Ovulation tracking is the best health benefit of NFP

Many individuals are familiar with the benefits of using natural family planning (NFP) in married life but are not familiar with the health benefits, like ovulation tracking. Common benefits include, the ability to abstain from or try to achieve pregnancy each cycle, increased communication and intimacy in marriage, and an ability to be open to God’s will for family size. However, the best health benefit of using NFP is ovulation tracking. Married and single women can both benefit from ovulation tracking.

Ovulation Tracking and Ovulation Basics

Ovulation tracking simply means identifying the presence or absence of ovulation during a menstrual cycle. Cervical mucus observation and basal body temperature changes help identify ovulation. LH strips and Clearblue fertility monitor readings can also help identify ovulation.

Ovulation is a hallmark of harmony in a woman’s body. First, an egg is released into the fallopian tubes from a woman’s ovary. Then, the egg travels into the uterus. The egg implants into the lining of the uterus, if it has been successfully fertilized in the fallopian tube. Finally, the egg is shed with the lining during the bleeding phase of the cycle, if the egg is not fertilized.

Proper hormone balance results in regular ovulation. This balance indicates proper endocrine and gonadal function (Vigil, Lyon, Flores, Rioseco, and Serrano, 2017.) Therefore, menstrual cycle irregularities or the absence of a period can be the first signs of larger health problems associated with endocrine, gynecological, autoimmune, nutritional, and genetic disorders (Vigil, Lyon, Flores, Rioseco, and Serrano, 2017.) For example, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) causes women to have irregular cycles, as a result of irregular ovulation. PCOS is the most common female endocrine disorder and can cause other symptoms.

PCOS: Ovulation Dysfunction

One reason women with PCOS have irregular cycles, and irregular ovulation, is because their bodies have excess androgens. Testosterone is the most well-known hormone in the androgen group. Excess testosterone (and other androgens) prevents proper follicle development. A properly formed follicle is important for support of the egg and ovulation through hormone production. Additionally, excess androgens cause other familiar symptoms of PCOS like hormonal acne, weight gain, hair loss, mood changes, or hirsutism, the growth of thick, dark hair on face, chest, abdomen, back, or thighs in women.

You can see why it is important to track your ovulation. Irregular cycles or amenorrhea (absence of a period) can be the first sign of hormonal imbalance. Hormone imbalance compounds over time and research shows that symptoms in these women continue to get more severe (Vigil, Lyon, Flores, Rioseco, and Serrano, 2017). For example, a woman with mild PCOS may be having irregular periods and acne now. However, this same woman may suffer from infertility or miscarriages later in life.

NFP and FABM Working Together

Remember, the best health benefit of using NFP is ovulation tracking. The presence or absence of ovulation helps medical providers using fertility-awareness based medicine get a full clinical picture of a woman. NFP and fertility-awareness based medicine (FABM) are the best preventative medicine a woman and her spouse or a mother and her daughter could invest in. FABM can help restore proper hormone balance in PCOS patients to help achieve regular cycles. Proper hormone balance has the additional benefits of maintaining a healthy weight, regulating mood changes, and improving brain health and cognition. Also, NFP and FABM can help couples achieve better rates of conception through better identification of a woman’s fertile window during her cycle.

FABM In My Practice

In conclusion, I am providing fertility-awareness based women’s healthcare to women living in North Carolina, through MyCatholicDoctor. Patients living in North Carolina can get access to FABM through my practice with MCD. I hope to bridge the lack of access to this kind of care. Since MCD is a telehealth company, patients living all over North Carolina will have access to my medical practice. Through my practice, I aim to harness the power of various NFP methods, like the Creighton Model, FEMM, and Marquette Model, to restore and optimize ovulation in women to improve their health. Optimizing and restoring ovulation will help treat irregular cycles, mood disorders, irregular bleeding, amenorrhea, acne, premenstrual syndrome, painful periods, recurrent miscarriage, infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and various hormonal deficiencies, like progesterone deficiency.

Thank you so much for being here! I look forward to journeying with each of you through your fertility, endocrine, and metabolic journeys. If you live in North Carolina and struggle with fertility, endocrine, and metabolic challenges, I am accepting new patients. Go to my “Become a Patient” page to learn more. Additionally, check out my “Services” page to find out more about how I can help. I’m praying for you!

Blessings,

PA Megan Blum

Sources:

Vigil, P., Lyon C., Flores, B., Rioseco, H., Serrano, F. (2017) Ovulation, A Sign of Health. The Linacre Quarterly, 84, 343-355.