KENDAL Fraser and her mum Rene Thompson know they share common DNA, but they never thought they’d share a job title helping women with debilitating health issues.
The mother and daughter duo from Emerald in central Queensland are studying to become practitioners of the Creighton Method FertilityCare System.
As practitioners, the pair will be able to teach women how to chart the biological markers of their fertility to pinpoint abnormalities or disorders such as including endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, recurring miscarriage and even cervical cancer.
The method has been a lifesaver for Mrs Fraser and Ms Thompson, who both suffered from chronic fatigue and hormonal disorders for the majority of their life.
Ms Thompson, a former nurse who trained in Brisbane, remembers falling asleep in lectures due to her poor health, which was finally treated a year and a half ago.
Her daughter seemed to inherit the same debilitating disorders.
As a child, Mrs Fraser was recommended to go on the pill to cure the chronic fatigue.
The oral contraceptive came up again when she was a teenager in Emerald, firstly to manage her anxiety and depression, and secondly to deal with her irregular periods, which she did use for a while to no avail.
When Mrs Fraser got married to her soulmate Ben in 2013, both at the age of 20, she expected to fall pregnant straight away.
That was eight years ago, and twice she has been recommended to go on the pill to fall pregnant.
Mrs Fraser’s chronic fatigued worsened, and her husband essentially became her carer.
“On a good day I did the dishes, and on a bad day I was needing to spend an hour explaining when he came from work, why I didn’t do the dishes because there was so many,” Mrs Fraser said.
More than two years ago, Mrs Fraser and her husband were in Emerald for family support when a married couple in their parish recommended they learn the Creighton Fertility Model.
Within three months of charting, Mrs Fraser’s doctor was told she had an 80 per cent chance of endometriosis and a 90 per cent chance to polycystic ovarian syndrome.
She was referred to Brisbane Catholic obstetrician Dr Luke McLindon, who specialises in laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis.
“Honestly after getting the endometriosis taken out, I don’t have chronic fatigue anymore,” Mrs Fraser said.
“I’ve had this since I was 10.
“If I had known, at 16, if there had been someone in my life that had gone, actually let’s investigate this, or even, I wonder why you’re feeling that way… would I then have been able to get surgery earlier and have no trouble having kids?
“Or would I not be in the pain I have now?”
Shortly after her daughter’s health began improving, Ms Thompson also gave Creighton a go.
After less than two months, she was also referred to Dr McLindon and underwent surgery for a hysterectomy.
“It immediately changed how I felt,” Ms Thompson said.
“I realised that my hormones had been so out of whack, and now they weren’t getting fed and keeping it out of whack.
“This was 50 years of unnecessary mess, so to do Creighton, it almost justifies my existence.
“If I can help one other person not have to do that and pass it on.”
Last month Mrs Fraser and Ms Thompson completed the first of two intensive training sessions, and are now back in Emerald to start teaching the method to potential clients.
As a future practitioner, Mrs Fraser also hopes her business will shine light on natural alternatives to the pill.
“In Emerald, I’m just finding the pill or the Mirena (a hormonal intrauterine device) is just the go to for acne, weight gain, weight loss, any menopause, if you are not getting your period, if you are getting too many periods, if your periods are light, if you’re in pain,” Mrs Fraser.
“Anything at all.”
While women are their predominant focus, the pair have another less obvious group in mind – Catholic priests and Christian pastors.
“Within the churches in our diocese, contraception is huge,” Mrs Fraser said.
“But (the training) has reinforced to me that priests need to know what’s going on.
“Part of my goal is educating not just individual women, but especially our priests.”
Mrs Fraser said despite Creighton’s alignment with Catholic moral ethics, she said there was still push back from Catholic women.
“This is the course created by Catholics, for Catholics and everyone, and it fits everything about what we believe – it’s like being handed a silver platter, here you go this is perfect for you, but Catholic women seem to be the most resistant to it,” she said.
“Maybe it’s confronting for women who are not using natural methods but I feel like the push back to getting it into the Catholic Church is so much more than other protestant and non-Christians.”
