HANNAH CRITES
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
In response to the cultural norm of using immoral modes of birth control, Franciscan’s chapter of the Intercollegiate Defense of Equality and Solidarity (IDEAS) sponsored a talk introducing a new method of monitoring women’s health.
Weronika Janczuk, the regional director of Fertility Education and Medical Management, spoke to a crowd of mostly women in the Gentile Gallery on Feb. 22 about her organization and how it aims to teach women about how to understand hormones, her body, and how they work together.
The method that FEMM uses, said Janczuk, is endorsed by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops as a method for natural family planning.
“We want to help women know that there are options,” said Janczuk, “as well as some serious consequences and side effects in reproductive health options that modern society often pushes.”
FEMM offers classes for women so they get to know their bodies from the perspective of their reproductive goals, a medical management program in which doctors work women to diagnose any abnormalities in their system through close assessing of their hormones, cycle data, and clinical history as well as assisting them in successfully conceiving and carrying out healthy pregnancies.
FEMM trains doctors on how to read women’s cycles and assist them in getting the care they need if there is a problem.
They also have the “FEMM Health App,” which enables women to chart their symptoms, patterns of intercourse, pregnancy test results, her periods, and more. The app is available on in the iTunes app store and will be available for Android users in May.
Janczuk also walked through an average 24 to 36 day cycle for a woman and described the hormones naturally released by her body during each step, explaining how each one affects her overall mental state and health.
She also provided sample charts for women with healthy cycles and women with unhealthy cycles so the audience could understand how to read their own cycles and seek medical assistance if necessary.
“We want to teach women how to monitor her health and help with early diagnoses with any health problems,” said Janczuk, “The health of her reproductive system really reflects a woman’s overall health.”