6 extra benefits from charting your cycles

Can you believe that some people chart their cycles even though they don’t need it for birth control? Read on and you will get a glimpse of why they may choose to do that.

You may be hesitant about learning about fertility awareness because you think: “It just seems like a lot of work”. Despite the fact that it isn’t actually that difficult, there are actually reasons that you would want to practice the sympto-thermal method even if you aren’t using it as a contraceptive tool or trying to get pregnant.

What?!

Yes, the benefits of the method reach beyond just what one would commonly come to it for. Here is a summary of some of that greatness.

1. You can monitor how your health is doing. Sometimes, I feel sorry for my husband that he doesn’t have this awesome form of feedback that I do. I can totally tell when I am pushing it with too little sleep and too much on my plate, when I’ve been not eating well enough, etc.
2. You know exactly when your period is coming. Whether that is good for you to prepare by bringing along the gear you need or whether it allows you to schedule a little more “me-time” then, it’s generally something most women want to predict.
3. You can better understand your moods and how you will react to things. For a lot of women, the simple knowledge that they are “PMSing” is enough to make the symptoms a little better.
4. You can be more empowered in your body. this often comes because of both understanding your moods and working with them, Appreciating them for the female awesomeness that they are. In addition, since you have a view of a large aspect of your health it can really help you accept who you are more. Maybe those 5 “extra” pounds that you hate so much are actually healthy for you.
5. You learn a lot about your fertility and how it works. Which is just freakin’ cool info to have.
6. You can learn more about and become more comfortable with your sexuality. No explanation needed.

So there you have it, just some of the reasons people might choose to chart even without the normal benefit (and, indeed, many people do!). What is your favorite benefit to charting?