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Welcome, I'm Rachel. 

I am a Certified FEMM and TeenFEMM Fertility Educator. I am a wife, a mother, an endometriosis patient, a baker, a knitter, a runner, and more.

I am glad you are here. 

Rachel sitting at desk in front of charts with coffee mug.

My Story

From a young age, I had really "bad" periods. I bounced from doctor to doctor, each one offering hormonal birth control in turn. When I declined, I was given no further solutions. I used over-the-counter pain meds to get by for a long time, until college when I learned fertility awareness for the first time and began charting. 

I realized then, that my "bad periods" were likely related to my hormonal activity and indicative that something was wrong. I did not really pursue treatment until I got married in July 2019. It was then that my loving husband suggested that this was not something I should just grin and bear. We began looking into treatments for me. 

"I saw many physicians before anyone uttered the word "Endometriosis."

I was officially diagnosed with Endometriosis after an exploratory surgery in January 2020. Unfortunately, at that time I was still seeing a regular OBGYN and birth control was presented again as my main option, or if not, a hysterectomy. At 21, I was adamant that I was not getting a hysterectomy; I looked further. 

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I found restorative reproductive medicine. Physicians that had been trained in restoring women's natural reproductive function and their health. After that initial surgery, my symptoms were dramatically better, but, as anyone with Endo can tell you, I was not cured. 

I did go on to have two miscarriages before I was able to carry a baby girl to term in January 2022. It was during the wild ride that postpartum often is that I found FEMM. I began charting with FEMM instructions and felt that it gave me so much insight into my body, even during the really confusing time postpartum. 

"I learned that they were accepting people into the Certified FEMM teacher program and enrolled within a week."

I am thrilled at my chance now to change women's lives for the better with this knowledge. I truly believe that if women are given the understanding of how their own bodies work, they are able to be their best advocates. 

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Women deserve to be able to give their full and informed consent to their healthcare, and through FEMM, any woman can do that. 

FAQs

F.A.Q.s

  • What is FAM?
    FAM is an abbreviation for Fertility Awareness Methods. Fertility Awareness Methods are means of using identifiable biomarkers in our bodies to help determine our fertility.
  • What is FEMM?
    FEMM is a sympto-hormonal method of fertility awareness that monitors both cervical mucus as well as your LH hormone via urine testing. You can learn more about FEMM here.
  • Can FEMM work with irregular cycles?
    Absolutely! FEMM's learning is easily applied to every woman. That being said, if you have a diagnosis such as endometriosis, PCOS, LUFS, or other reproductive diagnoses, it can be challenging to navigate without an instructor to guide you. That's where I come in! We work together to evaluate your cycles and help you toward your goals - either monitoring your heath, achieving or avoiding a pregnancy. On a more personal note, I do have endometriosis, so I have been navigating those funky cycles since I started charting when I was back in college.
  • Who should learn FEMM?
    Learning a fertility awareness method is encouraged for all women regardless of their age. Fertility awareness methods allow women to monitor their hormones and health in real time. Then take that information to their healthcare providers to enable better healthcare outcomes.
  • I heard that FAMs require abstinence, is that true?
    Yes and no. Abstinence is the only 100% guarantee of preventing pregnancy. Every true FAM method relies on abstinence during the fertile times to avoid pregnancy. When a couple choses to use another form of birth control when they are knowingly fertile (which they learn using fertility awareness and not a predictor app), then they are no longer relying on fertility awareness to prevent a pregnancy. They are then relying on their chosen birth control's efficacy. The FEMM protocol teaches women how to identify their fertile window and the official position of FEMM is abstinence during that time. It is up to the couple to decide whether or not to follow that recommendation. As a practicing Catholic, it is my personal belief to use abstinence during the fertile window. My position is that of educator. I teach the FEMM Protocols, and it is up to you to decide how you will implement it.
  • Who should work with me?
    1. Women who want to learn how their body works. 2. Women who want to understand if their cycles are normal and heathy. 3. Women who want to use a natural family planning method to achieve or avoid pregnancies. 4. Teens who are in the midst of puberty and want to know what is happening from a scientific perspective.
  • Who Should NOT work with me?
    1. Women who are uncomfortable with discussions about cervical mucus, sex, arousal fluids and reproduction. 2. Women who are not able to commit to daily charting (either on paper or in an app). 3. Women who intend to stay on hormonal forms of birth control or other birth controls that alter the cycle. (This is not meant to be discriminatory, but purely from a logical point- hormonal forms of birth control alter your natural biomarkers upon which we rely. If you are coming off birth control, this is a good time to start charting!)
  • Is learning FEMM only for women?
    Absolutely not! In fact, I recommend that all men who's partners plan to use FEMM or FAM attend all the class sessions with her. It is truly eye opening to learn how male and female fertility work together.
  • What is my cycle data used for?
    Your cycle data is used to monitor your health. It is a great tool to bring to your primary care provider and it can help them to treat you more thoroughly since you have this detailed health record.
  • How do I know which method of FAM is for me?
    Knowing yourself is super helpful here. There are certain parts of FEMM that are specific to FEMM, and other parts that are shared across all methods. I find this quiz from Natural Womanhood to be very helpful.
  • How long does it take to fully learn this method?
    There are three one-hour initial instruction sessions as they are taught, and we typically like to have one full cycle in between each one. It usually takes around three cycles to become fully proficient.
  • How do I start?
    That's easy! Book a call with me and I can answer any further questions you have before diving in!
  • Can I chart with an app?
    Absolutely. FEMM has a free app that anyone can use. If you prefer something a bit more robust with more data points and a bit more privacy, my students also get 3 months free of charting with the Read Your Body app.
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