LIFE MATTERS Goin’ Natural
eco-fertility meets technology ...64
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Goin Natural Making love and making babies ... there couldn’t be anything more natural! FRANKLY takes a look at the rising popularity of family planning methods with an ecological twist.
Despite the increase in artificial reproduction, over 98% of babies born in 2015 (USA) were conceived through good old sex.
I don’t get it?...
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Oh no! They’re kissing again!
Whoa!...
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The
Ecology
Body
of the
But it’s not just the external environment that needs attention – the internal ecology of our bodies does as well. It is no surprise then, that the natural health industry has extended into the world of contraception and fertility management. Women from all walks of life are looking for alternatives to hormonal contraceptives, tired of the side effects and concerned about serious risk factors such as increased incidence of strokes, breast and cervical cancer. Women, young and older, are questioning why they should subject their bodies to a cocktail of chemicals that often leave them bloated, grumpy, overweight and with any number of other undesirable side effects. Many went on the Pill in their early teens to manage acne or period pain only to find themselves still on it more than a decade later with no acne in sight and periods that still cause them grief. For some, there is a rude awakening when they, or a close friend, suffer a debilitating stroke or cancer incident and the Pill is the first thing their doctors remove from their routine. If the Pill is so benign, why do they do that? Others abandon the Pill to begin a family not realising that the Pill has been aging their reproductive system and that it can take up to seven years for their fertility level to equalise. More couples are finding themselves trapped in the irony of being unable to conceive naturally after years of diligently suppressing their fertility with hormonal contraceptives.
Environmental Impact Some research suggests that contraceptive hormones from human use released into waterways via sewerage disrupt the breeding patterns of native aquatic life. What might these hormones be doing to our own bodies?
Thankfully, there are reliable alternatives that are completely natural. Called Fertility Awareness Methods (FAMs), these methods accurately track a woman’s fertility levels. And with the advent of dozens of fertility apps, it’s easier than ever for women to manage their fertility without drugs or implants.
Feeling better now
“When I stopped using the Pill I couldn’t believe how much better I felt. I had been taking it for so long I had forgotten that it wasn’t normal to feel so bloated or grumpy. I was also surprised when I found my libido reinvigorated! It has to be one of the great ironies of the Pill – we take it so that we can have sex whenever we want, but then end up never really feeling like it because the Pill has suppressed our libido.” Kristy
Life Matters
We all worry about the degradation of the natural environment. We want to preserve this magnificent planet on which we live and keep it healthy for future generations.
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Fertility Awareness Methods (FAMs) work on the basis that a woman’s fertility changes throughout her cycle. Unlike male fertility which holds steady, a woman is fertile for only a few days each cycle, around the time of ovulation. FAMs work with a couple’s natural fertility rather than altering it, or interfering with their lovemaking.
With a bit of education, a couple can learn how to recognise the woman’s bodily signs and confidently know when they are fertile. If a couple wish to avoid pregnancy, they simply abstain from intercourse during these fertile days; typically 5-9 days each cycle. Conversely, if they wish to conceive, they also know the optimum time to try.
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MenstrUal
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Life Matters
Getting the basics
e f e r t i l
Blipp to watch a short video about fertility. For more information on infertility and subfertility, visit FRANKLYmag.org
Apart from the obvious advantage of avoiding the chemicals in pharmaceuticallybased contraceptives, FAMs also function as a health barometer. As users develop a habit of monitoring their fertility symptoms and recording them, they also become attuned to changes that might signify an emerging health problem.
Early warning “When we had trouble getting pregnant, we consulted a FertilityCare practitioner. After using the method for several months, she was able to identify just from our records that my wife had a progesterone deficiency. We conceived soon after, and hormone supplements sustained our pregnancy until the birth of our little boy.” Luke “After using FAMs for over twenty years, I noticed a change to my fertility symptoms. I got my doctor to run a test and it turned out that I had a cervical polyp, often a precursor to cancer. It was a simple matter to have it removed as it was picked up so early.” Felicity
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Hidden Health Benefits
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then & now Fertility Awareness Methods have come a looooong way.
1930’s-1950’s
1960’s- 1980’s
Spilling the seed
Feelin’ the rhythm
reading the signs
Withdrawal
Rhythm Method
Modern Methods
1930’s
pre
This is one of the earliest and very rudimentary methods of fertility control. It is even mentioned in the Bible in the story of Onan where it ends rather unpleasantly for him! (Gen 38:9). As a method of avoiding pregnancy it is highly unreliable and is not strictly a FAM as it involves no awareness of the woman’s fertility.
This method relies upon the woman’s history of cycle length to predict fertility in the current cycle. Since it isn’t uncommon for a woman to experience fluctuations in her cycle, its effectiveness is generally considered too low by today’s standards, hence the derogatory name of ‘Vatican Roulette’.
These research-based methods use bodily symptoms that enable couples to track their fertility status. They rival the Pill for reliability and easily beat barrier methods. A number of variations include: • Billings Ovulation Method • The SymptoThermal Method • Creighton (FertilityCare) Method.
Effectiveness Modern FAMs are highly reliable in avoiding pregnancy, compare favourably with hormonal contraceptives, and are significantly superior to barrier methods. Blipp for info on FAMS and an app review or visit FRANKLYmag.org
1990’s pee on a stick
2010’s there’s an app for that
Infertility Solutions A number of innovations utilise data from urine dip sticks to indicate fertility status. Used initially to assist subfertile couples become pregnant, later variations such as Persona and ClearBlue were developed for pregnancy avoidance.
Technology Enhancements A plethora of apps enter the app/play store, automating the interpretation of fertility symptoms and making paper charting redundant. The most reliable apps are based on proven FAMs and require couples to abstain during fertile phases rather than use barrier methods or withdrawal.
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The Low Down on Abstinence
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Ok – so we’ve heard about the advantages, there’s got to be a downside to FAMs, right? The most obvious one is the ‘abstinence’ requirement. Some of the apps available bypass this problem by simply advising users to use barrier methods such as condoms, diaphragms or withdrawal during the fertile period. Barrier methods are not nearly as reliable in avoiding pregnancy as other methods, and given that a couple can ONLY get pregnant from sex during the fertile window, if a barrier method is going to fail, that’s when it really matters. In effect, the reliability of FAM-barrier combinations is much lower than than the FAM-abstinence model.
Another way to approach the abstinence challenge is to reframe it: when might a couple abstain and what constitutes a good reason for it? When couples look honestly at their lives, most of them are not having sex every day or even every week. And all sorts of very good reasons can interrupt the rhythm of their love life, like travel or working late, sickness, tiredness, house guests, kids interrupting or simple busyness. Abstinence is not exclusive to FAM users – it’s part of married life.
In fact, research shows FAM users have as much, or more, sex as contraceptive users. It’s just they enjoy a feasting and fasting pattern.
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PMT
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VISIT
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KIDS SICK
SEAS
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TRAV
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e f e r t i l No matter what method of family planning a couple uses, abstinence will be a part of their life together.
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The Myth of Casual Sex As much as we might like to believe that sexual freedom would provide risk-free, hassle-free sex-on-demand, the reality is that this part of life is complicated. Sex is an adult activity because it comes bundled with the possibility of pregnancy – a serious commitment of time, energy and money to the well-being of a precious new individual – for life! Sex is never ‘casual’ because of this very real possibility. But why would we want it to be casual anyway? Sex in the divine plan is meant to be a profound communication between husband and wife; a sacred body language that says,“I freely give myself to you alone, in good times and in bad.” It’s a language that speaks through the body the words of the wedding vows, a total and exclusive commitment for life.
There’s nothing casual about that!
Life Matters
“Hardly anyone actually talks about sex these days. We joke about it, swear about it, watch movies about it, and listen to music about it. But we rarely ever, really talk about it and what it means to us.� Francine & Byron Pirola
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Relationship
dividends In order for a marriage to work a couple needs to feel connected on the ‘big things’ in life. This is where the secret benefit of FAMs emerge. FAMs require a couple to work together to achieve their fertility goals. They need to communicate openly and regularly about their needs and their coping capacity as every cycle presents them again with the question: will we try for a baby? The open and recurring question requires the couple to live with one of life’s biggest questions that opens up all areas of life for connection. This may explain in part why FAM users have a dramatically lower incidence of relationship breakdown; the method actively assists couples to deepen their intimacy and belonging and so strengthen their union.
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Birth Control and Divorce While many couples make birth control decisions being very conscious of the importance of preserving their marital harmony, there’s no evidence that artificial contraception has helped to make marriage more stable. In fact, once no-fault divorce laws were introduced, the divorce incidence steadily increased as the Pill was progressively adopted. Simultaneously, the marriage rate has also declined. Blipp to learn more about the sociological impact of contraception and listen to Dr Janet Smith’s talk: “Contraception - why not?” or visit FRANKLYmag.org
Marriage Rate
Divorce Rate
Hormonal Contraceptive Availability
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The
Church &
Birth Control
The Best Kept Secret
Most people know that the Church is opposed to the use of artificial contraception. On the other hand, FAMs (or Natural Family Planning methods as they used to be known) are accepted.
FAMs offer couples an extraordinary way of life; one that is healthy and attuned to the natural rhythms of their bodies. It allows couples to work in harmony with their fertility, not against it; to connect with something much bigger than themselves.
But it’s not about being natural versus artificial. The Church is not opposed, for example, to the use of devices like Persona or mobile apps to assist couples in their use of FAMs. Rather, the concern with contraception relates to important practical and ethical realities. The Church supports the use of FAMs because they are a powerful aid to the couple’s growth in intimacy and marital stability and they do not break the bond between the sexual act and its divine design to enable human procreation.
Love in God’s plan “The couple’s fruitful relationship becomes an image for understanding and describing the mystery of God himself, for in the Christian vision of the Trinity, God is contemplated as Father, Son and Spirit of love. The triune God is a communion of love, and the family is its living reflection.” Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, 11 “The Holy Spirit proceeds from the perfect love shared between Father and Son. In the same way, husband and wife are able to generate new life through their sexual union, thus imaging the divine life. When contraceptives are used to deny or destroy a couple’s fertility, this spiritual connection to the divine is also damaged. It has subtle but significant relationship consequences. With modern FAMs, contraceptives are completely unnecessary for family planning purposes.” Byron & Francine Pirola
It’s not uncommon for couples to wonder when they first discover the magic of FAMs: “Why were we never told about this?” The question for all couples is: now that we know, how do we choose to live? This is simply too good to keep to ourselves and if you have any doubt, check out how many secular groups are joining the crusade for a return to a more natural way of life.
An opened Mind “I am the fifth child of a large family. When I was eleven and my dad announced that mum was having another baby, I remember saying rather impudently, “Just how many babies are we going to have, Dad?” He replied, “We’ll have as many as God gives us.” That day, I made a vow to myself: I would never let God dictate how many babies I’d have. Forty years later as the mother of three adult children, a couple’s retreat opened up the topic for my husband and me. After much introspection, I realised that I had lived my entire married life and planned my family on the decision of an eleven year old. I hadn’t reconsidered this foundational question for over 40 years!” Clare
Blipp for more on FAMs and the wisdom of the Church or visit smartloving.org/fertility
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Natural vs Artificial?
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