Jason and Angela

Angela: Growing up, I never had normal cycles and initially doctors were not concerned. However, when they didn’t regulate after six years, the doctors did a full battery of tests and I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).”“I was also told that it was unclear whether I would be able to have children unassisted, but to not worry since there were many reproductive technologies that could help. I took the pill and continued to use hormonal forms of birth control for the next 8 years.When Jason and I met in 2002, I was a graduate student and practicing no faith in particular. Everyone I knew used birth control. It was the responsible thing to do. I had education and career goals and besides, I was also taking birth control for medical reasons. I was confident in my choices and I didn’t have any real desire to do anything different. However, despite everything I knew, I couldn’t move past the feeling that something was missing.

God is extremely faithful and through a series of life events my heart began to change. I began re-exploring the Catholic Church, and after three years I was back in full communion with the Church. Initially, it was my desire to conform to Church teaching that led me to stop using birth control. It wasn’t until later that I came to appreciate all NFP has to offer.

 

Angela: Despite this, it wasn’t long before NFP gave us our first gift. By tracking and working with a NaproTechnology physician, it became clear that I had a luteal phase defect and that many of my cycles were anovulatory. Had I gotten pregnant, I likely would have suffered repeat early miscarriages due to insufficient progesterone. Through nutritional changes and progesterone supplementation, we were able to observe real improvement in my cycle. For the first time, we were addressing the problems of PCOS, not just masking its symptoms. We conceived and gave birth to our daughter Gianna in 2008 without the help of any artificial technologies.

Angela: In 2009, I developed a complication from a previous abdominal surgery that required surgical repair. Due to the effects of the procedure, my ability to maintain my nutritional status was significantly impaired and my physicians advised me that it would be dangerous for me and any baby if I was to conceive in the next 18 months to two years. They recommended a “standard protocol” of two forms of birth control, a hormonal method and a barrier method used simultaneously at all times. We declined and instead relied on NFP. It was then that Jason and I learned the Sympto-Thermal Method so we could cross check multiple fertility signs.We used the most conservative rules for interpretation and, much to my doctor’s surprise, we did not conceive even after the surgery resulted in significant weight loss which reversed my PCOS and greatly improved my fertility. Once we were medically cleared, we conceived our son Joshua on our second cycle of trying and he was born in 2011.

The lessons we learned throughout this time were so much bigger than the method itself. God used NFP to show me his design and his plans for our family. We not only could trust the method, but we could trust each other, and ultimately, we could trust God. In 2012, our children and I moved 3.5 hours away from so that I could complete my residency. We were fortunate to see each other on weekends, but there were many challenges. I believe that NFP helped us to grow in such a way that our relationship and our communication were strong enough to see us through. Now that we are reunited and expecting our third child, we can’t imagine living any other way.