Ana's Journey Towards Motherhood

Ana's story is just so beautiful and so wonderful. And I give thanks  and I celebrate that she was able to conceive, that she and her husband received a beautiful little girl.
I would like to take this opportunity to comment on some of the things that Ana is mentioning in this letter, on her words to you all. She had consulted with several medical professionals; painful and costly exams and they determined nothing! They did not seemed to find anything specifically wrong with her. And yes! I have seen this many times. Couples sometimes are told by doctors that their fertility is fine -his, hers- and sometimes is like. nothing seems to be wrong, however they can't conceive. Now, about 10% of couples  are in the situation in which everything seems to be perfectly fine  but they will not be able to conceive. It will be for causes that they won't know. But, the majority of couples that we have seen have conceived. And, Ana and her husband were one of them. Now, I want to mention another thing that she was told, she was 34 at the time and her doctor told her that her infertility has to do with her age. and, well it is true! fertility decreases in women after 35 like rapidly! The optimal time for a woman conception is on her twenties. 

Thanks for listening to our life stories! 💕 ¡Gracias por escucharnos!
Contact me: Lydia@simplenatural.org

Transcript

INFERTILITY

For what seemed to be an eternity…

My husband and I tried to conceive and had no success.  I consulted with several medical professionals and had various painful and costly exams only to determine—NOTHING.  They didn’t seem to find anything specific wrong with me.  I found myself on an emotional roller coaster month after month—anger, bitterness, frustration, sadness, hope, anxiety.  Then, after my period came—I was disappointed and sad.  The next month, the emotional roller coaster started up again.  I found myself depressed, and it was hurting me and my marriage.

 Advanced Maternal Age?!

At one of several medical appointments, I consulted with a doctor who attributed my infertility to ‘advanced maternal age.’  I was 34 at the time and had taken birth control pills for about 10 years.  That moment drowned my hope like a heavy anchor at the bottom of the sea.  The last ounce of hope I had been gone.  And on top of it all—I developed feelings of guilt and resentment.  I’d known plenty of women who had become pregnant at my age, even older.  Why couldn’t I?  I took the little bit of energy I had left and continued to try to conceive.  And we prayed.

A friend told us about a Natural Method…

Despite emotional pain and the fact that my health state was seemingly out of my hands, I sought answers to my infertility.  My desire to have a baby and become a mother only grew stronger.  I prayed every chance I could.  And in November of 2010, our prayers were answered (only in hindsight did we realize it).  A friend who had attended a Natural Family Planning Presentation referred us to Lydia,  a Billings Ovulation Method® teacher.

Lydia taught my husband and me the basics of The Billings Ovulation  Method®; a simple yet scientific natural method I did not know even existed.  She taught us how to keep track of my cycle on a daily basis to help me determine certain factors.  I charted the events of my cycle month after month and learned about some of my personal deficiencies, for instance, a short luteal phase, not ovulatory bleeds (times when I bled without ovulation happening), and poor nutritional habits.

Wonderfully made -a woman!

As I discovered these things, I realized how truly amazing it was that God created us women with all of the indicators to allow us to plan a family, postpone childbirth—and even narrow down our complex women issues.  I wondered why more doctors didn’t know about this.  But even though I was slowly making discoveries about my cycle, I still felt anxious and impatient.  I even reached moments when I wanted to give up charting completely.  But Lydia motivated me to continue and assured me that I would soon recover my health.  Patience was not easy, but it was necessary for me to clearly see any improvements, as little as they may have seemed.

She was right; my health eventually did improve, as did my emotional state.  I reached a point when I didn’t feel desperate and helpless.  I felt cool, calm and collected.  My hope grew.

I was not quite convinced that artificial means were the answer for us!

After charting for a couple of months I attended a talk by Dr. Garza, a Natural Family Planning (NFP) gynecologist endocrinologist from San Antonio TX, the speech motivated me to take my gathered information to the next level.  Therefore, I consulted with my OBGYN and showed her my portfolio.  Unfortunately, she did not really seem to know what to do with it.  She pretty much patted me on the back as if to tell me that I was on the right track, and she advised me to keep trying.  She also referred me to a fertility specialist for information about insemination and in vitro fertilization, both of which are against Catholic Church teaching.

 But I was not quite convinced that artificial means of conceiving was the answer for us.  It seemed so unnatural.  And as I researched the procedures I found out that, BABIES were created then destroyed as part of the process.  Though at times, I admit, my obsession with becoming a mother did lead me to consider it, I chose not to take this route.  I didn’t want the burden of guilt, and I continued to ask God for guidance.

The Chart as a tool for treatment, the blindfold of helplessness was slowly being removed…

The nearest medical professional, familiar with NFP, who would know what to do with my ongoing NFP documentation, was in San Antonio at the time. He reviewed my information and prescribed different medications depending on the specific events of my cycle—all information that came from my own charting journal!   It wasn’t out of my hands after all!  It was an incredible feeling to know that I could contribute in some way to this fulfilling desire of conceiving a child—that God had given me the tools and the blindfold of helplessness was slowly being removed.  At my follow-up appointments, I saw obvious improvements in my hormonal composition.   I met with the doctor a total of 3 times and kept up with my daily charts.
 

Finally Pregnant!

In July 2011, God blessed us with a “+” sign on a home pregnancy test.  And 38 weeks later, our ever-so-loved little girl became the ultimate blessing on Easter Sunday.   There is not a day that goes by that we fail to thank God for our baby girl.

I like to share our experience with other couples who seem to be in the same situation we were.  I even urge friends who have suffered with miscarriages to learn about their cycles through NFP.  I have also resumed documenting with the Billings Method™ (on a practical online chart) so that I could correspond easily with Lydia. Now, my goals for charting are different.  We’d like to postpone pregnancy until my body is fully recovered (not to mention my energy level).



In the future, I would like to educate other couples on NFP—even my own daughter when she is older—about the using tools God has given us to understand our body’s indicative patterns.

Ana,

Wife, Mother, and Blessed in many ways

Ana's story is just so beautiful and so wonderful. And I give thanks  and I celebrate that she was able to conceive, that she and her husband received a beautiful little girl.
I would like to take this opportunity to comment on some of the things that Ana is mentioning in this letter, on her words to you all.

She had consulted with several medical professionals; painful and costly exams and they determined nothing! They did not seemed to find anything specifically wrong with her. And yes! I have seen this many times. Couples sometimes are told by doctors that their fertility is fine -his, hers- and sometimes is like. nothing seems to be wrong, however they can't conceive. Now, about 10% of couples  are in the situation in which everything seems to be perfectly fine  but they will not be able to conceive. It will be for causes that they won't know. But, the majority of couples that we have seen have conceived. And, Ana and her husband were one of them. Now, I want to mention another thing that she was told, she was 34 at the time and her doctor told her that her infertility has to do with her age. And, well it it true! fertility decreases in women after 35 like rapidly! The optimal time for a woman conception is on her twenties.  However we know that there seem to be like a trend  that women are postponing pregnancy, having their first baby around 3o some. And this is something important for women to consider, they have different reasons why they postpone pregnancy, having a baby but it is true! we are not going to deny that after 35 the woman's fertility decreases and more after 40. That does not mean that a woman will  not be able to conceive, there is still possibilities, of course, but fertility will be diminished greatly.

Now, she says something that is so wonderful, most of the women, couples that we have seen, they were referred by somebody that know them. A fries told us about natural family planning, she said. And they just contacted me and they  were able to begin the process about her body and about like she rightfully say: God's signs of fertility that He has given us -women, to be able to pinpoint the stage of our menstrual cycle; if we are ovulating or not and, she also mentions that -I remember clearly, that she was able to find, after charting the events of her cycle month after month, that she had deficiencies. Short luteal phase,  which had to do with some problems with ovulation that progesterone levels that has to be on certain levels after ovulation are just not there and, menstruation just comes at a time that it shouldn't and those cycles are considered infertile.
She also mentions anovulatory bleeds and this means that a woman is having a monthly bleeding, she may think that she is having normal cycles but then, when she starts charting,  we can see that she is having fluctuations of hormones but not what we call -The Peak of fertility, which is an indicative of ovulation on the woman.
And she mentions this: short luteal phases and not ovulatory cycles.

And its also very nice that she mentions "how wonderful I was made a woman" that she is able to discover through this process of charting,  how truly amazing is that God created us!  She had all this time the indications that will allow her to plan a family, to postpone or to conceive, but she just never knew.
And yes! she rightfully asks: why more doctors don't know about this?  Well, I think it is really up to us to de educate medical professionals with the knowledge that we can get by just getting to know our own body.

You know? when couples are in this process of trying to conceive,  and in this process that begins by charting,  and by knowing their bodies and by seeing in the chart the fluctuation of hormones,  if she is ovulating or not, couples and women get discouraged. But usually, when a couple comes to us,  is because they want to try to do everything as natural as possible.
They learn, it takes a couple of weeks to learn. Each couples is different  because all depends on their history, their health history,  and the situation that they are living; their age of course,  and sometimes is necessary to resource to a medic al professional sooner.  but in this case, it was chosen not to.  Each couple decides what is the path that they want to take. And, in this case this progression was eventually to see the doctor.

She mentions something that is so true! about what the doctor recommends to her; her own gynecologists recommends her to have artificial insemination or In Vitro Fertilization. After doing a research she learned that this is not! this was not the answer for them! because she said, it just seemed so un natural! And when she research the procedure and she finds out that babies are created and then destroyed as part of the process, she just chose not to take that route, she mentions that she did not want the burden of guilt.  I urge you to learn about the process, to learn about what is what happens when the couple seeks specifically In vitro fertilization. What is what happens to all of the process and  the body and, there is studies that show also that,  when a couples goes through in vitro fertilization treatments for achieving pregnancy, there is so much stress and changes that go not only physically but emotionally through the couples and through the woman specifically.  And this creates anxiety sometimes to women,  she is being treated with this enormous amounts of medications to help her ovulation -hyper ovulate!  And then all of this process that involves so many people that is with her! In a process, in a way that is totally against nature!  Ana also mentions that this is against the teachings of the Catholic Church.
I remember seeing an advertise for In vitro fertilization  and it said: "We create your baby"  now, think about it and put it in your heart,  who is a creator of LIFE? it is only God!  through the woman and the man in union in their embrace... to create LIFE!
Now, the process of In vitro fertilization involves: The Vitro -exactly! fertilizing the woman ovum in a procedure. And a lot of people is involved.
Now, think about it! LIFE will not begin in the sacred place in the womb. It will begin in a sterile place, which is a vitro!  and she says: I was not convinced that artificial means were the answer for us.
And also through the process, the way we guide couples towards learning more  and making an informed decision,  is by putting them in contact with medical professionals that are dedicating their medical practice for Natural Fertility Regulation, and she mentions Dr. Garza, she goes to this talk that she is giving in a town, here in Texas, and then, she is motivated to go see her own doctor. But, her doctor still don't understand, her doctor here in town don't understand that, the advices of Dr. Garza, this wonderful doctor endocrinologist,  is giving all couples that are present, that are having issues with fertility or, women that are having issues with their menstrual cycles.  Most doctors, still, if you go and you say to the doctor: I heard about this Billings Method, I heard about Natural, Family Planning, I heard about Natural Fertility Regulation, for my issues or four our issues for infertility,  most likely they are going to dismiss it and think or say to you that is no going to work!
Now, how do you know that is not going to work?  The Billings Ovulation Method is scientifically based, and, there is a study done actually also about how effective it has been on achieving pregnancy for couples that were not able to conceive.
Now, its so beautiful, and I really c celebrate with her, with Ana, and with all the women and the couples that have been part of, that have been able to conceive.
Like a blindfold of helplessness that was slowly being removed -she said: finding out and learning the unique way in which God had created our body! The information that help the doctors give her a treatment came from her own charting journal; that it was not totally out of her hands after all!
Yes! and I do celebrate the incredible feeling that she felt that she could contribute to this desire of conceiving a child.  And I love that she is recognizing that God had given her , had given us, to as all the tool to know... what is going on with our hormones in our menstrual cycle.  And it is true! this is all so wonderful, to be able to know your body; and to be able to be part of a solution that will help you achieve your goals.
I love so much her desires for other couples to experience what she now knew.
I love also that Ana says that when her daughter is older,  she wants to educate her about this tools.
And we celebrate when women learn and they teach their own daughters about God's given signs in our bodies.  It is just beautiful! and it creates this wonderful and amazing  -Union, from women to women, from mother to daughter! that  are able to share in the knowledge that once was denied!

Continue in this journey of Womanhood, Thank you so much!