NFP: 99% Effective?

[Romans15_5_7]

As sad as it is, most people equate NFP with “doing nothing”. My hypothesis for the 75% statistic is that uninformed people think this way: “Well, the average cycle length in 28 days, average fertile time is 7 days, so during any given cycle during any given year you have about 1/4 chance of conceiving… aka 75% effectiveness.”

Besides all other much more important reasons, my husband and I have found ourselves motivated to practice NFP with as little error as possible to be a better witness to our friends (especially those engaged or seriously considering marriage) our parents, etc. Of course, even if we conceive, we will still believe in NFP and that we are doing the right thing. We are just a lot more likely to be a reliable source/to be taken seriously without a surprise pregnancy just yet. So far, we love practicing NFP. And for us, although we haven’t been married long, it has been 100% effective.

 

[Bluegoat]

I’ve never used Creighton…but any time my husband and I have changed our minds mid-cycle, I’ve ALWAYS considered that cycle to be TTC. Mainly because I figure…I KNOW we decided that it didn’t matter we were fertile and we engaged in intercourse anyway…so apparently we were NOT trying to avoid.

It seems to me that if a person decides to be intimate on a fertile day can still be "trying to avoid"with NFP, we could also say a couple who decides to be intimate even though they have run out of condoms and the drug store is closed is trying to avoidusing ABC.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Wife and I followed it 100% to a tee for three years, faithfully and cautiously, Couple to Couple League, Kipley book, sympto-thermal, you name it, 3 kids in 3 years. 99% wasn’t our number. That’s all I can say…I’m not a believer and I know a lot of other folks who it didn’t work for for years as well. I’m not a believer in NFP. Now I’ll duck and prepare for incoming artilary…

 

[jawgee]

Wife and I followed it 100% to a tee for three years, faithfully and cautiously, Couple to Couple League, Kipley book, sympto-thermal, you name it, 3 kids in 3 years. 99% wasn’t our number. That’s all I can say…I’m not a believer and I know a lot of other folks who it didn’t work for for years as well. I’m not a believer in NFP. Now I’ll duck and prepare for incoming artilary…

Sorry you found it ineffective.

DH and I have been using it for 11 years and have found it very effective. The one time I threw caution to the wind we were blessed with our precious daughter.

 

[Bluegoat]

Wife and I followed it 100% to a tee for three years, faithfully and cautiously, Couple to Couple League, Kipley book, sympto-thermal, you name it, 3 kids in 3 years. 99% wasn’t our number. That’s all I can say…I’m not a believer and I know a lot of other folks who it didn’t work for for years as well. I’m not a believer in NFP. Now I’ll duck and prepare for incoming artilary…

I know this happens to some people. It also happens to some people using ABC though, at least the hormonal versions. A good friend of mine has two kids, both conceived while she was on the Pill.

 

[ToeInTheWater]

Hmm, I think this might be a time to point out these stats that Dulcissima brought us from the Merck website:

merck.com/mmpe/sec18/ch255/ch255b.html

It’s interesting to note that the actual use pregnancy rates for oral contraceptives is about 8% and for barrier methods about 15 to 18%, which would mean that they are hardly bullet-proof.

Since I do see in some NFP topics that people tend to assume that all ABC is nearly 100% effective, hence the many topics by people with a serious reason to avoid who report being tempted to use ABC, who seem to think that if they use ABC they won’t have to worry at all about pregnancy. Also, I think that in some demographics ABC user pregnancy rates are probably even higher (unfortunately, I am thinking about the precise demographics ABC tends to be marketed at, teens and young twenty-somethings, not really notorious for following instructions perfectly). I also wonder if this is one reason so many “unwanted” pregnancies end in abortion; women get shocked and panicked that the ABC they thought would be 100% effective “failed”.

Perhaps that is another, sad reason why NFP “failures” are more obvious; since the vast majority of couples who use NFP are practicing Catholics, the vast majority are pro-life and would happily go through with an “oopsie” pregnancy, while many couples who have an “oopsie” with ABC find abortion to be the next logical step to prevent the birth of an “unwanted” baby.

Also, I am wondering if perhaps couples who use NFP wind up having more children than those who use ABC because the process of NFP forces them to think before any possible sexual encounter whether or not they are ready to have children, and many find out after a few months of using NFP that whatever serious reasons they had for avoiding really aren’t that serious to prevent them from giving themselves to each other completely. So they “go for it” on a fertile night and have a baby. Some would classify this is an NFP “failure”, but seems to me that in this case, NFP worked just the way it was supposed to.

 

[Thoughtfulone]

My doctor told me that NFP is very tough to use while nursing because nursing is only an effective form of BC for about 4-6 months, however, if you continue nursing, your cervical mucous can still be out of whack (there is almost no cervical mucous with a nursing mother) and you may ovulate and not know it. He said he’s lost track of how many patients he’s had who got pregnant while nursing.

Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[llfarms]

My doctor told me that NFP is very tough to use while nursing because nursing is only an effective form of BC for about 4-6 months, however, if you continue nursing, your cervical mucous can still be out of whack (there is almost no cervical mucous with a nursing mother) and you may ovulate and not know it. He said he’s lost track of how many patients he’s had who got pregnant while nursing.

Anyone have any experience with this?

Yes, we got pregnant. Im 33 she is 32. We now have 5 kiddos and the wifes mucus is out of whack (still bf baby 5). We are now celibate and I feel like our marriage is wrecked. Even if we have “marital relations”, the act will be terrible. She will have that she will get preggars in the back of her mind the ENTIRE time. We have been together once in the last 5 months, and I really have said “im done in the back of my mind”…

We almost got divorced with the last pregnancy so, we really would like to focus on the marriage, but no relations with each other is really leaving us bitter and mad.

 

[jawgee]

Yes, we got pregnant. Im 33 she is 32. We now have 5 kiddos and the wifes mucus is out of whack (still bf baby 5). We are now celibate and I feel like our marriage is wrecked. Even if we have “marital relations”, the act will be terrible. She will have that she will get preggars in the back of her mind the ENTIRE time. We have been together once in the last 5 months, and I really have said “im done in the back of my mind”…

We almost got divorced with the last pregnancy so, we really would like to focus on the marriage, but no relations with each other is really leaving us bitter and mad.

Prayers for your marriage. It makes me so sad to hear this. Have you and your wife been to talk to a priest about this?

 

[Thoughtfulone]

Yes, we got pregnant. Im 33 she is 32. We now have 5 kiddos and the wifes mucus is out of whack (still bf baby 5). We are now celibate and I feel like our marriage is wrecked. Even if we have “marital relations”, the act will be terrible. She will have that she will get preggars in the back of her mind the ENTIRE time. We have been together once in the last 5 months, and I really have said “im done in the back of my mind”…

We almost got divorced with the last pregnancy so, we really would like to focus on the marriage, but no relations with each other is really leaving us bitter and mad.

Wow. This is so sad I am so sorry for you. That is very, very young to have so many children with the possibility of more. Hang in there! My prayers go out to you! I hope you can find a way to be happy in your marriage.

 

[Brendan]

The pamphlet at my doctor’s office says that 1 in 4 women will become pregnant while using NFP. Of course, I’m sure there is human error involved as the poster above stated and that this does not apply to the perfect use of all NFP methods together.

Since what NFP does is mark the fertile times, it is also used to achive pregnancy by informing the couple when fertilization is most likely.

 

[ForAll]

Wife and I followed it 100% to a tee for three years, faithfully and cautiously, Couple to Couple League, Kipley book, sympto-thermal, you name it, 3 kids in 3 years. 99% wasn’t our number. That’s all I can say…I’m not a believer and I know a lot of other folks who it didn’t work for for years as well. I’m not a believer in NFP. Now I’ll duck and prepare for incoming artilary…

I see what you’re saying, but from an NFP perspective, it did work and was 100 percent effective.

This is because the biggest difference between NFP and ABC is the end goal: in NFP, it is to do God’s will and grow in virtue; in ABC, it is to follow our own agenda and plan our own lives. Thus, if NFP can be used with the most virtuous mindset, there is zero failure rate–because pregnancy or not, it is the will of God which was the end goal.

I know this is often more difficult said than done–but that is as it should be, because NFP should be the experience of growing in virtue, which we can all admit is a difficult road fraught with trials, our own mistakes, and turmoil. We are human and we are fallen: only as we grow in virtue will Goodness become easier.

 

[kwray]

I have used the Billings Method and successfully identified the return to fertility during breastfeeding after each of my 4 children. What I would stress to anyone who has had ‘surprise’ pregnancies during this time is that working with an instructor is crucial. Perhaps 99% was not what you experienced because you were trying to do things on your own.

Yes, breastfeeding tends to delay the return to fertility. With some women, it’s only a few months and with others it can last several years. There is no way to predict ahead of time when you will ovulate again. And yes, you will likely not go from 100% lack of fertile signs to 100% regular cycles (it’s not like flipping a switch). There will be a time of transition, where the body is making attempts to ovulate, but the breastfeeding hormones suppress it. During this time, the woman will start to see changes or ‘patches’ of mucus but it will not be a regular cycle.

What often happens is that women get very used to using NFP while they are experiencing a pattern of normal cycles (menstruation, infertile time, fertile time, infertile time). Then after childbirth, when they are no longer having that regular ovulation, they find it confusing to apply the rules. They assume every episode of bleeding is menstruation or the start of a new cycle. Unintended pregnancies during this time are common.

I cannot stress enough that it is essential to work with an instructor until your normal pattern of fertility resumes. She will be able to guide you through this time of transition and help you identify your return to fertility, whenever that occurs, and to apply the rules to postpone pregnancy, if that is your desire.

Just using a book or what you knew beforehand, or talking to a friend, is not enough.

 

[BlueShadow123]

I know the catholic church is against the birth-control pill for men and woman, but is the catholic church against the use of condoms? It seems to me that it would be okay if it is in the act of intercourse?

NFP does seem like a great way to sort out your fertility weeks and non-fertile days, but just be careful. It is safe if you know your cycle by heart.

 

[1234]

It’s interesting to note that the actual use pregnancy rates for oral contraceptives is about 8% and for barrier methods about 15 to 18%, which would mean that they are hardly bullet-proof.

Where do you get these numbers?

The oral contraceptive is virtually 100% effective* with perfect use*–the standard you’re using for NFP.

Ditto barrier methods, which are very reliable,* with perfect use.*

 

[agapewolf]

It’s interesting to note that the actual use pregnancy rates for oral contraceptives is about 8% and for barrier methods about 15 to 18%, which would mean that they are hardly bullet-proof.

Where do you get these numbers?

The oral contraceptive is virtually 100% effective* with perfect use*–the standard you’re using for NFP.

Ditto barrier methods, which are very reliable,* with perfect use.*

About oral contraception…no it isn’t. There is so many breakthrough ovulation aborted babies. 5-7 septic abortions (chemical from birth control hormones) for every one surgical abortion.

 

[manualman]

What amazes me about NFP discussions is how people seem to place a ton of faith in science and technology when it comes to pills and barriers, but very little faith in science when it comes to scientifically identifying the symptoms that accompany ovulation.

I mean, really, which is the more complex science? Altering a woman’s hormonal balance to prevent ovulation or the mere application of observations to identify when the natural cycle reaches the ovulation point? Duh!

All three approaches are based on the scientific method. NFP is the cheapest and least intrusive form that also happens to create the lowest profit margin. No wonder American’s shun it, it can’t afford commercials…

There is no question that some women have health issues that make NFP much more difficult. The OP actually refers to one such scenario. Prescription drugs can alter the cycle and symptoms in a way that make observations much less reliable. But then again, should a woman dealing with depression REALLY be fooling around with her hormones MORE?? Think about it.

We’ve been blessed to have few health issues during non-pregnant times such that fertility is easily observed. In 11 years of marriage (and healthy libido), we’ve never had a surprise pregnancy, had 2 “tried for” babies and 1 “oh what the heck” baby where we knowingly broke the rules because at the moment, our serious reason didn’t look all THAT serious anymore (said crucible test is one of the major reasons why NFP is OK and ABC isn’t, btw). Our fertility is bountiful, but due to increasingly difficult late pregnancy issues, our brood isn’t. We’re a 100% effective data point in 11 years.

 

[dulcissima]

I know this happens to some people. It also happens to some people using ABC though, at least the hormonal versions. A good friend of mine has two kids, both conceived while she was on the Pill.

This is true. I am a convert and have 4 kids that were conceived while using ABC, 3 while on the pill. Now that I have charted, I think I know why, because I tend to ovulate very early in my cycle. I think that the pill does not take that into consideration at all. I think you are a lot safer getting to know your own body rather than taking a pill that is formulated as if every woman and every cycle were the same.

 

[Iowander]

I’ll just also point out that “perfect use” sometimes means “don’t ever have intercourse.” If your biological markers don’t give you conclusive data, you’re pretty much stuck with abstaining 100% of the time in order to meet the perfect use criteria.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the church’s teaching on human sexuality, but NFP doesn’t work for everybody. I think NFP would be more successful if we didn’t try to oversell it.

 

[silentstar]

I’m not taking sides here, but I was always told that if you use artificial birth control and you want it to be 100% effective, use two forms, such as a condom and the Pill. If that is done correctly there is no or virtually no chance of failure.

I know the statistics on effectiveness of different types of birth control are disputed, and some artificial birth control may be highly effective if used correctly, but using two forms of ABC at the same time is virtually 100%, from what I understand.

edited to add: unless someone has a chronic problem that renders one form ineffective, such as an earlier poster stated about the Pill and her ovulation happening early in her cycle.