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TarAshly
Guest
hey i was wanting info on NFP its effectiveness and on alternate treatments for poly cycstic ovarian syndrome. thanks!
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FiliaDeo
Guest
I am not sure about the alternate treatments to PCOS, but you can find all the information you want on NFP at the Couple to Couple League.
ccli.org/
My husband and I practice this method and so far it works. We have 1 child, who we planned - actually to the day of conception. Since we started practicing NFP I have met many women who are trying to get pregnant, and the method their doctor’s start them out on is charting. Funny how the medical community is behind the method TO get pregnant, but then says it can’t work to AVOID pregnancy.
ccli.org/
My husband and I practice this method and so far it works. We have 1 child, who we planned - actually to the day of conception. Since we started practicing NFP I have met many women who are trying to get pregnant, and the method their doctor’s start them out on is charting. Funny how the medical community is behind the method TO get pregnant, but then says it can’t work to AVOID pregnancy.
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Marauder
Guest
Someone already supplied the link to Couple to Couple League. They have numerous doctors on staff that can answer your questions. I doubt that your average volunteer instructor would know the answers to your questions, so contact the central office for the Couple to Couple League.
Also the following site lists various treatments for PCOS.
pcosupport.org/
Here is a thread on their message board that talks about being Catholic and non-birth control treatment.
pcosupport.org/phorum/read.php?f=4&i=16032&t=16026
Also the following site lists various treatments for PCOS.
pcosupport.org/
Here is a thread on their message board that talks about being Catholic and non-birth control treatment.
pcosupport.org/phorum/read.php?f=4&i=16032&t=16026
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TarAshly
Guest
is it really trustworthy does it actually work and whats the difference between this and the rythym method?
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Marauder
Guest
Yes it is trustworthy. Rythym method just says that if you period last x number of days you ovulate on day Y. It doesn’t really account for variations in the fertility cycle. Thus prone to error.
NFP as taught by the Couple to Couple league uses the Sympto-Thermal method which uses a variety of methods to determine you cycle EVERY month. It uses temperature readings, mucus readings, and cervix readings. Charting all three gives you a very trustworthy method of determining when you are fertile and not.
Different versions of NFP use different combinations of signs.
Based on the Couple To Couple League site, NFP when used properly is 99% effective. The site their sources.
If you have any specific questions about NFP feel free to ask via PM, I can’t address the PCOS part of it but I recently took the class and me and my wife are using NFP.
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TarAshly
Guest
but doesnt ferility cycles tend to vary woman to woman, how does NFP account for that?
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SeekerJen
Guest
The “rhythm method” assumes that all women ovulate on day 14 of their cycle, and only requires abstaining around that day. As many women do NOT ovulate on day 14, you can understand why “rhythm” has such a high failure rate.
NFP takes into consideration various ovulatory symptoms: cervical mucus, basal body temperature, sometimes cervical position. By observing and charting these symptoms the woman can determine when she is/isn’t fertile, whether she is ovulating or not (and when), etc. If you can p(name removed by moderator)oint when your fertile time is (and it will be different for each woman), you can avoid lovemaking on those few days and enjoy the rest of the month without worry. And yes, it is trustworthy. If a couple is committed to using this method to try and avoid pregnancy, the success rate is upwards of 95%, which is higher than success rates for condoms and diaphragms, and comparable to that of the Pill.
If you want to start reading up on it right now, there’s a book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler that explains sympto-thermal NFP (cervical mucus and temperatures) in good detail. It’s a fairly easy read and quite informative, and should be available at most bookstores. Signing up for a class would also be helpful- I believe someone else provided contact info for the Couple to Couple League.
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Amber101
Guest
NFP is completely different then the rhythm method. NFP is tracking your unique cycle. It’s pretty cool because you know exactly want is going on with your body all the time. I can even tell if I am coming down with a cold before I actually get sick. I also found out that I have a thyroid disorder. NFP is pretty cool in that regard.
As for PCOS, I read a great deal about some treatments regarding progesterone cream. (Not wild yam cream) Anyway, I think you can find that info at www.drleemd.com or something like that. I would have to look it up again to be sure.
Hope that helps.
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TarAshly
Guest
do you have to monitor yourself every day or to you eventually figure out your fertile days and thats it?
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johnnyjoe
Guest
It is a daily routine - but one that does not take an extrodinary amount of time.
I take my wife’s temperature every morning, and she monitors her cervical mucus throughout the day during her usual bathroom visits. Once the technique is learned, it becomes second hand and easy to use. Most of the information you need to make your decisions can be written on a business card, so the actual knowledge, once learned, is very easy to use.
I would add that if you think you have PCOS, you need to try and find an NFP friendly physician to work with that problem. Most Ob-Gyn’s will address this serious health issue by simply prescribing the birth control pill, and not try and help you solve the deeper issues at hand.
I take my wife’s temperature every morning, and she monitors her cervical mucus throughout the day during her usual bathroom visits. Once the technique is learned, it becomes second hand and easy to use. Most of the information you need to make your decisions can be written on a business card, so the actual knowledge, once learned, is very easy to use.
I would add that if you think you have PCOS, you need to try and find an NFP friendly physician to work with that problem. Most Ob-Gyn’s will address this serious health issue by simply prescribing the birth control pill, and not try and help you solve the deeper issues at hand.
Go to the One More Soul website, www.omsoul.com, and you will find a great deal of information about NFP, and a list of NFP friendly physicians - hopefully one near where you live.
BTW, Good to read you Seeker Jen, howyabeen?
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TarAshly
Guest
why do you take your wifes temp? is this not something i could do on my own?
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Amber101
Guest
It’s to get the men involved. It’s nice having my husband help me with NFP. Then we both are responisble. AND he is* way* better and reading charts than I am. I’m kind of lazy in that regard. 
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kage_ar
Guest
If I were to carry another child, chances are I would end up unable to walk. That is a serious reason. It is not life and death, and if God choose to send us another child, we’d love and welcome it - maybe design a stroller/wheelchair combo 
We have used NFP for 10 years, since before we were Catholic - because it made sense (as a Evangelical Prot, I had no clue that ABC was a sin!)
I would never ever ever use anything else again. It is simple, and normal and just part of our lives. I do not believe in complicated - my hair is boy short and I will never again stand in front of a mirror “doing” my hair for 15-20 minutes each day, blow drying, styling - YUCK. I’ve not painted my nails in years, too much bother. NFP is part of my no fuss lifestyle.
If ABC wern’t evil, I’d still not go back.
We have used NFP for 10 years, since before we were Catholic - because it made sense (as a Evangelical Prot, I had no clue that ABC was a sin!)
I would never ever ever use anything else again. It is simple, and normal and just part of our lives. I do not believe in complicated - my hair is boy short and I will never again stand in front of a mirror “doing” my hair for 15-20 minutes each day, blow drying, styling - YUCK. I’ve not painted my nails in years, too much bother. NFP is part of my no fuss lifestyle.
If ABC wern’t evil, I’d still not go back.
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BK80734
Guest
TarAshly,
First, I should say that I was pretty insensitive in not addressing your PCOS at all in any of the earlier threads the last couple of days. I’m sorry about that, especially since my wife and I know how it feels to be worried that you might never be able to have kids “the old fashioned way.” We used Depo when we were first married and didn’t really know some of the things we know now, and it royally f…ouled up her fertility for years–we thought for a while permanently (thank God, we had our first baby this summer). So I know it’s pretty scary.
I’m also really impressed that you’re checking into alternatives that are okay with Catholic teaching. We’ve been told by several of our friends–also pretty poor and young–that learning NFP was the best thing they’ve done for their relationship. I’d really recommend that you and your fiance at least take a class on it, even if you don’t ultimately switch to it. It really helps you understand why the Church teaches what it does.
As far as alternative treatments for PCOS, I guess there are other “medical” treatments, but I’m really not that familiar with them. I’m told they definitely exist, though. Also, you might want to take a look at these articles by Marilyn Shannon (mostly dealing with nutrition). She writes a lot for CCL’s magazine on NFP. Hope they help!
Bret
ccli.org/articles/pcos.shtml
ccli.org/articles/pcos2.shtml
First, I should say that I was pretty insensitive in not addressing your PCOS at all in any of the earlier threads the last couple of days. I’m sorry about that, especially since my wife and I know how it feels to be worried that you might never be able to have kids “the old fashioned way.” We used Depo when we were first married and didn’t really know some of the things we know now, and it royally f…ouled up her fertility for years–we thought for a while permanently (thank God, we had our first baby this summer). So I know it’s pretty scary.
I’m also really impressed that you’re checking into alternatives that are okay with Catholic teaching. We’ve been told by several of our friends–also pretty poor and young–that learning NFP was the best thing they’ve done for their relationship. I’d really recommend that you and your fiance at least take a class on it, even if you don’t ultimately switch to it. It really helps you understand why the Church teaches what it does.
As far as alternative treatments for PCOS, I guess there are other “medical” treatments, but I’m really not that familiar with them. I’m told they definitely exist, though. Also, you might want to take a look at these articles by Marilyn Shannon (mostly dealing with nutrition). She writes a lot for CCL’s magazine on NFP. Hope they help!
Bret
ccli.org/articles/pcos.shtml
ccli.org/articles/pcos2.shtml
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wisdom_3_5
Guest
You might want to look into the Creighton Model. I know they very specifically deal with infertility, PCOS and Endometriosis. The idea is to heal the woman, not mask her symptoms.
www.creightonmodel.com/
www.creightonmodel.com/
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FiliaDeo
Guest
Unlike other contraceptive measures, NFP has the focus of uniting the couple. In other methods of regulating pregnancy the responsibility lies with 1 person - is she taking the pill/does he have a condom, etc. NFP focuses on 1) the woman knowing her body, and 2) constant communication between husband and wife. Since one of the purposes of NFP is to bring the couple together, many husbands take an active role in helping their wives chart the cycle. For me, I wake up prior to my husband and I enjoy the charting, therefore I take my own temp and chart.
I encourage you to get the book Natural Family Planning, found on the Couple to Couple League website, or at a Catholic bookstore. The book is comprehensive in discussing various types of cycles and how to interpret them. But in a nutshell, the method takes into account 3 items: 1) the fact that your basal temperature will rise significantly after ovulating, 2) there will be a change in your mucus, which promotes fertility, and 3) the location of your cervix. Once you understand how God created the woman’s fertility cycle, it is easy to know when you are fertile and when you are not.
I have been using this for a couple of years and find that the amount of time it takes is minimal. Actually, once you get in a routine, it is second nature and I don’t think about it. How it brings the couple together is when you are fertile, you and your husband are going to have to make a decision. In NFP absitence is the way NOT to get pregnant. That decision requires the support of 2 people. It gives you a time every month to focus on different aspects of intimacy. I have found my husband and I are closer and more united in the direction of our family than we were before.
I just encourage you to go to the website and look for a class in your area. I know it’s scary to try this method, but I guarantee that the blessings are worth it.
I encourage you to get the book Natural Family Planning, found on the Couple to Couple League website, or at a Catholic bookstore. The book is comprehensive in discussing various types of cycles and how to interpret them. But in a nutshell, the method takes into account 3 items: 1) the fact that your basal temperature will rise significantly after ovulating, 2) there will be a change in your mucus, which promotes fertility, and 3) the location of your cervix. Once you understand how God created the woman’s fertility cycle, it is easy to know when you are fertile and when you are not.
I have been using this for a couple of years and find that the amount of time it takes is minimal. Actually, once you get in a routine, it is second nature and I don’t think about it. How it brings the couple together is when you are fertile, you and your husband are going to have to make a decision. In NFP absitence is the way NOT to get pregnant. That decision requires the support of 2 people. It gives you a time every month to focus on different aspects of intimacy. I have found my husband and I are closer and more united in the direction of our family than we were before.
I just encourage you to go to the website and look for a class in your area. I know it’s scary to try this method, but I guarantee that the blessings are worth it.
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SeekerJen
Guest
Hey, JJ!
Remember the good ol’ days when I was staunchly against NFP?
Heh- how things change. I’m actually printing sympto-thermal charts off the web as I’m typing this.
Things are nice and crazy on my end. Hope you and Mrs. H (and the kids) are doing well. God bless.
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foolintherain
Guest
Ok… this may seem like a silly (i.e. uninformed) question but that’s why it’s a question right? so here goes… doesn’t conception depend on two things:
- fertility, very adequately explained by these NFP links and
- viability of the sperm cells?
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Amber101
Guest
Certain types of mucus are more hospitable to sperm than others. When you are charting, you know which kind of mucus you have at that time in your cycle.
And that’s not a dumb question at all!
And that’s not a dumb question at all!
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