Sympto-Thermal Method: SymptoPro
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- Tell us a little about yourself.I’m a very cautious homebody type person. I LOVE diving deep into topics that interest me and learning about how the world works! I am newly married (almost a year!), and newly Catholic thanks to the Holy Spirit and my husband. I have a master’s in school counseling and currently work to help make college more accessible and attainable for students from impoverished communities.
- What effects has fertility awareness had on your relationship?It has strengthened SO MUCH. My husband and I both struggled with chastity before marriage, and personally, I really didn’t understand the point. But learning Theology of the Body and then the science of NFP - I feel like I understand that God made both of us and our fertility GOOD! We currently share our fertility by asking LITERALLY every time we want to have sex in the fertile window “Is now the time to bring a baby into our family?” - and it takes the pressure off of the moment and brings us back to discernment. I love that our chances are our choice with God.
- How did you find your instructor?We found an instructor online and completed a course via email and web modules. It was about $110, which felt reasonable. I followed up for the first 6 months (which was included).
- Describe your daily charting routine.I have been charting for over a year now. I wake up and take my temperature. (I got a Tempdrop a while back which has made charting seamless when my routine changes, but it wasn’t a huge hassle to use the oral thermometer either.) I also track cervix mucus before and after wiping, walking sensation, and cervical position after I shower. I am always so eager to know what my body is doing that I don’t mind the tracking, but it’s mindless at this point.
- What made you choose this method?We chose this method because of the efficacy, cost, and USCCB approval. As someone who takes antihistamines periodically, I have come to love the flexibility of Symptopro’s rules - I can set peak day by cervix if the medication dries up my mucus, or use a very strict temperature only rule to close the fertile window if needed. I liked least that for me with longer cycles and an ever changing mucus pattern, it has been hard to use early dry days confidently, so sometimes it is a long fertile window.
- Has charting helped you to understand your overall health?YES. Oh my goodness yes. Charting may have been the biggest motivation to really get control of my health and stress.
