Infertility Archives

A Novena for Pregnancy

Young St. Philomena has been such a powerful intercessor, she’s actually the only saint who was canonized on the grounds of intercession alone. While miracles have been reported regarding a whole span of requests, she’s known as the patroness of babies, infants, and youth. It’s unsurprising, then, that she’s taken a special place in hearts…

An Infertility Book for Catholics

From the Family Foundations archives. **** When Angelique and Richard López first began experiencing infertility, Angelique went looking for a Catholic book on the topic but came up short. A few years later, her best friend, Carmen Santamaría, started down the same road. These Miami CCL volunteers decided to pool their research and write the…

Infertility 101: The Basics All Couples Should Know

From the Family Foundations archives. An excerpt from The Infertility Companion for Catholics: Spiritual and Practical Support for Couples, by Carmen Santamaria and Angelique Ruhi-Lopez, reprinted with permission from Ave Maria Press. **** What causes infertility? About a third of the time, infertility can be traced to a cause within the woman. In another third…

Infertility in Advent

Infertility is one of the worst pains that can befall a couple. And for those couples struggling to conceive, Advent — an entire season dedicated to the hopeful anticipation of a long-awaited birth — only highlights the aching they live every day. To all those couples reading this: we see you. Advice is probably not…

St. Andrew Novena Begins Tomorrow

St. Andrew’s novena is traditionally prayed by couples hoping to conceive. St. Andrew was the first apostle to follow Jesus (along with his better-known brother, Simon Peter) and the first Sunday of Advent always falls on the Sunday closest to St. Andrew’s feast day of November, 30. The novena to St. Andrew is traditionally known…

NFP Helps You Know the Best Time to Conceive

Trying to avoid or trying to conceive? It’s a pretty common question among those who use NFP since it’s a conversation that needs to be had every month. However, for couples who are contracepting it may seem like a crazy notion that you can use the same method of birth control to either avoid or…

NaPro Technology Respects Life

NFP can help to both avoid and achieve pregnancy. Whether this is the first time you’ve heard it or it’s already burned into your brain, it’s a pretty helpful fact! You are learning to identify the most fertile point in your cycle, letting you know the optimal time for you to get pregnant-that’s some pretty…

Agricultural Chemicals Affect Male Fertility

For couples struggling to conceive, the focus in treatment often lies with the woman. But if you live in an area with a strong agricultural presence, take note: agricultural chemicals affect sperm count and motility. In 2002, Shanna Swan, a professor of family and community medicine at the University of Missouri, announced findings suggesting that…

Infertility Speaks: 4 Women Reflect on the Journey to Parenthood

Note: The following couples were interviewed for or contributed to our feature stories on infertility in the March-April 2011 issue of Family Foundations magazine. ** Mrs. Mike is a Catholic blogger and NFP user who has two adopted children, Mrs. Mike reflects on infertility at http://musingsofmrsmike.blogspot.com/. When we were married, we received the gift of…