Many women I ask about "fertility awareness" say it's something needed when trying to get pregnant, and that makes sense—when do we need our fertility? When we want to conceive. It's perfectly logical... But it's so much more than that! Fertility is much more than just getting pregnant or avoiding pregnancy for that matter. Fertility awareness is the superpower we can acquire to better understand and know our bodies, how they work through the different stages of the cycle. We can dive deeper and learn about our bodies' various needs during the cycle, the nutrition we require during these stages, the activities we should try to sync for ourselves, and more, to maximize our potential as much as possible. To me, "fertility awareness" is primarily about working with our bodies, not against them. I believe that once we learn to work with our bodies—and it always starts with learning how our bodies function and how hormones operate within our system—we can make better, more informed decisions about ourselves and our health. This is true empowerment. No longer do we go to our gynecologists and feel they know better than us, because they don't. Sure, they studied for many years, but you know your unique body in a way they never will. That's why it's essential for you to know these things—this is exactly where fertility awareness becomes so important. You become the authority on your body. Read that last sentence again: You become the authority on your body. You learn to understand yourself better. Once, a student told me something wonderful, she said: "I stopped judging myself"—how important is that? So, what else does fertility awareness mean to me? In a world where our bodies are heavily controlled by pharmaceutical companies, with a pill or treatment for everything, everything has become so clinical. There is no reason our fertility should be that way. We have excellent capabilities to manage our fertility, and when we don't want to get pregnant, we won't, and when we do (assuming there are no health issues), we will. Our fertility is closely linked and goes hand in hand with our overall health. I often see someone who was ill during a certain cycle, and her ovulation was delayed because her body understood that now is not the time. If you remember times when you didn't eat enough, and suddenly your period stopped? It's a reminder that your body didn't feel strong and healthy enough to maintain a cycle. Your cycles are your tool and mirror to your overall health. You can see if you're ovulating, you can get signs if perhaps you have thyroid issues or polycystic ovaries. You can get a glimpse into whether you have excess estrogen and/or low progesterone, and many other fascinating insights about yourself! So, what is fertility awareness to me? It's a fascinating tool to learn about ourselves and transform what we've been taught for years as our "weakness" as women into our strength, our power. And it's in our hands.