In Episode 623 of the Fertility Friday Podcast, Lisa sits down with Harriet Thorn, a Switzerland-based midwife and recent graduate of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Mentorship (FAMM) program, for a wide-ranging conversation about cycle charting in midwifery practice. Harriet shares her personal journey from biotechnology PhD to midwife — including her own experience navigating heavy and painful periods, hormonal contraception, and eventually discovering fertility awareness charting as a tool for both personal and professional use. The conversation explores why midwives, despite being primary caregivers for women across the full reproductive lifespan, receive minimal training in fertility awareness — and how the FAMM certification has helped Harriet build the structure, confidence, and clinical protocols to support her clients more comprehensively. Lisa and Harriet also dive into a thoughtful discussion on research literacy, including the importance of reading full study texts, understanding researcher bias, and the challenges of accessing fertility awareness research in non-English-speaking countries. Harriet reflects on how her FAMM training has expanded her practice beyond prenatal and postnatal care to include menstrual health support — and why she views cycle charting as a foundational skill for any midwife committed to truly holistic, women-centred care.

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This episode is sponsored by Lisa's new book, Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lily Nichols! Grab your copy here!

🎧 Would you prefer to listen to the audiobook version of Real Food for Fertility instead? 🎧 Listen here!

💥This episode is also sponsored by FAMM, the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program! Apply now to join our next class! We start on May 12th!

📚Have you grabbed your copy of the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook? It is the first fully customizable paper charting workbook of its kind, available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius editions. Click here to grab your copy today!

📚 If you haven't grabbed your copy of The Fifth Vital Sign, grab it here!

🎧Would you rather listen to the audiobook version of The Fifth Vital Sign? 🎧 Listen here!