A Catholic physician speaks about the Ovulation Method
Several years ago while attending South Alabama's College of Medicine, my
father sent me an unusual book, a book that described "how to" avoid or achieve
pregnancy without having to resort to pills, devices, chemicals or blood tests
-- not even a thermometer! After I began my practice as an
obstetrician/gynecologist in the metropolitan Washington, DC, area, I discovered
that many patients were truly disturbed by the side effects of the pill. Many
were adamant about not being subjected to them any longed Even barriers had
side-effects which my patents disliked. They were looking for another choice.
Other patients were distraught about their inability to conceive. Did they need
an extensive round of fertility tests?
I returned to the curious book that my father had given me. It provided fresh
insights into every woman's natural fertility cycle that I had never received as
a medical student or even a resident in gynecology. Love and Fertility
explains the "Ovulation Method." This method works by teaching each woman how to
read her own "body language" by careful daily observations of the symptoms of
fertility. Irregular cycles, breastfeeding infections, medications and illnesses
do affect a woman's physiology, but this method enables most women to
confidently identify the fertile and infertile phases in each cycle.
During my first meeting with a patient, I possibly may loan her the Love and
Fertility
book, and the video to watch at home. I always encourage her to share this with
her husband and then return for a follow-up visit. Women return with intelligent
questions based on the observations they have made of their own bodies. Most are
shocked, as well as grateful, to discover that the truth is so simple. A
considerable number of women know from experience the damage that artificial
methods have done to their bodies and marriages. Some have experienced serious,
or even life-threatening, effects such as stroke, heart attack, or embolism from
steroids prescribed to them for contraceptive purposes. Some worry about cancer.
No risk, no weight gain, no irregular bleeding, no headaches, no mood changes,
no expense, no mess--for many women who resent the inequality of the family
planning equation, the Ovulation Method is a welcome change. Abstinence is very
much a part of this method, but for the woman who is fed up with the oppression
and nuisance of other methods, a few days of abstinence are accepted and
welcomed as part of holistic good health.
Other women use the method to maximize their chances of conceiving. The average
woman is only fertile about 100 hours each month. Not infrequently, a woman may
fail to conceive because her fertile period is much shorter than this, perhaps
only a few hours. If her husband has a low sperm count, this reduces the length
of the fertile period, too. No intrusive and expensive fertility tests may be
necessary if she understands how her body works. In the same way, a woman who
knows her own body will recognize abnormal patterns very quickly and seek
medical attention for problems that might become more serious if neglected.
The Ovulation Method truly enables a woman to live in harmony with nature.
Fertility becomes a process to be understood rather than a disease to be
treated. The method puts equal responsibility where it belongs, on the man and
the woman. It does require communication and cooperation, but isn't that what
marriage is all about?
John Bruchalski, MD
Director, Tepeyac Family Center
For more information about the Ovulation Method, contact Family of the
Americas Foundation, PO Box 1170, Dunkirk, MD 20754-1170, 1-800-443-3395,
301-627-3346. The Family of the Americas' Love and book, video and chart
have been translated into 21 languages and are used worldwide in more than 100
countries. The Ovulation Method is used by 50 million people.
