I'm happy to welcome Justina Thompson to the Fertility Friday Podcast today! Justina is a certified Fertility Awareness Educator and the founder of RedCoralFertility.com. As an educator, she connects women with a deeper knowledge about their bodies and teaches women how to use the Fertility Awareness Method for birth control, to optimize their chances of conception, and to improve menstrual cycle health overall. In today's episode, we talk about the Fertility Awareness Method, and why it is important for women to know they have a natural, non-hormonal birth control option that is 99.6% effective when used correctly. We talk about some of the most common side effects of the birth control pill although they may not be what you think. We talk about why the Fertility Awareness Method is an extremely effective and reliable method of birth control even for women who have "irregular" cycles. We also talk about how the Fertility Awareness Method can be used effectively during the post-partum period when a woman is breastfeeding. Topics discussed in this episode How Justina overcame her own skepticism about the Fertility Awareness Method and became confident in using it for birth control How does the Fertility Awareness Method work? What are the basics? How the Fertility Awareness Method allows you to identify whether you are fertile or not each day What are some of the most common side effects of the birth control pill? And why is the pill the last thing you would even consider to be causing them? Why women who have "irregular" cycles can use the Fertility Awareness Method just as effectively as everyone else Why your cycle may not be "irregular" even if it isn't exactly 28 days every time Why it is possible to use the Fertility Awareness Method effectively when breastfeeding How cycle charting when breastfeeding is different to regular charting How to successfully transition from the pill to the Fertility Awareness Method even if you are skeptical of the method's effectiveness Connect with Justina! You can connect with Justina on her website redcoralfertility.com and on Facebook and Twitter! Resources mentioned Red Coral Fertility | Justina Thompson Get your free 15-minute consultation with Justina here! Grace of the Moon | Sara Bly Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Produced by Sirc of (The Nock)