Next Preconception Class

Lots & lots of women and couples are trying to get pregnant! By using the Symto-Thermal Fertility Awareness Method, they can increase their odds of conceiving, take much of the guesswork out of what’s going on, and identify issues to getting pregnant sooner. Sounds great, right?!?

The next “Fertility Awareness to Achieve Pregnancy” class will be at 6:30pm on Monday, July 29, 2013 at Natal to Nest in Highlands Ranch. It’s $60/person and her non-charting partner is encouraged to attend for free. Space is limited to register soon:http://www.nataltonest.com/classes-and-workshops/fertility-awareness-class/

Last month it was the Yaz/Yasmin Pill... now it's the Mirena IUD...

The Pill can work great for some women. And a lot of women love their IUD. But if you’re not one of these women, maybe learning and using the Sympto-Thermal Fertility Awareness Method to successfully avoid pregnancy would be perfect for you!

My next Natural Birth Control class is Thursday, July 18, 2013 at 6pm at Blossom Wellness Center. $40/person ($10 extra for your non-charting partner). Call (303) 954-9399 to register.

Why I got certified to teach the Fertility Awareness Method!

Updated January 2018

In March 2012, I graduated as a HRHP (Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner) from Justisse Healthworks for Women in Canada. This certification confers that I achieved the required skills for accurately teaching the Sympto-Thermal Fertility Awareness Method as a Certified Fertility Awareness Educator (FAE).

There are 3 main reasons I wanted to be certified to teach:

• Competency – I want to make sure I’m teaching women correct information in a manner that they easily understand and find beneficial in their lives. While my teaching style has been described as entertaining and fun, it’s also based on facts and proven scientific data.

• Responsibility – If women and couples are learning to AVOID pregnancy from my classes and one-on-one consults, then I want to be as certain as I can be that any unplanned pregnancies do not result from “teacher-failure” which means that there was an error on my part that led to the unintended pregnancy. ALL methods of contraception have a failure rate and therefore, statistically speaking, I will probably have couples that may unexpectedly conceive.

• Professionalism – I enjoy meeting with other Fertility Awareness professionals around the world for peer-review and the recognition from colleagues that my work is trustworthy. Then, I find it valuable to have credibility in my local community that encourages others to seek my advice and send referrals.

The title “Fertility Awareness Educator" is not a protected term. That means anyone can call herself a FAE even though she may not be certified or qualified to teach.

Want to find a Certified FAE?

• Go to the Association of Fertility Awareness Professionals or the Justisse HRHP Directory (or my FAQs & Resources page).

Want to become a Certified FAE yourself?

• Go to Sarah Bly’s Grace of the Moon (GOTM) Fertility Awareness Teacher Training Program or Justisse’s HRHP Training.

PS - If you're setting up your own online business, I highly recommend Acuity Scheduling. I looked at a bunch of different ones and it fit my desires... time-zone scheduling, online forms, email/text reminders, payment with stored credit card, packages, gift certificates, and it's super-easy for both you and clients to use!

News on IVF drugs →

When women who are trying to conceive chart their cycles using the Fertility Awareness Method, they can often “see" what’s going on inside their bodies. Charting allows them to determine if they display a normal, healthy menstrual cycle; a normal, healthy ovarian cycle; and a normal, health reproductive hormonal cycle. And there aren’t any side-effects and it’s pretty much free!

The BBC reports that there may be new and safer medication options (specifically kisspeptin) for those choosing to use IVF (invtro fertilization). The current drugs can cause serious side-effects:

• "About one in every 100 women undergoing usual IVF treatment will develop a severe form of a medical condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or OHSS. Instead of producing a few eggs as desired, the ovaries go into overdrive and produce lots in response to the potent fertility drugs. While most women with OHSS will have mild symptoms and recover, those few with severe OHSS become very ill and can die."

My next “Achieving Pregnancy using Fertility Awareness" class is this Monday, June 24 at Natal to Nest. If you’re not quite ready to try IVF, come learn more than you ever thought you could about your fertility!

Next Class = Monday, June 24 at 6:30pm

Charting your cycle using the Sympto-Thermal Fertility Awareness Method will help to unravel the mystery so many of us feel about our reproductive selves! 

If you’re thinking about getting pregnant or have been trying without success, why not try charting your cycle! I’ll be teaching a “Fertility Awareness to Achieve Pregnancy" class this Monday at Natal to Nest in Highlands Ranch. Space is limited, so register soon… $60/person (your non-charting partner is encouraged to attend for free).

Making the Story of Reproduction Come Alive!

Avishag Zloof is a Naturopath Doctor specializing in Fertility & Sexual Function and also teaches the Sympto-Thermal Fertility Awareness Method (STFAM).

In this video she describes the “personality" of the female reproductive hormones: estrogen, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and progesterone. I just LOVE how she makes these usually boring and scientific hormones come alive!

Yaz, Yasmin birth control pills suspected in 23 deaths in Canada →

An viable alternative to hormonal contraception is the Sympto-Thermal Fertility Awareness Method (STFAM). I recently discussed the side-effects of synthetic hormones used in contraception like the Pill when I celebrated my 100th Fertility Awareness Method chart.

I love teaching more and more women how to avoid pregnancy naturally! We can meet one-on-one or at my next class on Thursday, July 18 at 6pm. Register at Blossom Wellness Center by calling 303-954-9399 ($40/person, $50/couple).

"Start spreading' the news... I'm leavin' today... (actually tomorrow morning...) I'm gonna be a part of it... New York, New York!!!"

That's right! I'm going to NYC this weekend to meet with other Fertility Awareness Enthusiasts! We're going to geek-out on cervical fluid and basal body temperatures!

If you’ve never used condoms before… or it’s been awhile…

If you’re new to learning the Fertility Awareness Method to avoid pregnancy, I recommend that during the first 2 or 3 cycles of charting that you abstain or use male condoms until you can confidently (and accurately!) identify your fertile days and infertile days.

If you’ve never used condoms before… or it’s been awhile… or just to make sure you’re following each and every step correctly, this video by a National AIDS Fund AmeriCorps member is great! 

There are 2 things I would add to the end of the video. First, when withdrawing the penis after ejaculation… hold the bottom of the condom so that semen doesn’t leak out onto her vulva. Second, when removing the condom from the penis… do it far, far away from her vulva (like on the other side of the bed or in the bathroom) so that semen doesn’t drip on it. Condom effectiveness will be lowered if any semen comes in contact with her vulva!

Want to know more about condoms or avoiding pregnancy without hormones or devices? Come to my next Natural Birth Control class on Thursday, July 18 at Blossom Wellness Center.

TTC - Why Charting Your Cycle Can Help You Get Pregnant!

If you feel like your body’s fertility is a big mystery to you, it doesn’t have to be that way! Learning to chart your cycle using the Fertility Awareness Method will help you answer some pretty important questions:

• “Am I ovulating?" 
• "Is my period late because I’m pregnant or because I’m stressed out?"
• "Is this a late period or a miscarriage?" 
• "Why can’t I get pregnant?" 
• "Is my vaginal discharge supposed to be like this?" 
• "How many times do I ovulate each cycle?”

Charting can help you consciously conceive your child, know the optimal time for conception to occur, and have useful information to present to health care providers & alternative practitioners. 

I’ll be teaching a “Fertility Awareness to Achieve Pregnancy" class on Monday, June 24 at 6:30pm at Natal to Nest in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Register online at Natal to Nest or by phone 303-221-6378 ($60/couple). 

Come find out how you can easily answer all those questions about your body’s fertility!

"I got 99 likes, but I'm still missing one..."

Did you know Flowers Fertility, LLC is on Facebook? I think it’s really fun to interact with like-minded women both locally, nationally, and globally about charting cycles using the Fertility Awareness Method!

Today I got my 99th like… who wants to be that special 100?!?

Kindara on FOX31 News!

Yay! The iPhone app, Kindara, that uses the Fertility Awareness Method is getting great press here in Denver, Colorado on FOX31 News. I’m thrilled to see a media piece that gives such a positive and accurate report :)

Additives in Feminine Hygiene Products may have Health Risks!

"Naturally Savvy sets ‘Always Infinity’ pad and ‘Natracare 100% organic cotton’ pad on fire. See what happens when they are compared side-by-side."

After watching this I realized again how thankful I was that years ago I switched to cloth pads like Lunapads and Reddy’s, menstrual cups like the Keeper and the non-latex DivaCup, and tampons from Natracare when I have my period.

If you experience any irritation during your period or want to leave a smaller footprint on the Earth, you may want to consider switching to natural (usually reusable) menstrual products.

You're Invited!

WHAT: “Avoiding Pregnancy without Hormones or Devices" Class

WHEN: Saturday, June 1 at 9:30am

WHERE: Blossom Wellness Center

WHO: Ladies & Couples who want high effectiveness with no side-effects

HOW: Call 303-954-9399 to register by Thursday, May 30

As simple as period prediction...

While there are many, very “important" uses for charting your cycle using the Fertility Awareness Method such as avoiding pregnancy or achieving pregnancy, it can also be as simple as, “I know when to expect my period!"

This can bring quite a feeling of freedom. No longer will you wonder, “Oh, is that my period?!?" and then a few days later “Oh, wait, is this my period?" If you chart your cycle, you’ll know about 2 weeks beforehand when your period will start, and then usually you’ll know the morning of the day it will start. Pretty cool, huh?

Knowledge is Power! (Or at least knowledge won’t leave you high & dry without a pad/tampon/menstrual cup when you most need it…)

Holistic Fertility Class with Colleen Flowers at Blossom Wellness Center →

Want to get knocked up?

Register for the next Holistic Fertility class happening this Thursday, May 16 at 6pm. It’s $50/person or $60 for your non-charting partner to attend. Call 303-954-9399 to register… hope to see you there :)

My 100th Chart!

I’m currently in the middle of my 100th Fertility Awareness Method chart… pretty cool, huh? So that means for over 6 years I’ve avoided getting pregnant without any synthetic hormones and their lovely side-effects!

The American Academy of Family Physicians lists the “non-serious" side-effects (but may include more):

• Weight gain
• Headaches
• Sore breasts
• Irregular periods
• Mood changes
• Decreased sexual desire
• Acne
• Nausea

So what can be the “serious" side-effects be according the FDA?

• BLOOD CLOTS… that can lead to strokes, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, heart attack, or death… yikes!

On Saturday, June 1st I’ll be teaching a class about how to avoid getting pregnant naturally… sign up at Blossom Wellness Center and you could be well on your way to your 100th Fertility Awareness Method chart too!