I am interested in sharing the knowledge of natural fertility management to those interested in learning, thereby imparting with them a better understanding of what is happening within their bodies each month.
Women are naturally more intuitive than
their male counterparts. It is in a woman’s nature to be observant of their
bodies and that of the changing world around them.
Using easy to learn techniques such as cervical mucus observation and daily basal body temperature recording, every
female can begin to chart their fertile times and their infertile times.
A woman is only fertile for a couple days
every month!
Achieving contraception using the
sympto-thermal method is between 97% and 99.8%. This is just as effective as
many of the other common forms of contraception such as “the pill”. Personally
I think that it is remarkable that this is not common knowledge in female
circles!
The only reason I learnt this is because I
am a curious, open-minded person who doesn’t easily take no for an answer! I would like to share with you my story…
When I was 14 and 9 months (so my Mum tells
me, I did not take so much notice back then!) I got my first period. My
heritage is Indian on my mother’s side and in her culture this was a special
moment, becoming a woman, it was something
to celebrate. I was given beautiful Indian gold jewellery from my Mum and my
Grandma. Tears were shed. I felt
special.
The next time I went to the doctor (I
didn’t go often as I usually saw my Chinese medicine practitioner for everyday
sicknesses) he asked if I had gotten my period and I said I had but only a
couple times and quite irregularly. I wasn’t worried about this; my Chinese
medicine practitioner had already told me that it would take a few years to
regulate. Contrary to this my doctor said that I should go on the pill to
regulate it. I said no, I couldn’t see the point.
Years passed and every time I went to the
doctor they would ask me if I was on the pill, I would say no, so they would
offer to write me a prescription. Even after my periods had regulated they
would still recommend it, they didn’t seem to mind whether I was sexually
active or not.
Many
times I went home with prescriptions that I never filled because I couldn’t
make them understand that I didn’t want to go on it (and it was the only way to
shut them up!).
In my mid-twenties my partner and I, very
much in love, decided that we were taking to many risks and leaving too much to
chance. We hated the physical feeling of condoms as well as the psychological
feeling of a barrier between us. We were certain that now was not a good time
for children; both of us had just started our own businesses and I was still
studying full time. With much deliberation I decided I would go on the pill.
To best describe myself after just one
month of taking a combined oral contraceptive pill I would say I was “crazy”!
I went back to the doctor and she said that
the dose must have been too strong for me and told me to try a different pill.
This one came in a novel little Pez-like dispenser that had an in built alarm
that went off each morning at the same time and wouldn’t stop until you took
it!
The next month was not so bad, I thought,
“Hey, this might actually be OK!”
By the third month however, shit began to
hit the fan! I was experiencing bloating and digestive issues, thrush, sore breasts,
poor concentration and insomnia. I was anxious, crying at the drop of a hat,
depressed with no motivation and had restless legs at night on top of the
insomnia. Every morning when the Pez-dispenser alarm went go off I would start
crying. I stopped taking the pills half way through that 3rd month
after finally throwing the thing at the wall so hard it broke.
I spoke to my doctor, I spoke to another
doctor, I went to a fertility control clinic and spoke to a specialist in the
field who knew of every single type of little pill that existed in Australia
(and even displayed them in blister packs on a pin board behind her!). I asked them all the same question, “I
don’t want to take any form of synthetic hormone, I don’t like using condoms
all the time, isn’t there some kind of natural option?”
“No!”
They all said, “No”.
Well I told you what I’m like, I didn’t
like that answer so I wouldn’t accept it. Deep down inside me I knew that that couldn’t
be right. I had previously read “The Pill – Are You Sure It’s For You?” by Jane
Bennett, this is a terrific book that I believe every girl should read. I
started my search with “Jane Bennett”.
Bull’s
eye! Here was a woman, living in Australia whose goal it was to educate and
empower women in menstrual wellbeing and holistic contraception! Please check out her website below.
I
followed my intuition and turned away from what I knew was not true, I stayed
focused and determined and filled my life with knowledge where I could see it
was lacking. My partner and I practice the
sympto-thermal method of natural contraception and it has not only brought us
closer together but it has given me a sense of freedom through heightened
awareness of what my awesome body is capable of.
I have been unburdened of the monthly worry
of an unwanted pregnancy, but I also know that should we ever decide to change
that decision I would know exactly when and how to fall pregnant and wouldn’t
be surprised if it happened after just one cycle.
Dr Shirley Rigoni is a Chinese Medicine Practitioner, she works at:
Melbourne Natural Wellness
Level 4, 178 Collins St, Melbourne
Ph: (03) 9662 1311
shirley@mnwc.com.au
