Health Professionals
Health professionals in primary care services are in a key position to provide essential fertility awareness information to individuals at all stages of reproductive life: from menarche through to menopause. All reproductive health professionals require a working knowledge of the principles of fertility awareness and modern FAMs. Specialist advanced skills training is available for health professionals who wish to extend their role and achieve competence to teach fertility awareness methods for planning and avoiding pregnancy. This section includes key resources and training events for health professionals.
FertilityUK Advanced Skills Course in Fertility Awareness
The advanced skills course covers the theory and practice of fertility awareness methods (FAMs) for planning and avoiding pregnancy. This intensive four-day training is relevant to doctors, nurses and midwives working in general practice, family planning, fertility clinics and sexual and reproductive health care. It enables participants to achieve professional competence to offer FAMs as part of a comprehensive range of sexual and reproductive health care services. The course is valid for six CPD credits from FSRH.
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Chapter on FAMs in Global Library of Women's Medicine (GLOWM) by Cecilia Pyper and Jane Knight
This chapter in GLOWM provides an overview of fertility awareness methods for planning and avoiding pregnancy. It covers reproductive physiology, the indicators of fertility, effectiveness, advantages & disadvantages of FAMs and behaviour modification. Click here for chapter on FAMs
FSRH Clinical Guidance: Fertility Awareness Methods: June 2015
This guidance document, developed by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Clinical Effectiveness Unit, provides evidence-based recommendations and good practice points on the use of fertility awareness methods (FAM) for the purpose of preventing and/or spacing pregnancies. It is intended for any health care professional or health service providing contraception or conception advice in the UK.
The Complete Guide to Fertility Awareness by Jane Knight, Routledge 2016.
The Complete Guide to Fertility Awareness provides the science and methodology suitable for health professionals and a general audience. It covers reproductive physiology and the fertility indicators: temperature, cervical secretions and cycle length calculations. It explores ways to optimise conception and to manage conception delays. Case studies and self-assessment exercises are included throughout. The book addresses the scientific credibility of new technologies including fertility apps, home test kits, monitors and devices.