From our Spring e-newsletter: Colleen Fuller, SymptoPro Instructor and Naturopathic Doctor, shares some ways to take care of yourself if dealing with PCOS.

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is one of the most common endocrine or hormonal disorders in younger women. PCOS involves multiple organs and usually involves the symptoms of hirsuitism (excessive hair growth on body parts that normally have fine hair), obesity (not always), oligomenorrhea (infrequent menstruation), and imaging that shows excess cysts on the ovaries (normal is 1-2 per cycle). There are 2 factors that are present: insulin resistance and high levels of the sex hormones that are attributed to male characteristics. The insulin resistance is important to address and it leads to the increase in male hormones. There are different severities of symptoms. Some women have regular cycles and are not overweight. It’s important to get a thorough and proper diagnosis from your Primary Care Provider to accurately treat. Other health issues might present in a similar fashion. Self-diagnosis does not count as a thorough work-up.

This post is part three of a three part series on the Physical, Emotional, and Spritual partnerships of NFP. Parts one and two can be found here: PART ONE & PART TWO

As a hopeless animal lover, I was never a mom who adopted dogs “for the kids;” no, they were as much for me as for anyone, and we are all still feeling the loss of our two beloved beagles.  Reflecting on that loss, I was brought back to God referring to Adam as “alone” even though he was surrounded by the animals in Genesis.  I thought that no matter how much we delighted in lavishing affection on our dogs and being immobilized with laughter from their antics, that we were made for something more.  The food, fresh air, and affection that completely satisfied our beloved beagles will never be enough for us.  We’re not just physical and emotional beings, but are also spiritual beings given free will to seek that “something more” rather than being driven by instincts alone.  What we always seek, in a word, is Love.

This post is part two of a three part series on the Physical, Emotional, and Spritual partnerships of NFP. Parts one and three can be found here: PART ONE & PART THREE.

Jill Cherrey, the author of this post, is a SymptoPro Instructor from New Jersey.  She also coordinates the NFP program for the Archdiocese of Newark and teams up with her husband to teach Theology of the Body classes to engaged couples.  In her off time, she enjoys driving her Mom Taxi, cooking healthy meals, and reading non-fiction.  She and Jim have been married 27 years, and are the grateful parents of three wonderful teens.

A wonderful memory I have from early in our marriage is of the day Jim and I chose to forgo a fun weekend getaway to respond to the local florist’s ad seeking delivery drivers for Mother’s Day.  We were saving every penny for a down payment on our first home, and here we found a way to satisfy the real desire we had (which was to spend time together), and actually make $50 while doing it!  Admittedly, the choice did not feel great initially, but it really was a fun day as we drove all over, and saw faces of joy behind door after door as we delivered flowers.  I think a weekend getaway would have been a faded memory by now, while our sacrifice and creativity at the service of saving for future home created an emotional partnership that never ceases to bring a smile to my face. 

While we have had other meaningful moments like that, it is Natural Family Planning that stands out to me as the foundational lifestyle choice we have made in our marriage that shares that experience of forming a close emotional partnership.   Within the most sacred space of marriage, the couple who uses NFP rejects the notion that sexual intimacy is a form of recreation, and gives their heart and soul to something bigger; here, a free, total, faithful, and fruitful gift of their bodies is given to renew the vows that were the center of their day.  A beautiful partnership is needed to learn and practice the method, but it is an emotional partnership that must be fostered for a couple to take on this choice with joy, discipline, playfulness, and success.