A Notre Dame Behavioural Science student had no idea of the hidden effects of the Pill and the benefits and science behind natural approaches to fertility until she found herself working as an intern with Archdiocesan agency, Natural Fertility Services …
Amanda Wilson, 23, a fifth year Behavioural Science and Science student at Notre Dame, Fremantle had never heard of Natural Family Services until she ‘found it on the net’ when researching for an internship placement.
Natural Fertility Services is an organisation that helps couples achieve or avoid pregnancy for natural family planning by using the natural changes and symptoms of the woman’s body to recognise times of fertility.
She said the “natural part of it” deterred her.
But after completing 230 hours of placement, 80 hours more than required, Amanda prefers to describe NFS as an “eco-friendly fertility service” because “it’s good for you and for the environment”.
While the internship involved a lot of administrative tasks, it gave Amanda the opportunity to do the Natural Family Planning Teacher Training Programme.
This involved weekly seminars on the various aspects of natural fertility including the scientific basis of natural indicators, ovulation method, mucus changes, charting and interpretation and other topics.
“The seminars were designed to encourage open discussion of personal values and principles and determine the level of accurate knowledge regarding anatomy and client interaction,” Amanda said.
Discussion groups, a written assignment and role-playing were all part of the programme.
By doing the course, Amanda became a qualified “Family Life Educator” (FLE) and as part of her internship watched other FLEs give school presentations on the subject.
As part of her internship, Amanda gave six presentations to up to 200 students in Year 9 at Lumen Christi College, Gosnells as part of a health seminar in June this year.
Two months later, she returned to the Gosnells Catholic School as a qualified FLE to present the message of natural fertility awareness to another 200 students at the same school, this time to the Year 10s.
Amanda said teaching the Year 10 students was “intense” and “challenging” because it was hard to tell what they were thinking and because of the questions they asked.
From classroom comment, Amanda noticed that the students were under the impression that the Pill was a “healthy choice”.
“But I had to teach them that the Pill changes everything: the mucus, the lining of the uterus and ovulation.
“And that’s in tune with where NFS fits in. We want to help people get in tune with the natural signs their body is telling them. By taking the NFP teacher-training programme, Amanda learnt how to use the charting method, which she found “fascinating”.
“I could learn about my body but also [how] to make a more healthy lifestyle,” she said adding that she felt “more in-tune” with her body.
“I was able to keep an eye on my hormone balance and reproductive health.
“I liked how charting the different signs and symptoms of fertility would allow me to see how natural and lifestyle factors were interacting, and contributing to how I was feeling,” she said.
In the classroom, Amanda taught the students that NFS was important, as it would help them understand the changes in their body with their reproductive cycle.
“I tried to get them to realise that everything about them was unique – not just their personality, but their body as well,” she said.
Through the internship, Amanda has become a trained Family Life Educator and is able to go into schools and give school-based and community programmes that promote awareness of sexuality, reproductive health and healthy relationships.
“I’ve always had an interest in sexual health; I knew that sexuality was primary in defining who you were. When I went to the FLE teacher training seminars, they had the same view, that you need to know who you are sexually as part of your identity,” she said.
Amanda is now casually employed at Natural Fertility services as a Family Life Educator, and looking to do honours after she finishes her degree this year.
For more information about Natural Family Planning in Perth, visit: http://www.acnfp.com.au/