by Melissa Wodzinski, certified NFP teacher
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a method of family planning that works completely in accord with the recurring pattern of fertility and infertility that nature has inscribed in a woman’s body. NFP actually takes two forms: systematic NFP and ecological breastfeeding.
Systematic NFP is the form of NFP used by women who are cycling and menstruating. God has designed a woman’s body in such a way that she is capable of becoming pregnant for only about a 7-10 day window each cycle. Throughout her monthly fertility cycle, a woman’s body gives her clues to tell her whether she is fertile or infertile on any given day. In other words, is she capable or incapable of becoming pregnant? Those clues are her waking temperature, a mucus secretion from the cervix, and physical changes in the cervix itself. The method of NFP which uses these three fertility signs in a cross-checking way is called the Sympto-thermal method (STM) of NFP. A woman using the STM learns to observe, record, and interpret her fertility signs. She and her husband then decide how to use this information. If they wish to postpone a pregnancy this cycle, they abstain from intercourse on the fertile days. If they desire a pregnancy, they can maximize their timing by engaging in intercourse on the most fertile days.
Ecological breastfeeding is the world’s oldest form of family planning, and even today is still the most widely practiced form of family planning around the world. It spaces babies, on average, about two years apart. Ecological breastfeeding is a pattern of feeding and caring for a baby that follows nature’s norms and results in an extended period of natural infertility for mom. A baby’s suckling at his mother’s breast releases certain hormones in her body which suppress her normal fertility cycle. A woman who wishes to use breastfeeding to space her babies simply keeps her baby close to her and allows him to nurse frequently day and night. She avoids using bottles and pacifiers with her baby, and nurses her baby on demand for nutrition and for comfort. With ecological breastfeeding, a woman need not follow her fertility signs and there is no periodic abstinence for her and her husband.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve heard that NFP is not very effective. Isn’t this just the old “Rhythm Method”?
NFP is not the same as the Rhythm Method. The Rhythm Method is based on average cycle lengths, which do not apply to all women. In particular, women with longer or shorter than average cycles did not have success with the Rhythm Method.
NFP is based not on averages, but on current information that your body is giving you. NFP is scientifically developed and tested. If understood and practiced properly, NFP has a 99% effectiveness rate. This is equivalent to the IUD and hormonal contraception (the Pill, Depo-Provera, Norplant), and better than the condom and diaphragm.
I have irregular cycles. Will NFP work for me?
NFP is effective for women with irregular cycles, and for women at all stages of their reproductive lives. In fact, it assumes that every woman is irregular at least some of the time. If your fertile time comes earlier or later than usual, your fertility signs will also come earlier or later than usual. If watched, your body will let you know what is happening.
My husband and I want to become pregnant. Can NFP help us?
NFP can help you identify the most fertile days of the cycle and maximize your mutual fertility. In addition, your charted cycles may reveal certain patterns that can reduce fertility and that you can sometimes correct simply by better health practices. If you do need medical assistance, your charts can provide valuable information to a knowledgeable physician.
NFP sounds so complicated to learn and to use. Isn’t this method kind of inconvenient?
NFP is really just a skill that most people have never acquired. Just like any new skill, it will take some time and practice to master. But once you have gotten the skill and are in the habit of using it, NFP really becomes second nature. It is not time-consuming at all – it takes just two minutes to take your temperature when you wake in the morning, and a few moments during the day to observe your other signs.
My doctor says breastfeeding is not an effective form of family planning. And my mom got pregnant with all her kids while breastfeeding – we are only a year apart! Does breastfeeding really space babies?
Breastfeeding really does space babies — when it follows the norms of nature. We call this “ecological” breastfeeding to distinguish it from the “cultural” nursing that is most prevalent in our society today. With ecological breastfeeding, you learn to respect and follow the relationship between mother and child that nature and God intend. You keep your baby close to you, taking him with you wherever you go and letting him nurse frequently. You eliminate the use of pacifiers, bottles, and other mother-substitutes. You nurse him according to his need, not according to a schedule. This type of breastfeeding is the only form of family planning used in much of the developing world; on average, it spaces babies about two years apart.
What are the other benefits of NFP?
NFP is health-promoting. It does not require the use of any drugs or devices. It teaches a couple to work with their natural biology and often encourages women and their husbands to seek more natural alternatives in other aspects of their health. In addition, it can alert a woman to possible medical issues when her patterns change dramatically.
NFP is morally permissible. Since it does not interfere with God’s wise design for marital intimacy and fertility, NFP is morally acceptable. It is not prohibited by any religion, including the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church teaches that when a married couple has sufficiently serious reasons to postpone pregnancy, they may use NFP and only NFP. The Church clearly teaches that it is wrong to use contraception. In addition, birth control drugs (the Pill, shots, and implants) and the IUD can cause very early abortions.
NFP is marriage-building. It promotes openness and communication between spouses. In learning about their mutual fertility, husbands and wives come to respect one another as whole persons, capable of participating freely in the co-creation of new human life. Most couples find that periodic abstinence helps keep their relationship fresh and helps them develop patience and self-control in other areas of their lives.
How can I learn more about NFP? Where can I take a class?
It is important to learn how to use NFP properly. This means taking a class from a trained teacher. To find out more about NFP, or to locate a trained teacher in your area, contact the Couple to Couple League for Natural Family Planning.
Melissa and her husband, Phillip, have been a certified teaching couple for NFP with the Couple-to-Couple League since 2000. They have a 2-year old son, Thomas, who was conceived with the help of NFP and ecologically breastfed since birth.
(This article courtesy of HealthyMamas.com.)
