Ep. 44: Client Story - Anna (Anovulatory)
Caitlin Estes:
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 Estes:
I believe that a part of empowering and educating women is to connect them with other women on the same journey. That's why we'll sometimes have episodes devoted to hearing the fertility journey of one of the women who are a part of woven. Whatever your situation or fertility goal, it can sometimes feel isolating, but there is a whole community of women out there asking the same questions you are. That's why I'm excited to welcome Anna to the podcast today. Anna began working with me last year after having some unresolved cycle health issues and starting to look for answers outside of her local obgyn office. She's married and lives with her husband Bryce in Alabama. So Anna, thanks so much for joining us today.
Anna:
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Caitlin Estes:
I am excited to talk with you and hear a little bit about your story. Of course, I know a lot of the details, but I want a lot of my listeners to hear it too. You began using the Creighton system a little less than a year ago to address some underlying health issues and to help you achieve your fertility goals. So can you tell us a little bit about your cycle health journey before we started working together?
Anna:
I went off of, decided to go off birth control because my husband and I had been married for a few years and we were open to growing our family at that point and I also knew that there'd be a chance that that could be more difficult for me. My periods and cycles had been irregular since I got a period in middle school. Most of the time I've just been told like, "Oh, you're small, you work out too much or it'll resolve itself." And so I ended up having some ovarian cys that ruptured and was told that the only way that that would stop was to get on birth control. So I did that and then stayed on birth control. I got married really young and the idea of children at first was very scary. Sure. And so I stayed on that until we were really getting more open to the idea of growing our family. And when I did, I actually had one cycle and then didn't have another cycle again, until we started working together. But before that I went back to my normal OB gyn and they were like, "Well, we'll just jump start your cycle. It'll be fine. You're a healthy like young person, you'll be fine to, this will help, it'll work." And I was kind of uncomfortable with that idea just because it seems that that did not happen in the past. It didn't help anything. And so that kind of brought me to looking for answers in other ways that didn't involve going back on a hormonal birth control.
Caitlin Estes:
Right. Because not only did that not work with what your intention was in that moment, but also it wasn't actually addressing the issues that you knew you'd had for years, which is why you were put on it in the first place, but it didn't actually help you. I find it so interesting that you went to your doctor with irregular cycles. You were not having a consistent period and they told you to get on hormonal contraception that that would help you. But even on hormonal contraception, you were not having regular cycles. Well we know you weren't having cycles anyway because no one on hormonal contraception has cycles. But I mean you weren't even having those regular bleeds when you take the placebo pills and they didn't find that interesting because I find it fascinating. Yeah.
Anna:
If I had one it would be like five days late, which meant like it was two days, so it was just pretty wild. And most of my friends also when they went off of the pill,, they were like, "I feel amazing. Like this is great." And I felt the complete opposite. I was like, "I feel so out of control." And so when that was the only option given to me, I was like, "No, this is not going to work. Like let's figure out something else."
Caitlin Estes:
Absolutely. And figuring out what is the cause of things like the ovarian cysts, what's the cause of the fact that you aren't really having cycles at all, whether you're on hormonal contraception or off of it. Obviously there's something going on in the body and "oh, you're small and you're active" is not sufficient of an answer.
Anna:
Mm-hmm.
Caitlin Estes:
That's fair enough. So you started looking outside of that, started looking for other options. So I'm curious what made you interested in learning the Creighton system specifically?
Anna:
Well, I actually first learned about it from you. We knew each other like outside of woven. And when I started having these questions, I kind of came to you and was like, this seems crazy. Yeah. Like what in the world? And so that's kind of how I ended up being interested. I came to an in intro session and was like, Okay, I think this will be helpful. I'm someone who really likes to know all of the information, loves research. So it was very helpful for me to be able to like have that it backing me as I was going to move forward with this.
Caitlin Estes:
Yeah. I think a lot of women who begin using Creighton use it because they are ready for that extra level of information like you just described. Like you want to understand what's going on and you want to be able to interpret things. And of course Creighton is great for that specifically. And what made you feel like now was the right time to dive deeper into those cycle issues as opposed to, you know, two years ago or 10 years ago when you were having those same issues and concerns?
Anna:
I think that partially when I was younger I didn't really know that there were any other options. And I was very involved in sports and a small person. So I just was like, okay, maybe those are that's true. And then as I went back to the doctor and was like an adult and was still being told the same thing as I was told as a teenager, I was like, I need something more and I need to know what's going on because something is going on. It's not just something that we're going to fix with the pill. Or sometimes I was given the answer of like, Oh, maybe it's mental health. And I was like, No, I'm telling you like something is going on. And so that's kind of what made it feel like the right time for me is I was like, I need help advocating for myself and I think Creighton will help me do that.
Caitlin Estes:
And thank you for mentioning that. Sometimes doctors will say, Oh, maybe it's mental health that's causing these things. Because I hear that so often when I start working with new clients that they've brought their concerns before whichever medical professional they see, and if they see something on the chart that mentions mental health, which ,for majority of human beings, that's going to be there, something's going to be there, then sometimes it's easy for them to say, Oh, well this is probably causing this or making it seem like a bigger deal. But we know when there's an issue with our health and with our body, that's not what it's supposed to be. And so I just want to commend you for being willing to take that next step to pursue getting answers to that. And anyone listening, I want to encourage you to do that too because just because you know you have a varied background or varied medical history does not mean that that discounts your experience right now in the moment. So as you began learning Creighton, what was that experience like for you?
Anna:
I think it was a little bit overwhelming at first. Just, it's a lot of information, but also for me, I really wasn't cycling so I was like learning how to do it, but it wasn't something that it was like, Oh, this changes every day. It was pretty similar for me throughout, which I think helped me and also just helped me like have, it made me not feel crazy too because I was like, I'm telling people this, like I'm telling doctors. And it felt like, okay, now you can't not listen because look, here's, I have this like physical thing that I'm bringing to you saying like, something is wrong. This cannot be normal if I'm just healthy, like you're saying.
Caitlin Estes:
Yes. You have an actual record of what your body's telling you and it's hard to dismiss that. So I appreciate you saying that. It felt a little bit overwhelming too because it is a brand new experience. It's not anything that most women have been taught about previously or encouraged to explore or learn more about. And so you are learning a lot in the beginning and also learning how to chart at the same time. So I appreciate you sharing that too. But we did get you connected very quickly with an NaPro medical professional that was in your area. So how is that medical component different than the previous healthcare experience you told us about?
Anna:
Yeah, it was so different. And I am a huge advocate for like working with an Napro doctor. I mean, I specifically am a huge advocate for my doctor. I feel like I give her name out all the time, but it just was so encouraging to like have someone that I went to and they listened to me and they weren't like, This is crazy, you're not right. You know, they listened and she, after our very first like consultation, had a whole panel of things drawn up for me to get blood work done, which I, I'd had a few things done in the past, but it was really me having to really push for that. And it was only things that were like very proven in family history and this was basically everything it could possibly be. And I felt just so listened to and through that like, you know, we were able to figure out what was really going on and get a lot of answers and was able to like really figure out how to heal my body and know that like all of those things that had been going on for so long had an answer. And you know, I don't know that it would've been found before if I had gotten, you know, only if I'd gotten connected probably to a Napro doctor. But it just was so freeing, I think to be like, Okay, like eventually my body will work again and like, these are the steps we're taking. And it, it made it a lot easier when I would see like little wins. I mean, you and I talked about those a lot.
Caitlin Estes:
Yes.
Anna:
And just feeling, I mean, it was just a completely different experience where I was able to like advocate for myself, but also feel like there was someone really on my team that was listening to me.
Caitlin Estes:
I love to hear that. And just like, you're a big advocate for Napro now, that's why I'm such a big advocate for it, because I hear these stories and people have such a good experience and I'm just, I, I want every woman to have this positive experience. So you actually were working towards finding the root cause of these issues, not just giving little bandaids to fix the symptoms, but really looking at what is the cause of all these different issues and then working together, like you said, she's really on your team to get the answers and get you feeling better. And you started cycling. Yes. Right? Like that's the big deal here is you began cycling on your own after working with her!
Anna:
Yeah, I did. And it was really the most, I mean, just encouraging thing. Like I have been at points where I was like, this is never going to happen. I'm going to have the easiest Creighton charts in the world because nothing's ever going to change. And I was, I was able to start cycling on my own without having to take any other types of really like big medication, anything that was like forcing that to happen. And yeah, it was just so encouraging and cool, like now I can look back and be like, this was a like encouraging experience.
Caitlin Estes:
Mm. I'm so glad. I'm so glad. So if you have other people who are listening today who may be in a similar situation to you, what would you say is your piece of advice or encouragement to them? Maybe if they're considering using Creighton or maybe considering getting connected with an Napro medical professional?
Anna:
I would just say that, you know, you know what's going on in your body, just like you said earlier. So just advocating for yourself. And I'm someone who's super non-confrontational normally, so that felt really uncomfortable for me to begin with. But your health is something that you have the most control over, like who you're seeing what you're doing. And whether that means that you need to get connected with someone who's going to teach you Creighton or a Napro doctor if you're hitting roadblocks when you feel like something's going on. Just like know that there are people that are, can be in your corner and aren't going to make you feel quite as crazy.
Caitlin Estes:
Finding that team that is truly supportive and values your voice and your experience, whether that's Creighton or Napro or something else, but finding that team that you feel really comfortable with. I think that's great advice. Yeah. Well, Anna, thank you so much for being willing to share your story and your experience with us.
Anna:
Of course. I'm so glad that I got the chance to.
Caitlin Estes:
Absolutely. Absolutely. So I hope this episode has been helpful for listeners to hear an experience of someone who was told over and over again that her best option was birth control. Even when birth control hadn't served her well in the past and didn't line up with her fertility goals. So our approach is often counter-cultural to what you'll experience at the local obgyn office. Not all of them of course, but Anna's story is not the only one that sounds like this. I hear it from lots of different women over the years.Women deserve answers to their cycle concerns. They deserve to have their fertility goals respected. They deserve to understand how their body works and what's normal or abnormal. I would love to help you begin that journey by inviting you to join us this month at our online group introductory session. You can learn more and register at wovenfertility.com/join-us. And if you'd enjoyed hearing Anna's story today, would you do us a favor? Would you share a written review on whatever your podcasting platform of choice is? It really helps us so much for new listeners to be able to see what others think of the show before deciding if they want to subscribe or not. As always, thanks for listening as we continue to explore together what it means to be woven well.