Methods of NFP

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I have been married for almost 5 years, and have an 11 month old son. We have never used NFP before (we have never used anything but divine intervention, I suppose), but we wanted to start. I was doing some research and there are so MANY methods out there. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what they use or have used and what you would recomend.

THANKS!
🙂 Lilder
 
I really like the method Couple to Couple League teaches because it teaches you many signs to look for and you can use all or just one. I don’t know the official name of this method. Another method teaches mucus only (which is actually what we use, I’m a bit lazy with the whole temperature thing).
 
I highly reccommend the Creighton Model ( www.creightonmodel.com I think ). It is a mucus only method that was formulated by making some improvements to the Billings method. It uses pre-made charts and really easy to use stickers to chart your results. Because of the detail of their instructions, you get really consistent scientific (and therefore acurate) results. It emphasizes an understanding of the hormonal state of your body (many women have prevented miscarriage by recognizing hormonal problems early on with this method), and is associated (I think) with the Pope Paul the VI institute for Reproductive Health ( www.popepaulvi.com )

Of course, the Couple to Couple league offers a lot of information too and their website offers a study at home kit ( www.ccli.org ). They recommend the sympto-thermal method which is mucus and temperatures, but will give you some information about the other methods as well.

The reason I like the mucus only method is that once you have a child, you are either breastfeeding, exhausted because little ones get up in the night, or both. This could lead to difficulty with the temperature readings (they might not be useful, if you’re up a lot at night). I also found that i was just too tired to handle taking my temps in the morning. I’d fall back asleep and the thermometer would fall out of my mouth. Mucus only is simpler, but still extremely effective.
 
Since you’re in Texas, you’ll be able to find a FertilityCare Center in your area by going to www.fertilitycare.org and looking at their directory. A FertilityCare Center is a place/program that teaches the Creighton Model System. (And they were right, it was developed by Dr. Hilgers at the Pope Paul VI Institute.)

We love the Creighton Method because it is simpler, and it’s designed to be that way, so you’re not using only a half-method. Another benefit is the fact that the Creighton Method offers NaProTechnology, a NAtural PROcreative medical science that is a huge benefit to method users. You can learn all about it at the websites previously given and/or by taking the class.

Another difference between the two methods (Sympto-Thermal and Creighton) is the way in which the classes are taught. The Couple to Couple League teaches the Sympto-Thermal method in a series of four sessions, one a month, which are similar to a class-type setting. In the Creighton Method the first class is a presentation with usually a few couples present, but the subsequent classes are individual follow-ups with the Practitioner that begin at two-week intervals and then gradually spread out from there. Each couple is entitled to eight of these follow-ups.

(A Practitioner is one who has completed a year-long Allied Health Program to learn to instruct couples in the Creighton Model System.)

Best Wishes!
👍
 
THanks for all the great information. This is a big help.

:blessyou:
🙂 Lilder
 
I can speak to the symto-thermal method taught by the Couple to Couple league. I can’t speak about the other mucus only methods. The nice thing about sympto thermal is that you have cross checks available and this in theory makes it more effective.

Taking the temperature can be a bit of a hassel but I recomend using the BD Basil or Mabis Basil thermometer. These are highly reliable and take a fraction of the time to get your reading. If the husband takes the responsibility to take the temperature and charts and the wife observes and charts the mucus then things are pretty good.
 
We use our own brand of NFP. We started out when we were married using sympto-thermal, but it seemed contrary to be automatically using NFP. What I mean is that the ideal state of marriage wouldnt be automatically utilizing NFP? Really our “problem” had to do with the assumption that we would want to avoid pregnancy… We were on our own to realize that it was ok to go ahead and open ourselves up to the possibility of baby. We decided the sympto thermal method was just too accurate for us and we really did not have sufficiant reasons for wanting to avoid pregnancy. This lead us to using a device called the ‘bioself’. It charts for you but I emailed with the CCLI people and they felt it wouldnt be something you could ‘rely on’- as in method NFP would be more accurate- so we were sold. LOL We were using the bioself when we happily conceived our son (so the bioself prooved to be accurate!).
I then went to a mucus only method that I cant call billings or C. I made it up myself! One the major signs I use is the “ovulation pain” I now feel --that I assume as marking and confirming my fertile time. We also cut down the days we abstain greatly. I’m happy with this because we are only trying to space not flat out avoid. We also still prayerfully discern and talk about the child we hope to conceive in the future (God willing!)… My son is 3 and my daughter is 16 mos.
The only other thing I wanted to mention was another device along the lines of the bioself. If I am ever really in dire need to not get pregnant I think I would try this. Its called ovacue www.ovacue.com

–Kira
 
First NFP (Temp. only) and now Calendar Method with abstain during the fertile times:)
 
I’m most familiar with the sympto-thermal method…
Here are some fantastic resources online for the ST-method…

nfpandmore.com/ (this has a free how-to manual on the site)
tcoyf.com/ (this site is not religiously based, so ignore the parts where it mentions using a barrier method during the fertile phase - however it is very scientifically sound and explains the biology behind the method extremely well… GREAT book!)
ccli.org/ (The couple to couple league is a great resource)…
 
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