or not having a period for months are your body’s way of telling you,⁣
“Hey something isn’t right” 🚨 ⁣
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Trust me, I get it when your period comes and it’s debilitating and takes you out for a few days. But when I started looking at my periods as a sign from my body of my overall health, I knew I needed to make changes. ⁣
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These changes to help your body are going to be different for everyone. I always bring it back to the essentials:
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🍎 Are you eating enough nutritious wide-varying foods in your diet?⁣
💤 Are you getting enough sleep?⁣
😨 Do you keep your stress levels down?⁣
🧘 Do you add movement to you daily life?⁣
🌸 What does your self-care look like?⁣
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Have further questions about your cycles/periods/fertility? It’s always a great to consider working with a holistic practitioner or FAM Educator (there’s so many of us here to help!)

Save this post if you’re looking for a FAM Educator ❤️⁣
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It can be overwhelming to commit to learning FAM. ⁣
Trust me, I know! I remember being so concerned about how to learn a method of FAM, how to choose an educator and what questions I should even be asking them. Looking back now I wish I had a guide for the questions I wanted answered to pick the best educator for me. ⁣
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So here is my list!⁣
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𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗮 𝗙𝗔𝗠 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺:⁣
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1️⃣ What method are you trained in to teach?⁣
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There are so many different methods of Fertility Awareness so understanding which method they teach will help you understand if they will be a good fit for you. You also want to make sure they are certified in a method (or training to be certified) which ensures they have been taught to teach a method properly to you! ⁣
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2️⃣ How do you work with your clients currently?⁣
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Understanding their style of teaching and if it will work for you is important. Some educators teach completely 1:1 sessions, group sessions, or completely by pre-recorded videos. You also want to know their ongoing supports outside of sessions together, and after you are officially done working together how they may continue to support you. ⁣
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3️⃣ What is your cost/what are your payment options?⁣
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You want to know the financial commitment and way they allow for payments before saying: YES! Some Educators are more flexible with payments and have a sliding scale option, scholarships, payment plans over months, etc. ⁣
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4️⃣ What are the pro’s and con’s of the method you teach?⁣
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Each method is different and no method is perfect for one person. Understanding what the possible positives and negatives of a method is realistic way to start to decide. For the method that I teach, the Justisse Method, I can say that it is a great method for specifics with cervical mucus categorizations. But it may not be good for someone who is religious and wants this tied into their method. Justisse is secular method and therefore might not be what some are looking for, and that’s ok!⁣
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What other questions would you want answers to?

Have you thought about trying reusable menstrual products?! 😍⁣
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It took me years of deliberation to finally jump in and buy my first menstrual cup (shoutout to ). ⁣
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It was such a scary decision for me. Looking back I can’t help but giggle at some of my concerns. ⁣
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My main questions were:⁣
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🤨How does that big ass cup fit inside of me⁣?
🤨Does it hurt? ⁣
🤨Will I feel it inside of me? ⁣
🤨Will it get lost inside of me?⁣
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The true answer for me and many others is that menstrual cups are an affordable, comfy, accommodating menstrual product. They definitely take a little bit to learn about and get used to, especially when inserting and removing. But truthfully I am so used to them now I hardly think about the routine and how little effort they require. ⁣
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The best part? I haven’t had to buy period products in 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦. ⁣
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Every cycle I used to use:⁣

$5.99CAD for an 18 pack of tampons per month⁣
$5.99CADx12 months and bleeds of the year=⁣
$𝟳𝟭.𝟴𝟴 𝗣𝗘𝗥 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 on tampons⁣
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I’ve used my menstrual cup for over 3.5 years 😳⁣
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This doesn’t even include pads, panty liners, and taxes!⁣
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So if you’re thinking about trying any reusable menstrual products, take this as your sign. Try out those reusable pads, menstrual cups, or menstrual discs!!⁣
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Have you made the switch to reusable products? How have you found the switch for your periods?⁣