How to understand the female body and preserve the gift that God gave her
Lack of information regarding how the female body works has been common since time immemorial. As a result, women submit to methods that ultimately cause them a great deal of harm.
Any method within the category of “birth control” – such as pills, condoms and intrauterine devices – are usually the most acclaimed. Whether to prevent unwanted pregnancies or to suppress menstrual problems, birth control methods have become the quickest and seemingly most effective solution.
However, the side effects are countless and dangerous. Fortunately, there are natural methods toward birth control’s goals that do not compromise women’s health.
Fertility awareness methods are birth control methods that do not seek to stop the natural cycle of the female body, but rather to observe and understand it in order to adapt to it. Their purpose is to track the women’s menstrual cycle to know when their fertile phase occurs.
This way, couples will know at what time of the menstrual cycle to have or avoid intercourse, depending on whether they are looking to have a child. Women who simply wish to know more about their health status can also use these methods.
Among the most well-known of these fertility awareness methods are the following: the Creighton Model, Marquette Method, Sympto-Thermal Method and Billings Ovulation Method.
The Creighton Model consists of observing and charting the characteristics of the female cervical fluid throughout the cycle. These characteristics indicate when a woman is fertile.
The Marquette Method is based on taking urine samples and analyzing them with an electronic fertility monitor, which determines estrogen and luteinizing hormone levels.
The Sympto-Thermal Method, like the Creighton Model, is based on recording cervical fluid, but with the addition of measuring daily basal body temperature (BBT), which changes when a woman is ovulating.
The Billings Ovulation Method is also similar to the Creighton Model, with the difference being that the former focuses more on the sensation of cervical fluid rather than observation and charting.
Although different in practice, all of these methods study the female body in order to adapt to it, instead of adapting our bodies to what one wants. It takes what the body offers so that one can cooperate with it, not suppress it. It is a great way to educate women about their bodies so that they are in control of them rather than dependent on immediate solutions.
BirthPointe, an Irving-based birth center, offers classes that educate about the female body and its beautiful gift of giving life. Classes such as Intro to Fertility Awareness, Welcome the Pregnancy and Preconception aim to guide women through their pregnancy.
Because they prioritize the well-being of both the baby and the mother, they take the dedication necessary to educate women appropriately. They know that education empowers women and makes them feel more confident about what they are experiencing.
Another way to build that security is to accompany them through the process. The midwives do not abandon them, but are by their side during the nine months and even after the fifth child, thus creating a bond with mothers.
The most beautiful thing is that it is not something forced, but something they are passionate about doing, so women can feel a more genuine connection. Theresa Stryk, University of Dallas alumna and midwife at BirthPointe, said, “I love being a part of life coming to the world.”
Stryk graduated with a degree in biology from UD in 2013, and was looking for a job where she felt completely happy and comfortable, until she found BirthPointe.
Besides being dedicated to bringing babies to life, BirthPointe became the right place for her because it allowed her to align her faith with her medical practice. Being Catholic, Stryk was happy to work in a place that shares her belief that a woman’s body is made to bring life into the world.
This belief is not only reflected in the way they treat pregnant women, but also in their Intro to Fertility Awareness class, where they teach in depth the methods mentioned above and more. These classes are held at the clinic itself, and you can register for them on their website.
Let us continue to learn the wonders of the female body,to understand the gift that God gave her, instead of blindly believing in methods that, under the surface, want to eliminate such a gift.