It’s never too early to care about your fertility
- Claire Collins
- 11 minutes ago
- 6 min read
As I neared my wedding date, I knew that beginning my Natural Family Planning (NFP) journey didn’t have to wait. Many friends told me that starting Creighton classes six months before my marriage would be enough time to learn about my fertility and aid in navigating openness to life in my marriage.
What I didn’t realize was just how important starting my fertility journey would be and that it would benefit not just my fertility in marriage but also my health overall.
As I started charting my cycles and looking for important biomarkers, I was flagged for having a few signs and symptoms of low progesterone. Though I had this information, it never went further than my appointments with my Creighton instructor; it was merely considered “something to keep an eye on.”
Fast forward to my wedding day: Though I was excited to begin my vocation, I was also nervous about immediately getting pregnant. I was hesitant about becoming a mom so soon into something as new and important as my vocation. Balancing moving to a new state and learning a new job seemed hard enough.
I knew that the Church was inviting me to be open to life from day one of my marriage, but deep down, I also really wanted some time to just be married. Many of my friends had chosen to put off having kids when they were first married; I was tempted to desire the same, reluctant to consider that God was inviting me to true openness to life within my marriage.
What I didn’t realize was just how important starting my fertility journey would be and that it would benefit not just my fertility in marriage but also my health overall.
My fertility story
Fast forward to the start of my first cycle after my wedding day: I was relieved at the reality that I was not yet pregnant, though deep down, I knew I was still putting my desires over God’s. I was letting the fear of pregnancy, birth, transition, and discomfort weigh more heavily on my heart than the potential of God’s good plan.
My heart began to change when one month without a pregnancy turned into two, and two to four, and four to eight. My relief at the presence of my monthly cycle turned to grief after grief. I even experienced multiple chemical pregnancies — early miscarriages in which positive pregnancy tests were quickly followed by my cycle returning once again. My dashed hopes of a little life growing inside of me left my heart aching deeply for the thing I had been so afraid of: being a biological mother.
And yet, that was not the end of my story. The biomarkers I observed using the Creighton method helped my practitioner identify that my low progesterone was the probable cause of my early miscarriages. I connected with a NaPro (Natural Procreative Technology) doctor in a neighboring city who ordered labs and tests on particular days of my cycle to see what was going on and hopefully get to the root of the problem.
My dashed hopes of a little life growing inside of me left my heart aching deeply for the thing I had been so afraid of: being a biological mother. And yet, that was not the end of my story.
But before I could get those tests done, I found myself pregnant once again. My NaPro doctor prescribed me supplementary bioidentical progesterone while we took lab after lab to see if this pregnancy, this little life inside of me, could be sustained.
A few days before my first ultrasound, I got a devastating call from my NaPro. “Your progesterone numbers are really low,” he said. “I’m sorry, but I think you are experiencing a miscarriage.” My husband and I sorrowfully prepared to confirm this news at my upcoming OB-GYN appointment.
To our shock, however, they pulled up our seven-week ultrasound and immediately found a baby and a heartbeat. What felt like a little miracle had occurred, and our hearts swelled with joy. Despite the doubts and criticism of my obstetrician, we continued with progesterone supplementation as needed throughout pregnancy. I welcomed my little red-headed son on St. Patrick’s Day of 2020, in an emergency C-section as the world was shutting down. That, however, is a story for another time.
Knowledge and resources
My story of infertility seems fairly simple when compared to many I’ve heard. I’ve gone on to have two more pregnancies and births; both also needed progesterone supplementation. But I believe so many women could be aided in their fertility journey in the same way I was: through simple intervention.
Not only have I supplemented progesterone in pregnancy, but I’ve also used it outside of pregnancy to support common, but not normal, menstrual cycle symptoms and to prepare my body to readily receive a baby when God willed.
My experiences with charting and my now multiple NaPro doctors have also helped me to develop a more holistic view of my health, seeing my body as a unified whole where parts affect one another and can either help or hinder my overall health. I’ve continued to dive deeper over time, finding new ways to support my body as it does what it was created to do.
My experiences with charting and my now multiple NaPro doctors have also helped me to develop a more holistic view of my health, seeing my body as a unified whole where parts affect one another and can either help or hinder my overall health.
Knowing our bodies, what biomarkers indicate a healthy menstrual cycle, and which lifestyle shifts can help us be healthier and optimize fertility is life-changing. No matter where you find yourself on your vocational journey, I would lovingly advise you to speak with someone about your body and your cycles. There are many Creighton, Marquette, FEMM, and other NFP method instructors eager to aid their clients. NaPro doctors are also an amazing resource. (I am personally partial to Reproductive Health Medicine & Gynecology based in Atlanta, Georgia.)
In addition to these practitioners, I have also found valuable resources, like Reform Wellness and a few Catholic holistic nutritionists, who give little tips and tricks on their social media platforms for how you can slowly integrate more holistic practices into your life. These include eating more whole foods and fewer processed ones, making time for prayer, spending intentional time being active, striving for good sleep, and supplementing with high-quality vitamins (these were advised by a medical professional after labs and a hair-based mineral test).
Having the right perspective
It can be tempting for me to think that I now actually have control over my life, my health, and my fertility. While NFP methods and NaPro doctors have undoubtedly affected my life in a positive way, it is important to remember that God, not I nor my doctors, is in control. All things are subject to his loving will, and no amount of medicine or knowledge can change that fact.
It can also be tempting to idolize certain methods, doctors, and ways of thinking in the health and wellness space. It is good to examine our consciences and really let our hearts wrestle with what we are worshipping — modern medicine, certain holistic living experts and their advice, or the God of the universe.
We give God glory in and through our bodies, and he desires to heal our brokenness, both spiritually and physically.
Time to care about your fertility
No matter where we find ourselves on our earthly journey, it is never too soon to pursue a deeper understanding of our bodies and how they function. Because our bodies are temples of God’s spirit, they are good and worthy of taking care of. We give God glory in and through our bodies, and he desires to heal our brokenness, both spiritually and physically. Because of this, I would encourage you to seek a more whole understanding of your body and to care for it with love and tenderness. And ultimately, I invite you to do so with trust, knowing God is the one ultimately in control.