Ep. 1: How your body works

Welcome to woven well podcast. I'm your host, Caitlin Estes. I'm a certified fertility care practitioner with a master of divinity degree. Each episode we'll cover a topic that helps educate and empower you about your fertility while honoring the deep connection your fertility has with your faith. Let's get started!

Today, we're starting with episode one of our basic series - the perfect place for anyone just getting started in understanding their fertility, or a great refresher for any experienced fertility charter. Today, we're going to touch on a woman's anatomy and physiology and introduce you to the concept of fertility awareness. Future episodes in this basic series will cover how to get started with a fertility awareness method yourself, how to find a supportive OBGYN, what's involved in successfully avoiding and achieving pregnancy naturally, and more. So if that sounds interesting to you, subscribe to this podcast so that you can easily listen to the next episode in the series while you're out for a run or, far more likely for me, driving to pick up a coffee. So let's get started with the basics of a woman's reproductive system today - her anatomy and physiology.

Now, obviously we don't have visuals for a podcast, but we do have visuals and a lot more detail in our upcoming introductory session. So you can join this month's online session through woven fertility.com by clicking on join us.

We're starting with the body because we want all women to have at least a basic knowledge of her body's anatomy and physiology for a lot of reasons: health advocacy, personal knowledge and decisions, and to pass along to the next generation. The best way for this next generation to be knowledgeable, confident and informed is for this generation to be that way and to be generous with sharing that with them.

So let's start right in the center of a woman's reproductive system with her uterus. Now, most women are vaguely familiar with this because they know it's where a baby grows and it's also where their period blood comes from. And when you think about a uterus, you can think about it functioning similarly to a muscle. It contracts during labor, it cramps during your period, and really it is a hub of a lot of reproductive activity. If you're wondering where yours may be, when looking at your body, it's in the very center of your lower abdomen, above your pubic bone and bladder. So if you notice any, maybe mild cramping coming from that area during your period, you know you're in the right place. So going back to this uterus, on either side are two sets of ovaries and fallopian tubes. The ovaries are where eggs are chosen and supported until they ovulate. And it's also where your reproductive hormones come from. Estrogen and progesterone are those primary hormones. The fallopian tubes help an ovulated egg travel from the ovaries to the uterus. And this, as we said, is where an embryo can implant or an egg will dissolve before a new period now.

Right below your uterus is your cervix. This is an organ that opens and closes around when you can conceive a pregnancy and it creates a cervical mucus that helps you to conceive and also to avoid bacterial infections - kind of handy. My personal opinion here is that the cervix is the most high undervalued organ in the reproductive system. But trust me, we're gonna have plenty of time to talk about why on future episodes. So for now, I'll just continue on. So below your cervix is your vaginal canal. This is the part of the reproductive system that you likely have the most interaction with because it connects to the outside of the body at the vaginal opening. Now the vaginal canal is truly incredible. It has a ton of flexibility and is the connection between your internal reproductive system and the outside world. So this opening is where you can insert a tampon, have intercourse, or deliver a baby. It's between your urethra, where the urine comes out when you're peeing, and the anal opening. Finally, we have the outer portion of the reproductive system commonly referred to as the vagina, but actually called the vulva. And there, we have it a very basic overview of your anatomy.

So each part of your anatomy plays a role in the health of your overall entire reproductive system. And it needs to be at its peak performance for your peak health and fertility. For instance, the lining of your uterus is a contributing factor to the possibility of implantation of an embryo. And the heaviness of your periods can give you information about your hormone levels from your previous cycle or even possible anatomical disturbances. So your vagina works to keep your pH levels there just right, but when a factor is introduced, that changes this, it can cause itching or smell or can even cause the canal to be hostile to sperm. So if you're trying to conceive a pregnancy, all this information is really important. And if you're not trying to conceive a pregnancy, all this information is really important. <laugh> Knowing about the body really is the first step to knowing how to utilize that information for your health.

So let's take a quick look at some of the physiology or the process that the reproductive system is going through each cycle. The ovaries are the first reproductive organ to kick into gear each cycle. Each ovary holds hundreds of thousands of eggs that are needed for conception, but the ovaries don't just kind of launch these guys anytime willynilly. They wait for a hormonal signal from your brain known as FSH, that it's time to begin the process. So in that FSH signals, the ovaries choose just a few of those waiting eggs and begin growing tiny follicles around each to support them. If you've ever seen an ultrasound scan of these follicles, you know that there can be several, but typically only one, I mean, sometimes two or more will grow to the desired size needed for ovulation.

So each of these follicles produces the hormone estrogen, but only the one that produces the most is the one that's ovulating. All the others are kind of like, okay, I see you got it. You can take it from here. <laugh> so the ovulated egg leaves the ovary and goes in search of the fallopian tube. Remember, this is what's needed to get to the uterus. So if the sperm are waiting, this is also the most commonly used area for fertilization. So the eggs, you know, arriving on the scene, there's tons of sperm there. And fertilization happens right there in the fallopian tube, the egg or embryo, if fertilization did happen, then uses that fallopian tube to slowly travel to the lining of the uterus, where an embryo can possibly implant and begin growing. Or if unfertilized, that egg will dissolve within 12 to 24 hours. Now, while all of this is happening in the ovaries, the lining of the uterus has been working during this whole time, too.

All of that estrogen produced back in the beginning by those follicles is also causing the lining of the uterus to get really thick and healthy. And then after ovulation, that follicle that was producing estrogen now starts producing the progesterone instead and progesterone makes sure that the lining of the uterus has all the nutrients an implanting embryo could possibly need. Of course, if pregnancy isn't the goal, then the end of this process we're looking for is menstruation. So that's when that lining that is built up over that cycle is literally broken down and shed to make room for a new, fresh lining. And all of this, all the different stuff going on, in my opinion, is incredible. What's happening in your body, each cycle, regardless of pregnancy, is miraculous. If you ask me, the intentionality in God's design is all over the details of a woman's reproductive system. men and women are image bearers of God.

And there's so much to learn about the image of God that we bear, but there's no doubt in my mind about the beauty with which we were uniquely designed, how your body prepares each cycle with a new egg and a fresh lining, even the possibility of an embryo to support all the different hormones and processes and organs that are involved to make it all happen. Like honestly, to me, it is incredible to think about, but for so many women, with all these detailed, incredible processes happening inside, all they know is roughly just when to expect their period. So learning just the basics of what you've learned today is a great first step in your personal fertility journey. It's also good to start with your anatomy and physiology ,because your body's natural process is what all fertility awareness methods use to let us know exactly where in this physiological process we are at any given time. Knowing this is revolutionary.

It gives us valuable health information that allows us to avoid or conceive pregnancies naturally, and identify when something maybe a little bit off. And the reason fertility awareness methods use our body's natural processes is because we can count on this process to be the same process in each and every woman. This is good news. We're working with very clear expectations. We're looking for ovulation, successful ovulation is followed by menstruation, which starts a new cycle in which we are once again, anticipating ovulation. We know exactly what to expect, and of course there's gonna be natural variety found within this structure. Like each woman ovulates at a different time in her cycle. Periods will vary volume based on cycle in person, but the basics are the same. And now, you know, the basics. Also, did you notice just now that I mentioned that women ovulated different points in their cycles, raise your hand.

If you thought women were supposed to ovulate on day 14 of their cycles, even if you didn't think that you ovulated on day 14, but thought maybe you were supposed to Nope. Myth busted. There's a ton of natural variety in when a woman's body ovulates an egg, and modern methods of fertility awareness acknowledge and incorporate this fact, which means, friends, that modern fertility awareness is not the rhythm method. Raise your hand if you thought maybe this was all just the rhythm method. It's okay. <laugh> I understand, definitely heard it before. But the rhythm method was one of the very first separate attempt by two doctors, a Japanese gynecologist, Dr. Ogino, , and an Austrian gynecologist, Dr. Knaus in the early 1900s to create a method using the female body's biology that could help couples avoid or achieve pregnancy naturally. And based on very early studies, they thought that all women did ovulate on day 14 of their cycle.

Ooh, guess who still does make this antiquated assumption? All those fertility tracking apps! That app can only use that assumption along with any data that you may put into it to spit out a guess. And that's truly what it is - a guess, but fertility awareness using a studied and well developed method is anything but a guess. It's actually showing you exactly what's going on in your body on a day to day basis, giving you that ability to know exactly where you are in a cycle on any given day. And even though I knock the use of the rhythm method now, because obviously I believe that there are definitively more accurate ways, I still respect it so much because it was the first step towards a field that we're all so passionate about today. We've come a long way in the world in cancer research and in heart transplants and in all sorts of medicines. And we've come an awful long way in fertility methods as well. But we wouldn't be anywhere without that start a hundred years ago. So even though I knock it, I am grateful <laugh>.

So what are those more accurate ways of fertility awareness? You may be wondering. Honestly, there are a variety of methods and to go over each one of them, it would be a lot of podcast episodes. <laugh>. Many have these well established observations and instructions. Some observe things like cervical mucus, some required daily LH testing, some observe changing body temperature or cervical changes, and some use a little bit of all of them. What's important if you're interested in using a fertility awareness method is that you choose a specific method and use that specific methods instructions. They are all based on data and research and the instructions to avoid pregnancy with use of, for instance, basal body temperature are going to be totally different than the instructions to avoid pregnancy with the use of cervical mucus.

So definitely know which one you want to use and use it intentionally. There are, like I said, there are lots of methods out there I personally use and trust the Creighton method. It requires observing just one data point and it is thoroughly studied and reviewed for efficacy. I've worked with hundreds of women over the years to give them that same confidence. I appreciate it personally, so I'll talk more about the Creighton method in the same series on the basics, but what's important is that you find the right method for you and get started. This is information you have every right to know and feeling confident and informed about your body ensures you won't be left in the dark when making decisions for yourself. And if you work with a certified fertility care practitioner like myself, you'll have someone there to help you pinpoint possible underlying health conditions and get you connected to an OB GYN who can diagnose and treat those issues.

So charting your cycle through a specific method really does give you so much freedom of choice and may truly informed health decisions in naturally planning your family and a lot of more areas too. Okay. I feel like this has been a great start and a ton of information already. I'm guessing we've covered a bit more than your 10th grade health teacher. So in our next episode, we're going to talk about the method that I personally trust and teach the Creighton method, as well as things like how to find a doctor that you can actually trust, remember to subscribe to this podcast so that the next episode will be waiting for you as soon as you're ready to listen. See you next time as we explore the gather what it means to be woven well.