Switching from Birth Control to Fertility Awareness (Episode 440)

Full Transcript: Episode 440

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: This is the Fertility Friday Podcast, episode number 440.
Welcome to the Fertility Friday podcast, your source for information about the Fertility Awareness Method and all things fertility. I’m your host, Lisa Hendrickson-Jack. I’m the author of The Fifth Vital Sign and the Fertility Awareness Mastery Training Workbook.

I’m a certified fertility awareness educator and holistic reproductive health practitioner with over 20 years of experience teaching women to connect to their fifth vital sign through menstrual cycle charting, balancing hormone health, and optimizing the menstrual cycle without hormones. This podcast is designed to empower you to take full control of your cycles, your fertility, and your overall health. I’m so excited that you’re here with me today.

Today I’m sharing a brand-new episode in my FAM Practitioner Series. I’m sharing my interview with Teal Crisafulli. We cover her experiences with hormonal and non-hormonal birth control, the challenges she faced, and how she ultimately transitioned to fertility awareness. She also shares how she integrates fertility awareness into her clinical herbal practice.
Let’s jump into today’s episode.

Lisa: I’m really excited to be here today with Teal. Teal is a member of my current FAM program. We’ve been working together for many months now. Welcome to the show, Teal.

Teal Crisafulli: Thank you so much. I’m so happy to be here, Lisa. My name is Teal. I use she/her pronouns, and I’m a clinical herbalist. I’ve been a member of the FAM program this year.

Lisa: I’d love to start with your personal story. How old were you when you had your first period? What was that experience like? And what led you from using birth control to fertility awareness?

Teal: I was 12, almost 13, when I got my first period. I knew it was coming. I had conversations with my mom and friends about it.
When it happened, I told my mom right away. She cried, got emotional, helped me with a pad, and called her friends. One of her friends made me a beaded necklace with a goddess on it — my “moon necklace.” I come from a hippie-dippy family, so it felt like a really beautiful, celebratory introduction.
My periods were okay. I had cramps and some PMS mood changes, but it was talked about openly in my household. My mom started giving me herbs for my period when I was 12 or 13.
At 14, I went on the birth control pill. I had started having sex young and wanted to be responsible. I tried three different pills over about a year. Each made me nauseous and sick. None felt right in my body.

Lisa: You had about a year or two of natural cycles before going on the pill. Do you think that awareness of your baseline played a role?

Teal: I think so. I’ve always felt pretty in touch with my body. I could tell something didn’t feel right.
When I was 16 or 17, I got the Mirena IUD. While I had it, I didn’t menstruate. The insertion was horrific. I’ve had two IUDs, and both insertions were incredibly painful — about a 9 out of 10.
There wasn’t much explanation beforehand. I may have been told to take ibuprofen. The experience felt uninformed and intense.
After two years, my Mirena partially expelled. I felt hard plastic coming out of my cervix. I attempted to remove it myself and ended up in the ER. The doctor was dismissive and told me I should have “pulled harder.” It was a very negative experience.

After that, I heard about fertility awareness from friends in college. I bought a basal body thermometer and started dabbling. But I didn’t feel responsible enough at the time to use it as birth control. I didn’t have all the clinical information, and I absolutely did not want to get pregnant.
After Mirena, I felt hopeless about my options. I didn’t want hormonal birth control anymore. Barrier methods didn’t feel like a fit in my relationship at the time.
I chose the copper IUD. I advocated for anxiety medication and stronger pain relief for insertion. Even with that preparation, the insertion was still horrible.
I had the Paragard for five years. My periods became heavier and more painful. I struggled with anemia, so the blood loss concerned me.
During the last two years, I developed cervical dysplasia. I was in herb school at the time and started researching deeply. I realized I had abnormal cells and an inflammatory environment from the IUD. That led me to remove it and commit to learning fertility awareness seriously.

Teal: When I decided to transition, I gave myself three months. I kept the IUD in while I learned. I read Taking Charge of Your Fertility cover to cover multiple times. I downloaded the Read Your Body app and researched tools.
It clicked quickly. Being in herb school helped because I understood anatomy, physiology, and hormones.
There was also a psychological shift. It required trusting my body and trusting myself.
My partner was incredibly supportive when I decided to remove the IUD. After a few cycles of charting, I was surprised how intuitive it became.
I also went through anger — why didn’t I know this earlier? Why isn’t this common knowledge? Then I fell in love with it and wanted to integrate it into my clinical herbal practice.

Lisa: Tell us about your herbal training and how fertility awareness fits in.

Teal: I pursued clinical herbalism after negative medical experiences, especially related to reproductive care. Clinical herbalism involves working with complex cases, understanding herb-drug interactions, and applying physiology deeply.
I specialized in reproductive and endocrine health. I considered a two-year fertility awareness educator program but had just finished several years of herbal training. The FAM program felt practical and focused.
Integrating charting allows me to use the menstrual cycle as an assessment tool. For example, if a chart shows signs of low progesterone, I can use herbs like vitex intentionally and track changes over time. That combination feels empowering for clients.

Lisa: Teal, thank you so much for sharing your story.

Teal: Thank you so much for having me.

Lisa: I hope you enjoyed today’s episode with Teal. Her story highlights the challenges many women face when searching for effective birth control with minimal side effects.

Fertility awareness is unique because it does not alter the body. It relies on understanding and responding to your own physiology. When used correctly, it can be an effective option and a transformative tool in both personal and professional settings. Until next time — be well and happy charting.