- MarquetteMarquette Website
Biomarkers Used:
✔️Cervical Mucus ❌Cervical Position ❌Vaginal Sensation ✔️Basal Body Temperature ✔️Hormone testing (monitor + LH strips) ✔️Algorithm to determine opening of fertile window (set after charting 6 cycles)Instructor Certification Process
Associated Medical Component ❌** **Instructors are required to be licensed medical professionals. More and more physicians are able to use Marquette charts to help direct diagnoses and treatment.
The Charter Who Loves This Method
Marquette has a broad appeal because of the flexibility of the method, and because of the objectivity of determining the fertile window with the Clear Blue Monitor. Women who are postpartum tend to favor this method most because of the simple protocols for that period, and often continue with the method once cycles normalize. Engaged couples are a growing demographic of users. Protocols can be tailored to individual needs. A woman can learn a mucus-only protocol, a mucus+monitor protocol, monitor-only protocol, and how to incorporate basal body temperature and LH and progesterone testing as she prefers in order to feel fully confident in identifying ovulation. She can also adjust protocols based on changes in fertility, health or family planning needs with follow up instruction. If partner-support is lacking or difficult, this method tends to minimize the pressure charters may feel in identifying their fertile window. Individuals who like tracking lots of data tend to love this method. Women who are concerned about their health will find having an instructor who is also a licensed medical professional a great benefit for providing direction for appropriate medical interventions for cycle-related issues. - Boston Cross CheckBoston Cross Check Website
Biomarkers Used:
✔️Cervical Mucus ✔️Cervical Position ✔️Vaginal Sensation ✔️Basal Body Temperature ✔️Hormone testing (monitor + LH strips) ✔️Doering Rule to determine opening of fertile window (set after charting 12 cycles)Instructor Certification Process
The Charter Who Loves This Method
Boston Cross Check is a highly flexible method because it treats all biomarkers equally. Clients are taught to track all biomarkers, and can then decide which ones they want to use. Individuals who like tracking lots of data tend to love this method. Instructors maintain close one-on-one relationships with clients, and all instruction takes place on an individual basis. However, the goal of this close relationship is client autonomy, and the ability for charters to feel completely confident on their own. This is a more conservative method when it comes to determining the fertile window. The Doering Rule is used to set the opening, but is not put into effect until after charting 12 cycles (as opposed to 6 cycles for Marquette). This means that those avoiding pregnancy have longer windows of abstinence or non-vaginal intercourse. Instructors note that charters who switch to this method may have higher anxiety around the need to avoid pregnancy. It is also more conservative for the postpartum period. Clients primarily use the ClearBlue monitor, and frequent follow ups are built in for the full 6 months after birth. Currently, Boston Cross Check is a smaller method with a limited number of instructors, but it is growing. Because there are fewer instructors, there is less experience with women in peri-menopause (fewer instructors = fewer clients), though there are rigorous protocols developed for that fertility period. - FEMMFEMM Website
Biomarkers Used
✔️Cervical Mucus ❌Cervical Position ✔️Vaginal Sensation ❌Basal Body Temperature ✔️Hormone testing (LH strips only) ❌Algorithm to determine opening of fertile windowInstructor Certification Process
Associated Medical Component ✔️
- FEMM certified doctors available
The Charter Who Loves This Method
FEMM is the only sympto-hormonal method with a direct medical component. It’s primary goal is to give women the power to understand her cycles and use that information to advocate for her health holistically. Women are treated as capable and willing to commit to the discipline to learn their cycles. It is simple to learn and use directly through their specially developed app. It has a broader appeal to those who are not faith-based, and is a wonderful introduction to fertility awareness through the TeenFEMM program. Protocols rely heavily on the mucus symptom to determine fertility, with the addition of LH test strips to help confirm ovulation. Consequently, there is a more intense emphasis on understanding mucus than with other sympto-hormonal methods, and there is a standardization of mucus identifications charters learn. Women who are postpartum tend not to favor this method if they have difficulty in making mucus observations.
Method Overviews
One of the hardest things to adjust to in the world of fertility awareness is all the new language. It truly is yet another issue of accessibility in this lifestyle. Good thing we’re all about making things easier!
On this page, we have a breakdown of the different methods of fertility awareness. We share what biomarkers each method uses, the certification process of instructors, which methods offer a medical component, and something we’re very excited about – a description of the charter who loves each method!
Click below for all that and more!
Sympto-Hormonal Methods.
These methods use a combination of hormone testing and tracking other symptoms to determine the opening and closing of the fertile window and monitor health.
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Materials
- Clearblue Fertility Monitor
- Monitor Test Sticks
- LH Test Strips
- Basal Body Thermometer or Tempdrop Thermometer
- Read Your Body © Charting App | Paper Chart
- Optional
- Progesterone Test Strips
- Mira Monitor (protocols currently being developed by Marquette)
Sympto-Thermal Methods.
These use both basal body temperature and cervical symptoms to determine the opening and closing of the fertile window. These methods are categorized as either single check (no use of an algorithm to determine the opening of the fertile window) or double check (use of the Doering or Rotzer Rule to open the fertile window). There are more sympto-thermal methods in use than what we have included here, but we have listed the most popular.
Materials
- SymptoProSymptoPro Website
Biomarkers Used:
✔️Cervical Mucus ✔️Cervical Position ✔️Vaginal Sensation ✔️Basal Body Temperature ❌Hormone testing (LH strips only) ✔️Double check method (Doering and Rotzer rule to determine opening of fertile window)Instructor Certification Process
The Charter Who Loves This Method
Coming soon - SensiplanSensiplan Website
Biomarkers Used:
✔️Cervical Mucus ✔️Cervical Position ✔️Vaginal Sensation ✔️Basal Body Temperature ❌Hormone testing (LH strips only) ✔️Double check method (Doering rule to determine opening of fertile window)Instructor Certification Process
The Charter Who Loves This Method
Coming soon - Couple to Couple LeagueCouple to Couple League Website
Biomarkers Used:
✔️Cervical Mucus ✔️Cervical Position ✔️Vaginal Sensation ✔️Basal Body Temperature ❌Hormone testing (LH strips only) ✔️Double check method (Doering rule to determine opening of fertile window)Instructor Certification Process
The Charter Who Loves This Method
Coming soon - JustisseJustisse Website
Biomarkers Used:
✔️Cervical Mucus ✔️Cervical Position ✔️Vaginal Sensation ✔️Basal Body Temperature ❌Hormone testing (LH strips only) ✔️Single check method (no algorithm used to open fertile window)Instructor Certification Process
The Charter Who Loves This Method
Coming soon - NFPTANFPTA Website
Biomarkers Used:
✔️Cervical Mucus ✔️Cervical Position ✔️Vaginal Sensation ✔️Basal Body Temperature ❌Hormone testing (LH strips only) ✔️Double check method (Doering rule to determine opening of fertile window)Instructor Certification Process
The Charter Who Loves This Method
Coming soon
Mucus-Only Methods.
These methods use cervical mucus as the only biomarker to determine the opening and closing of the fertile window and monitor health.
Materials
- Read Your Body © Charting App/ Paper Chart
- FertilityCare App – access can be provided by a Creighton Practitioner after 5 follow ups
- BillingsBillings Website
Biomarkers Used:
✔️Cervical Mucus ❌Cervical Position ✔️Vaginal Sensation ❌Basal Body Temperature ❌Hormone testing (LH strips only) ❌Algorithm to determine opening of fertile windowInstructor Certification Process
Associated Medical Component ✔️**
**also, FEMM certified doctors are specifically trained to read Billings chartsThe Charter Who Loves This Method
Coming soon - CreightonCreighton Website
Biomarkers Used:
✔️Cervical Mucus ❌Cervical Position ❌Vaginal Sensation ❌Basal Body Temperature ❌Hormone testing (LH strips only) ❌Algorithm to determine opening of fertile windowInstructor Certification Process
Associated Medical Component ✔️
- Certified NaProTechnology medical consultants and surgeons available
The Charter Who Loves This Method
For Creighton, in order for the method to be the most effective, it requires that a woman make frequent observations all throughout the day. This requires time and patience, but it also allows the woman and her NaPro doctor to gain complete access to the information her body delivers, like any unusual bleeding and full mucus cycle quality, that can be missed otherwise. Other information is also taken into account to get a detailed picture of the health of the woman and her menstrual cycle. This system can be used if a woman has continuous mucus - it may require more frequent follow ups with her Practitioner. Although some women appreciate the consistency, comprehensiveness, and access to medical care it provides, some women find the frequency of observations to be cumbersome and not a good fit. Women who are infertile and/or struggle with various other women’s health issues (like endometriosis, PMS, and PCOS) love this method.