Christmas in July!

As a Fertility Awareness Educator, there's going to be some things that get me pretty excited that the average person may not totally understand.

Let me start at the very beginning...

Remember at the end of February 2014 when I was interviewed for the documentary Miscontraceptions by Cassie Wilson? (...which is now Cassie Moriarty... congrats Cassie!!!) Well, she's taking the short film around to festivals and I got to see it... she and her crew did an AMAZING job!!! (Think I'm exaggerating? It won the Tracy Awards for Best Writing, Best Director, AND Best Picture at Montana State University.) Not only did I love it, but younger women and older women and dudes liked it and laughed and thought it was really well done (and they're only in college... watch out world!)

When I watched the film, I was enthralled with the Sex Health Educator located in Bozeman, Montana that they also interviewed... Laura Mentch. I stalked ...I mean... I found her information on the internet and sent her an email saying I thought she did a great job and would love to meet her... she emailed back (yippee!) and said she was swinging through Denver in a few weeks. So we made plans and met for tea.

IT. WAS. WONDERFUL.

Laura is smart, passionate, and kind... I loved spending time with her and look forward to seeing her again soon. Because she's phasing out of teaching Fertility Awareness and doing more work around Cystic Fibrosis education, she asked if I would like the FA resources she's collected over the years. Would I like them? I would LOVE them!!!

That's when a lovely package arrived in the mail...

Hmmm... does this box contain "crack"???

Yes! For a Fertility Awareness Educator!!!

So I opened it up to find out what goodies Laura has saved throughout the years and sent to me. Lots of books and reading material about all things related to Fertility Awareness...

Merry Christmas to me on a hot day in July!

What was my favorite item? A book entitled The Modern Method of Birth Control which was published in 1935. Yes, it's about the out-dated Rhythm Method, but it was an important step toward the highly effective modern methods of Fertility Awareness. It's like having a piece of Fertility Awareness history!

There's even a nifty plastic calendar-wheel!

So... thank you, Cassie, for making this documentary that connected me to Laura. And thank you, Laura, for entrusting me with your quasi-museum of FA material and helping to light my torch as a next-generation Fertility Awareness Educator.

If you want to know more about using Fertility Awareness to avoid pregnancy naturally, increase your chances of conceiving, or simply better-understand your body... keep perusing this website and see if a class or one-on-one consult is the next best step for you.

Do you have any "artifacts" of Fertility Awareness?

Remember "Camp Gyno"??? Here's "First Moon Party"!!!

Last year HelloFlo brought us the self-proclaimed "period expert" at summer camp as she talked about the "red badge of courage" with the other campers her age. Missed it? It's right here.

This time it's about a "first moon party"... which in and of itself I think is a wonderful way to honor a girl's first period... but we're all different. Giuliana Serena of Moontime Rising offers this rite of passage.

While HelloFlo's message is absolutely fabulous, their services may not be necessary (monthly kits of pads and tampons sent in the mail) if more of us used reusable menstrual products like sea sponges, menstrual cups, and cloth pads... check out Jade and Pearl (I find sea sponges to be more comfortable than menstrual cups), The Keeper, The DivaCup, GladRags, and LunaPads.

Also, many menstrual products on the market contain toxic additives that may have health risks... here's a video with good information showing the difference.

What's your take on "first moon parties" and/or reusable menstrual products?

*Update 6/24/2014: Many have back-lashed about the mother-daughter relationship in this video, such as NPR's Opinion article: "Meanstruation: HelloFlo's Mother-Daughter War Is Funny, And Sad." However, I'm disappointed that the author of this opinion piece started off the article calling periods "the agony surrounding the curse of Eve" and ended it with saying a period is a "lousy situation." Ugh.

Periods are supposed to be painless or mildly uncomfortable, if not, something's up (see this blogpost about what a Normal Period is and this one about Menstruation being a Vital Sign). 

FREE event... "Eating for Fertility"

"Eating for Fertility" is a FREE event presented by Maya of Family Tree Nutrition and hosted by me in Northwest Denver, Colorado!

Good nutrition is an important part of Fertility Awareness. Maya is a Certified Nutrition Therapy Practitioner (CNTP) and will give us lots of information about which foods can help or harm our fertility in addition to other natural lifestyle choices. And there will be lots of time for attendees’ questions! More information is here.

It’s a perfect event for women wanting to naturally improve their reproductive health and for women/couples who are hoping to get pregnant :)

All of this is happening on a lovely Saturday afternoon on the first day of Summer (June 21, 2014). Space is limited, so be sure to register through the Eventbrite page or contact me.

Light refreshments will be provided and the first 3 people to register will receive a free gift at the event.

The menstrual cycle is a vital sign…

Last week during the presentation “Utilizing the Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign” at the National ACNM Conference, I got to talk just a little bit about Fertility Awareness and Cycle Charting. (You can view the presentation online at the ACNM Live Learning Center.) But mostly I discussed the variety of reasons and conditions that prolonged hormonal contraceptive use and/or menstrual suppression can mask. And here’s a example to go along with that…

Toni Nagy writes, “The last ‘Western’ medication I ever took was birth control pills. Yet at 25 I decided I didn’t want to influx my body with hormones any longer, even though it was convenient. After I stopped taking the pill, I didn’t get my period for two years. I finally went to the doctor, got an MRI, and found out I had a ‘brain tumor’ in my pituitary gland. The tumor, although benign, was problematic to my health. It was threatening to cause blindness because of its proximity to my optic nerve, had the potential to become malignant, and was also inhibiting my ability to get pregnant. At 27 years old I was told I would never have children.” Read her entire story and the path to health and healing: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/05/is-holistic-health-hocus-pocus-toni-nagy/

While the Pill probably didn’t cause her tumor, it may have absolutely masked the symptoms that would have been present had her fertility and menstrual cycle not been suppressed. Normal periods (defined by parameters of frequency, regularity, duration, volume, and pain level) tell us that there’s a good chance she’s healthy… just like her blood pressure reading indicates that she’s probably healthy… it’s a vital sign!

If a woman uses hormonal contraception for years or even decades, it may allow an unnoticed, underlying condition to get worse and worse.

Q: What’s just 1 alternative to using hormonal contraception to avoid pregnancy?

A: The Sympto-Thermal Fertility Awareness Method! You can learn more about it here and watch an online, streaming class right now.

Q: What are some alternatives when the Pill is used off-label to treat irregular menstrual cycles, abnormal bleeding, recurrent ovarian cysts, severe menstrual cramps, endometriosis, premenstrual syndrome, and other menstrual cycle conditions? (Hilgers)

A: Find out what’s causing it! Treat it holistically with nutrition, exercise, mind/body/spirit practices, supplements, and more (like Toni treated her tumor)! Find treatments that work with fertility and reproductive health (like progesterone supplementation for 2 weeks) instead of against it (like continuous hormonal contraception for weeks or years on end).

We all know hormonal contraception has its side-effects… but what about the potential warning signs that your body is trying to let you know about but are being suppressed due to the Pill? Who knows! Maybe Toni was put on hormonal contraception to “regulate” irregular cycles… that were caused by the tumor… so symptoms are masked and conditions are left untreated.

Do you know or have a hunch that hormonal contraception you used masked underlying conditions?

Speech at the 2014 National ACNM Conference...

While I’m usually teaching the Fertility Awareness Method, I also like to teach and speak on a variety of other topics related to reproductive health as well!

Next Thursday, May 15, 2014 at 5pm I’ll be presenting at the National American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) Conference happening here in Denver, Colorado. The theme is “Midwives: Elevating Women’s Health” and my speech is entitled “Utilizing the Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign.” You can view the presentation online at the ACNM Live Learning Center.

Last fall 2013 I spoke to the Colorado ACNM chapter (Region V, Chapter 3) about “Holistic Infertility Work-up and Alternative Treatments.” It was a blast and I’m looking forward to speaking to and meeting even more midwives and student-midwives. See you all soon!

Our maternal grandmothers...

One of the most wonderful gifts that learning the Fertility Awareness Method gave me was learning lots of interesting things about reproduction.

I think one of the most fascinating is that a baby girl inside of her mother’s womb has all the eggs she’ll ever make. So… while the egg that made me was inside my mother as a baby, that same egg was also inside of my maternal grandmother… just think of that! I was a tiny egg inside my mother as a baby inside my grandmother.

Today I’m with my family celebrating my Nan’s life… all 88 years of it… which was her favorite age to be because the number is the same forward, backward, upside-down… any way you look at it :)

It's Earth Day 2014!

“What’s the ‘greenest’ birth control” you ask?

Abstinence! (Okay, well… aside from abstinence?)

The Fertility Awareness Method! Charting your cycles is eco-friendly because:

1. There’s no packaging! (aside from your thermometer and paper charts if you use them)
2. It’s hormone-free… the same way we like our dairy and meat to be hormone-free! (And fish and reptiles appreciate less Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in the water too.)
3. It’s highly-effective! The perfect-use effectiveness is 99.6% and typical-use effectiveness is 98.2%. (http://tiny.cc/nl0pex).

While it doesn’t offer any protection against STIs like condoms can, I believe the Fertility Awareness Method to be a ‘greener’ choice than all the other choices out there.

Learn how to “green your birth control” at the next Natural Birth Control class I’m teaching. It’s $50/person, your non-charting partner is encouraged to attend with you for free, and breastfeeding/postpartum mamas may bring their babes-in-arms! Contact me to register :)

PS - If you can’t make it to that class, the online streaming Natural Birth Control video class is available here 24/7!

Bedsider is talking about Fertility Awareness!

"Fertility awareness techniques are not widely known, but they can be incredibly useful for birth control, for planning a pregnancy, and for gaining a better understanding of our own bodies." - Fertility Awareness: Birth control and beyond by Bedsider

Hooray for more discussions about Fertility Awareness!

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*April 2, 2014 Update: see below…

PS - This Bedsider blog post says, ”…women have three basic ways to learn about their body’s fertility patterns: cycle tracking, cervical mucus, and temperature.” *And then later states, ”The most effective FAM in the real world is the Standard Days Method®.” I disagree, and the Standard Days Method and CycleBeads do not take into account cervical fluid and temps!

This review discusses the effectiveness rates for the highest quality studies of the various Fertility Awareness-Based Methods. The effectiveness rates for the Sympto-Thermal Method on the table in the blog (80-98%) are *inaccurate based on this study published in 2007 that reports the “real world” effectiveness of the STM to be over 98% (correct-use effectiveness is over 99%). 

The author of this blog post, “Victoria H. Jennings, Ph.D., is Director of the Institute for Reproductive Health and Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Georgetown University.” Full disclosure… this is the same organization that developed and promotes the Standard Days Method and CycleBeads… which is evidence-based, but relies on mathematical calculations and statistics (cycle tracking only). 

All of the different Fertility Awareness-Based Methods certainly have a time and a place. As a Fertility Awareness Educator, I teach the Sympto-Thermal Method (an evidence-based method that relies on real-time data from observations of fertility signs - cervical fluid, temp, and cycle tracking) in classes and consultations in Denver, Colorado or via an online streaming Natural Birth Control class video. 

April 2, 2014 Update:

Today, Liz at Bedsider sent me an email saying that they looked into the outdated numbers in the blog post and worked with the team at Georgetown to make some tweaks. Bedsider is INVALUABLE and I’m so glad that they continue to provide “accurate, up-to-date information about all birth control options.”

I wanted to reach out and give her a virtual “high-five”!!!

So this is what they changed…

OLD: With typical use—our best information about how people use these methods in the real world—it’s 76-88%.

NEW: With typical use—our best information about how people use these methods in the real world—it’s 80-98%. 

REMOVED: The most effective FAM in the real world is the Standard Days Method®. Out of 100 women using the Standard Days Method for a year, 12 get pregnant.

The numbers in the chart were also updated and corrected. Thanks Bedsider :-)

Ah... Spring!

While flowers are some of my most favorite things on earth, sometimes my eyes and nose don’t quite agree with me!

If you’re charting your cycle and taking antihistamines to help combat your itchy, watery eyes and nose, keep in mind that they may alter your cervical fluid and therefore your chart interpretations.

According to Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, drugs like Benadryl, Claritin, Sudafed, Tavist, and others “may dry or thicken cervical fluid and diminish quantity.”

What does that mean for you?

• If you’re trying to achieve pregnancy, it may lower your chances because of the changes to your cervical fluid… eek!
• If you’re trying to avoid pregnancy, it might be a good time to have a one-on-one consultation with your Fertility Awareness Educator to make sure you’re still interpreting your chart accurately.
• If you’re charting for body literacy, some of these drugs “may cause breast tenderness or pain.”

My spring regimen is to use a Neti Pot for sinus rinses and eat local honey… thanks bees!

For more information and upcoming classes, go here!

Spring Special...

It’s officially Spring! If learning the Fertility Awareness Method to avoid pregnancy naturally sounds like a great idea to you, now is the time to do it!

For the next 3 months, you can access this 2.5 hour pre-recorded online streaming Natural Birth Control video class for $20 bucks less! Here’s the store: http://www.flowersfertility.com/pay-now/

And as always, if you have any questions… just let me know :)

Flowers Fertility featured on Wills & Wellness...

"Flowers Fertility offers holistic fertility education and natural birth control methods" by Wills & Wellness - estate planning for growing families... read the entire post here...

Grace is studying to be a Fertility Awareness Educator...

Thanks for the shout-out, Grace! It’s very exciting to know that more and more ladies just like you are in the process of becoming Fertility Awareness Educators :)

Natural Birth Control - online video class is up!

It’s up! The Natural Birth Control using the Fertility Awareness Method online class video is up!

I’m very, very excited about this because now women and couples can access this class anytime, anywhere! No need to track me down in Denver, Colorado to find out when and where I’m teaching. Once you watch the video, then we can meet in-person or virtually to review your fertility charts to avoid pregnancy naturally.

I hope it’s a great resource for those wanting to confidently and accurately avoid pregnancy naturally: http://www.flowersfertility.com/pay-now/

FAQ

Q: Colleen, I've read books and charted for awhile to avoid pregnancy and just have a quick question about my chart or cycle. Why do I have to attend your 2.5 hour Natural Birth Control class in person or watch the video online before you can answer my question?

A: This is a very common and logical question to ask! I've found that if I meet with someone to review her charts for avoiding pregnancy and she hasn't attended my class in person or online, we don't have a basic foundation or common language with which to communicate. As a teacher of the Sympto-Thermal Method of Fertility Awareness, I take this responsibility very seriously. If we only chat for 10 or 20 minutes about your chart, I assume you know certain things that I go over in my class... maybe you do... but maybe you don't and that leads to an unplanned pregnancy... exactly what we're trying to avoid with proper and accurate education and chart interpretation. PS - The class is AWESOME and very entertaining... I promise it won't be a waste of your time :)

Here's a 4-minute preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7V35DyqMyc

Miscon(tra)ception by Cassie Wilson

What an exciting opportunity! This weekend I’m going to be interviewed by Cassie about Fertility Awareness! …eeek! :)

It will be my Hollywood debut… kinda… because being interviewed for a local news station in high school doesn’t really count, right?

If you would like to get involved… please consider “sharing” her Kickstarter project through email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.; donating cold, hard cash to the film; and/or contacting me about other opportunities to be had this weekend!

A proud trouble-maker...

What’s the “trouble I’m making” and the “rules I’m breaking” on behalf of women???

Teaching that contrary to popular belief, female reproduction is NOT mysterious! We are very smart, capable women who can learn the language of Fertility Awareness and the specific dialect that each woman’s unique body speaks! 

One Billion Rising for Justice

Here are blogs I wrote in 2013 about V-Day, One Billion Rising, and violence against women: http://flowersfertility.tumblr.com/search/onebillionrising

Birth Control during the Zombie Apocalypse...

Using the Fertility Awareness Method for birth control during the Zombie Apocalypse will last longer than any stockpiles of the Pill, condoms, or other forms of contraception… just sayin’…

Ready to learn it???

The next Natural Birth Control class I’m teaching is this Sunday, March 30, 2014 at 1pm at Blossom Wellness Center in Englewood, Colorado. Breastfeeding mamas and babes-in-arms are always welcome :)

Registration is required and it’s $50 (which includes your non-charting partner too!)

FREE! Prepping for Parenthood with Exempla Midwives

Next Monday evening (January 27), I have the pleasure to present with 2 other wonderful women about the many holistic aspects of building a family.

Be sure to register for this FREE event! http://www.eventbrite.com/e/prepping-for-parenthood-tickets-10109839803?aff=eorg

What?!? Fertility Awareness-Based Methods (FABMs) are NOT the LEAST popular form of birth control!?!

According a survey recently released by ACNM (the American College of Nurse Midwives), more women report using FABMs than these other forms of birth control:

• the Ring
• the Implant
• the Patch
• Emergency Contraception
• Tubal Occlusion
• the Sponge
• the Cervical Cap or Diaphragm

Other graphics in the survey show the typical-use effectiveness for FABMs to be 76%… this study (which points to another study that separates FAMBs into different categories and lists the typical-use effectiveness for various FAMBs) says the typical-use effectiveness for the Symto-Thermal Method (STM - cervical fluid, basal body temperature, cervical position, calculation, etc.) of Fertility Awareness is 98.2%*… which is comparable or higher than the typical-use effectiveness for the more popular birth control methods reported:

1. the Pill (91%)
2. Condoms (79-82%)
3. Withdrawal (78%)
4. Abstinence (100%) 
5. IUDs (99.2%)
6. Tubal Ligation (99.5%)
7. the Shot (94%)
8. Vasectomy (99.85%)

The best birth control choice for each woman is different and individual. Some want higher effectiveness, some want lower side-effects, some want spontaneity, some want protection from some STIs. I’m thrilled (and qualified!) to teach women the Sympto-Thermal Method, but can also offer education about all forms of birth control so whatever decision a woman makes is the best and most-informed one for her!

*previous typo listed 98.4%

Natural Birth Control...

I’m a qualified Fertility Awareness Educator and I teach the Sympto-Thermal Method of Fertility Awareness. That means keeping track of and charting the changes of your cervical fluid, the changes of your morning temperature, and the changes of your cervical position throughout your cycle.

• You can use it to avoid pregnancy without using synthetic hormones or devices!
• You can use it to naturally increase your chances of conceiving!
• You can use it to learn the language your body speaks and accurately predict your periods!

Charting your cycles can bring so much freedom and valuable information because you can use Fertility Awareness for a variety of reasons. While it’s not the best option for every woman and couple and situation… I’m here to help you in whatever way I can!