Vol. 4 No. 2 09/12/2012 Closer Look at Discharges: What’s Normal and What’s Not By : Teresa Kenney, APRN, CFCMC to understand their health and couples to know whether they can achieve a pregnancy on each day of the menstrual cycle. Most young girls as they mature into young women do not How amazing it is that God has built into our own bodies the pay much attention to the most important indicator of their knowledge and tools that we need to plan families as married natural fertility. This is a vaginal discharge that is referred couples while (BONUS!) keeping marriages open to LIFE and to as “cervical mucus.” It may sound gross but, in reality, LOVE throughout the entire married life! cervical mucus is essential for a married couple to achieve a pregnancy. In order for pregnancy to occur, you need three vital So, how can you tell when you are producing this normal vaginal things: an egg (supplied by the female), a sperm (supplied by discharge called cervical mucus? It is easy! When you go to the the male), and cervical mucus (supplied again by the female). bathroom and wipe from front to back with the toilet tissue, you will feel a sensation. It may feel dry, ... Continued on page 2 Cervical mucus can also be referred to as a biological marker. It is produced by the endocervical cells inside the cervix (see picture of cervical crypts, right). It allows a woman to determine each day whether she is fertile or infertile. In fact, some methods of natural family planning are based solely on determining the presence of cervical mucus on a daily basis. Dr. Thomas Hilgers at the Pope Paul VI Institute developed a Closer Look at 1 system of fertility care called the Discharges: What’s Creighton Model FertilityCareTM Normal & What’s Not System. It is a mucus-only system that allows single women Cervical crypts in the cervix and the different types of mucus produced under hormonal influence. More Fashionable 3 Than Clothes “Nature with its 3 Modesty, which means freedom from conceit or vanity and means propriety in dress, speech, or conduct, varied charms...” “comes from the Latin modestus, which literally translates as ‘keeping due measure.’ Knowing the correct measure of yourself is modesty, and when someone praises you too much, your modesty might kick in and make you want to tell them to be quiet. Modesty also means you keep things decent and not too outrageous, SNAPSHOT: 4 like wearing clothes that hide your skin, or painting your walls beige instead of covering them with glow-in-the- Saint Gemma dark diamond wallpaper.” (Taken from www.m-w.com and from www.vocabulary.com) Galgani Here and on the back page are some great resources for creating your own style...while being stylishly modest! www.clothedmuch.com A great blog with helpful guides on how to alter a cute top or skirt to make it modest. Modesty Tips 4 www.fashionbell.com/modest-fashion-blog-reviews Lists and reviews several great blogs and websites dedicated to modest yet trendy clothing. Resources 4 modestisthehottestfashionshow.com Find an actual fashion show in your area that features modest clothing. Verily (www.verilymag.com) & Eliza (www.elizamagazine.com) Two great women’s fashion/interest magazines. Closer Look at Discharges ...continued Continued from page 1 This is an example of a ...smooth, damp, or even slippery. These sensations are created fertility wheel—the concept behind Creighton Model based on whether cervical mucus is present or not. charting—that shows the days when mucus is and is not observed. The white When cervical mucus discharge is present on the tissue, it baby refers to mucus days may have a different look based on where you are in your and generally tells the women she is fertile during menstrual cycle. When you are infertile or not ovulating, your that time. The green days estrogen levels are low and you will not produce cervical mucus. are days when she is dry or no mucus is observed, and As ovulation approaches, the estrogen levels rise. Estrogen the red days are for the stimulates the cervix to produce a mucus discharge that starts days of the menses. out as cloudy and becomes crystal clear and very stretchy, mucus that is referred to as Peak-type mucus. After ovulation, the woman stops seeing this discharge until her menses starts. Every woman is different in how much mucus she creates. Some women might produce this mucus for a couple days while other women may produce it for five days or more. Abnormal discharge may be caused by a vaginal infection. The two most common types are yeast infections and bacterial When you are young and not married, it is good to pay attention infections. These can result from any disturbance in the natural to the days you have discharge and be aware of what it is telling environment of the vagina. Some causes of these infections are you about your body. When peak-type mucus is being produced, oral antibiotic use, using scented products (bathing or laundry), an egg is being released having certain health conditions like diabetes or autoimmune from the ovary—an event disease, or being sexually active. Women who are sexually And of what should called ovulation. For single active before marriage and have multiple partners are also at women, this event will end risk for abnormal vaginal discharge from sexually transmitted we be afraid? with you having a menses diseases, like gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichimoniasis, and Our captain or period within 10-14 days. pelvic inflammatory disease. These infections not only cause on this battlefield abnormal discharge but can be damaging to your future fertility. is Christ Jesus. So now you know what You can protect yourself from these infections by abstinence normal vaginal discharge from sex or genital activity until marriage. You can prevent We have is, but what is abnormal other vaginal infections by using good vaginal hygiene including discovered discharge? Abnormal using unscented soaps, laundry products, and feminine hygiene what we have to do. vaginal discharge will have a products; wearing cotton underwear; avoiding antibacterial different physical consistency, soaps in the vaginal area; and always wiping from front to back Christ color, and sometimes odor. An to avoid contamination in the vagina. If you suspect you have has bound abnormal chronic discharge abnormal vaginal discharge you need to see your doctor to be our enemies (chronic means produced evaluated and treated appropriately. on a daily basis) may have for us and an unusual color, like bright The most important thing to learn about vaginal discharge is weakened them yellow or green or gray. Or, an that it is something to which you should pay attention. Whether that they cannot abnormal chronic discharge it is indicating to us the beautiful gift of our fertility or telling us overcome us may be very profuse or watery something might be wrong, it is a part of the way God created us. and/or may have unusual smell So, start noticing what your body is telling you! Learning how to unless we so like a fishy odor or strange odor. chart this biological marker using the Creighton Model System choose to let them. This type of discharge may can give you insight into your health and can give you great also cause vaginal symptoms confidence in planning your family and blessings to your marriage. — St. Catherine of Siena like itching, burning, or mild to To learn more, go to www.fertilitycare.org or call the Pope Paul VI strong irritation. Institute FertilityCareTM Center at 402-390-0842. More Fashionable than Clothes... By: Jena McFadden, BS, FCP What word immediately pops into your mind That imperishable beauty comes from How beautiful, when you think of modesty? knowledge of oneself through the “lens of love,” then, the “lens of God.” As we continue to commit Ready, set, go! That’s right…Clothes. Clothes ourselves to the love of Jesus Christ through is modesty, that cover the body or not enough clothes to prayer, the Mass, Adoration, gift of self and and what a gem cover the body. relationship with Mary, we can grow in greater among virtues Modesty is usually a topic associated with how understanding of who we are made to be as women in the light of God. This imperishable it is. we dress and express ourselves externally, but there is a deeper component to this subject beauty cannot be bought for 20% off during St. Bernard of Clairvaux that is sometimes missed. What is that deeper the annual summer sale. It is freely given at full component I speak of? retail value when we submit our lives to God. It is through the gift of one self to God, that we O Our hearts and minds! Modesty originates in the will truly learn who we are and then offer our heart and the head. Like all virtues, modesty “feminine genius” to Style must comes from the work of the Spirit in and through the world. This virtue never be our lives. It begins inside of us but, then, is of modesty should be manifested on the outside. In the Bible, 1 displayed through our a Peter 3:3-4 says, “Do not let your adorning be clothes, speech, hair, proximate external-the braiding of hair and the putting nails, jewelry, et cetera. occasion on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear- but let your adorning be the hidden person Knowing we are of sin. of the heart with the imperishable beauty daughters of God the of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s Father and receiving — Pope Pius XII sight is very precious” (ESV).