This week is NFP Awareness Week. Everyone’s writing different things about it.
Some are writing about how awesome it is. Others are like yeah but sometimes it sucks. I think no matter how much you spin it it cannot be explained very well to people. It’s one of those things where YMMV (Your Mileage Will Vary).
For some people it’s no big deal and you deal with it. For others it’s really hard all the time. I think one of the big issues with NFP is that the medical field has tried to “standardize” the human body. And no two humans are the same. So as much as they have tried to standardize how NFP works you just can’t do that.
For examples you can have couple A with a 28 day cycle that always ovulates on day 12 that finds NFP easy. And then there is Couple B with a 45 day cycle that they sometimes can or cannot pinpoint ovulation.
I can say for us most months are like Couple A and figuring out my chart is not a big deal. It’s easy to manage and figure out. But I’d be lying if there weren’t a few months a year where I want to throw the chart out the window in frustration.
Instances like that I am glad I have my instructor on standby that I can ask to look at my chart and help me navigate what is going on. Whenever something weird is going on my husband is like you need to go to the doctor but I always have my instructor look first because usually that isn’t necessary. And really if you’re not pregnant the doctor cannot do much.
I know NFP can be a touchy subject and triggering for a lot of people. A lot of people think it doesn’t work. Others think it’s weird I know so much about my own body. My husband doesn’t know anything else so it doesn’t really phase him anymore.
The cool thing about NFP is it’s not just for Catholics anymore. A lot of secular people use it. I see a lot of questions about it in all sorts of facebook groups….even business ones. There’s even a lot of studies about how the different phases of the cycle effect how we deal with everyday life.
A coach I follow teaches women how to live their best life around the phases of your cycle. She helps them understand that during your luteal phase and your period you need to lay low and not do as much but around day 7 of your cycle until after ovulation you have the most energy and that is when you need to be the most productive.
I had never really thought about it before but that middle section is defiantly when I have the most energy each month. The female body is so weird but cool at the same time.
A lot of people have a lot of theories about NFP and the churches teachings and whether they agree with them or not. And many people don’t even know the truth. But I am glad I stumbled about NFP back in my single days on Catholic Twitter and in Facebook groups.
It opened a ton of knowledge about my own body that has helped me for many years even if using NFP makes me “a weird mucus lady” or a “serious catholic” it’s all I know and I’m happy for that. I love being able to answer peoples questions about it and plant small seeds for others to learn more about their own bodies.