The first year of our marriage, we used NFP to avoid pregnancy. Charting allowed us to clearly identify fertile and infertile days so we could make intentional decisions together. There was no guessing, anxiety, pills or barriers. Just a full and total gift of self in our marriage and confidence in making responsible choices for our family.
When we felt called to grow our family, months passed and it wasn’t as simple as A + B = C. Thankfully, charting equipped us for this season too. By the time we met with a NaPro doctor, I had two years of charts to share. This gave her a detailed, day-by-day medical history of my reproductive health. Although my cycles looked “normal,” we weren’t conceiving. Further testing revealed an infection in my uterus, which was diagnosed and treated. Soon after, we conceived our oldest child.
Our Story with the Creighton Model
When my husband and I were engaged, we learned the Creighton Model FertilityCare™ System, a Fertility Awareness Based Method used for Natural Family Planning. I charted for nine months before marriage, learning to read my body’s biological signs of fertility and understanding my health in a way I never had before.
Almost immediately, I found myself wondering why I had never been taught how my body actually works and how I could help share this essential knowledge with others.
After our first two babies were born, we continued charting to avoid pregnancy postpartum. Later, when we hoped for a third child, I noticed something had changed. We weren’t conceiving, and my body’s natural signs of fertility had disappeared. I followed up with a NaPro doctor and received a new diagnosis of PCOS. I actually smiled hearing it because answers meant a clear path toward healing. We conceived soon after and our third baby was born in the summer of 2025.
This is the gift of cycle charting: deep awareness of your body, the ability to recognize when something is off, and the confidence to advocate for your health. Charting with Creighton has given us freedom in our marriage, knowledge every person deserves, and the empowerment to actively participate in our reproductive health.