Worldwide FertilityCareTM Week was celebrated March 24 – 30 this year. In Marshalltown, the week ended with a fantastic conference called Going Natural, A Healthy Choice. The conference was sponsored by our local Culture of Life Committee as well as other organizations throughout the state. Attendees included many couples, single women and medical professionals who travelled up to three hours to come and receive a wide array of information regarding fertility awareness, contraceptive use/effects and relationships.

The speakers were regional and international professionals. Here are just a few of the comments from participant evaluations: “Great speakers with qualifications, experience and knowledge,” “The information booths and panel discussion were fantastic,” “Loved it all – could easily be a multi-day event,” “Amazing speakers and I appreciate the medical backgrounds and research-based information,” and “Speakers provided so much information, I definitely feel empowered.”

If you were unable to attend this event but would like to attend in the future, you are in luck. There are groups from Des Moines, Ames and Davenport who are very excited to share this information and are planning to offer this conference in their communities.

As a FertilityCare Practitioner, I have been blessed with the opportunity to teach women and couples about their fertility for over two decades. I have had conversations with many adults who have misconceptions and are the first to admit that they have a lack of knowledge about how their own reproductive system works. It’s a pretty common occurrence in our society, as it is a delicate subject that is swept under the table and not easily discussed among family members or even at the doctor’s office.

But, as we all know, knowledge creates power. The more we can glean from various sources, the better we are equipped to make good decisions for ourselves and our loved ones. And so, this is the goal in offering educational resources such as the Going Natural Conference, private Introductory Sessions in Creighton Model FertilityCare and the upcoming Cycle Show (for girls ages 10-13). And for those who prefer online education, there is a 4-day Cycle Power Summit in May which features more than 30 topics presented by many physicians and other experts in the field of fertility awareness.

You may be curious about the statistics regarding the effectiveness of the Creighton Model FertilityCare system (CrMS). This method has been heavily researched for decades and is 99.5% (perfect use) and 96.8% (typical use) effective when used to avoid pregnancy. CrMS is 76-98% effective when used to help achieve pregnancy and is extremely beneficial to couples who are experiencing infertility issues.

There are several other natural methods available and all of these methods are generally lumped together under the broader heading of Fertility Awareness-based Methods (also known as FAMs). These methods would include Sympto-Thermal, Standard Days, Calendar method (Rhythm) and others. So when researching data online, the statistical information is often given for the entire group, including those that are much less effective. You can rest assured that the CrMS is not your grandmother’s Rhythm method.

For more information, you can contact me at ljacobs@mediacombb.net or visit the following websites:

www.fertilitycare.org

www.fiatfertilitycarecenter.com

www.guidingstarproject.com

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Linda Jacobs is a BSN, RN, FCP in Marshalltown.