Ep. 100: Q&A with Host, Caitlin

Caitlin:

Welcome to the Woven Well podcast. I'm your host, Caitlin Estes. I'm a certified fertility care practitioner with a master of divinity degree. Each episode will cover a topic that helps educate and empower you and your fertility while honoring the deep connection your fertility has with your faith. Let's get started.

Caitlin:

Welcome back to the Woven Well Podcast. I am thrilled to say that today we are celebrating 100 episodes. You know, when you first get started with something, you hope that it will be successful and helpful for others, but to make it to this milestone of 100 episodes, it's just such an exciting thing for me because hearing from you all knowing that this has been beneficial, that you've learned something, that you're sharing it with friends that just means so much to me. It began from a desire to get this information out there--this approach to fertility that is restorative and encouraging and faithful, because I know that can be really difficult to find. I feel so passionately about getting it out there and this is just one little way that we can spread information that we may not get otherwise. So you deserve to have information like this.

Caitlin:

You deserve to hear from people who say that fertility is a gift and not a burden. That they don't talk about it as this completely unsolvable puzzle, but as something that can actually be understood and most certainly from a perspective that God is right there in the mix, working for your good all along the way. So that's been our hope for all of the last 99 episodes produced before today, and it's certainly is in today's episode. So in our 100th episode, I wanted to open it up to listener questions. So if you follow us over on Instagram over the last couple weeks, I've put up a question box and we've received several great questions and we chose just a few of those today to talk about together. I tried to choose ones that were common, so if there were common themes, I kind of grouped them together and chose a question that felt like the most authentic way to ask that.

Caitlin:

So the first one was, how do I know Creighton will work for me? My cycles are all over the place and doctors don't seem to be much help. This is an excellent question because it can feel extremely frustrating to know that there's something wrong or something's just not right, but not be given the answers you need. Or sometimes even the time of day. We have cycles that should be regular. There is a standard process that's happening within every female reproductive system. So if something is off about that process, there's always going to be a reason. And so Creighton is a great option because even if your cycles are completely irregular or maybe they're not happening at all and you're anovulatory, or if you do have regular cycles, using Creighton can actually reveal an incredible amount of information to what's going on behind the scenes. So we look at cervical mucus, this is our number one biomarker because it gives us such an amount of information about what's going on in the reproductive system. So you can know how your estrogen is doing, what's happening with your progesterone, where you are in your cycle, when your next period is going to begin, if you're fertile or not, on that individual day.

Caitlin:

And it's also helpful if you are working with a medical provider. Now, I'm going to recommend working with one who values this information. Recently we had Dr. Naomi Whittaker on an episode and she was talking about how Creighton is her secret weapon because when a patient is charting with the Creighton system, she's able to see so much information that's going on behind the scenes that she wouldn't have access to otherwise. So if you are working with a medical provider that values what you are contributing, who wants you to have a seat at the table, then Creighton is a great common language to make sure that everybody's on the same page. One of the things that I love most about Creighton is that you do not have to have a particular type of cycle. Even if you have things that are totally irregular, like you don't have any patterns to your cycles, things don't seem to make sense, you have no idea when the next period is going to begin.

Caitlin:

That's not to your detriment when you're using Creighton. In fact, I love working with clients like that because you're going to have so much more consistency when you are charting your cycles and you can see what's going on in that moment and what could possibly happen next. Also, when you are working with a restorative medicine reproductive doctor, like someone who is trained in NaPro technology, they're going to be treating those underlying health issues when they get to the root cause, and you'll actually be able to see those changes happening as you're undergoing treatment. So it's a very real-time result. As you're working with them, you're beginning medications or you're having a procedure, you can see the immediate benefits of that during that cycle or the next, whenever it takes effect. So yes, Creighton can work for you. It doesn't matter what your cycles look like, it doesn't matter what your reproductive stage of life is.

Caitlin:

Maybe you're just coming off of birth control, maybe you are postpartum or breastfeeding, maybe you are perimenopausal and you are working towards menopause. Any of those scenarios work great with Creighton. So I encourage you to attend an introductory session and talk with me about how it could be a great fit for you. Okay, our next question is really an amalgamation of questions that I received about medications and supplements. So first of all, I just want to say I'm not going to give any specific medical advice because I am not your medical provider. I'm not a medical provider. And so I really highly trust those medical providers who are restorative focused and they're working with you one-on-one. And so I'm always going to say to talk with them, but I just want to say that I really love that this question is coming up so much because to me that says that you care very deeply about what you're putting into your body, about your overall health, about what's the best decision for your health now and in the future.

Caitlin:

And I just applaud that completely. I think that is an excellent perspective to have because you're thinking about the big picture. You're really engaging with your health and that is one of the things that I want all of my Creighton clients to do. I want you to engage wholeheartedly with your health and specifically with your reproductive health. But when it comes to specific questions, like should I take Metformin, should I take magnesium, should I take vitamin D, Vitex, et cetera. I would say, make sure you're working with a medical provider that you trust and then ask them for direction. They'll be the best ones to guide you. Now, if you're looking for general information about, like I mentioned, Metformin, what does it do? Why is it important to have your glucose regulated or should I be taking supplements in the first place? There are two episodes that I would recommend.

Caitlin:

We did one just a couple months ago, episode 92 that talks about glucose is for everyone. And so you can check that one out. And then there's also an episode over a year ago, episode 39, about should I be taking supplements? So those are some recommendations there. Okay, question three, how did you come to find Creighton and why are you so passionate about it? You know, I get this question frequently and I love it because before I began learning Creighton on my own, like just for my own personal use, I had absolutely no clue about what was going on internally. I knew I had regular cycles and that that was a good thing, but I really didn't care to invest any more effort into it than that. I hate to say that, but it's absolutely true. And what I found over and over again is probably you're in the same place or you were at some point.

Caitlin:

What made me become interested in Creighton in the first place is that I became engaged and I was looking into what my options were for planning my family. I had never heard of any type of natural family planning, but I just knew that I didn't want to use hormonal contraception, didn't want to be on birth control. I'd had lots of friends who had horrible experiences with it and I just didn't feel comfortable with it in general. And so I was trying to find other options. So I literally googled like, how do you not get pregnant without birth control? I really didn't want something hormonal or any device or implant or anything like that. And that's what led me to natural family planning in general. I was looking for a very practical option and I landed on Creighton. I loved that it had a medical component.

Caitlin:

I thought it sounded like the easiest option because it was just one biomarker instead of multiple. And so my fiance at the time, he's now my husband, we began learning it together and I immediately saw the impact that it was having in my own life as I began to understand what was going on in my body and why that mattered, why that was important for me to understand. And so then I started telling my friends. I was that friend that was telling you about this new option and all that it does and how amazing it is. And over and over again, I just saw God show up to those conversations, and I realized that this is something that God feels really passionate about. Like, he wants us to know how our bodies were created. And I didn't necessarily know why at that time, but over the last seven years working with hundreds of women and clients, I've seen it's because we are designed with purpose.

Caitlin:

Our bodies, our fertility, these are all good gifts for us. And so the more we know about them, the more we can appreciate them, the more we understand our creator and the purpose of this aspect of our lives. And I promise you it's a good, good thing. So I continue to feel passionate about it because I see this happen over and over and over again. I love working with new clients, hearing their stories, helping them get the answers that they deserve. Women are absolute rock stars, you know, facing some really difficult challenges but doing it anyway because they believe that they're worth it. They believe that that work is worth it. And I believe that too. And so it's just a joy pointing you towards resources and educating you and introducing you to that perspective that says that God is right here in the moment with you from the moment that you were created in your mother's womb, there's been beauty, there's been purpose, there's been intention.

Caitlin:

And I love it because I feel like it really can transform the way that we understand our creator and our bodies, our personhood. And it is just an absolute blessing. I absolutely love doing what I do. Alright, question four. If you could choose one thing to do when dealing with infertility, what would it be? Ah, man. When you are in that situation and you are dealing with the symptom of infertility, it is such a heavy burden. There is so much that you could be doing and it feels paralyzing. I've had the privilege of working with many, many clients, many, many women, who are walking this journey and it's difficult when they feel like they could be doing a hundred things at once. What's the right thing to do? Where would you start? Now, from a fertility care practitioner standpoint, I will admit that it's tempting to say that it depends on the situation.

Caitlin:

But I know you hear that all the time, so I really took some time to think through this question. But I do believe, and you hear me talk about this a decent amount either on the podcast or if you work with me personally, that we are intentionally crafted, beautifully complex people. We are made up of mind, body, and spirit. I think it's tempting to simply look at it from a physical perspective. What medicine should I take? What tests should I have done? That sort of thing. But our fertility journeys are not just physical. They affect every aspect of our lives because they involve every aspect of our lives. So here's what I'd recommend when it comes to the physical struggle of infertility. If I could only recommend one thing, it would be to work with a restorative reproductive provider like a NaProtechnology OBGYN.

Caitlin:

And I know that I talk a lot about these. I promise I don't get any like kickback for recommending them, but there will not be one magic medication or procedure that's going to work for every couple. So notice I didn't go really, really specific there, but if you have a provider that you trust who is looking at the big picture and curious and invested in the root causes along with you, it is hard to find anything better than that because they're going to point you toward truly addressing root cause issues and not just settling for bandaid fixes. They don't care what worked for everybody else. They want to know what's going to work for you. So they want to see your life improve and they want to help you on that road towards pregnancy. Whether you conceive or not, they are with you working towards that goal and they want your overall quality of life to be improved in the end.

Caitlin:

To me, that is a much better approach than how can we make a baby happen, but your health is just absolutely deteriorating in the process. Okay, when it comes to the mental struggle of infertility, if I could only recommend one thing, it would be to work with a trusted mental health counselor. I realize counseling is an uncomfortable idea for some, I can respect that. But if you have a good, trusted, faithful counselor, there is so much good that can come from those encounters. You may just go one or two times and feel like you have the tools that you need or you may find that meeting with them monthly is really transformative to your experience. But I would suggest giving it a try. And then when it comes to the spiritual struggle of infertility, if I could recommend only one thing, it would be to set aside time for authentic prayer that doesn't necessarily include a specific outcome.

Caitlin:

So I'm not saying that you shouldn't pray for specific outcomes, but I do think it's easy to become so focused on praying for a specific procedure or a positive test that we can forget to meet God authentically in the process. What does God have for us right here in this moment? What is the heaviest weight to bear? You know, what goodness is God providing in this midst? So really praying openly and authentically, not just requesting, but really bearing our souls to God I think is absolutely beneficial. And it's honestly with that kind of perspective that I designed the Women's Health Pilgrimage. So this is brand new. You've probably read about it in the newsletter or seen it on Instagram, but this program is designed with this in mind. When we address our fertility, the only way to do it is from a holistic perspective, meaning mind, body, and spirit.

Caitlin:

So as I've talked about today, I really believe that God is so deeply present in this place. It can be an extremely challenging journey, but if we are led by God, then we can count on the fact that the destination, no matter where it is, will be a holy one. And that's why we call it a pilgrimage. You know, you're joining together with a small group of women who are also eager for a different approach to this fertility journey. And you're headed on a path that's definitely going to have all the ups and downs, you know, all the rocky places and the bumps. Be very cautious of anyone who's promising you anything else, okay? But this way you are prepared with the tools and the resources that you need along the way. So it's designed to be very practical. You know, you have Creighton education, you get free appointments with three of our trusted providers.

Caitlin:

So you could choose to work with people like a NaPro provider and a mental health counselor and attend a retreat for those struggling with infertility. That's just an example. You could also work with NaProtechnology and a registered dietician and functional medicine provider. So it's an intentionally versatile, but whatever your specific path, this pilgrimage is intentionally pointing you towards God's steadfast love and faithfulness along the way. This may sound like something like, oh yeah, okay, yeah, I need, no, I need that. But it's really designed to challenge our perspectives and assumptions, to identify those biggest frustration and fears and slowly, faithfully replace them with a God-given peace and purpose. A lot of times when the road is especially difficult, we feel like that's not an option for us. That's not possible. Well, other people can feel better, other people can have their frustrations and fears set aside. But my story is different. I'm here to say that every story is important, is valuable, and is ripe with the goodness of God.

Caitlin:

I believe wholeheartedly that God wants to transform your experience. And we talk about in this pilgrimage, how every fertility journey should be a sacred journey. I believe that's possible for you and for everyone else, and so that's why we're doing this pilgrimage. If you are interested in that, then I encourage you to apply. They applications right now for the January pilgrimage are open through December 20th, but we will have other pilgrimages in 2024 and hopefully beyond. But I am, I am so excited for it to get started. So if you have questions about that, if that strikes something within you and you'd like to know more, you are welcome to email me personally. You can also just fill out the contact form on the website. It's at wovenfertility.com. But there's also going to be a link in the show notes there and also to the application if you'd like to apply and learn more about the pilgrimage. Thank you so much for celebrating 100 episodes. So if you enjoy our podcast, I would love it--it would mean so much to me--if you would go on to whatever your podcasting platform is and give us a five star review. It really is important to podcast to get those reviews and, it would mean a lot to me personally. As always, thanks so much for listening as we continue to explore together what it means to be woven well.