Sympto-Hormonal Method: Marquette
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- Tell us a little about yourself.I am a biochemistry PhD student married to an awesome husband and with one very fluffy cat. I love dancing, running and biking, making music, and getting involved at church. I am an extrovert, Enneagram Type 1, and “mom friend.”
- What effects has fertility awareness had on your relationship?We haven’t been using NFP long, but so far it has already strengthened our communication and opened up important conversations about family planning and how to love one another best. It has made us both feel more involved in our decisions about those topics, and freed us from some of the struggles we were having surrounding my health and birth control.
- How did you find your instructor?A friend recommended the organization (Whole Mission) and from there we just chose a time that worked for us. That assigned us to our instructor, Laura Spaulding. Whole Mission charges $175 for individual instruction, which includes a year of follow ups. So far, we have done one follow up and plan to do a few more as needed (and at the 6 month mark).
- Describe your daily charting routine.I have finished one cycle, tracking mucus, urinary hormones, and an attempt at BBT. I really liked being aware of my body, and so far it has improved my mental health by making me feel more in touch with what my physical health has been doing. I chart my ClearBlue results and temp in the morning, and then chart the rest throughout the day as I notice. I use the Read Your Body App.
- What made you choose this method?I chose Marquette/symptohormonal because it was introduced to me by a friend and seemed more "scientific" to me than other methods I had sort of heard of (although I now know they're all super science-based!). I did some research, and the published efficacy rates were considerably higher than those for the pill I was on! At the time, I had previously had an IUD, which was removed because it caused really long, heavy periods and bad cramping. I then started back on a progestin only pill, and experienced really frequent bleeding and fatigue. I needed another option, and since I knew Marquette existed, and was well supported, and didn't seem like something I could mess up/misinterpret. I didn't really know much about other methods yet, and the "objective" nature of the ClearBlue monitor also appealed to my spouse and I. We are not Catholic, so that was one hesitation, but we were aware of the religious nature going into our Marquette training and our instructor was understanding of that.
- Has charting helped you to understand your overall health?So far, it has helped me determine that my previous irregular bleeding and extreme fatigue were almost certainly side effects of the pill, and not just something my body was doing!
