Natural Family Planning

Natural Family Planning. You would think that this would be a topic we would be familiar with but the truth is, most women go on birth control when they start becoming sexually active and never look back or think twice. Our current culture sets women to be on a hormonal drug for years, sometimes decades. The truth is that it doesnt have to be this way and with basic education about our biology and reproduction we can easily avoid this and make better decisions for our health. Naturally Family Planning is when a woman gets to know her cycle and identifies her fertile window and takes the necessary precautions during this time. Contrary to most our free love/sex culture, sex has the beautiful magic of bringing new life into this world and it’s our responsibilty to take charge of this by being abstinent or practicing protected sex and it doesnt have to involve toxic birth control by any means.

One of the most empowering things you can do as woman is GET TO KNOW YOUR CYCLE as it controls so many underlying things in our day to day life from our mood, to our sex drive, energy levels and even how productive/confident or brave we may be. My husband often jokes with me that I am only in the mood 1-2 days per month and its precisely when I’m ovulating, haha, and it makes perfect sense. We are designed to procreate. Hello 4 kids and busy life, who got time for that!

That being said, NFP (naturally family planning), would be the tracking and identification of ovulation, and avoiding sexual intercourse or using a condom throughout that week. To be perfectly honest, life with 4 kids, we just avoid having sex that week. There is a maturity that comes along with having responsible sex, and at the end of the day, if we dont want a baby, then it’s a decision you have to make. Option 2, would be using a condom during that 7-10 day window.

If you are in a young, hot, steamy relationship, and having lots of sex, good for you! But I hope it’s not at the expense of your health. There is also lots of other ways to have fun (wink) and connect with your partner during these times.

So let’s start at the basics, because I think we should start there.

• Women typically have cycles ranging from 26-32 days.

• Most women have a 28 day cycle.

• Day 1 of your cycle is the day that you beging menstruation (hello period).

• Day 12-14 is typically ovulation (your body releasing an egg).

• At this time, if there is a sperm anywhere close to your egg, you could fall pregnant.

• Once your egg is released and passes through your fallopian tube (24-48 hours), it is gone and you have lost the chance to fall pregnant that month.

Most health practitioners say that you are fertile 5 days before ovulation and up to 3 full days after. But the problem here is the big question…WHEN DID YOU OVULATE?

Getting to know your body can take months and even years. Identifying your moods, your vaginal discharge, and your temperature are a good place to start. Personally I have been following my cervical discharge for years and I know exactly where I am in my cycle based on this one factor. Women who have been on hormonal birth control have not been able to identify these factors because the hormones take over your body, you are no longer in homeostasis (balance) and your body may act a completely different way. The best thing to do is get off your birth control and get an app to track your menstruation and fertile days. You will start to notice very distinct patterns month after month. If you dont, I would seek a naturopath to help identify possible hormonal issues. Your period is your 6th VITAL SIGN and such a good tool for you to get more connected to your body as a woman along with a good basis for your health. If your period is off or inconsistent, this is a vital sign telling you something is UP!

Here is a 3 month example of when I was trying to get pregnant and tracking my periods/ovulation/fertile window/sexual activity. The red hearts indicate sexual intercourse. The green dots indicate your fertile window. The flower indicates suspected ovulation. All of these factors are calculated based on the input you are imputing into your app! If you are avoiding pregnancy, you would avoid sexual intercourse in your fertile window (green dots), and if you are trying to get pregnant you would have sexual intercourse during this window. The body is a miraculous being and I still believe we have alot to learn about it. There is SO many factors at play. This is just the basics.

Below is an example of 3 months of tracking when we were trying to conceive

Here is a diagram of your monthly discharge cycle and your fertility associated with it. Cervical discharge can change with many factors like diet, hydration, stress, etc, which is why I said it can take months to establish clarity on when your fertile window/ovulation is.

Being intune with your cycle can be extremely empowering. I have heard of some woman only booking business meetings or big events on certain weeks of their cycle because of how they show up in the world. I can totally attest to this. The week I am ovulating, I feel confident, sexy and full of energy (I wonder why haha!)

Getting to know your cycle will also help you avoid the burden that hormonal birth control can play on your body. I always felt kidnapped from my physical and emotional self while on it. I know I acted and did things that were not in character and it probably changed the trajetory of my life in many ways!

The hardest part for women is that they want to have sex whenever they want and don’t want the responsibility or burden of having a baby when they are not ready. I get it. On the complete other hand, the harms of birth control far outweigh the luxury of the above.

It’s really not that hard. It takes time, like most things!

Goodluck getting to know yourself better. I promise it’s worth it! XO

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