Crunchy Stewardship

Female Fertility 101: Understanding Estrogen, Progesterone, and Ovulation

• Katie Jones • Season 2 • Episode 38

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Welcome back to Crunchy Stewardship! In Part 2 of our Fertility Series, we are shifting from our personal testimonies into a full masterclass on the female reproductive system. Chrissy puts her nursing hat on to break down the miraculous, intricate design of a woman's monthly cycle in a way that is easy to understand.

Whether you are currently trying to conceive, planning for the future, or just want to understand why your motivation tanks at certain times of the month, this episode is packed with "aha!" moments. We explore the biological miracle of conception, dive into the different ways to track your cycles at home, and discuss why managing your stress is one of the most important things you can do for your fertility.

In this episode, you'll learn:

  • The Anatomy of a Cycle: What is actually happening in your body during the follicular and luteal phases.
  • The Hormone Rollercoaster: Why your energy and motivation peak before ovulation and crash right after.
  • The Miracle of Conception: The fascinating, obstacle-filled journey sperm takes to fertilize an egg.
  • The Cortisol Connection: How stress directly opposes progesterone, and why creating a feeling of "safety" in your body is crucial for conception.
  • How to Track: A breakdown of Basal Body Temperature (BBT) tracking, LH strips, and advanced hormone monitors like Inito.
  • The Power of Visualization: How Katie used the Christian Hypnobirthing app and visualization to find peace during her pregnancy and hospital stay with Malakai.

Resources mentioned:

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Part 2 of the Fertility Series
03:58 Random Revelation: An Anatomy Class Fun Fact
07:53 The Menstrual Cycle: Follicular vs. Luteal Phase
09:53 Growing the Next Generation in the Next Generation
13:04 Hormones & Mood: Why Your Energy Fluctuates
25:30 How Cortisol (Stress) Disrupts Your Fertility
31:44 The Power of Visualization and Mindset
35:51 Katie's Hypnobirthing Experience
41:40 The Biological Miracle of Conception
48:51 Methods for Tracking: BBT, Ovulation Strips, and Inito
01:00:00 The Stresses of Having Too Much Data


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Speaker

Welcome to Crunchy Stewardship. I'm Chrissy Roach.

Speaker 2

And I'm Katie Fiola Jones. We are cousins on a mission to honor God by stewarding our health spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Speaker

From ancestral nutrition and natural remedies to biblical finance and holistic health, we are digging deep into how God intended us to live.

Speaker 3

So grab yourself a raw milk latte and join us as we unpack the ins and outs of crunchy stewardship.

Katie

Hey guys Welcome back to another episode of Crunchy Stewardship We are excited that you have joined us today for this It's it's technically our second episode in our fertility journey Last week we actually shared our own fertility journeys It was a very personal episode and honestly I I mean neither of us said it but I was feeling it like that was one of our best episodes for many reasons And if you haven't

Chrissy

I.

Katie

that out I both of us would highly recommend going and checking it out And pausing this episode We give you permission to pause this episode and go back and listen to that one because it really does bring you to like a a place that gets you prepared for these next episodes Because what Christie and I are hoping to do with this episode which we will be talking about Female fertility And then in the next episode we wanna talk about male fertility And then we wanna go through a series of talking about all of the challenges that we face today like just things that are disrupting our fertility And so we're going to go through a a bunch of different endocrine disrupting items that we can be aware of and ways that we can improve our fertility and and that's what we want to do because and I have experienced fertility challenges ourselves and we hope to wisdom and knowledge to those who are struggling with fertility Or if you just plan to be pregnant one day and you're not necessarily near that but want to be these are things you can be working on today To improve your fertility So but today in this episode we're actually going to start off with just female fertility in general and kind of how the female fertility system works and how to be tracking your own fertility so that way as you get ready to become pregnant one day you can then go and enhance it through all the episodes that we're going to share and how to like boost your fertility from what we've learned Again Chrissy and I don't uh pretend to be experts However today I do believe Chrissy is going to be basically like our health teacher and explain all of the anatomy of female fertility and different ways to track it She is I just consider her like our resident health expert because she is a nurse and is more familiar with this She has studied lots in school so even though she's not necessarily like a fertility expert she actually has some training in this area and has had some education beyond just high school health class which is where the extent of fertility education typically ends And I am just someone who likes to learn a lot of stuff and present you with the things that I have learned I often don't do that very eloquently with big fancy words and so I often try to explain things that maybe make it more confusing for you to understand is actually happening I definitely get blank stares from people who are like wait a minute what And I'm like I'm really trying to make this easy but maybe it's not working But yes So before we jump into our Actual episode here We are going to kick it off with our random revelation of the week which is going to be brought to you by the lovely Chrissy Roach Ready Take it away Chrissy

Chrissy

Thanks Katie. Well, I will, um, do my absolute darnedest not to use really big fancy words because I'm gonna be be honest. When I was reading back through my anatomy textbook from college to prepare for this episode, there was a lot of words in there that I had kind of forgotten even existed. Um, they're just like not really talked about when you're talking to the general public. And I have mostly been considered general public when it comes to fertility conversations because yes, I'm a nurse. Yes, I studied the reproductive system in nursing school. Yes, I did have a whole semester about pregnancy and birth and everything like that. But also I work with old people and, uh, my 80-year-old grandmas who fell and broke their hips are not having babies. Some of them are concerned with still practicing having babies, but most of them will know all of them are not having babies. So,

Katie

most of them

Chrissy

I mean, unless anyone decides to pull a Sarah eye, but I don't see that happening nowadays. Anyways, our random revelation this week I decided was actually going to coincide with the theme of today's episode because as I was studying, I, I just have to do a little shout out to Dr. Mark Taylor at Baylor University. He was my anatomy professor, and I love the man to death. And let me tell you, reading through his textbook again really just made me love him even more because he just provides the randomest little tidbits of information of like, did we really need to know that? Probably not, but is it interesting to know that? Absolutely. And so, um, let's see. There was a few little fun facts that I, uh, saw when I was reading. In the textbook today. And I'm just gonna say the one that's like super out there and kind of wild, that is really like, did we really need to know that? I don't know. But according to Dr. Mark Taylor at Baylor University in his textbook, he made it clear that God created pubic hair to reduce the friction in between a man and a woman during intercourse.

Katie

What

Chrissy

And that is my random revelation of the day.

Katie

Christina Oh my goodness

Chrissy

Slightly relevant, but not really. It is, and it's kind of funny because even in the textbook, it's just like one random sentence in the middle of this paragraph about female anatomy and that's it.

Katie

I don't know but I'm sure a lot of people listening including myself to this conversation right now feel slightly uncomfortable by that random revelation of yours And uh

Chrissy

indeed.

Katie

for that

Chrissy

You're welcome. You know it's important because God created the human body perfectly and beautifully, and there is no part of the human body that does not have a purpose behind it, and that goes in every single part of the human body. So there you have it, but let's get down to the actual process of female fertility. So as many people know, men have a daily cycle. They wake up, their testosterone's low or high, I actually don't remember, but then the testosterone level changes throughout the day, and then they go to sleep and they wake up the next morning and the cycle starts over again. Females. On the other hand, the cycle is an entire month long and estrogen rises at different types times of the cycle. Progesterone rises at different times of the cycle. Estrogen, progesterone are both associated with different emotions, different emotional balances, I guess you would say. Um, they're associated even with different muscle strengths. I don't know, Katie, if you've ever tried working out like the day before ovulation and you're like, man, I feel like Hulk. And then the day after ovulation, you try to work out and you're like, I can't even lift a 10 pound weight. What the heck just happened? I was lifting 20 pounds two days ago and now I can't. So that's because of our hormones. Praise God for hormones though, because it makes it possible for us to create babies. So

Katie

Hmm

Chrissy

we're gonna go through the entire process of. The female hormone cycle during the menstrual cycle. There's two different sections of it. There's the ovarian cycle and the uterine cycle, and they coincide with each other. So think of the ovarian cycle as more so like the hormonal side of it, and then the uterine cycle as more so the physical side of it. And the hormonal side impacts the physical side. The physical side is the result of the hormonal side. Okay, cool. Got it. First things first, so we are going to start from the beginning of the beginning of female fertility. And that begins at eight weeks of gestation of a female embryo. And at around eight weeks gestation the, um, ovaries in a baby girl begin to develop. And so that's one of those things that, um, is really beautiful, like God starts creating the next generation of life. In the baby, and it's actually wild when a baby girl is born, she already has over 1 million immature eggs prepared and essentially like in their dormant phase, ready to be stimulated when puberty happens, which I think is just completely fascinating. Like God starts the, um,

Katie

kind of like the next generation of the next generation

Chrissy

pretty much is like the next generation is being started while the next generation is growing in the womb, which is wild to think about. So anyways,

Katie

actually I wanna pause really quick

Chrissy

yeah.

Katie

think one point that's really interesting that for me I never really conceptualized until I was pregnant myself is that at the moment that a woman usually finds out they're pregnant they've the gestational period has already begun and so you usually find out after the baby has already like been growing And so like when people are like oh it's nine months until they're born but then there's like 40 weeks until they're like fully grown inside the womb It it doesn't technically like line up properly but it's because the baby gestational like counting of the weeks starts before you ever really find out that you're pregnant and and it's just that of information has always been really interesting to me because again when you're not like in the fertility world in like Professionally and when you're not pregnant So basically if you're just single and not a doctor you just don't really think about that until you're in that space where you need to know it I just remember like getting pregnant and then being like oh I'm already I think what is it like seven five to seven weeks along technically Is that where you're at when you typically find out that you're pregnant

Chrissy

I think so. You know, I don't actually know'cause I personally don't understand how they calculate the timing and the amount of weeks that it's been in. In order to calculate like the due date of a baby. They go from the start of your. Last menstrual cycle plus one year minus two months in a week or something like that. And then that's how they calculate it, which

Katie

Yeah it's

Chrissy

is complicated

Katie

it's fascinating because yeah life starts like before The baby has even like

Chrissy

and born.

Katie

I don't know it's it's just really beautiful So

Chrissy

Yeah, yeah,

Katie

to pause and say that

Chrissy

yeah. So anyways, after a girl starts puberty, she begins having menstrual cycles every single month until from age between 10 to 15 until age 45 to 50. And each month, a few of those 1 million immature eggs are prepared. And most of them die off honestly before they even get to. Do their thing. So we're gonna go through that entire process. I'm gonna try to simplify it as much as possible, but at the same time, I think it's important to know the ins and outs of it, um, so that you can understand like what's going on inside your body throughout the month. Why do you feel what you feel? So day one of the cycle is the beginning of menstruation. You start your period, and for most women it's kind of the worst day of the month. You never wanna have a big presentation or a hard conversation because emotions are all over the place. Um, usually there's a little bit of abdominal pain. Um, and yeah, it's just not a fun day. Um, and the reason emotions are over all over the place because it is a total utter crash of all of the hormones, pretty much at day one. All the hormones are about as low as they can go on the chart of hormone tracking. So when that happens, that crash of hormones, of estrogen, progesterone stimulates your hypothyroid to release gonadotropin stimulating hormone, which then stimulates the pituitary to start releasing follicle stimulating hormone. That follicle stimulating hormone goes to the ovaries and tells them, Hey, time to prepare for the next cycle. So the ovaries start to mature multiple different eggs, usually maybe three to five or so. And as that follicle stimulating hormone stimulates the follicles that these eggs are growing in, um, they, they get bigger. They start to release estrogen. And so that's why in this beginning part of the cycle, known as the follicular phase, which is the growing of follicles in the ovaries, um, we, the follicles are releasing estrogen as they are growing. So you're gonna see a rise in estrogen, which usually comes along with a rise in energy, a rise in happy emotions, a rise in physical strength. Um, usually a rise in libido also as kind of like the prime of the month for most women. It's a great time, I have to say now. Of those few follicles that are stimulated and growing, one is dominant and that one dominant one is towards the end of the eight to 10 days of this, um, follicle growth stage. That one dominant one continues and the non-dominant ones die off. Mind you, in the middle of this, the, you are bleeding for about five to seven days-ish, on average. Really depends on the girl though. So the primary follicle, the dominant one, continues to grow, continues to release estrogen. Now, when that estrogen gets high enough, it then stimulates back to the pituitary to release a hormone called luteinizing hormone. That luteinizing hormone, well, actually, it stimulates the release of more follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. So you'll see a spike in both after the spike of estrogen. So estrogen rises super high and then drops. And when it drops the luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone increase, which then tells the ovaries to release that mature egg in order to go into the reproductive system. So after the egg is released. The egg leaves a little, I'm gonna call it a scar, so to say, on the ovary. And that scar is called the corpus lutetium. So this ends the follicular phase of the cycle and starts the luteal phase of the cycle. And that corpus lutetium releases progesterone. So now our estrogen has decreased, luteinizing hormone has decreased after its surge. Follicle stimulating hormone is starting to decrease, but progesterone is slightly rising. This is when we start to feel very tired. Um, the, the crash of the estrogen LH and FSH together is why the day after ovulation, it is so dang hard to go lift weights. Let me tell you. Very difficult to do.

Katie

It's like one of those times of like for me that I just don't wanna do anything I

Chrissy

Yes.

Katie

when I am there because all I wanna do is like lay in bed I'll wake up and just be like no today is not my day And I feel less motivated to go do things or take Malachi out of the house I I'm sure every woman out there like recognizes that and has recognized those days when you just want to do that day

Chrissy

Yep, yep. And ironically, it comes like two days after having like the most amount of motivation out of the entire month.'cause like two days prior, you're like, let's go.

Katie

My challenge has been like I I will get really really motivated and I'll I'll think like oh I'm gonna get this done and this done and this done And so I I almost like my days in a sense like or my to-do list up and I'm like yeah And then just a few days later I'm like look at my giant to-do list of random projects and things I need to do and I'll do none of it And then I always end that day or those days when I'm just like I feel like I've done nothing and I feel really sad and I am just I feel very defeated and It have to remind myself and give myself grace during those times because it's it's just my hormones that are kind of making me feel this way And honestly I feel like the enemy also uses these times to like make us feel extra bad about ourselves And I just get into these funks of like I really am worthless and I just can't do anything Right And it's just like that spiral So I find that those days are best spent with like extra time in the word And I that I necessarily plan this but I know and I recognize that on those days when I feel the most defeated because of my hormones and and all the things that are going on with being a woman and everything it's just like I know I I need Christ even more when my body is kind of like at at its weakest in a sense So yeah

Chrissy

Yeah, so true. And I've even noticed in and of myself, you know, with that rise in estrogen, you have the rise in motivation, the rise in energy. So I also tend to pack my to-do list, but then it makes me feel incredibly stressed and overwhelmed that day. And so it's kind of counterintuitive of like, I feel like I need to implement more rest when I have that estrogen surge, not because I. I am lacking the energy to do things, but because I have so much energy that I will just pile it all on, and then I have no time to even think about what is actually happening in front of me. I'm like just onto the next, onto the next.

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

So I think everyone manages their, uh, emotions and hormones differently throughout their cycle. But

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

wanna continue with, um, finishing out the menstrual cycle real quick. So we have the corpus lium that's releasing progesterone, and as it releases progesterone, slowly but surely progesterone is going to rise in the bloodstream, this rising of the progesterone. Encourages the lining of the uterus to proliferate, which means to grow a little bit and create, essentially, I think of it as like a warm cushy bed for a nice little egg to rest. Because if the egg is fertilized within the one day after ovulation, an egg actually only survives about 24 to 48 hours after ovulation. After that, the egg dies.

Katie

Hmm

Chrissy

if it is fertilized after that, one day after ovulation, then it will implant into the um, endometrium, which is the lining of the uterus. And when it implants, it secretes a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, which. Stops the hypothalamus from releasing gonadotropin, releasing hormone, stops the pituitary from releasing luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone, and then tells the corpus lutetium to stick around and continue creating progesterone until the placenta is able to form and then takes over creating the progesterone. Now if, uh, fertilization does not happen and the egg disintegrates, then eventually towards the end of the follicular phase, so we're nearing days 2021 or rather 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 of the. Um, menstrual cycle, the corus corpus lium starts to disintegrate and turns into the corpus albicans. And when it does that, it actually turns from a yellowish color to a whitish color. That's why it's called the albicans because it's more of a like white color. Um, when it does that, it starts to secrete less progesterone, and as the progesterone levels decrease in the body, that decrease in progesterone stimulates the shedding of the endometrial lining, which starts your period and then stimulates your hypothalamus to then release GNRH, which then stimulates the FSH to start again, which then stimulates the estrogen to start again, which then stimulates the LH and the FSH again, which then stimulates the progesterone, and it just continues to be a whole cycle. So

Katie

a giant reset button

Chrissy

pretty much in. It's really beautiful to see that like God created the female body so intricately connected that like our pituitary and our hypothalamus and our ovaries. And quite honestly, there's so many more hormones and glands that go into that impact. Fertility, for instance, like estrogen is um, like blood sugar sensitive. And so now we're talking about insulin, the hormone insulin and the pancreas. Well, estrogen is also a, and I think progesterone also are also fat soluble hormones. So now we have to look at, okay, well where, how much fat do we have in our body and what is causing this collection of fat? Oh wait, that goes back to insulin also. Um, and so it's really, oh, and another thing, cortisol. Which is our stress hormone that's released from the pituitary. I don't actually remember what glands releases Cortisol. Oh no,

Katie

Me

Chrissy

it's the adrenal glands. Hello? The adrenals, which is right above your kidneys, um, release cortisol. And cortisol is anti progesterone. And so just like sodium and potassium are usually opposite of each other in the bloodstream, estrogen or progesterone and cortisol are usually opposite. So if you have high cortisol, then it prevents the rise in progesterone,

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

prevents the body to prepare for having a baby. And so anyways, all this to say

Katie

uh

Chrissy

it's all connected.

Katie

there Yeah It is all connected and I think one of the challenges that a lot of women have is that they have too much stress in their lives and their body is constantly in a fight or flight mode telling it's telling your body like there's a red flag It it's not safe to get pregnant And there's a lot of you know professionals out there who kind of talk about the fact that women who work are often exposed to a lot more day-to-day stress which then releases all of those stress hormones And then it's telling your body like it's not time to get pregnant it's not a safe space We need to kind of calm ourselves down and be safe And so it's one of those things that uh I I ha I mean I remember this conversation that I had with a a very sweet lady at uh my former church um who the moment that I did get pregnant One of her comments to me was something along the lines of oh see all you needed to do was just relax And and it was just one of those moments where I know she was very well intended in her comment or maybe she wasn't I don't know I like to think that she was well intended in our comment because I felt like in my situation there was a lot more factors but Sure yeah Maybe stress was one of them And especially as you're trying to get pregnant I feel like stress just increases over time because you're like why is this not happening Why is this not happening And you just start to on the fact that it's not happening and then stress just increases and cortisol increases and it's just like now your body is kind of in this cycle of safe for a baby to be born here And I dunno it's it's very interesting Um and so if you feel like you know If if you're listening and trying to get pregnant and it's not happening consider the stress that is in your life um that may be impacting it It's kinda interesting

Chrissy

That's, yeah, that you,

Katie

anatomy lesson

Chrissy

the end of my anatomy lesson, but you just made me think of two things. So the first thing is one thing that just irked me, um, when I went to my OB last year. Maybe six months ago

Katie

mm-hmm

Chrissy

told her that when I got my labs done, my cortisol was high, and that I'm working on decreasing my cortisol by incorporating, um, extra prayer throughout the day, extra time in the word. Well, I didn't actually tell her that I said meditation because I don't know, I just, doctors sometimes just look at you weird. If you say, yeah, I'm praying a lot in order to get pregnant. They're like, mm, okay, whatever. Anyways, but that's not the point. I said that I, my cortisol was high and she was like, yeah, well, you know, people have been stressed for generations and they've still gotten pregnant, so I don't really think that's a big problem. And I was like, yeah, well, you know, 200 years ago the cortisol that was released was when they were quite literally being chased by a bear. And the movement of being chased by a bear helps your body to process that adrenaline and the cortisol and the blood sugar that is just. Dumped into your bloodstream to give you the energy to run from the bear. Now our stress comes from a scary email and we're sitting at our desk and we can't actually run away from said scary email. And so that adrenaline and the cortisol and the glycogen that was just dumped into our bloodstream stays there because our muscles aren't using it and getting rid of it. So that's one thing that irked me. Another thing that doesn't irk me, what

Katie

oh I was gonna say even just like the stress of uh what's going on all around the world at all times Like people even just a few decades ago did not have that knowledge that we have We literally can find out what is happening in India like in

Chrissy

Right.

Katie

of the world like in India and across the seas in Africa like just all over you can constantly know what is happening in all these places and just knowing that is very stressful because you feel like you should do something or you feel like it it might happen here I mean think about like when COVID started hitting the world like we knew about it when it was so far away and people kept being like it's gonna come it's gonna come And so just that anxiety of like thinking that something like that was coming

Chrissy

Mm.

Katie

was so stressful I mean I that was literally the time of my life when we were trying to start a family So stress probably did impact part of our fertility journey early on especially cause that first year there was a lot of stress with COVID and just not knowing what was happening in the world and feeling like everything was collapsing and like we were gonna die any moment and Yeah so I can imagine that stress probably played a role for a bit there And yeah I mean that's not that's not normal guys Not like knowing everything that's going on everywhere at all times is not normal

Chrissy

Yeah, I, I love what Dr. Josh Acts says. He, so, Dr. Josh Acts talks a lot about fertility, specifically PCOS, endometriosis, other fertility issues. He talks a lot about, um. Like fertility mindset, which I really appreciate because I feel like a lot of conventional medicine just like completely forgets about the importance of mindset when it comes to allowing your body to work. And

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

Dr. Acts, he just, it's so profound. He says, when you are trying to get pregnant, you want to feel safe. And so he tells his patients, he's like, all right, I want you to sit down. I want you to get in a comfortable position, and I want you to close your eyes. And he does like a, um, oh, what's it called? Like a visual prayer sort of thing with them. And he, I guess not visual prayer, but like a visual therapy thing. So he is like, I want you to close your eyes and I want you to think of the place that you feel the most comfortable. And he says, I want you to just sit there. In the most comfortable position. And I want you to be drinking your favorite drink, and I want you to have nothing on your schedule, and you just get to sit there as long as you want to. And so when he said that for me, I immediately thought to, okay, I'm sitting in my living room on my couch, crisscross applesauce wearing PJ pants and my husband's t-shirt because I have to say Max's t-shirts are significantly more comfortable than my own.

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

Um, even though they don't really fit me'cause they're way too big. But anyways, wearing my husband's t-shirt, t-shirt, drinking a cup of tea, and reading my Bible and looking out the window in the process and like. That is one of the times that I feel the most safe and the most comfortable, and the most like, wow, I just wanna sit here forever and just like linger in the presence of the Lord. And that leads me to another thing, like in scripture, God says to cast all our anxieties on him and so that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. And so it's one of those things that like when we cast our anxieties, our burdens, our worries, our stress on the Lord, we are immediately then filled with peace, which then decreases those cortisol levels and makes us feel safe and makes us feel comfortable and calm again. And. For Scientificy people out there stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system as opposed to the cortisol stimulating the sympathetic nervous system. And it's just so beautiful that like God created this whole physical process of hormones and emotions and energy and strength and everything like that. And at the basis of all of it is prayer that every single time when we turn back to the Lord in prayer, he puts our mind in the right spot. And that mindset that he puts us in leads our bodies into a place to be healthier for a baby, to be more prepared to start a family. And our bodies are not going to, like you said, Katie. Create a pregnancy when they don't feel safe. And so praying creates a mindset of safety, which then allows the body to relax and feel safe. So it's just so beautiful. I love reflecting on the things that the Lord does and just,

Katie

Yes

Chrissy

it's great.

Katie

When I was pregnant I was practicing um people call hypnobirthing but I found this resource called Christian Hypnobirthing and I highly recommend people check it out It's actually there's an app and you pay for it but it's like a one time fee and you have it forever But is kind of this in the more new agey sense It's like this hypnosis kind of state that you prepare for birth and being able to relax and go into your birth without needing to use any kind of medications And there's a a woman out there who created a Christian hypnobirthing resource And a lot of it is a visualization and prayer and meditation And she goes through and and reads all of these promises from the Lord and you just sit and listen to it And so on a daily basis I would practice for at least 10 to 20 minutes every day And visualization was a big part of that And so when you're talking about how Josh Acts brings in those like visualization kind of exercises I think back to the hypnobirthing thing that I would do in my visualization place because she would kind of say the same things like go and like think about sitting in your favorite place and like just everything is perfect There's you have nothing on your agenda you just are there and you're with the Lord and you're just soaking in his presence And my Place that I would sit was in the backyard of my parents lake house overlooking the lake and it's like sunset and there's a fire going and I have like a warm cup of tea or something So same thing it's very similar Um just like sitting there and it's like late summer where it's it's getting a little bit cooler in the evening and the sun is just setting over the water and the fire is crackling And I would sit there and visualize it Visualize it And then what was so beautiful was you're pregnant they start talking about like now visualize you sitting there and you're holding your baby in your arms and they're just sleeping in your arms and you are just everything's at peace Like they're happy they're full and just very content snuggled in your arms And so I had this like this visualization of Holding Malachi in my arms overlooking the water And when I was in the hospital after he was born um and he was in his own hospital room and I was in mine I would continue to visualize that and I would pray like Lord my baby is here and all I wanna do is get to bring him to the lake house and hold him and and make that memory Come to reality like I or that visualization come to fruition And I I want this to happen and I would pray and ask the Lord that that would happen And so it was so beautiful was one of the first times that we got to finally bring him There was July after he was born So he was born in April so his birthday's coming up which is really cool He is gonna be two And I finally got to bring him there the July after he was born So it was a few months after and I was sitting outside and he was in my arms and the fire was going and I just was crying because after all that we had gone through um if you didn't listen to last episode this is again another reminder to go and check it out cause after he was born we had a lot of complications and that visualization that I had been practicing Possibly not going to actually happen And so the day that it actually happened I remember holding him in my arms and just crying and praising God for for allowing this moment to actually happen And there have been a couple times since then there was actually one day where I was there without anybody It was just Malakai and I there cause we got Malka and I were visiting my parents for the night and we got there before they were coming home from some event And I got the fire going in the backyard and we sat on a picnic blanket by the fire and I just like snuggled with him out there And he was in his little hoodie and it was like fall time And I was like this is it This is like what I've been picturing and it's just so beautiful And I just like every time I think about that I'm like praise you Lord for this This is so sweet And it's what I've been praying for the whole time so yeah it's it's really cool It's it's beautiful how God Uh allows our bodies to work so perfectly in sync And I know Chrissy and I have talked about this before but it's I would have to have a lot of faith to not believe that there is a creator out there who purposely everything into place just so specifically work together I mean just how like intricate the whole process is to bringing life into the world just crazy to think that it all happened by accident and it is just insane to think that people don't believe that there's a God out there who created everything because everything is so Intricate and specific Um but I I think let's like move into that next phase of our episode where we kind of talk a little bit about like how we can actually track our fertility Because there are definitely ways that we can do that and we want to be doing that especially if we are trying to get pregnant or honestly if you're not trying to get pregnant this is there's a whole you could use these systems to like reverse and like figure out when are your cycle like where are you at in your cycle so that way you don't get pregnant if that's what you're trying to do So um uh uh what am I gonna call you Anatomy teacher Chrissy will you take us onto the next phase of our lesson today

Chrissy

Yeah. Well, before we do that, I actually wanted to touch one more on like the goodness of God specifically in relation to the creation of life. Because looking at the female pre reproductive system, there are so many barriers that are designed to keep the woman safe. And unfortunately, these barriers are not ideal for sperm. And so I'm just gonna go through them real quick and it, it's quite fascinating. So first off, the inside of the vagina is actually very acidic because the. Vaginal opening is the only part of the body that is actually open from the outside to the inside. The it opens to the cervix, then to the uterus, then to the fallopian tubes and out to the abdominal cavity. There is, it's not a closed system. So actually fun fact, that's why with married couples, if they've been married for a long time, they can actually over the years find an increased amount of the man's DNA in the female's brain because the female reproductive system is not a closed system. Fun fact. There you go. Um, and so the inside of the vagina is very acidic, which helps to kill any sort of bacteria or virus or anything that would try to get in there. And it protects the female, but at the same time that acidity kills sperm. But the beauty is as the, the, the coolest thing. I just think this is so fascinating. So as the, a woman gets more excited in during sex, the, um, cervix secretes lubricant that makes the vagina less acidic and more basic, so it increases the pH of the vagina and specifically orgasm increases the acidity of the vagina or increases the pH of the vagina even more, which decreases the acidity, which creates an environment that is more suitable for sperm to survive. First off, that's just fascinating to me. Second off, as soon as that sperm is released into the vagina, it solidifies. And creates like a little solid pocket around the end of the cervix, and then slowly but surely liquefies. And as it's liquefying, it stimulates the uterus to contract, which essentially like sucks in the sperm into the uterus. So that's another thing. And orgasm helps to do that. Orgasm is also like the contractions of the uterus help to suck in the sperm into the uterus. So cool thing. Um,

Katie

That's wild

Chrissy

another thing that is wild that you're like, okay, how in the world does fertilization even happen is when the male ejaculates, he releases about three to 4 million sperm cells into the female body. Only about half of them make it past the cervix because the vagina is acidic and kills a lot of them, but then they have to swim. All the way up into the fallopian tubes, and most of them die in the process. And also there's two fallopian tubes, but only one egg. And so half of them that are alive by that point even go into the wrong fallopian tube.

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

by the time any of the sperm even reach the egg, you only have a couple thousand left, which out of three or 4 million is

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

like a super low, low chance of survival. And then from there, like multiple sperms all have to work together to break down the egg wall because the egg is like an impenetrable thing because God created it to be impenetrable to any sort of bacteria or virus or pathogen that could destroy it. And so then the sperms have to fix that and or get through that. So that's another one that is, um, super cool also.

Katie

so they're like working together but then only one of them kind of like wins

Chrissy

Yes, it's okay. It's actually kind of cool. I'm gonna get on my science soap box real quick. So all the sperm are working together and releasing proteins to break down the egg wall. As soon as that egg wall is broken down, the first sperm to connect, um, the sodium channels in the cell membrane of the egg, um, depolarized, which immediately blocks any of the other sperm from allowing to go in, allowing them to come in. And then as the one sperm is there, it then releases calcium ions into the egg, which

Katie

Hmm

Chrissy

then creates like a, a water bubble around that egg, which then forces all of the other sperm to like detach from it and it creates like a little moat around it and then they become one cell. It's so fascinating, Katie. Oh my gosh. I love anatomy. I just have to say

Katie

know why this just like this A thought popped into my head It's kind of like the Discovery Channel when I don't know like when animals are all like fighting for something or whatever and I I don't know it's just like that's so weird I again like I went through a health class I went through anatomy I went through all this stuff but like do I remember any of that

Chrissy

no.

Katie

All I remember is how awkward I felt as a little teenager and like even pre-teen I think was when my first health class was and they're talking about all this and you're just like Ooh gross Like it's just you don't remember any of it And so I don't know like relearning some of this as an adult and especially an adult who's like I'm actually like pretty curious to like know how this all look works and I don't even know It's just like that is so fascinating And so now I'm like I don't think I'll forget some of these things because just at this point in my life I'm like it's so unique and I can appreciate it From a just like a a Christian perspective of just like yeah God is so and everything is so purposeful

Chrissy

Oh yeah, for sure. And then the last thing that I wanted to touch on of like the miracle of pregnancy is that, as I said earlier, an egg is only viable for like a day after ovulation. And so if there is not sperm in the female reproductive system. Before that day, then it's just not gonna happen. That's not a reality. Pray is God though that sperm survive in the female reproductive system for up to five days. So

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

you at least have a five day window. But with that being said, I want to then, let's now segue into how can we track our cycles so that we can actually know, like where are we? Why do I feel the way I feel? When should I be intimate with my husband and how can I be most intentional towards having a baby? So, um, the first thing that I think is really, really fascinating is temperature tracking. I'm sure a lot of people know about it, but. Our temperatures change by nearly an entire degree over the course of the month. And so during the follicular, during the follicular phase of the cycle between the start of ES menstruation and ovulation, so like the first 14 ish days of the cycle, um, our temperatures are rather low. Mine personally is around 97.3 to 97.5 ish on average. And that low temperature is, I guess, from estrogen. I don't even know why it's that low. It just is. But then right before ovulation, when you have the drop in estrogen, which is then the rise in LH and FSH, that causes a slight dip. In temperature. So for me personally, my temperature will dip down to 97 instead of like 97.3. And then from there, after ovulation, you have the increase in progesterone, which then increases temperature. And so it will increase, could be up to an entire degree from there. And so for me, when I'm in my luteal phase, my temperature ranges about 98.2 to 98.6 on average. And so

Katie

Whoa

Chrissy

think it's quite fascinating when you really do temperature tracking. There are some ways that they say to do it. So you have to get like the basal metabolic temperature, which is done first thing in the morning before you get outta bed like. Alarm goes off, you stick one arm out of the covers to turn off the alarm, you grab the thermometer and stick it in your mouth straight away

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

as soon as you take the covers off, your body temperature's going to change immediately. So that's one way. Another way that's much nicer that you don't really have to think about is to use some sort of temperature tracker. So there's a lot out there. There's the temp drop, there's the aura ring. I think there's other not so expensive rings that track temperature. Um, I wanna say even,

Katie

Aren't there like like the watches I think like Apple Watches Does

Chrissy

yeah, I think Apple Watch maybe just started tracking temperature. Natural cycles. Has a little temperature tracking watch thing that you can wear to bed.

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

So there's a lot of different ways to track your temperature. Currently I'm just doing the wake up and stick the thermometer in your mouth

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

'cause that's the cheapest one. Um. But it's really fascinating and when, when you're able to like write them all down and then you can see the trends of your temperature throughout the month, it's like, oh, well obviously I ovulated there because my temp was like way lower than all the other days, and now I'm in my luteal phase because my temperature is much higher. And so it's really great and nice to track or be intentional about having intimacy if you're trying to get pregnant. So I personally am a fan of the temperature tracking. I also kind of wish I had one that was a little bit more passive because sometimes it's kind of hard to remember to check my temperature first thing in the morning or

Katie

When

Chrissy

the opposite will happen. And I'll be so concerned about checking my temperature first thing in the morning that I'll wake up at like three o'clock in the morning and my body will be like, you need to check your temperature. So it goes back and forth. We're, I'm trying to figure out a different method, but that's where I'm at.

Katie

Yeah I did that for a while and I used an app that I could put in all the data I don't even remember what the app was but I just used a regular temperature thermometer Same thing like you I didn't have like a ring or a watch or anything like that I just did the temperature or the thermometer And day I would make up and take the temp and then put it into an app And the one thing that it like so if anyone's trying to use this it does take a couple months to really understand your own data and and then also things like being sick or other stuff like that changes your temperature So you just obviously I mean people when you have fevers you you know that your temperature changes But in general if you're sick oh yeah Did you wanna

Chrissy

Also alcohol changes your temperature. So if you've had like one or two drinks the night before, then your temperature is likely to be a little bit higher. One fact.

Katie

see that's interesting I don't remember that Yeah And so I just felt like for me I well the app was really helpful because it would show you graphs Like it was really great cause it would put all your uh temperatures into a graph or a chart or something like that And so it would point out like okay based on this here is where you've ovulated and it would tell you at different points um in your cycle where you are at and everything And so it does take a little bit of time to get to a place where you can understand it and know where you're at in your own cycle So and actually interestingly enough I had not heard of temperature tracking until I was actually I think it was like the first year of marriage And then my friend told me that she was actually using it in the opposite way so she was using it So that her husband like that her and her husband would not get pregnant and so she would know at what point she was at in her cycle so that they wouldn't be intimate so that they wouldn't get pregnant And so she actually used it in the opposite sense and it works that way too So

Chrissy

It's kind of great. The, the current app that I'm using takes the temperature and adds like six more layers on top of it. So I found a new hormone tracking app slash machine thing. Um, it's called a needle. This is not sponsored, but if a Anita wants to reach out to us and sponsor, that'd be great. Just a side note, but what I was saying is, um, every morning, or at least the mornings around ovulation or days after ovulation, I will do a urine sample and there's a little like machine thing that I stick onto the top of my phone and then put the test strip into this little machine thing and it reads the test strip and will give me. My estrogen level, my follicle stimulating hormone level, my luteinizing hormone level, and my progesterone level. And so over the days I can see the trends of all of my hormones, which is so nice to be able to see like, okay, am I even ovulating? If I am, then I should be seeing that progesterone rise. If I'm not seeing that progesterone rise, well let's go back. Are we seeing an estrogen rise? Are we seeing an LH surge? Are we seeing all of these things that go along with, um, the entire menstrual cycle?

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

And it's so great because I can then also input my. Basal metabolic temperature or BBT basal body temperature I think is actually what it is.

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

then I can also implement what kind of exercise I'm doing that day. If there was anything specifically stressful, if I had like a presentation or a test or if I was traveling or something like that, I can input any sort of physical symptoms like breast pain, breast tenderness, abdominal pain, cramping, headache, nausea, constipation, like all of these things

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

of those can be impacted by our cycles. And then I also input my emotions, which personally I find very difficult because there's only like 11 emotional states available on the this app. And stress is not one of them. And annoyed is not one of them. And I,

Katie

stressed and annoyed often

Chrissy

I think, you know, I have recently discovered that those are like my top two. Moods or top two emotions that I feel outside of like neutral. And so, um, sometimes I don't really know what to put, so I end up just putting like happy and calm all the time. Or sometimes just calm because most people don't notice that I'm annoyed because I kind of keep that one in. But anyways, um, irritated is an option, so I could use that, but I feel like annoyed and irritated have a little bit of a different connotation. Anyways, I digress. My point is I really love this app because I can see the trends. I can know exactly where I'm at and how my hormones are doing and what could possibly be going on or not going on. And also makes it really great because sometimes my husband will walk into the bathroom and see my phone and be like, oh, peak fertility. And then sometimes he'll walk in and it'll say low fertility, and he'll be like, ah, darn.

Katie

That's really funny

Chrissy

is really funny. Um, but yeah, so I really like the Anita app. It's, it's proven, I've only been using it for like one month so far, but it's proving to be really great and helpful and I appreciate it.

Katie

Yeah having a lot of data is really good Uh I ended up so I I did the temperature thing I also used just a traditional really simple LH ovulation test and those are basically they're very similar to pregnancy tests where you just like pee on a little strep two And I think it just changed I think the one that I got it literally just changed colors and it was like no Oh oh actually I did I had to ah no I'm really forgetting I just remember it was like these little strips and I had to like pee on them and then I think I put them in something and then based on what color it changed it would tell me something I actually I don't really

Chrissy

Interesting. My LH test strips that I used were very similar to a pregnancy test in which it was just the two little lines. And if the LH was there, you had two lines, and if the LH wasn't there, you only had one. And so the LH would come, would surge like about the day before ovulation. And so it would say, Hey, have fun today. So.

Katie

How fun Yeah it was I got the really really whatever it was it was the the cheapest one at like Walgreens and there was a big box of strips and yeah I I don't remember too much about it Um I had a love hate relationship with a lot of the testing Um you know I shared a little bit about how at a certain point in our fertility journey and and just getting pregnant that I just kind of got into a state of depression and a lot of stress over it And so I realized that I just had to stop tracking everything And so for a while like the I love data I'm like definitely a data nerd I love spreadsheets I love seeing things and having the information and I feel like For me it's like one of those things where I'm like knowledge is power And I don't know I just I had too much knowledge and it stressed me out and I just kinda had to stop and just let it all go And so I did a lot of stuff in the beginning and then I kinda let it go and then I kind of picked it back up and then I let it go And then yeah so I just it was an on and off thing for me and I I think know this is just a reminder for everybody out there that you if you do feel like it is a lot of stress and anxiety in you Again remember the cortisol is a Like an enemy of fertility And so just feel free to stop I mean at the end of the day is the one who gives and takes life and we just need to trust that if you were meant to be pregnant that you will be pregnant And obviously he has given us a lot of tools and resources that we can use to help in the process of trying to get pregnant But if that is then causing more problems for you let it all go and just be in that that you can visualize of just like being in his presence and your favorite drink and just relax and honestly I felt like that was just really helpful for me is just kind of practicing meditation and deep breathing and like just being in my word and yeah I I needed to be in the word like constantly and reminding myself like who really is in control of all of it Yeah

Chrissy

Yeah, that is one thing my naturopath actually recommended when we started working with him. He said, I know you've been tracking your cycle for about a year, but I want you to stop and I want you to just not even think about it. Just enjoy and enjoy when you feel like enjoying and just don't think about anything in regards to your cycle. And I think that was a really good rest. It kind of gave me a lot of time to focus more on like really creating a healthy environment for any sort of future baby and to really just enjoy life, you know, without being like super stressed about what's next and what's going on and everything like that. And then in due time. Because I also love data. It gave me the ability to slowly but surely do a little bit more research and come decide to start using a new product. And,

Katie

Mm-hmm

Chrissy

I've also been taking a supplement called Maa Root, which is praise God, the Lord creates endocrine and hormone balancing herbs. And so I've been taking that and I can even see like my hormones are more balanced this month than they were last month. And um, yeah, it's just God is good in all of it. And there's a season for testing all these things and being on top of it and there's a season for rest and not, and it really just depends on the person and how much you personally can handle when it comes to tracking all of it. So,

Katie

Mm-hmm Yeah Yeah Wes had to remind me that a lot because I I would throw everything out the window and I'd be like we're not we're not tracking anymore We're not gonna do this we're not gonna do that And I would just get very frustrated and angry and and he would allow me like Wes would allow me to have my space of you know frustration and anger And then when we'd come back and discussions about it Again he would be like you know God gave us a lot of these tools so that way we could know and we we could be more intentional about this And it was just such a blessing Wes was very steady throughout all of of our season of trying to get pregnant because mean he just is very levelheaded and I am very thankful to the Lord that he gave me Wes for that because I often just go through lots of frustration myself And he was just very levelheaded with it all and just reminded me like you know God will provide like he just always believed that the whole time Um and there were moments where I was like no he's not and we're just never gonna get pregnant But I just I remember the Father's Day before we got pregnant was kind of when I was ready to just get back to like Tracking and trying more intentionally And Wes was like just so I I don't even know I just remember having that conversation right around Father's Day with him and just being like I I'm I'm ready to use these tools that God has given us again and and track And that's actually when I went and bought that big ovulation kit um that the just the really cheapy one at Walgreens And it was helpful It ended up being helpful but also it was kind of funny because due like with the ovulation test you know I didn't think that we were going to be able to get pregnant And at the time that we were that we did end up getting pregnant And it's just really funny thinking back to it because again God is the one who gives and takes life And it's like at that moment in time I was like I don't think that we're able to get pregnant right now And then I ended up being pregnant and God was like I I am greater than all of these things You know he Obviously Jesus without there being a human man involved in his birth And so God can provide babies and us today too and in in whatever way he wants to And he pro he does miracles all the time We just have to be aware of them We have to be open to seeing them and seeing the miracles that he is all the time And yeah I I really think Malachi was a little miracle and I'm sure there's probably some crazy scientific explanation on how he came to be but it it's like one of those like one in a million chances I mean Chrissy just explained that even any baby that comes to life is a one in a million chance like literally And it is just so cool that every life that comes into this world is truly a miracle And yeah praise God that he continues to Keep the world going and keeps babies coming and babies are such a blessing to us and to him too I mean he loves every child that comes into this world and I love that

Chrissy

Yeah. Praise God. I love it. Well, with that being said, I think it's a, a good time to conclude our episode, and I just wanna remind you guys that as you are going out, as you are tracking your cycles and planning your future family and everything like that, just remember that whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, make sure you do it all for the glory of God. We'll see you next time on Crunchy Stewardship.