NFP advice please

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28562

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Hey guys…need a little direction here…

We were finally able to get in touch with someone from the diocese about NFP recently. We told her that we need to avoid pregnancy and that we were never really taught any method at all, so we now REALLY need to learn one soon. We never learned one before because we were pretty comfortable with our knowledge and knew that if we did conceive unintentionally, we had space and enough money to afford a new baby. This time it’s different. We really can’t afford another so we have to be really serious about avoiding. The options that she gave us were to put us in touch with someone from CCL or learn Creighton.
The first question is–what are the pros and cons of each? She explained it to me a little bit, but I would like to hear more from you guys. How do you decide what method you want to learn?
The second question is about cost. I feel like an idiot, because it never crossed my mind that this might cost money to learn nfp…she mentioned a couple things about money, but how do the costs of the two methods compare? This is a significant factor right now because things are tight and will be tight until we pay off the medical bills from having the last baby. I know it is our fault for being unprepared and not planning well, but now it’s an issue that we have to try to deal with. Shelling out a few hundred bucks right now won’t be easy, but I don’t guess we have a choice.

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
28562 said:
Hey guys…need a little direction here…

We were finally able to get in touch with someone from the diocese about NFP recently. We told her that we need to avoid pregnancy and that we were never really taught any method at all, so we now REALLY need to learn one soon. We never learned one before because we were pretty comfortable with our knowledge and knew that if we did conceive unintentionally, we had space and enough money to afford a new baby. This time it’s different. We really can’t afford another so we have to be really serious about avoiding. The options that she gave us were to put us in touch with someone from CCL or learn Creighton.
The first question is–what are the pros and cons of each? She explained it to me a little bit, but I would like to hear more from you guys. How do you decide what method you want to learn?
The second question is about cost. I feel like an idiot, because it never crossed my mind that this might cost money to learn nfp…she mentioned a couple things about money, but how do the costs of the two methods compare? This is a significant factor right now because things are tight and will be tight until we pay off the medical bills from having the last baby. I know it is our fault for being unprepared and not planning well, but now it’s an issue that we have to try to deal with. Shelling out a few hundred bucks right now won’t be easy, but I don’t guess we have a choice.

Thanks in advance for the help!
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My wife and I took the class from CCL and thought it was well worth it. I was highly skeptical going in, particularly after the first class. However, as I learned more about the system, how to use it in situations such as abnormal cycles, etc. I became more comfortable with it. I spent a good deal of time looking up some of the peer-reviewed research on the topic, and overall, I am fairly comfortable these days.

The process is not without its issues. If you are delaying for serious reasons, that comes along with significant times of abstinence from sex which can create tensions. In addition, the very process of who is recording, taking the signs, interpreting them, etc. can create some tensions as well. After a few months, a process begins to be developed and things seemed to work out for us anyway. The prolonged abstinence from sex is something which is always going to be an issue while we are in this situation which is causing us to delay pregnancy.
 
jwinch2 said:
My wife and I took the class from CCL and thought it was well worth it. I was highly skeptical going in, particularly after the first class. However, as I learned more about the system, how to use it in situations such as abnormal cycles, etc. I became more comfortable with it. I spent a good deal of time looking up some of the peer-reviewed research on the topic, and overall, I am fairly comfortable these days.

The process is not without its issues. If you are delaying for serious reasons, that comes along with significant times of abstinence from sex which can create tensions. In addition, the very process of who is recording, taking the signs, interpreting them, etc. can create some tensions as well. After a few months, a process begins to be developed and things seemed to work out for us anyway. The prolonged abstinence from sex is something which is always going to be an issue while we are in this situation which is causing us to delay pregnancy.
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We can deal with the abstinence. We have done it for prolonged periods before, so it is really no big deal at this point. All those related issues have already been worked out in the past, thank goodness! Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut!

Forgot to mention in the original post that course we take will have to be distance ed due to lack of long term babysitting and distance to any instructors.
 
We’ve been trained in both Symptothermal (CCL) and Creighton method.

Symptothermal pros:
–You have more than one sign of fertility that you’re reading. So if one sign seems a little hard to read for your wife’s particular body, the it’s helpful to have the other two signs to guide you
–If you really don’t have time for the classes you can purchase a self-teaching book. I think this saves you a few dollars as well. I personally think it’s much better to take the classes though.

Cons:
–The classes are often large so it’s hard to get info tailored to your specific needs, and you might be uncomfortable asking questions in front of the class
–Symptothermal doesn’t focus on the health aspect as much when training you in the method. It’s primarily for avoiding and achieving pregnancy–not for diagnosing medical problems.
–Your wife has to wake up at the same time every day to take her temp. Some women hate that.

Creighton pros:
–Classes are mostly individual and this is GREAT because it’s all about your and your particular circumstances
–NaPro technology is based on the Creighton method and you can find OB/GYNs specifically trained in the medical aspect of it. So they can help you identify signs of medical problems by looking at your charts.
–You only have to check one sign. It’s sometimes nice not having to worry about temp.

Cons
–If your mucus signs are particularly confusing, it might not be the method for you. You might need the other two signs to help guide you
–You have to check your mucus ALL day long and the way you do it is very specific. It takes a lot of training and discipline to get it down.
–You have to take more classes than with Symptothermal

I don’t remember either method being particularly expensive. I’d guess and say the cost is about equal. Some Creighton teachers are really nice and will negotiate the price with you if you’re struggling. Mine even let us do Skype sessions so we could save on gas and not have to drive to her house which was kind of far away.

Good luck!
 
We use the Sypto-Thermal method, but are going to switch over to Creighton. With the Sypto-Thermal method it is easy to chart, once you get used to it. It was difficult for us to learn initially though. The only con that I can think of and it is a major one for me personally is you have to take your temp at the same time every morning. I suffer from insomnia so that was hard for me. If you are sick, it will alter your temps, but that’s really not a big deal. They help you through that.
 
My wife and I have experience of both. Our impression was that Creighton was much more convincing, professional, and this is what we have been using effectively up to now to avoid. CCL use the sympto-thermal method, which seems to have less rigorous research to back it up, and is taught, as the name suggests, by couples to other couples.

If money and distance are an issue, then CCL are certainly cheaper and have online classes, although we were unimpressed. With Creighton you will be taught one to one with a trained health professional who will help you understand your own body’s signals, but of course this comes at a cost.
 
Also check out the Marquette Method which is based on a digital fertility monitor. I think its less subjective since the device is doing the actual work. You can use it for health reason too.
 
CCL has a list of NFP trained physicians that you can go to also, if there is one in your area.

Some of the comments are correct in that yes, the wife has to wake up at the same time everyday to get her temperature. However, this is important to ensure reliable and valid data are being reported. The process, any process, is only as good as the data which is put in. Mucus signs can be hard to interpret at first, and so can the cervix sign. However, having multiple signs to base things on is certainly a good thing in my view.

Our teaching couples were pretty good. Not outstanding, but decent, and they seemed to really care about doing the right thing. It was a small group, but the couple made sure to take time to meet with each learning couple privately to review charts and answer questions.

Frankly, I would like to see some research grants given to outside agencies to do some additional testing on NFP in general, and it is various methods, to more accurately determine the validity of the processes and to tease out additional factors which can make the methods more robust, both for delaying pregnancy due to serious reasons, as well as increasing the likelihood of pregnancy for those who may be struggling to conceive. Right now, there are a few studies on the various methods, but not enough to feel comfortable. Three or four studies done with relatively small sample sizes do not make a settled situation from a scientific standpoint.
 
Schieffelin said:
Cons
–If your mucus signs are particularly confusing, it might not be the method for you. You might need the other two signs to help guide you
–You have to check your mucus ALL day long and the way you do it is very specific. It takes a lot of training and discipline to get it down.

k!
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Actually, Creighton is FOR confusing cm. The labels are very specific and include more categories to describe non fertile and cm caused by health issues other than fertility.

Also, cm is the MAIN indicator of fertility for ALL methods. other items are only secondary confirmations. One cannot use temp as a main indicator.

Also, checking mucous is scientific observation, but it is only restroom/shower/swimming. I think saying “all day long” is not an accurate statement.
 
agapewolf said:
Actually, Creighton is FOR confusing cm. The labels are very specific and include more categories to describe non fertile and cm caused by health issues other than fertility.

Also, cm is the MAIN indicator of fertility for ALL methods. other items are only secondary confirmations. One cannot use temp as a main indicator.

Also, checking mucous is scientific observation, but it is only restroom/shower/swimming. I think saying “all day long” is not an accurate statement.
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That is correct. The Sypto-Thermal method isn’t as specific as The Creighton Method when it comes to cm. I learned a lot more during my first Creighton class. I was impressed!
 
agapewolf said:
Actually, Creighton is FOR confusing cm. The labels are very specific and include more categories to describe non fertile and cm caused by health issues other than fertility.

Also, cm is the MAIN indicator of fertility for ALL methods. other items are only secondary confirmations. One cannot use temp as a main indicator.

Also, checking mucous is scientific observation, but it is only restroom/shower/swimming. I think saying “all day long” is not an accurate statement.
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I understand what you’re saying (I’m trained in STM and Creighton so I’m well aware that mucus it the main sign) but my point is that some people need more than one sign to help them confirm ovulation. I often have cycles where the mucus will start for a few days, stop, then return. Or I’ll have only two days of mucus. I know all of these are signs of problems (again, this is a plus of Creighton) but until I can get those problems sorted out, I wouldn’t be able to live without temperature taking to help guide me.

You can argue with me if you want, I’m just telling you what my personal experience has been. I’m fully trained in both methods and I still find that I need a combination of both to help me figure out what’s going on with my body. I can’t be the only woman in the world who has this problem so that’s why I’m mentioning it to the OP.

Your defensive tone makes me think you think I’m negative about Creighton. Nothing could be further from the truth. Creighton is the method that I use, and I know I’m using it correctly. But sometimes it’s not enough for me and I need the help of a second sign.
 
Schieffelin said:
I understand what you’re saying (I’m trained in STM and Creighton so I’m well aware that mucus it the main sign) but my point is that some people need more than one sign to help them confirm ovulation. I often have cycles where the mucus will start for a few days, stop, then return. Or I’ll have only two days of mucus. I know all of these are signs of problems (again, this is a plus of Creighton) but until I can get those problems sorted out, I wouldn’t be able to live without temperature taking to help guide me.

You can argue with me if you want, I’m just telling you what my personal experience has been. I’m fully trained in both methods and I still find that I need a combination of both to help me figure out what’s going on with my body. I can’t be the only woman in the world who has this problem so that’s why I’m mentioning it to the OP.

Your defensive tone makes me think you think I’m negative about Creighton. Nothing could be further from the truth. Creighton is the method that I use, and I know I’m using it correctly. But sometimes it’s not enough for me and I need the help of a second sign.
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There was no defensive tone. I’m not “defending” creighton. I’m clarifying several misleading things you said, especially the overstatements.

and “you WILL be able to live” without the second sign.

If you want to use it, fine. But please keep the exaggerations out. Such as “checking all day long” and “won’t be able to live”.
 
agapewolf said:
There was no defensive tone. I’m not “defending” creighton. I’m clarifying several misleading things you said, especially the overstatements.

and “you WILL be able to live” without the second sign.

If you want to use it, fine. But please keep the exaggerations out. Such as “checking all day long” and “won’t be able to live”.
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I’m not trying to mislead anyone. I’m simply sharing my personal experience with both methods. There is no need to be nasty. When I said I couldn’t live without the second sign I meant I couldn’t use NFP without it–you know what I meant—no one thinks I literally meant that I would fall over and die. Please stop nitpicking my every word.

You do essentially have to check your CM all day–you are supposed to check it every time you go to the bathroom, before you get in the shower, before you go to bed. Many women (by the way, I’m not one of them) find this to be inconvenient. I simply brought it up so the OP would have this perspective.
 
Schieffelin said:
I’m not trying to mislead anyone. I’m simply sharing my personal experience with both methods. There is no need to be nasty. When I said I couldn’t live without the second sign I meant I couldn’t use NFP without it–you know what I meant—no one thinks I literally meant that I would fall over and die. Please stop nitpicking my every word.

You do essentially have to check your CM all day–you are supposed to check it every time you go to the bathroom, before you get in the shower, before you go to bed. Many women (by the way, I’m not one of them) find this to be inconvenient. I simply brought it up so the OP would have this perspective.
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I’m not being nasty. Please stop projecting things into what I’m saying. I wasn’t defensive, I wasn’t nasty. There was no tone. Just reading the words on the page.

I didn’t say you were TRYING to mislead anyone. I said there were misleading statements and I was trying to clarify them, as the OP should know the real situation.
 
It’s clear this isn’t going anywhere productive. I apologize if I have offended you agapewolf.

OP, good luck and God bless to you and your wife as you start learning NFP.
 
Just a side comment about checking mucous “ALL day long”. Honestly, I do. Yes, every time I wipe, I have a quick little look and/or feel.

I was using STM which I read a book about when I was figuring out ovarian cysts. I haven’t been trained in Creighton, but I know the basics and that’s what we’re using right now. I gave up with STM because my temps were being really really confusing and I often enough wasn’t getting enough sleep anyways to temp properly.
 
RedSparklyShoes said:
Just a side comment about checking mucous “ALL day long”. Honestly, I do. Yes, every time I wipe, I have a quick little look and/or feel.

I was using STM which I read a book about when I was figuring out ovarian cysts. I haven’t been trained in Creighton, but I know the basics and that’s what we’re using right now. I gave up with STM because my temps were being really really confusing and I often enough wasn’t getting enough sleep anyways to temp properly.
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“All day long” and “every time I use the restroom” are 2 different things.
 
I’m a sympto-thermal girl… because that’s the first method I learned (only one taught in my diocese) and it worked well for me, so I never had to look back and reconsider!

I like having multiple symptoms to evaluate and discern… I an engineer, so I like working with the extra data points and it helps me really feel comfortable in understanding my cycle.
I also really like sympto-thermal because there is so much material out there about this method. I like reading lots of different books, so the more information I get the better I understand the method. Here are some good sympto-thermal resources:
ccli.org/ - has a great take-home course. Probably a good place to start. The book is LONG, though… so I found that a bit tedious to get through.
nfpandmore.com/ - great information here, too… but I found it emphasizes ecological breastfeeding a little too much… it’s a nice additional piece of information, but wasn’t practical to me (as a breastfeeding mom who worked full time) and felt a bit pushy in that area. But the online book is great and the charts are free.
tcoyf.com/ - REALLY great book, more from a medical perspective. Highly recommend it. But CAUTION - it’s not Catholic and does allow for barrier methods during the fertile phase - obviously IGNORE that part, but overall good info.

I’ve heard wonderful things about Creighton, though… it tends to lend itself to women who have issues with their fertility - especially PCOS and the like…

So there are really pros and cons all around, you just have to find the right method for YOU! Good luck!
 
agapewolf said:
“All day long” and “every time I use the restroom” are 2 different things.
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Not really when we’re talking about checking fertility signs. No, I don’t sit there and stare at my nether regions all day long, but yes, every time I use the restroom, which happens “all day long”, I do look at it. It’s not a burdensome thing since I’m already there and need to wipe anyways.
 
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