Charting Cycles Empowers Young Women

This article has been making the rounds on Catholic social media the past couple days, but I'm sharing the link in case you haven't seen it: What Happens When You Teach Fertility Awareness to Teen Girls

Every young woman should learn to chart their cycles. I didn't take a Natural Family Planning Class until I was 21. It was such an eye-opener for me. I had suffered from depression all of my teen years (still do), but had never associated it with PMS. I had short cycles which meant I had my period for a week, a couple days of fertility, and then two weeks of PMS with its corresponding mood swings. I remember thinking, "How could it be PMS when I just finished my period?" but that is exactly what it was.

Having that information was empowering. At least I understood why I was feeling so horrible. Just knowing that made a world of difference. It doesn't change the horrible feeling or take away the cruel recording in my head that tells me I'm worthless over and over, but I know that isn't the real me, that it's just the hormones talking.

This article explains how teaching girls to recognize their hormonal shifts can help them stay out of trouble due to anger and depression as well as avoid sexually irresponsible behavior.

While this article doesn't discuss it, it can also be useful when they do get married to help them know how to achieve or avoid pregnancy. It can also help when talking to health care professionals if something is going wrong with your cycles. You'll know there is an issue right away.