Mothering Method

Mothering Method Postpartum Doula serving the Dayton Ohio Area.

Sorry to break it to you but your period tracking app doesn't actually know your fertile window. Its just using the rhyt...
09/08/2026

Sorry to break it to you but your period tracking app doesn't actually know your fertile window. Its just using the rhythm method.

If you really want to learn to track your cycle FAM is the way to go. Just check out the fertility stats on the last slide for evidence why.

09/04/2026

The newest device sounds like a great way to make cycle tracking easier! The marketing is so convincing!

However these devices are not perfect, can lead to more confusion, or can increase distrust in your body.

This was my experience this cycle charting with proov, kegg, Billings and SymptoThermal. Billings is my primary method, and it really showed its strong suit this cycle, when I lost even my temperature history.

Cycle summary:
Actual Fertile Window: Cycle Day 10-17
Kegg Fertile Window: Cycle Day 13-21
Billings Fertile Window: Cycle Day 9-18
SymptoThermal Fertile Window: Cycle Day 9-18
(Technically I cannot close the fertile with a SymptoThermal cross check this cycle so I wpuld have to use a mucus only rule that is not often recommend)

You took the first step and started charting your cycle, but now you are lost and overwhelmed by all the data. Lets brea...
09/01/2026

You took the first step and started charting your cycle, but now you are lost and overwhelmed by all the data.

Lets break it down what all the different data tells you about your fertility.



As a wave of follicles develop they release estrogen, causing the cervix to open and mucus to develop.

The body releases LH around 36-48 hours before ovulation to lutenize the dominant follicle. Estrogen peaks around this time.

The dominant follicle ruptures releasing the egg and collapses into the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum continues to release estrogen for the rest of the cycle.

Progesterone causes body temperature to rise about 1/2 degree Fahrenheit.

You don't have to track all these signs but using a combination gives high certainty ovulation occurred.

Potential fertility begins when the cervix opens, as s***m can live in high quality mucus for up to 5 days.

After ovulation the egg can live for 12-24 hours if not fertilized.

Kegg gives you a fertile window based on your cervical mucus. However in my experience it takes at least two cycles to get an accurate fertile window.

Measuring urinary hormones can give you quantitative insight to your cycle. However it still only gives you a snapshot of your hormones at one time during the day. Certain hormones peak at different times. Estrogen readings can also be influenced by alcohol consumption.

If you want quantitative data, urinary hormones can be a good option. However you can see the same hormone trends in other biomarkers.

Basal body temperature (BBT) rises in response to progesterone the second half of the cycle, creating a biphasic pattern. Using temperature rise to confirm ovulation is well researched and effective.

However temperature CANNOT tell you when the fertile window opens (looking at you natural cycles). You can use an average of temperature rises over the previous cycles and assume the fertile window opens so many days before. However this is not the true opening of the fertile window, which has to be determined with an estrogen sign.

Mucus is the single most informative biomarker. You dont need to see mucus either, most women can tune in

Vital Wearables are flooding the FemTech market the past few years promising cycle insights to help conceiving. They mos...
08/17/2026

Vital Wearables are flooding the FemTech market the past few years promising cycle insights to help conceiving.

They mostly rely on BBT and heart rate patterns in the cycle. BBT to confirm ovulation is well established, but in my clients I've seen issues in their data because skin temp doesn't always correlate with BBT.

Traking the menstural cycle with heart rate has evidence behind it. However its newer, and it likely sensitive to external factors like change in diet, exercise, and stress.

So what's my opinion on these wearables? If you have one already great, enjoy the free data. If you are in the market I would save money and get a Tempdrop Fertility Tracker which gives more reliable data for a lower price (10% off at link in bio).

If you are ttc these wearables may be helpful, but they definitely should not be trusted for avoiding pregnancy. Either way you would get more bang for your buck learning a fertility awareness method over buying a wearable.

Kegg is a one of a kind in the FemTech arena. It tracks the changes in electrical current in cervical mucus which are a ...
08/03/2026

Kegg is a one of a kind in the FemTech arena. It tracks the changes in electrical current in cervical mucus which are a reflection of hormone levels.

It's (almost always) on sale for $280 with a 6 month guarantee for trying to conceive. However it's algorithm has around a 3 cycle learning phase and when I tested it last year, it missed my most fertile days until the 3rd cycle. So it might really only be helping you conceive those last 4 months of the trial.

Cervical mucus really is the best biomarker to track to identify the start of fertility each cycle. If you never see cervical mucus and have a hard time identifying sensation, kegg might be for you.

However for most people learning to track cervical mucus is the better option. It's way less expensive and you can accurately identify your most fertile days the first cycle of tracking.

Basal Body Temperature is the first biomarker researched to track fertility and is extremely effective to confirm the pr...
07/21/2026

Basal Body Temperature is the first biomarker researched to track fertility and is extremely effective to confirm the progesterone rise after ovulation.

You don't need anything fancy, a basic oral thermometer will work (I have some in my Amazon storefront under Charting, linked in my bio). The main issue I see with oral thermometers is consistency (especially postpartum moms).

Thats where the Tempdrop Fertility Tracker shines, you put it on before bed and it does all the work for you. It even works with broken sleep perfect for tired moms.

💲💲💲Comment "TEMP" for my affiliate link to get it for only $134 through the end of July!

Smart rings that track BBT is a growing market, and sounds great in theory. What I have seen in my clients and from other FAM instructors is they are not accurate enough. Because its worn on your extremities they are more sensitive to environmental temperature changes (e.g. Did you sleep with your hand under your pillow or between your legs?). So maybe save your money unless you want them for the other health tracking features.

07/20/2026

Do you need a urinary hormone monitor? 💯NO.

However the quantitative data can be helpful if charting biomarkers is stressing you out or if your biomarkers are hinting towards a hormonal problem.

You can frequently find the hormone monitors used to get a discount, comment "MONITOR" for the link to a Facebook group just for private sale of hormone monitors.
(I am not affiliated with any of these devices.)

Clearblue Monitor: This is great to use with the Marquette Method. Since the data is qualitative, the test strips are cheaper, and you need less. However in the past there have been availability issues, and personally I have had problems with receiving faulty test strips.

Mira: This is great to use with the Marquette Method (*not officially approved) or on its own. The test strips are more expensive and cannot be used once expired. Mira does have good data backing their claims, so its a trustworthy choice.

Inito: I have the least experience with inito because it was only available with Apple phones until recently. It's now a stand alone monitor like Mira, but a slightly lower price point.

Proov: Proov doesn't require a monitor, but uses your phone camera. This requires remembering to take a picture 10 minutes after taking the test, which can be difficult if you have a busy morning routine. Proov has excellent, publically available studies on their tests. This is my top choice if you only plan to test for a few months.

07/09/2026

"Ovulation test" is just the marketing name for LH tests.

An LH test doesn't tell you that ovulation is occurring. It says your body is luetenizing a follicular that MAY rupture, hence ovulation.

Those with PCOS or other conditions thay may cause a Lutenized Unruptured Follicle (LUF) are most likely to see positive LH tests that dont result in ovulation.

If you have a spike LH curve (Park et al. Characteristics of urinary LH surge) you might never see a positive test if you dont test at the right time of the day. If you have a biphasic LH curve your body may still ovulate but not produce enough LH to get a positive test.

LH tests are most useful when also tracking estrogen or progesterone, as those signs help you confirm
1) A wave of follicles is developing (estrogen)
2) The dominant follicle was lutenized (LH)
3) The follicle ruptured and left the corpus luteum (progesterone)
Which gives more certainty ovulation occurred (a LUF is still possible and must be confirmed by ultrasound).

Doing your own postpartum meal prep sounds great until you realize it’s basically a part-time job. Planning: 3 hrs resea...
05/09/2026

Doing your own postpartum meal prep sounds great until you realize it’s basically a part-time job. 

Planning: 3 hrs researching postpartum nutrition and picking recipes that are

Freezer friendly

Postpartum supportive

Balanced

Easy to reheat

Shopping: 3 hrs building your lists, ordering, and picking up everything including

High quality ingredients

Freezer safe containers

Cooking: 12 hrs to make weeks worth of food it will take a lot of

Chopping

Measuring ingredients

Re-reading recipes

Mixing

Slow Simmering

Baking

Packaging: 2 hrs to portion because you need to

Have space to set all your containers to portion

Cool everything for storage

Label and date everything

List all allergens, just in case

Cleanup: 2 hrs to clean up all the 

Dishes

Spills and messes

Store all leftover ingredients

Total: ~22 hours is a conservative estimate. This will take you at least a whole weekend to accomplish, and when you are pregnant, this much time prepping is exhausting. 

You could do all this or spend 4 hours with us, with lunch and snacks included, learn about postpartum nutrition, enjoy time with other women, and take home enough food to fill your freezer for a blissful postpartum. 

Comment EASY for the link to register for the easiest postpartum meal prep. 

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130 N. Main St., Suite F
Delphos, OH
45833

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