Charbel FertilityCare
834 Gordon Street, Unit B N1G 1Y7 Guelph, ON, Canada

This is a topic that is not discussed often enough in/FAM/NFP circles but knowledge is power so let’s jump in! The way a woman navigates the perimenopausal period (the years leading up to and away from menopause) has an indelible impact on her physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual health in the years that follow. Just like it’s important for preteens to have holistic, informative and life-affirming Sex Ed so they can navigate menarche brilliantly, so too we need... to do a better job talking about the changes the body goes through during perimenopause. Charting during pre-menopause is a GREAT health monitoring tool. Despite all the changes to your cycle and life in general, you (yes, YOU!) are totally capable of taking the reins through cycle charting. Charting during these years can help you achieve pregnancy, avoid pregnancy or monitor your changing hormones and reproductive health. It can help you identify signs of hormonal imbalance, PMS, mood disorders due to hormonal fluctuations, anovulatory cycles, as well as tip you off early about potential repro health issues like fibroids.

Have you or someone you love been given a diagnosis of "unexplained infertility"? Make sure to check out this wonderful FREE e-conference next week. If your fertility treatments have been canceled or rescheduled due to Covid-19 shutdowns, you don't have to wait. In fact, you may not even need them.

"During my first two deliveries we had guests in and out while I labored and more guests after delivery. There were no masks. No scary protocols. It was a celeb...ration and everyone was invited. This time, it was just my husband and I. The room was quiet. No chaos of visitors. The conversations were just him and I. Just the two of us for the first time in six and a half years. I’m just going to say it: delivering during the pandemic was a blessing in disguise."

Our social accounts may be quiet but we’re still here Life lately includes virtual CrMS introductory sessions, client follow-ups and telecounselling sessions from our home office, interspersed with crazy antics to keep our kids entertained. Virtual sessions are not new for us so that’s made this transition a bit easier. And now we’ve decided to plan for a 100% online practice for the foreseeable future and are investing in our set-up to make things work even more sm...oothly. That said, while my response time to emails and inquiries has always been 24 hrs max, it’s going to be more like 2-3 days going forward due to the loss of childcare due to COVID-19. Thank you in advance for your patience if you’ve reached out to me! I’m extending myself extra grace these days and hope you are too. Interested in booking a virtual Charbel Centre session? We are open for business!

Did you know all our Charbel Centre offerings can be conducted online?

This isn’t news to anyone familiar with the Creighton Model and NaProTechnology, but it’s very exciting to see this treatment for miscarriage prevention making waves in the UK!

I’ll be taking some time away from this platform for a few weeks as we get ready to welcome baby #2 and will be teaching again by March 2020. I have some openings for new clients starting March 1st which you can reserve by heading over to https://www.charbelcentre.com/fertilitycare and booking an Introductory Session for anytime after that date. Interested in switching to Fertility Awareness but unsure if you’re ready to jump in and invest in working with an instructor? Stay tuned for some Group Intro Sessions via Google Hangout this spring! A low-cost way to learn more about the Creighton Model and what’s included in the ‘Learn to Chart’ packages.

When considering using birth control as a method to avoid pregnancy, consider whether or not you want to be ovulating regularly. Did you know that it is extreme...ly healthy for our bodies to ovulate? So even when pregnancy is not the plan for the moment, we benefit from regular, good old-fashion egg releases. Estrogen and progesterone both contribute to our short-term and long-term health, and these super-fabulous hormones are only released through the process of ovulation! Every monthly dose of estrogen promotes muscle gain, insulin sensitivity, and the long-term health of bones, brain, and the cardiovascular system. Every monthly dose of progesterone reduces inflammation, regulates immune function, and supports thyroid, brain, bones, and breast tissue. According to Canadian endocrinology professor Jerilynn Prior, ‘women benefit from 35 to 40 years of ovulatory cycles, not just for fertility but also to prevent osteoporosis, stroke, dementia, heart disease, and breast cancer.’ In that sense, each and every ovulation is like a monthly deposit into the bank account of long-term health. (https://www.larabriden.com/the-secret-powers-of-ovulation/) Fertility awareness gives us the ability to avoid pregnancy while receiving all the health benefits of ovulation, and the benefits of understanding our fertility processes, and the benefits of knowing how to achieve pregnancy, and the benefits of monitoring and maintaining our own gynecological health (w Creighton + NaPro), and ...wait, what was I talking about again? Oh yea, consider what you’d be giving up to use #birthcontrol. Happy charting! #womenshealth #health

I had the privilege earlier today of getting to chat with some really cool teens as part of the WCDSB’s Wellness High Skills Major Program. We chatted about all things mental health, counselling, period pain, #cyclecharting and #FABMs. If you’re visiting this page following the SHSM Day, let me know and feel free to PM me for any of the resources we discussed around cycle charting, managing period pain and more! And a big thank you to Career Education Council and Wellington Catholic District School Board for inviting me out! Sketch by @kitagar via Instagram

Click the link below to check out a very comprehensive article on the diversity of Fertility Awareness Based-Methods (FABMs) available today and what to look for with regards to method-fit and effectiveness rates. The author of this piece recently co-authored a systematic review of natural methods with several other researchers, including Dr. Joseph Stanford, MD and Creighton Model Medical Consultant. The systematic review is linked in the article. (A heads up that there's no...t much on the Creighton Model, since most CrMS effectiveness studies are structured differently, making it impossible to compare across methods.) What is clear is that while FABMs offer a scientific, side-effect free option for family planning, more high quality research is very much needed. Interested in learning more about FABMs? I'm always happy to be a resource in person or online!

Navigating a miscarriage or pregnancy loss and the grief that follows can be tricky territory, and it is not talked about enough! Here are 5 simple takeaways from a psychotherapist who routinely counsels couples following a loss. Have you experienced a miscarriage, or multiple? Charting your menstrual cycles using the Creighton Model can offer a lot of insight into what may be going on hormonally behind the scenes so that sensitive, supportive and targeted medical treatment can be sought out.

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day worldwide. There is an event tonight at Guelph City Hall as part of the international Wave of Light. See details below!

An Australian study of the most downloaded fertility apps has found over half didn't perform well at predicting ovulation which is exactly what many users are using these apps for. While apps can be useful tools to enhance a charting practice, it’s helpful to #learntochart with a trained instructor or clinician and select an app carefully!

Just dropping this NY Times article here on this, the day of the Global Climate Strike. Don’t let climate change stop you from becoming a parent! Don’t reduce children to consumers or polluters or burdens. Life on this planet (of all sorts!) is a sign of hope ... We DO need to revisit our own lifestyles, expectations, and impulse to ‘keep up with the Jones’ but we will not benefit long term from jumping to alarmism and reductionism. The earth is the ultimate mother, bearing life, and likening this archetype to something irresponsible is the ultimate form of environmental dualism. So make that baby (or 5!) and teach them how to live in communion with our wild and beautiful and life-giving planet! Teach them to climb trees, relish in the experience of cliff jumping and feeling cool fresh water on their skin, in canoe trips and learning to grow food and be good stewards of creation. And let’s allow yourselves the privilege of continuously learning alongside them too.

Another great article from Natural Womanhood! Working with a certified FABM instructor can help women and couples grow in confidence quickly and navigate the terrain of fertility awareness and NFP.