Couple’s baby joy after natural fertility service sessions

By Wendy Shaw

Learning more about Natural Family Planning through a service run by the Archdiocese of Hobart has happily resulted in the birth of a child for a southern Tasmanian couple.

The client of Natural Fertility Services Tasmania was delighted, particularly as she has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

The client explained that she heard about the Natural Fertility Service while an RCIA candidate with the Archdiocese’s Director of the Office of Evangelisation and Catechesis, Dr Christine Wood.

The client said: “Learning about God’s plan for marriage motivated me to learn about Natural Family Planning.”

She learned the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM) of Natural Family Planning to better understand her cycle and ways to identify when conception was more likely.

“All sessions were conducted online so I can learn at the comfort of my home and save time travelling. My instructors are so enthusiastic, knowledgeable, kind and professional in what they do.

“I was amazed by the science behind how my body works and there is indeed a pattern. I wasn’t so confident at first as I was diagnosed with PCOS, but my faith in God keeps telling me to trust in the process and move forward with my learning and charting. 

“Despite my existing condition, I was able to identify the pattern of my fertility, understand my body, and most importantly, live my marriage according to God’s teaching. Natural Family Planning also helped me to pay close attention to my body and notice any abnormal changes.”

The client said that consistency is the key to success with the method, and a supportive husband is also important.

“The charting can feel cumbersome on top of my long daily to-do list, but I keep telling myself that this is also a way to love God, by learning one of the most healthy methods of family planning given to us from Him,” she said.

“The charting not only helped me enjoy my marriage and understand my body, it also helped me conceive my beautiful son within two months of trying, despite PCOS.

“I wish more people knew and trusted this method so that they can practice a much healthier and safer option to plan their family.”

Julianna Smith is a client educator with Natural Fertility Services Tasmania. She was delighted at the client’s happy result.

“This was amazing news,” she said. “Educators often find themselves working with couples who have had difficulties achieving a pregnancy. To hear that our client was able to conceive a child was such happy news – often the journey of a couple who experience infertility is fraught with so many setbacks and so it is that extra bit special when they have been able to have a healthy child.

“Using the Sympto-Thermal Method [of Natural Family Planning] can sometimes allow a client to become aware of potential issues with their cycle or to be able to identify problems that may be preventing conception. In this situation STM educators can either work with the client or refer the client to specialised doctors who assist them further in ways that are compatible with Catholic Church teaching.”

To find out more about Natural Fertility Services Tasmania, please contact client educator Julianna Smith on 0447 276 154 (or email Julianna.smith@aohtas.org.au).