Things to Read and Watch

For the past couple weeks I've been too busy to blog, but I have managed to collect a list of things that I've read/watched recently and LOVED.

When should you get pregnant? (Article)

A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family, by Mary Ostyn, and Raising a Large Family, by Katherine Schlaerth, M.D. (Books)

CANFP Conference was AWESOME!!!

This past Saturday NaturalGuy and I went the CANFP annual conference. It was fantastic! Great talks and an awesome opportunity to network. The highlights:

• We got to hear the creator of the movie "Eggsploitation" speak about the ethical issues with IVF and the serious health hazards of donating eggs. We watched the movie a few days later and I highly recommend it. It isn't directly related to NFP but it is a very good documentary!
• There were couples representing Creighton, Billings, and several sympto-thermal methods. It was very neat to have so many methods under the same roof. There were also a ton of teachers as well as nurses and doctors. We even got a few more recommendations for NFP-friendly doctors in our area.
• We talked to a few CCL teaching couples and they encouraged us to consider taking the teacher training. It's been on our minds lately and we're thinking about it. 

I highly recommend seeing if your state has a similar organization! It's an awesome chance to meet other couples using NFP, as well as NFP knowledgeable professions. We couldn't have had a more productive weekend.

I'll probably be posting more about the conference this weekend - we're exhausted from our extra busy weekend and extra busy week.

Preparing for Pregnancy: How will I know I'm pregnant?

If you're chart shows high temperatures for three days longer than your longest observed luteal phase, or if you have 18 high temperatures in a row, there's a good chance you are pregnant. Of course, you may already know by that point, since pregnancy tests are generally accurate by the 12th day after ovulation!

Why We Don't Use Condoms

One of the big differences between the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) and NFP is whether couples use barrier methods during fertile times in the woman's cycle. Reader's may remember that when we first married, we assumed that we would use condoms, but a few months ago decided we wouldn't use them anymore. In fact, we've grown to feel that barrier methods are wrong, something we did 't anticipate before marriage.

CANFP Conference!!!

For everyone in the San Francisco Bay Area, the California NFP association is having their annual, state-wide conference in two weeks in San Francisco. Check out their website if you're interested in registering.

What happens when ovulation is delayed?

Ovulation can be delayed by many things - stress, weight loss, sickness, travel, even wedding planning! For women who don't chart, the most noticed symptom of delayed ovulation is an extra long cycle - often leading to confusion over why a period is late when pregnancy tests are negative.

Preparing for Pregnancy: Getting Fit

We all know that exercise is good for us, but I sometimes forget how great it really is! NaturalGuy and I want to live to see our great-grandchildren, and while nothing can guarantee good health, staying active is the closest thing we have to a magic bullet.

5 False Assumptions About NFP

1. Assumption: NFP doesn't work - it's one quick trip to pregnancy.

Truth: All modern NFP methods - Billings, Creighton, and SymptoThermal -are highly effective. Like 98+% when used by highly motivated couples effective. In one German study, the sympto-thermal method was 99.4% effective for couples avoiding pregnancy.

2. Assumption: Only crazy religious Catholics use NFP.

Truth: Many NFP resources are Catholic because of Church teachings encouraging it's use, but NFP practitioners come from many religions. In fact, "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" is an entirely secular guide to charting, and many women use FAM for purely secular reasons. (TL/DR: Crazy health/eco conscious couples use NFP/FAM too!)

3. Assumption: If you don't use artificial birth control, you will have 20 kids just like the Duggers.

Cervical Fluid Photo Diary

When I first started charting, I found  classifying cervical fluid to be difficult. I found it incredibly useful to take photos of what I was seeing - then I could compare days more easily after the fact, or even ask our instructing couple for their opinion. I haven't taken photos in a couple months, but think it was a great trick for learning. Also, I think it would make a great add-on to most charting apps.

These photos span from day 9 to day 16 of the cycle. Day 1-6 were menstruation and days 7 and 8 were dry with no observed mucus, so nothing to photograph. Days 17-20 were the same very stretchy mucus as day 16. First day of drying up and temperature rise was day 21.

A note on terminology: We use the CCL classifications for sensation and cervical fluid. The sensation descriptions are dry, moist, wet, and wet/slippery. The cervical fluid descriptions are none, tacky, and stretchy/watery.

Day 9 - Dry, Tacky
Small amount of yellow/redish mucus.
Rubber cement texture.