NFP vs. Fertility Awareness: Change your language to change the world.

I recently had the honor of speaking with a group of women that all brought different experiences and input on fertility and womanhood. Coming from a higher learning perspective on health and fertility, I was amazed at what I learned. Below are some of the high light take away points:

1. Just because you have said the same thing a million times does not mean that it should not be said a million and one times. My goals in practice are not to have women exclusively home birthing, breast feeding for 5 years, and having baby only touch fair trade organic grown and washed diapers. That's a nice dream, but that isn't reality. A woman delivers her baby, a woman (and partner) makes the decisions concerning the birth and parenting of her child. A woman needs to know what she wants and surround herself with people who will support those wants and desires. Sometimes that means a C-section. Sometimes that means 'sposies. It is not my goal to tell them how wrong they are; it is my goal to empower them to know that what they want is what they are capable of. 

2 . If you want to change the world, change your language. I didn't learn this at this event, but I said it. I wasnt the first person to say this, but it is my mantra concerning Chiropractic and up until this point it never occurred to me that NFP needs a language change. Let's break it down: Natural Family Planning. So, fertility is purely for families? And purely for families looking to manage the number of children they have? OH! No, no no. Fertility, as I have said before is the 7th vital sign! Women, and men for that matter, are fertile outside of marriage. For women, the menstrual cycle is an amazing insight to health. NFP (henceforth known as fertility awareness on this page) is something to be aware of years before sex is even an option. So, despite my beautiful business cards that tout my certification as an NFP instructor, I am a fertility awareness teacher, focusing on Marquette Method. 

3. Pea Salad is WAY tastier than it sounds :) 

I implore you to consider the ramifications of your words. The words we use today will impact how our children and future generations speak on these topics. Speak to your children about their bodies, and use the terms that you want them to use as adults. Teach them early that menstruation is more than just the sloughing of endometrial lining of their uterus. Don't let your children learn about fertility the same way you did. Fertility does not imply sexuality. Sexuality is a different conversation, possibly for a different time.