Putting it all together

In earlier posts I described three of the main signs of fertility

• temperature
• cervical fluid
• cervix changes

Today I want to talk a little bit about putting these together. The general rule if you want to avoid getting pregnant is to avoid intercourse unless all three signs indicate that you are not fertile.

"Young" mothers

Today I read "The New Unmarried Moms" article from the Wall Street Journal, and a few responses

"4 reasons young women are scared to have kids (and why we should knock it off.)"

"Are 20-something unwed moms the new teen moms?"

Reading these articles, I can't help but feel that this is a consequence of divorcing sex and procreation. If women are encouraged to delay marriage but continue having intercourse in their twenties, it shouldn't be surprising that the subsequent pregnancies are out-of-wedlock. It seems like there are two approaches to this - encourage women to get married earlier or encourage women to delay children, which has its own consequences.

The timing of marriage and children are enormously complicated issues and I think it goes without saying that they are not just personal issues, but deeply political. I think it's a bad time to be a fertile woman in America.

Interpreting cervix changes

Cervix changes are a valuable source of information about fertility. Many women, however, feel uncomfortable checking the cervix.  The good news is that it's an optional sign. Even if it's a sign you want to track, you don't need to track it the entire month. You can use it to cross-check the other signs around ovulation.

The cervix sits several inches inside the vagina and separates the vagina from the uterus. 

From WebMD

Charting apps?

I've been looking for a good app/spreadsheet/computer program for charting, and so far I have not been impressed with what I've found. I'm using the CycleProGo's website currently, but the interface is clumsy and slow and I'm pretty certain I'll want to switch.

Here's what I want from the chart:

• An easy way to input observations.
• Automatic calculations for
• Temperature shift.
• Longest/shortest cycle
• Luteal count.
• A chart view that superimposes cervical fluid observations, cervix observations, and temperature, so I can see them together.

First Couple to Couple League Class

We had our first formal Couple to Couple League class today. There were four student couples, including us. The teaching couple was in their late 50's and had used NFP for 20+ years. We met in a classroom of a nearby Catholic church/school.

There are two things we really liked about the class:

• It was helpful to practice analyzing charts.
• We're looking forward to sharing our charts with the teaching couple in three weeks, at the second class.

There were a few things we didn't like too. The presentation materials were outdated (holy 1980's hairstyles!). The teaching couple was very religious which made the two of us a bit uncomfortable. Finally, the teaching couple emphasized how terrible hormonal control was which was just weird in the context. I think all three of these vary based on teaching couple, so your experience may vary.

Overall, the class was interesting. We felt that everything covered so far could easily be learned by reading "The Art of Natural Family Planning" or "Taking Charge of Your Fertility," but it was a good chance to review it.

How does NFP effect the relationship?

I've been reading a lot about how couples feel NFP effects their relationship. While learning NFP with my fiance has been great so far, I'm hesitant to say anything more since we're abstaining from sex until we're married.

I started by reading this study of the impact of NFP. There's a definite pro-NFP agenda, but it's still quite interesting.

Then I found this blog about when NFP is difficult (the comments are very interesting).

Lots of food for thought!

Interpreting cervical fluid

Interpreting cervical fluid is less objective, but you'll quickly become an expert on your own body. During the day, pay attention to any discharge. This doesn't need to be too involved - generally it's enough to pay attention to any discharge on your panties and while wiping. At the end of the day, note any observations on your chart.

Because evaluating cervical fluid is less objective, every NFP method uses slightly different descriptions. In the Couple to Couple League's method, cervical fluid is described by three categories:

• No observed cervical fluid - There's no observable fluid
• "Less fertile" cervical fluid - Fluid is often white or creamy. It doesn't stretch easily and may be sticky, gummy, thick, pasty, creamy, or clumpy.
• "More fertile" cervical fluid - Fluid is wet and very slippery. There are often mucus pieces that are extremely stretchy. It's often described as being similar to raw egg whites.

This slideshow gives a reasonable description of different types of cervical fluid, and includes photos which may help you decide what you're looking at.