Mercedes Arzú Wilson was born in Guatemala, and later relocated to Australia with her husband and children. While living in Australia, she discovered a new, natural method for family planning, which she simplified in the effort to communicate the natural method to all cultures across the globe. With her Guatemalan roots, she also sought to share her new knowledge with her own culture in Guatemala. Upon arriving in the United States, she founded the Family of the Americas Foundation in 1977, in which she currently serves as president.
Located in Covington, Louisiana, and later on in Maryland near Washington, D.C., the Family of the Americas Foundation promotes the knowledge of natural family planning in simpler methods to properly space the number of children that families wish to have in a healthier manner. Published in the Catholic Social Science Review, Ms. Wilson’s work has been tested and documented, thus bringing upon the discovery that the Ovulation Method for achieving pregnancy has an 81.4% rate and a 98.5% success rate in postponing pregnancy without the use of artificial products or hormones. With the expanse of her research worldwide, she intends to provide her method to the People’s Republic of China in order to assist the government and civilians increase the birth rates of baby girls, noting the history of the disproportionate number of female baby girls who have been aborted over the decades.
A mother of two children and grandmother of eight grandchildren herself, Ms. Wilson intends to further her innovative research in the forthcoming future. To continue her legacy, she has authored a book discussing her life’s work, which has since been published in 23 different languages, titled “Love and Fertility: The Ovulation Method, the Natural Method for Planning Your Family.” To attest to her success in the field, she was bestowed with three honorary doctorates, including one from the University of Ponce in Puerto Rico.
Ms. Wilson attributes her success to her knowledge of natural family planning, noting that it is a necessity to make women aware that there is a simple, more natural way to birth children outside of conventional practices. She currently resides in Lothian, Maryland.
