While I highly recommend you work with an instructor to ensure you reach the highest possible effectiveness rate, I am aware that the cost of an instructor is out of the range for some people. Therefore, you can find a 4-step guide to getting started with the Symptothermal Method of Fertility Awareness here: SELF-TEACH

PS: Please ensure you read the SELF-TEACH guide before you decide which book to self-teach from.

When you’ve been charting your menstrual cycle for a while, you might start to notice that it’s not as healthy as you would like it to be. Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden is a wealth of information that will assist you to troubleshoot your period issues and treat them with practical tips on diet, nutritional supplements, herbal medicine, and bioidentical hormones. An absolute must-read!

Over time, you’ll notice that your body follows specific patterns of energy and mood throughout the different phases of your menstrual cycle. Woman Code by Alisa Vitti is a great resource for understanding the different nutrient needs of your body at different times of your menstrual cycle and contains a wealth of practical information so that you can start making healthy changes ASAP!

Perhaps your GP has told you that you need to be on hormonal contraception because you have PCOS? You’re not alone – PCOS is the most common hormonal condition in women; however, in many cases it can absolutely be reversed. Fiona McCulloch’s ‘8 Steps To Reverse Your PCOS’ should be your first stop in learning about natural methods to treat and manage your PCOS. 

Have you spent years living an extremely “clean” lifestyle, and focused all your attention on counting calories and exercising daily, only to find that your period has gone missing? You may have now realised that “fit” does not always equal “healthy”. It can be tough to break these old patterns, especially with society setting some unhelpful beauty standards! ‘No Period. Now What?’ is a great resource for understanding why you’re experiencing Hypothalamic Amenorrhea and provides practical guidelines on diet and exercise for healing. 

Do you have a daughter (or a son) who is curious about the female reproductive system? ‘Cycle Savvy’ by Toni Weschler is THE go-to resource. It is a comprehensive yet user-friendly guide to the menstrual cycle, and is guaranteed to leave your child feeling empowered, informed and proud of their body.

Sometimes being a woman can feel a little like an emotional and energetic rollercoaster due to the cyclical fluctuations of our hormones. The good news is that tracking your cycles with a Fertility Awareness-Based Method has probably made you more aware of this. The even better news? You can harness the strengths and weaknesses of the different ‘inner seasons’ of your menstrual cycle for a life that reaps the benefits of your feminine power. Discover your inner winter, spring, summer and autumn with the book ‘Wild Power’.

Do you often feel short of breath, as though you can’t get enough oxygen no matter how deep a breath you take? Are you often yawning and sighing? Do you experience strange symptoms like chest pains when you try to breathe in? You may be suffering from Hyperventilation Syndrome (no, it’s not the same as breathing rapidly like you see in the movies). Over-breathing with the chest instead of the stomach/diaphragm can upset the carbon-dioxide balance in the blood, leading to symptoms that can sometimes mimic a heart attack! Disordered breathing is a pattern that you can break and this book by Dinah Bradley is a great guide to re-learning healthy breathing habits.

Written in a soothing practical tone, Dr Claire Weeks shines a light on the path to healing for all those suffering from nervousness, tension, panic attacks and anxiety. Covering symptoms of emotional and muscular fatigue, through to guilt and depression, this book is a highly valuable resource and could be exactly what you need to release your mind from the shackles of nervous tension so that you can step back out into the light.

If you’re an introvert it’s likely that you may often find yourself overwhelmed by the constant barrage of stimulation from your environment and the people within it. It can be tough to navigate a world where extroversion is the gold standard. ‘The Highly Sensitive’ person offers a beautiful insight into your personality and how to work with it, not against it. Absolutely recommended reading for the sensitive souls of this world.

An insightful read into the way that our human bodies change (or ‘keep the score’) in response to traumatic events, especially those of childhood. Written by Dr. van der Kolk who is a world-leading expert on traumatic stress. Essential reading for those who work with children and those who are interested in learning of different healing approaches for their own past experiences.