At the time of My Wellness Journey post, my ultimate goal at that time was to conceive. We reached the point that I was able to have regular cycles, and I was tediously tracking my cervical mucus throughout my cycle using the Creighton Model with the help of my amazing Creighton Model practitioner, Stephanie Gavin.1 For me, achieving regular cycles required the help of a medication that stimulates ovulation called letrozole in addition to bioidentical progesterone and estradiol – all of which I took during very specific days of my cycle. (All of these should only be prescribed by a licensed physician).
What does “regular cycle” really mean? When I say cycle, I am referring to the first day of my period through the day before my next period begins. By “regular”, I am meaning cycles that are regularly lasting 28 to 40 days with confirmed ovulation (typically around day 14-25). Most period tracking apps will automatically assume that you have a 28 day cycle and ovulate on day 14. Although this is not an uncommon pattern, many women whose cycles are still completely normal ovulate later in their cycle, which then causes their cycle as a whole to be longer.2
Once on my medication regime, my cycles were typically about 33-35 days long with ovulation occurring around day 18-20. I was also taking several supplements as support including a probiotic to encourage good gut function, a prenatal for general vitamin support and to prepare my body for pregnancy, echinacea to promote good immune function, and B6 to improve the quality of my cervical mucus. (Again, these are not medical recommendations, just what I was personally taking under the guidance of my doctor).
One of the many things I learned through this process was the importance of having good quality cervical mucus. Cervical mucus is exactly what it sounds like – mucus developed by the cervix, which is located just below the uterus. You have cervical mucus present for most of your cycle, but there are only a few days that it is fertile. When the mucus is fertile, it is clear, stretchy, and feels slippery.
Okay, nerd out with me for a second. The coolest part about cervical mucus is when it is fertile, it matches the consistency of a male’s ejaculatory fluid, so that the sperm can seamlessly transfer from the male’s ejaculate to the female’s cervical mucus into the uterus to fertilize an egg if successful ovulation has occurred. Now, if that is not an example of God’s design I don’t know what is!
If you can’t tell, I get a little pumped to talk about fertility and all the things surrounding it. It makes me wonder why we do not teach the basics of fertility and menstrual cycles in school, since it literally occurs in every female body consistently from puberty until menopause. But that is a whole other soap box for another day.
Moving right along, after some dosage adjustments in the medications I was taking, we finally had our first positive pregnancy test at the end of January 2021! It was the most amazing day, and I will never forget the flood of emotions that came when I saw those two lines. It took us almost a full year of tedious cycle tracking, bloodwork, supplement management, diet modifications, and medical intervention to conceive our sweet boy. And the timing was perfect, even though I struggled to see that in the moment.
I know for many people, the journey to having a child is much longer, and for others much shorter, but I lay out the details of my story in hopes that I can encourage other women and couples who are in the midst of their own fertility journeys to not lose hope. I hope to inspire women to advocate for themselves, do their own research, and seek out medical professionals that will come alongside you in this journey.
Onward & Upward,
Allison
P.S. Here are a few resources that were critical in this process for me, and I highly recommend them for ALL women, whether you are trying to conceive or not!
- Creighton Model Website: https://creightonmodel.com/
- Book: Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, MPH
- Book: Beyond the Pill by Dr. Jolene Brighton
References:
- Creighton Model, 16 Dec. 2020, https://creightonmodel.com/.
- Weschler, Toni. Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health ; 20th Anniversary Edition. William Morrow, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2015.
Well + Woman 