This book is beautiful, accessible and just meets a real need!

Jessica

Cycle Charting for Girls is succinct, factual, and fun! Knowing this information about our bodies is empowering for every girl...it's a perfect launching pad for truly appreciating our feminine design.

Andrea

Does your daughter know that...

her period is not the main event of her cycle? Ovulation is!
the first few years of menstrual cycles are different from adult women's?
cycle hormones impact her energy levels, moods, and even sleep?
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT!

We all say it...

I can't tell you how often I hear this in my work as a cycle and fertility educator: 
"Why did no one tell me this when I was growing up?!"

Our feminine design is truly amazing, and it's mind-blowing how different our perspective could have been if we'd only been told what was happening in our bodies and why.

And now that you have a teenage daughter, you have the chance to make her experience different. Because if you're waiting for her school or friends to tell her the truth about her menstrual cycle...you'll be waiting a while.

Your daughter deserves the dignity of knowing her God-given design - and that includes her menstrual cycle.

As a society, we HAVE to stop waiting until a woman is trying to have children to tell her critical information about her body. As parents, we can:

Tell her it's NOT okay to suffer with painful cramps or heavy bleeds for years instead of figuring out what's wrong

Give her basic health information about what is actually going on during her menstrual cycle

Promote a positive connotation around menstruation by acknowledging the challenging aspects AND the beauty of feminine design

I believe there's a way we can teach our girls about their cycles - their whole cycles - to help them navigate puberty, periods, and those awkward conversations with the doctor.

And I believe we can do all of that without needing to teach them a full method of family planning.
THAT'S WHAT I WANT FOR MY DAUGHTER!

More than just periods

Of course I'm not advocating that we teach teenage girls how to avoid pregnancy through NFP. But the knowledge that comes with cycle charting, similar to the techniques used by NFP, isn't just beneficial for trying to achieve or avoid - it's also just basic health information.
 
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that adolescent girls be taught how to accurately chart their period patterns as a vital sign for their health.*
 
But tracking periods only gets you a little bit of information! In order to accurately chart what's going on in your WHOLE CYCLE, you need to see what's going on "beyond the bleed."
 
*ACOG, Menstruation in Girls and Adolescents: Using the Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign, Committee Opinion #651

Because what's happening "beyond the bleed?"

The answer to "is this normal?" for everything from painful cramping to the discharge in her underwear

Ovulation as a sign of health, not just fertility

A bunch of hormones affecting everything from mood to energy level to exercise preferences to sleep patterns and everything in between

So what do I advocate for? Teen girls being able to read the language of their bodies - and that's exactly what I teach in Cycle Charting for Girls.

A handbook to teach your daughter how to chart from her first period through young adulthood

BUY NOW! - only $19.95
Imagine your daughter:

 Knowing what's normal and what's not when it comes to cycles (instead of suffering needlessly for years)

 Navigating awkward conversations with the doctor with confidence in knowing how her body works

 Being able to take care of herself based on where she's at in her cycle

table of contents

Charting? Already???

I know, she was just learning to walk like, yesterday, right?

Of course she doesn't need charting for family planning right now. This isn't NFP for teens. 

What Cycle Charting for Girls does is introduce her to these concepts so she

1) can identify any health issues early and
2) know the basics for when she's ready to add the fertility components down the line.

It's like teaching her addition before fractions: The foundation makes it easier to simply add in concepts later on.

Mom hugging teen daughter with orange background and white Pearl and Thistle logo behind them. The teen is wearing a light blue sweatshirt and the mom is wearing a tan shirt. Both are wearing jeans and have blonde hair.

But guess what???

As a mom and a cycle educator, I don't believe that every girl NEEDS to chart. 

But I DO believe firmly that every girl should know about her body and be introduced to the skills which will allow her to chart if she wants to!

The text emphasizes that charting is a practice which girls should feel free to pick up and leave off with whenever they want to, according to their preferences and situation.

Incremental Learning

I've broken Cycle Charting for Girls into two levels: basic for those first few years of "practice" cycles and advanced charting once cycles become a bit more mature.

Pale orange with green circle graph icon
Ages 11-16

BASIC CHARTING

As cycles begin and fluctuate during this period of learning, we keep it simple with a wheel chart and simple observations of cervical fluid, mood, and energy levels.

Pale orange with green line graph icon
Ages 16+

ADVANCED CHARTING

Now that she is most likely having more ovulatory cycles, we add in how to look for ovulation as a healthy sign and to assess the phases of her cycle for regularity. We also introduce tracking temperature if desired and keeping a graph chart.

THIS IS WHAT MY DAUGHTER NEEDS

Answering all the awkward questions

It can be uncomfortable asking these kinds of questions to parents or doctors, so I ask - and answer - alllllll the questions so they don't have to.

What's that sticky discharge in my underwear and is it normal? (Spoiler alert: It is, and I teach them how to observe it.)

Are my cycles too long or short? Am I actually ovulating yet?

Why am I so cranky or break out in acne at certain times of my cycle?

Plus the questions she doesn't even know to ask, like how the first few years of cycling are different as the body learns or what happens with hormones during the menstrual cycle.

And of course, I provide so many examples (and templates!) on how to keep various kinds of charts, including apps, to track all this newfound information.

YES- help me teach her this!!
Graphic reading "Click to take a peek at sample pages." with arrow pointing down

Woman smiling at camera with her hair in a bun, navy blue shirt, and crucifix with the words hi there, fellow mom!

I'm Christina.

I'm a former campus minister, Lay Dominican, and fertility and cycle educator with more than a decade of experience.

But more importantly, I'm a mom.

And like you, when I discovered all of these incredible things about my body and menstrual cycles, I was so amazed...
 
...and dismayed that I hadn't learned them until I was engaged.
 
So I wrote Cycle Charting for Girls because I had so many clients tell me the same thing: "Why am I just learning about this now?"
 
My dream is that the next generation of girls heads into young adulthood with thorough knowledge of the dignity of their bodies and how they work, so they don't have to go through what we did.
 
Will your daughter be one of them?
YES, I WANT HER TO KNOW HER BODY!
Woman smiling at camera with her hair in a bun, navy blue shirt, and crucifix with the words hi there, fellow mom!

I'm Christina.

I'm a former campus minister, lay Dominican, and fertility and cycle educator with more than a decade of experience.

But more importantly, I'm a mom.

And like you, when I discovered all of these incredible things about my body and menstrual cycles, I was so amazed...
 
...and dismayed that I hadn't learned them until I was engaged.
 
So I wrote Charting for Girls because I had so many clients tell me the same thing: "Why am I just learning about this now?"
 
My dream is that the next generation of girls heads into young adulthood with thorough knowledge of the dignity of their bodies and how they work, so they don't have to go through what we did.
 
Will your daughter be one of them?
YES, I WANT HER TO KNOW HER BODY!
YES, I WANT HER TO KNOW HER BODY!

Got Questions?

Does this teach an NFP method?
This book does not teach girls how to identify a fertile window and cannot be used for Natural Family Planning. In the Basic Guide, we use a fluid-only approach to learn about cycle patterns. In the Advanced Guide, the girls have the option to track with a sympto-thermal approach. They learn how to identify ovulation as a healthy sign.
Is this a religious handbook?
I am a woman of faith, so the language that I use within the text reflects the deep appreciation I have for the dignity of our bodies. However, there is nothing in this text which is overtly religious.
Does the book include practice charts?
Yes! Practice charts show girls how to find ovulation using a combination of fluid + temperature tracking, or fluid alone.
Has this book been reviewed by doctors?
Yes! Pediatricians were consulted in the writing of this text, especially in the section which discusses common cycle issues that teens face. Every effort has been made to ensure the medical accuracy of this text.
Does this book talk about reproduction?
It does not. If you are looking for reproduction lessons, please check out my "Anatomy, Reproduction, and Fertility" course that addresses reproduction and fertility in the context of Catholic moral teaching.
Does this book discuss birth control?
Because this guide does not cover cycle charting in the context of family planning, it does not cover any other family planning alternatives, including contraception. However, it does include two pages of information on "birth control" as an option which is sometimes presented by doctors for cycle symptoms. The author defers to the clinical judgment of the doctor and the prudential judgment of the parents, while explaining that birth control effectively masks, rather than treats, cycle symptoms.
What's the difference between this and Cycle Prep?
Cycle Prep is a video-based workshop for girls who have not yet started their period. It is geared specifically for ages 9-11. "Cycle Charting for Girls" is for girls who have already started their period and want to learn how to observe their cycles, and "read" the way their body communicates throughout those cycles. Instead of videos, this is a handbook which you go through at your own pace.

We want better for our daughters...

And I think better looks like teens who are:

Knowledgeable about how their bodies, menstrual cycles, and hormones work

Cognizant of their needs, prioritize self care, and can confidently seek help when things seem off instead of suffering needlessly

In awe of the dignity of their bodies and feminine design

The bloody mess the world tries to tell our daughters to dread? I think we need to embrace it - and that positive outlook centers on knowledge through charting.

YES, MY DAUGHTER NEEDS THIS!

Wait... what does a "values-based" approach mean?

I'm a parent, too! And I know how important it is for materials to reflect YOUR family values. So if you just pop your contact into the form here, I'll send you the "Letter to Parents" from my book, which explains what to expect and gives you a sample of the tone and content.

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    Her menstrual cycles are telling her something.

    Help her understand the "language of the body" through charting.

    Give her the gift of body confidence through knowledge with Cycle Charting for Girls.

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