Healing, Faith, and NFP
Juliett Urban has a heart for sharing NFP because learning about it at the age of 28 dramatically altered her life. “Ever since I got my period, I’ve had very painful periods, debilitating to the point where I would be vomiting,” she says. “I would be praying I’d get my period on the weekend so I wouldn’t have to miss school or work. Unfortunately, every OBGYN I saw was like, ‘take birth control.’ And that wasn’t the answer to my problems.”
An Answer
At last, she found a doctor with another proposal: charting, having bloodwork done on specific days of her cycle, and analyzing hormones. “It was life transforming,” she says. “That’s not an exaggeration. Little by little the pain was going away.” The doctor helped her understand what was happening in her body, and how progesterone and adding particular vitamins to her diet could improve her fertility.
While NFP helped reveal answers to Juliett in her late 20s, she’s an advocate for others to learn it sooner. “It’s extremely important for a woman to learn about her fertility signs,” she says, “from the moment she gets her period to understand what a normal cycle is, how long she should be bleeding, that mucus is a great sign of health.”
NFP has already affected Juliett’s health for the better, but part of her and her husband Andy’s story is that they haven’t had children yet. Juliett recalls her primary care doctor, who had ample data on her cycles, saying she should expect to conceive within the first four months of trying. When that didn’t happen, Juliett and Andy were pointed to NaPro Technology, a health science specializing in treating reproductive health in conjunction with natural fertility.
More Answers
A NaPro doctor identified Juliett’s endometriosis, and that her left fallopian tube was blocked, which, if untreated, put her at a high risk of ectopic pregnancy. Andy and Juliett chose to have a surgery to address these issues. Thankfully, the surgery was a success, and the two are looking forward to the future with hope.
“We would have loved to have kids right away,” Juliett says. “But I have faith that God is all good, and whatever He gives us is going to be good. We trust that surgery and NFP can help us. I also know sometimes God doesn’t give us what we want. I want to grow in gratitude every day and just take it one day at a time.”
Value of Charting
Juliett and Andy’s story suggests to other couples the value of having a charting history and of proactively advocating for themselves if conception is a struggle. “When we were working with Juliett’s OB/GYN to figure out why we were having difficulty conceiving, it was very helpful to have records of Juliett’s cycles going back years,” Andy explains. That information allowed them to quickly rule out several diagnoses.
Juliett adds, “We were able to get the surgery only a few months after seeing the surgeon because we had those NFP charts.” To women who are experiencing infertility, Juliette says, “Please look for a NaPro technologist; it’s the way to go. NFP and NaPro are worth it even if you have to drive two or three hours.”
What’s really inspiring about the Urbans’ stories is how, despite their difficult journey they found something meaningful in Natural Family Planning that relates perfectly with their Catholic values. NFP is about respecting God’s design for marriage and their fertility, and growing closer together through honesty, patience, and shared responsibility.
You didn’t learn NFP during marriage prep?
Want to learn now?
CCL’s New PeakDay STMethod is for couples to learn this natural fertility method fully online in less than 3 hours. The PeakDay STMethod is the method behind the popular PeakDay fertility app-making it convenient for couples to share fertility and tracking. The online class includes a 60-day free trial of the PeakDay App and a one-on-one appointment with a fertility coach.
Written by S.J. Duca. Savanna is a writer and creative strategist with a special interest in art, film, and entrepreneurship. Her favorite authors currently include Evelyn Waugh, P. G. Wodehouse, and Marilynne Robinson.