Sympto-Hormonal Method: FEMM & Sympto-Thermal
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- Tell us a little about yourself.I am a stay at home mom to two little girls. I enjoy knitting, sewing, and crafting. My husband and I are huge Lord of the Rings nerds! I am a Roman Catholic convert (from Lutheranism) in 2019.
- What effects has fertility awareness had on your relationship?My story is not simple or straightforward. My mom had me start tracking my periods after I started getting them at age 11.5. While I knew nothing of NFP, this would come to help me later. Years later, shortly after getting engaged, still not knowing NFP, my now husband and I became pregnant with our oldest daughter. She was born in April 2019, and we were married in October 2019. I learned NFP while in my third trimester, so my first charting experience was with hormones affected by breastfeeding and postpartum. I stayed in regular contact with my NFP instructor to help navigate those challenging times. However, even as my daughter grew older, and my hormones were supposedly regulating, I was still having cycle irregularites. Before I could see a doctor about my cycles, and after only one conversation with my husband, we became pregnant again in March 2020, and found out days after the country shutdown. Our second daughter was born in December 2020. When I began charting again in February 2021, breastfeeding and postpartum again, my cycles were showing even more irregularities. My NFP instructor gave me the information of a fantastic OBGYN who is well-versed in NFP and NaproTechnology. As of right now, I have a working diagnosis of endometriosis and adenomyosis. We are hoping to fully confirm the endometriosis with laparoscopy after I conclude breastfeeding. My husband has stood by my side through it all. He never complains, never makes me feel worth less; he only supports me and loves me as I am.
- How did you find your instructor?We found our instructor through our parish during marriage prep. Our course was free. We received great initial instruction, and I have also reached out many times for follow ups (also free).
- Describe your daily charting routine.My daily charting routine consists of taking my BBT most mornings (I have a baby who wakes during the night and sometimes forget in the morning). I then track my cervical fluid through the day, and during my fertile window, I use LH tests to help determine my peak day. I also track physical symptoms (ie- acne, bloating, cramps, etc). I will be completely honest in saying that sometimes charting feels like a full time job, on top of being a stay at home mom to two small children. It is definitely hard sometimes to deny ourselves during my fertile window when we are trying to avoid, but at the end of the day, we know we can talk about it together.
- What made you choose this method?We chose this method as one of our two methods (also using Sympto-Thermal) because they were taught to us by our NFP instructor. They also work very well for my personality, and my need for *all* the data. What I like most about it is that, after using it for awhile, it is very straightforward and easy to use. I don't really have any complaints about the method itself.
- Has charting helped you to understand your overall health?Yes! Currently being seen with working diagnoses of endometriosis and adenomyosis. I will also be getting treatment for low progesterone.
