What would your life be like without your smartphone constantly by your side? Don’t get me wrong. I love my phone as much as the next person. Some of us seemingly come unraveled without it, though, almost to the point of desperation. Many people believe that it empowers them and is the key to unlocking the deepest, darkest secrets of the cosmos…but what about our bodies?
My husband and I have taught the Family of the Americas’ Method of Natural Family Planning (NFP) for seven years and it amazes us how many couples are unaware of how their bodies work. Countless couples think that they are fertile all the time. For this reason, many use some form of contraception, because that is the only logical thing to do. Or is it?
How often does a woman ovulate?
Their minds are blown when they learn that a woman ovulates only once in her cycle. Now here is the jaw dropper for everyone: once a woman ovulates, the egg lives for only about 16 hours! Let me repeat that: 16 HOURS.1 It is amazing that any of us are born!
We have assisted and mentored hundreds of couples, but one sticks out in my head. Let’s call them Ross and Rachel. Poor Ross and Rachel had been trying to conceive for at least seven years. They were not aware of how important and vital the cervical mucus (that a woman produces around ovulation) was for keeping sperm alive and thus being able to conceive. Rachel didn’t like to make love when she had mucus because she felt “unclean,” so they went barren for years until we met with them.
What is this mysterious fluid?
This mucousy goodness may be taboo to some, but it has three main jobs:
- It helps to protect and nourish the sperm.
- It filters the seminal fluid so that abnormal sperm are eliminated.
- It provides channels through which the remaining sperm can swim up and enter the uterus.
If you ask me, mucus deserves overtime pay or at least paid time off! Out of 300 MILLION sperm that are launched into the uterine universe, only a few hundred make it up the fallopian tubes and only one will penetrate and fertilize the egg. ONLY ONE.1
What happens after fertilization?
Once fertilization does occur, a new human life begins. At that moment, the new person’s genetic makeup is determined right then and there. There is no turning back now! If you don’t like your hair or eye color, well, tough cookie. Just blame it on the moment of conception. After fertilization, it takes 2-5 days for the new life to travel down and finally make its home in the soft uterine bed for the next nine months.1
Here is a fun fact for all of you science geeks. Replication of DNA during those first few days of life exceeds 208,000 nucleotides per second.2 The new life has been very busy growing with no time to take even a mini-vacation!
Some of us would almost rather lose a body part than to surrender their precious smartphone. I, on the other hand, would like to keep all my body parts and learn about them, especially my fertility.
By knowing your body, you unlock many mysteries. Numerous women suffer from PCOS, endometriosis, and pelvic inflammatory disease (just to name a few), but many find relief when they use NFP to better understand their bodies. When we are educated on the facts of our fertility, we change our lives and the lives of future generations. And if you still must clutch your cell phone, just know that there are different apps for NFP too!
References
- Family of the americas: Teacher training manual for ovulation method
- The Endowment for human development: Unit 1: The first week.
Confused. The author is listed elsewhere on this site as a Family of the Americas teacher. Is she certified to teach the Billings Ovulation Method™ or Family of the Americas Ovulation Method? Both great – but very different NFP systems, with different requirements for certification.