By: Alli Coiro, RN-BSN, CFCP

Question: Based on my chart, it looks like ovulation is occurring more than once a cycle. Is this possible?

Answer: No!

Ovulation will not occur more than once in a cycle. In the case of twins or triplets, you may ovulate multiple eggs, but this will always take place in the same 24 hour of time. If you could ovulate today and next week – it would be impossible to utilize natural family planning to avoid pregnancy. Women ovulate in response to cyclical variation of hormones. Humans being do not ovulate in response to sexual stimulation.

When the signs of ovulation are confusing:

Ovulation biomarkers (such as mucus, temperature, urinary metabolites of hormones, etc.) can be confusing at times, particularly when the woman is under stress or with conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). In this scenario, I recommend you reach out to your instructor. Your NFP instructor is an expert in helping you correctly interpret these biomarkers and navigate family planning intentions while utilizing a natural system. If you have never learned a formal method of NFP, now is a great time to find one to ensure highest degrees of effectiveness (whether avoiding or achieving pregnancy).

Find a doctor who will listen:

Additionally, you may need more medical attention than an NFP teacher can provide if your cycles are not exhibiting the expected signs of ovulation. If you think that is the case, I recommend choosing a doctor educated in NaProTECHNOLOGY. NaProTECHNOLOGY physicians are trained to read Creighton Model charts and investigate the root cause of cycle abnormalities.

A word of encouragement:

If you are finding yourself in the situation where identifying ovulation is difficult, it can make use of natural family planning feel like a cross, particularly if you and your spouse have discerned it is best to avoid pregnancy. It can be very difficult to see the outpouring of grace in the moments where NFP just feels hard. I encourage you to pray daily for the grace to grow in intimacy with your spouse in new ways (spiritual, physical, intellectual, physical but non-sexual intimacy). For more on this topic, I recommend listening to the podcast, Charting Toward Intimacy, episode “Chastity is More Than Just Abstinence” for a deeper exploration.

Do you have a question you want answered? Let us know! Email our office at stlnfp@archstl.org or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram.

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