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The Blog

    • Oct 24, 2023
    • 4 min read

Body Literacy and What I have Learned.

Good October Morning,


Alright, ladies! This week's blog is purely informational and for me to share tools that have greatly impacted my life.


*Disclaimer - To any male readers, this week’s blog post might not be of interest to you. I am sharing details of fertility awareness and tools for women to help monitor their cycles. Additionally, I am not providing medical advice of any kind, but simply sharing my experience.*


As women, our bodies change. While that may be hard to admit at times, it is a certifiable fact and women’s bodies were designed for life’s changes. I have found that a crucial part of my health is dependent on my knowledge and discerning what is occurring within my body - body literacy if you will.


I was introduced to Natural Family Planning (NFP) when my husband and I were going through marriage preparation in 2022. We had to complete an NFP certification by taking a virtual course and honestly, we didn’t have the best experience with this program. It was educational, but we felt far removed from the curriculum/teacher and that the chart information itself was incredibly challenging to use. I kept asking, “Why - where did these rules come from?” There has to be a simpler process for monitoring your fertility.


Even more so, the thought that echoed through my brain was, “Why am I just now learning how to track my cycles and fertility at age 23? Why isn’t this education taught to women at a younger age?”


So, yes, let’s get this point straight Natural Family Planning or Fertility Awareness can help you plan and discern when to start a family, but it provides SO MUCH MORE INSIGHT than you would think! I need to introduce you to an amazing author on this topic - Lisa Henderson-Jack. Lisa wrote the most succinct, empowering book I have ever picked up, “The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility.” If this one paragraph piques your interest, I highly recommend picking up her book and reading it cover to cover!


“Considering that most biological women menstruate, you’d think we’d have a better idea of what a normal period is supposed to look like. Many women don’t realize they’re not experiencing a true menstruation unless they ovulate, and many more believe it’s normal for their periods to be painful. Let’s set the record straight once and for all: severe pain of any kind is not normal and is a clear indication that something is wrong.”


You are all likely familiar with your vital signs - blood pressure, body temperature, respiration rate, and pulse. Ladies, no one will step up and monitor or change your health for you. You have to take the initiative yourself. This is where fertility awareness comes in as the 5th vital sign to understand your overall health. I also quickly learned that the best charting information comes directly from myself. Relying on an app or algorithm to do the work for you leaves a margin for error. The best person who knows what’s going on is quite simply me. Keep it simple that way!



If I could rewind the clock in college and utilize Fertility Awareness principles, I absolutely would. So, no matter your life stage - high school, college-aged, single, or in a dedicated relationship I highly recommend looking at these resources!


Step 1 is to read “The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility,” by Lisa Henderson-Jack. This book is an eye-opener, and I can’t say enough good things about it.


Step 2 is to realize there are countless methods of Fertility Awareness or NFP. For example, Creighton, Marquette, Billings, or Sympto-Thermal (BBT+Cervical Mucus CM) methods among others. This is where you will need to do independent research and determine which method is best for you.


Step 3 is to check out these resources online and give them a follow on social media:



Catholic Women & Couples NFP

I track my cycles using the FEMM (Fertility Education and Medical Management) app on my phone. It’s free to download on the app store and it holds everything I need in one spot. At the end of the day, I enter the data for my ‘signs’ that day - Basal Body Temperature (BBT) and Cervical Mucus (Sympto-Thermal Method). It provides a graph to help me interpret what my fertility is doing for the month. I also utilize TempDrop a wearable sensor that monitors your BBT while you sleep eliminating the rule that you need to wake up and take your temp at exactly the same time each morning.


I also recently completed Mairead’s “Family Planning” course through Lumina Health Services and she is phenomenal! I would highly recommend checking out her course offerings if you want to learn more. She also had great discount codes for FEMM Equipment!

I am so pleased to share this information with my friends because I wish I understood it earlier in life. Wherever this blog article finds you today, I hope it brings helpful information your way.


All the Amazing Girl Things,

Lady K


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