Natural Family Planning Blog

My answer is below. Enjoy!

I've been reading The Garden of Fertility since I have been suffering from
6 week to 2 month long bleeding cycles over the last 6 months with
temperatures in the 97's. I'm 22, vegan, and have been off the pill since
December. So far I have learned a ton from the book, and am going to start
the steps suggested (blocking out light from my bedroom, eliminating soy
and plastics, etc). I am seeing a Naturopath and am scheduled to receive a
hormone panel and an ultrasound of my uterus to look for fibroids. For
ethical reasons, I am not willing to give up my vegan diet. Can you
suggest any other resources for veganism and reproductive health?

I do take vitamin supplements (iron, vitamin b, a multi, and I am
beginning to introduce calcium and vitamin d) and feel great besides my prolonged
bleeding.

Obviously, there is so much going in my life/environment/diet/cycle that I
can't summarize it into this e-mail, but I would definitely appreciate any
more information about veganism that could help me.
Here's what I understand: the human body cannot manufacture hormones
without vitamins A and D. Both of these vitamins are only available from
animal sources. Beta Carotene requires the body to convert it into vitamin
A and compromised bodies have trouble making that conversion. If you want
sufficient vitamin D from sunlight, I have read that you need to be naked
at noon and at a latitude that gets a lot of sun.

I am also recommending now that women experiment with eliminating or
drastically decreasing their use of wireless devices to encourage better
health.

My response follows the question. Enjoy!

Hi Katie,

I wanted to write this morning and ask your advice on problems I have been
having with my cycles. 

I am 26, almost 27, and I'm having trouble with my cycles. I don't smoke,
have never had an abortion, and have no known gynae problems. My husband and
I decided that we were ready to start trying to conceive last April (2009),
so went to see my GP (general practitioner - we're in New Zealand!). My GP
recommended I come off of the pill, and gave me a pamphlet on Fertility
Awareness. I had been on a second generation pill, because I had had trouble
with my skin as a teenager. I had been on it since I was 16, but still I
assumed that everything would resume as normal when I came off of the pill.
That said, I have no real idea what my cycles were like before I went on the
pill. I don't remember ever paying much attention to them. 

Around the same time, I started a course with a pro-Weston A Price
nutritionist. I started eating this way and found that its really natural
for us. I have basically stuck as close to their principles as possible
since then - I make our own breads (mostly sourdough), eat home made
sauerkraut and kimchi, take cod liver oil, and we drink raw milk. I do my
best to soak our grains (though occasionally don't get there). We live in
the country, so we have our own free-range chickens, and because my husband
hunts, 80 percent of our meat is wild game. I also stopped drinking coffee,
and started avoiding sugar, though it does sneak in a bit, in the forms of
sauces, chutneys, chocolate and home baking.

It was also around this time that I came across your article in Nourishing
Traditions, and looked forward to using Fertility Awareness to track my
cycles. I was so excited about regaining what felt like my natural birth
right that I had been rejecting, without even being aware of it.

However, initially, my cycles did not return. I didn't have a period until
October. In October, I woke up one night and discovered that the phone
beside our bed was casting a light strong enough that I could see my hand. I
removed this, and three days later began bleeding.

Following this, I decided that night-lighting was clearly the way to go to
help regulate my cycles and to help us conceive. That said, it felt
unnatural to me to artificially light when we lived in the country, where
there is very little light around. So I left us in complete darkness, until
the time of the full-moon, when we opened the curtains. While this was a
long way into my cycle (Day 31) I ovulated, and then conceived.

I miscarried in December, at 6 weeks. Following the miscarriage, my husband
and I decided that waiting a few months was a good idea, as we were both
pretty upset. So we did, using condoms to prevent pregnancy. 

At first, my cycles returned, mostly normal. While I didn't really have a
period bleed with the miscarriage, two weeks later, though it was the dark
of the moon, I found myself at a friends house sleeping under a street
light. I ovulated (with lots and  lots of fertile mucus), and though my
luteal phase was short, my period followed normally.  In January I was away
from home, and slept under light right after my temperature rise, which came
on day 21.Though my temperatures were more erratic then the last time, I
ovulated with still some, though slightly less, fertile mucus and my luteal
phase was 11 days. I bled on the full moon. In February, though, I was at
home, and so instead of artificial lighting, I slept in complete darkness
until the full moon, four weeks later. I ovulated on Day 17, folowing 4 days
of scant egg white mucus. I bled two days after the full moon shinign in our
windows. My luteal phase was 12 days. In March, I didn't ovulate, and the
full moon brought on light, spotty, bleeding. The following cycle (April)
was short - I ovulated on day 14, (though with practically no show of
fertile mucus) and had the heaviest period I have had yet, with lots of
cramping and crying. I bled just before the full moon, and so left the
curtains shut. I have come to think that maybe I should just be sleeping in
darkness because my cycles are so out of kilter. This cycle, I have come
close to ovulating. I had a show of Fertile-quality mucus, though not a lot,
and my cervix softened and rose. But there had been no long temperature peak
- my temps have been all over the place. I am now at day 23, and have only
had creamy mucus for a few days.

When my ovulation stopped again in March, I considered my lifestyle, and
what I may have been doing to cause this. While I was continuing with our
traditional way of eating, and regular infusions of nettle tea, I had also
been drinking much more alcohol then in the six months previously. I had had
a few hangovers after large weekend nights. So I decided to stop drinking
again, but completely this time, and see if this helped. With the resumption
of my period in April, I felt like this was the right choice, even though it
was a difficult one to make. I enjoy wine, and think it is a natural partner
with good food and good company. So I miss being able to share the pleasure
of it in our lives, though going to the effort of forming new habits is
worth it if it helps strengthen my cycles and health. But now, this cycle, I
haven't ovulated again, and I feel frustrated and quite helpless. Why bother
stopping id it doesn't make any odds? In your opinion, how much of an effect
does social drinking have on fertility?

While we had been waiting to try for another pregnancy following the
miscarriage, we are both now ready, and not been using any protection since
March. I feel like by waiting, we have missed our chance somehow - as my
cycles have become increasingly irregular. Like I ignored the clear signs of
fertility following the miscarriage, and now they have slipped away. I'm
sure that sounds silly, since it's only been a couple of months, but it's
now been a year since we decided it was the right time for us to have a
baby.

Anyway, I know you're busy, but I'd love to know what you think -
particularly about the night-lighting. I am happy to try lighting mid-cycle,
but I do feel like introducing artificial light, when the moon is available
to shine in our windows, is somehow not right. i also worry that if I get
pregnant lighting artificially,  I would need to continue this monthly
lighting throughout the pregnancy - so that my internal rhythms would know
another month had passed.

Also, I have been taking nettle infusion, from local nettles. I've ordered
Susan Weed's book 'The Child Bearing Year' and will consider her advice on
other herbal remedies. Do you think this is a good idea, or something worth
exploring?

Thank you Katie.

**********

I salute you your goal of restoring the health of your menstrual cycles.
I've learned over the years that the menstrual cycle cannot be controlled.
We can nourish and support it, but it often doesn't go in the way we think
it should. We need to be gentle and patient with ourselves.

Given that you were on the Pill for so many years, the cycles you describe
sound pretty good to me. It also sounds wise to continue experimenting
with nightlighting as your intuition directs you, and to quit alcohol
consumption all together.

I am also suggesting at this point that people experiment with cutting
back on their use of mobile phones and WiFi. At least, turn the WiFi off
while you sleep and keep all electric appliances (including phones and
clocks) at least ten feet from your head. Unplug the devices while you
sleep  if you can. Try this for a few months and see if you notice a
difference.

Very best,

Katie Singer

My answer follows the question below.
Hi Katie,

I'm not sure if you're still updating your website Garden of Fertility.

If you are, I'd just like to draw your attention to the "Test Your Fertility IQ"
page here:
http://www.gardenoffertility.com/iq.shtml

At #8 you have put the following:

8. Pre-ejaculate contains enough sperm to cause a pregnancy
          or HIV. True or False. 

          A: True.

I'm wondering if you still hold true with this? I have found some other links that
say otherwise:

http://kinseyconfidential.org/can-you-get-pregnant-from-pre-cum/
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/withdrawal-pull-out-method-4218.htm

Just would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for your question. I see that several studies now show that
pre-ejaculate does not contain sperm UNLESS the man recently ejaculated
but has not urinated since the first ejaculation. I don't know what
current studies say about whether HIV can be transmitted by
pre-ejaculate.
I figure that these questions are relevant to people who want to use
withdrawal to prevent pregnancy. It still seems risky as a method of
preventing pregnancy.I would not recommend it unless the woman is having
an undoubtedly infertile day.
Best,
Katie Singer

Hi Katie,   I do my best to eat a Weston A. Price nutrient-rich diet with grass-fed  butter, raw milk and cheese, pasture-raised meats, etc.  My cycle has been  a pretty consistent 23-25 days long for the past year, and my two most  recent cycles have been just 20 days long.  Do you have any ideas what  that might mean?  Or anything I can do/eat to try to get back on track  (closer to 28 days)?  I am going to start charting my cycle and see if that tells me anything.  I’m 30 years old and not planning to have  children anytime soon, but I do care about my reproductive health and hope  to have children in the future.   Thanks for all your good work on these topics!

*******

Katie responds:

You need to chart and learn whether you are ovulating or not. Often, short cycles mean that estrogen dominates progesterone in your reproductive system. You need to decrease things that lead to estrogen dominance. More on this subject is discussed in this blog.

I can’t tell from the diet you describe if you include caffeine, sugar, white flour, or soy, but if you do, be sure to decrease them.  Try adding cod liver oil and the night-lighting technique that I describe in my book.  Best of luck,  Katie Singer

Hi Katie!

I need a little advice. I have used the NFP method in the past with
great success. I went back on the pill for about a year to keep my
periods regular during a very stressful time in my life (my final year
of college). I am now back to tracking my cycles (also using a condom
for back-up) and off the pill. My question concerns my cervix during
certain times of the month. Now, I don’t monitor my cervix’s firmness
every day, as you suggest, but I do notice that during lovemaking my
cervix is very tender during certain times of my cycle. Does this
tenderness mean my cervix is soft or firm? I have not really tried to
detect a pattern, but I thought maybe the tenderness would work as a
good indicator for where I am in my cycle.

Thanks! I hope this is a good question.

Please see my response below.

********

Hi Katie,

I just had a beautiful baby girl last November (named Katie actually). I have your book, “The Garden of Fertility” that I used to
chart my temperatures before I conceived her.

I just have a question for you. I’m trying to figure out what my body is up to. After Katie was born my cycles returned rather quickly. I nursed her every two hours for several months. Now she nurses about every three hours, nurses once or twice at night and is eating solids regularly each day. She’s now 10 1/2 months old. The thing is I haven’t had a period in about two months. I love nutrition and try to eat the Weston A. Price way (as much as I can afford or handle). I also sleep in complete darkness each night. Here’s the part I can’t figure out. I’ve had a LOT of mucus for weeks. It’s there just about every time I use the bathroom. We’ve taken two pregnancy tests and they were both negative. What do you think could be causing all that
mucus?

Thanks for your help!

—–

While a woman transitions back to regular cycling, it’s a very confusing time. The confused signals can go on for a long time. Mucus is a sign that your body is emitting estrogen, and that tells us that your body is trying to ovulate.

You might try sleeping exposed to light for two to three nights, then returning to darkness for two weeks. Continue with darkness for two more weeks, then two to three days of light, then two more weeks of darkness.

You might also try taking high quality cod liver oil with butter everyday and eliminating soy, sugar, and caffeine.

Best of luck,

Katie Singer

Enjoy!

Dear Katie,

I am finally writing to you, nearly a year after first reading your wonderful book (the Garden of Fertility). I had been on the pill for about 6 years before having my son (I was one of those weird people who conceives 2 weeks after being off the pill), but during the pregnancy and the process of planning the birth I discovered a more natural way of doing things and felt very opposed to the idea of going back on the pill. Of course, I was also breastfeeding and planning to do so for a while, so
I knew I couldn’t take any type of hormonal medication. My midwife (we planned a home birth) recommended your book to me; I got it when my son was about a month old and never looked back. I have been working with Ilene Richman on occasion over the past 10 months or so now. She is the one who recommended I contact you to tell you how much you have inspired and influenced me.

Not only has fertility awareness changed my daily life (I have been charting regularly since November of last year), it has also taught me so many wonderful things about my body and its functioning. My son just turned one and I am still breastfeeding him frequently; I have yet to return to ovulation, but am finding it so exciting watching my body gearing up for action! I went on the pill when I was about 19 and was basically on it right up until getting pregnant, so I never really had the experience of observing my cycles in a conscious way. Now I look forward to finally being able to do that.

The biggest impact your book had on me, however, was the section on nutrient-dense foods and the Weston Price Foundation. I became a member early this year, and last November we joined our local NYC “raw milk club.” When I read the section in your
book on the WAPF way of eating, something about it just really clicked for me. I pounced on the information and became totally committed to changing our diets and way of eating. I had been mainly vegetarian for the 9 months preceding my pregnancy, but I had strong cravings for steak right after the birth that I couldn’t deny; when I read more about WAPF my cravings finally made sense. My husband had been a junk-food vegetarian for 16 years (for animal rights reasons), but this year he started eating meat again. We go out of our way to put 95% of our food dollars into the local economy, buying grass-fed meat & poultry, raw milk & dairy, whole wheat sourdough bread, fresh local fruits & veggies, and even local organic dry beans; high-vitamin cod liver oil plays a big role in our lives, and sugar plays NO role at all now! I have seen a dramatic improvement in all of the minor health conditions that I accepted as part of life for years. This is all thanks to YOU! I know many people are resistant to the WAPF gospel — they think grain-based diets and soy are the way to go — and many people have a mortal fear of fats, especially those nasty saturated ones, but I wanted you to know that there are readers out here who are desperately hungry for this information, and we greatly appreciate you sharing it. Of course I have now shared this knowledge with everyone I can in my own life, most importantly my two sisters (one of whom has a young child and is pregnant again), and my mom, as well as my husband’s family who are originally from Mexico. [Unfortunately they gave up lard for corn oil when they moved here some 35 years ago, but whenever we go to visit them in Chicago I bring lard along and encourage them to use it!]

I have also made it my mission in life to help other expecting and young moms with finding ways to use nutrient-dense foods to achieve total health for themselves and their little ones. I received my certification as a Health Counselor this year, and
have a small practice here in Brooklyn NY helping women and families with a range of issues, all from a natural, nutrient-dense foods perspective. I recently presented on baby’s first foods at our local La Leche League meeting, and was overwhelmed with inquiries from mothers anxious for information on feeding their babies. I plan to reach out to local pediatricians and OB/GYNs to let them know how my services can help their patients have healthier, better lives. I take local moms to the farmers’ market, I help clients shop for food, I teach to prepare foods properly, and I make it my mission to inspire women to really prioritize their health & well-being. Of course, a discussion of fertility awareness is also a part of my practice. Just as women need some coaching with getting on the right track for FA (and reproductive self-care), they also often need a coach to help with food issues. My practice is truly holistic in that it allows women to address all the reasons why they eat the way they do (emotional, practical, financial, etc.), and helps them learn to observe how foods are affecting their
mood, energy level, and health; I also lead my clients in transitioning gradually to a better way of eating. Learning about nutrient-dense foods from your book has truly impacted my entire life, from my career to my health. [Did I also mention
that our son is absolutely thriving on this diet? He is robust, adorable, and incredibly social and smart.]

Thank you for reading, and THANK YOU for your work! I am more grateful to you than I can say.