“This Really Works!” A Nurse’s Journey to FABMs
By: Kailyn Baalman, MD Director’s Note: Throughout her years in training to become a physician, Dr. Kailyn Baalman had never encountered natural or fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) until enrolling in the FACTS […]
Even Instructors Need Medical Consultants: Using FABMs in a Rural Area with Limited Access
By: Kelly Carlson, DO Director’s Note: This patient interview conducted by Dr. Kelly Carlson, a former FACTS elective participant, shares the story of how one woman fell in love with fertility awareness-based […]
Medical Student Reproductive Health Education: A Research Review
“The current medical school curriculum places a large emphasis on pharmacological methods of birth control with less emphasis on education about infertility or alternative methods of family planning, including FABMs.”
Adolescent Acne and Anxiety: The Case for FABMs Among Teens
“Understanding fertility as an indicator of health gives you full insight into what’s going on in your body. It helps you pay more attention to how you feel physically and emotionally. If I’ve had a stressful month, I can tell based on how my cycle is, and I can course correct a bit.”
Who’s Best at Identifying Peak Day: Women, Experts or an Algorithm?
“FABMs enable women to take note of the physiologic changes during their cycles and use that information to determine their fertility status on any given day. This study showed that women-picked Peak Days can be even more precise compared to experts or algorithms.”
Allopregnanolone, The Hormone that Connects Mental Health and Menses?
This research published in Psychoneuroendocrinology by researchers Kimbal et al. analyzed the allopregnanolone-to-progesterone ratio across the menstrual cycle and in menopause. Deepa Manda, a former FACTS elective participant, summarized this 2020 study, discussed how allopregnanolone might connect to mental health, and noted that this hormone might one day become a part of the hormonal assessment done in various fertility awareness-based methods.
Endometriosis Diagnosis, Treatment, and the Role of FABMs: A Review
Endometriosis is a disease in which cells from the uterine endometrial lining are found outside the uterus in the pelvic or abdominal cavities.
Endometriosis and Infertility: A Review
This review of endometriosis and infertility incorporates the medical applications of charting the female cycle with fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) to diagnose and/or manage endometriosis.
FABMs: An Answer to Menstrual Disorders in Adolescents
Teaching young girls and adolescents to chart their cycles provides day-to-day documentation of ovulatory cycles, bleeding patterns, the presence or absence of healthy cervical mucus patterns, and more
The Versatility of FABMs: An Interview
This reflection and summary of a research article was written by a future physician as part of a Georgetown University elective on fertility awareness. It highlights practical applications of charting the female cycle, a powerful tool underused by physicians and patients alike.