What is NFP?

[sarahq]

I see this referenced in many threads – I get that it stands for “Natural Family Planning” but how does it work exactly?

Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

God bless
Sarah

 

[Gene_Church]

Natural Family Planning is a process that is open to life. It is used by couples, both who want to have children immediately, and those who wish to space them out. It is not the rhythm method, which spaces pregnancy based upon an assumed woman’s 28 day cycle, but based upon other bodily functions such as basal body temperature to determine when a woman is fertile.

It is a very accurate method for predicting fertility, and serves to bring couples closer, and reduce the number of divorces in these marriages.

 

[Curious_Seed]

:idea:

NFP is held by the Catholic Faith as both natural and open to life.

But, aren’t openess and planning mutually exclusive concepts?

When one tempers one’s behavior in order to bias an outcome, should that behavior be held as open or manipulative?

Certainly without introducing contraceptives, NFP is natural; but, isn’t the consumption of any medicine not natural?

If the taking of medicine is not natural, but accepted; why are contraceptive devices not accepted, on the grounds of not being natural?

Why does contraceptive use via NFP claim an authoritative requirement to be natural, but there is no such requirement for natural treatment of other body related conditions?

Further, the belief that NFP permits greater intimacy between the spouses has no statistical foundation and may, in fact, be quite the opposite.

 

[white_sheep]

:idea:

NFP is held by the Catholic Faith as both natural and open to life.

But, aren’t openess and planning mutually exclusive concepts?

No.

When one tempers one’s behavior in order to bias an outcome, should that behavior be held as open or manipulative?

In this case, open.

Certainly without introducing contraceptives, NFP is natural; but, isn’t the consumption of any medicine not natural?

Natural is an apt descriptor, not a requirement.

If the taking of medicine is not natural, but accepted; why are contraceptive devices not accepted, on the grounds of not being natural?

That isn’t why they aren’t accepted.

Why does contraceptive use via NFP claim an authoritative requirement to be natural, but there is no such requirement for natural treatment of other body related conditions?

NFP is not a treatment of any condition.

Further, the belief that NFP permits greater intimacy between the spouses has no statistical foundation and may, in fact, be quite the opposite.

Maybe, it doesn’t affect its liceity.

 

[PatienceAndLove]

NFP is a broad term given to cover the many different methods used by couples to both achieve and postpone pregnancy without resorting to artificial or separative means such as withdrawal, condoms, IVF, ABC, spermicidal gels or foams, etc.
NFP advocates the use of abstinence during a woman’s fertile period, if the couple is postponing pregnancy. However, since no barrier methods are used by the couple utilizing NFP, the couple can still conceive a child, even if the woman’s fertility signs do not point to currently being fertile.

Among NFP styles are:
sympto-thermal- also called the CCLI method. This tracks a woman’s fertility using both bodily symptoms and basal temperature. The changes in a woman’s cervical mucus and temperature show the changes in a woman’s fertility throughout her cycle

Creighton- I am not as familiar with this method, but I believe it is a mucus-only method. This method is utilized by the Pope Paul Institute and FertilityCare Centers help treat infertility as well as various gynecological issues.

Billings- I am also not familiar with this method. It is also referred to as BOM- Billings Ovulation Method.

Marquette- Utilizes cervical mucus observation and the use of the Clear-Blue Easy fertility monitor

Fertility Awareness Method- also called FAM. This is essentially the sympto-thermal method. FAM has been championed by Toni Weschel in her book “Taking Charge of Your Fertility”. FAM advocates the use of various barrier methods (condoms, diaphragms, sponge, spermicidal foams and gels) during relations while a woman is fertile.

If you have facebook, please search for the Natural Family Planning group. It is a diverse group. The members use a variety of different NFP methods.

 

[Bookcat]

Compendium of the Catechism issued by Pope Benedict XVI

1. What is the meaning of the conjugal act?

2362-2367

The conjugal act has a twofold meaning: unitive (the mutual self-giving of the spouses) and procreative (an openness to the transmission of life). No one may break the inseparable connection which God has established between these two meanings of the conjugal act by excluding one or the other of them.

1. When is it moral to regulate births?

2368-2369
2399

The regulation of births, which is an aspect of responsible fatherhood and motherhood, is objectively morally acceptable when it is pursued by the spouses without external pressure; when it is practiced not out of selfishness but for serious reasons; and with methods that conform to the objective criteria of morality, that is, periodic continence and use of the infertile periods.

1. What are immoral means of birth control?

2370-2372

Every action - for example, direct sterilization or contraception - is intrinsically immoral which (either in anticipation of the conjugal act, in its accomplishment or in the development of its natural consequences) proposes, as an end or as a means, to hinder procreation.

 

[prstoessel]

… the belief that NFP permits greater intimacy between the spouses has no statistical foundation and may, in fact, be quite the opposite.

The key word here is “permits”. The practice of NFP puts the responsibility of the couple’s fertility on both the man and the woman. In contrast to slipping on a condom or popping a pill, the couple must on a very frequent basis (daily is ideal) communicate with each other regarding their fertility.

The woman makes the observations, but the man makes the recordings on the chart. If there are some anomalies in his wife’s cycle, he is to ask questions about it. Example: If she is experiencing a longer ovulation cycle, he might ask, “Have you been under stress, lately?” And then the man should listen to his wife and see what he might be able to do to reduce her stress.

This is only one type of communication that is brought about. Granted, it’s mostly ‘clinical’ at times. But in the long run, this is very important for both to share the responsibility.

During times of abstinence when the couple wishes to postpone conception, NFP teaches in its handbook to have the focus on the “cranial” aspects of sexuality. This is very healthy, indeed, because it guides the couple do satiate their sexual appetite in non-physical ways. Going for walks, meeting for lunch, perhaps a nice foot rub, playing a card game, or simply staying up late talking about whatever… all of those are easily quashed if there is no break from the physical act of sex.

The abstinence period is the time when I focus on feeding my wife’s emotional needs the most. (Not that I ignore her the rest of the time!) But it is that time in which she feels most fulfilled sexually. Then, when we do engage physically, she does so with a willing heart and mind. For the couple who does this, it is like a honeymoon each month.

 

[manualman]

It seems to be a surprise to most people that fertility is a normal function of the healthy human female and that, as such, fertility brings along with it quite reliable and observable medical symptoms. In other words, you can learn to see how your body behaves when it is getting ready to pop and egg out!

This differs from contraception quite fundamentally. In contraception, the issue is about control. I DEMAND control over fertility. With NFP, there is no control and more importantly no disconnection of sex from babies. Sins aren’t sins arbitrarily. God names sins those things that damage our ability to give and receive love. Contraception makes sex purely about pleasure and only incidentally about the gift of life. With NFP, the process itself militates against that attitude: to avoid, you must abstain and you readily remember WHY. And that why gets you to thinking as you battle your primal urges. Many a couple discover their “serious reason” to avoid was pure rationalizing in the crucible of abstinance. Nothing of the sort occurs with contraception.

 

[BrushedByAngels]

Natural Family Planning is a process that is open to life. It is used by couples, both who want to have children immediately, and those who wish to space them out.

Space them out… Wouldn’t this be using it as a form of contraception

 

[davidv]

Space them out… Wouldn’t this be using it as a form of contraception

No. Abstinence is not contraception.

From the Catechism:

2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality.158 These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, “every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible” is intrinsically evil:159

Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. . . . The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality.160

 

[BrushedByAngels]

No. Abstinence is not contraception.

From the Catechism:

OK… so NFP involves only having sexual relations when you are fertile and abstaining when you are not. Thanks for clarification. I had it backwards and I am always asked about NFP from Protestants.

If the need to space them out should arise, simply abstain for several years or … Hhhhmmm not sure if this would be good for a marriage either. I can’t imagine women telling their husbands to abstain for a few years. That might lead most men to something they shouldn’t be doing. Whatever happened to “wives submit to your husbands”

So you are saying that the only time a woman is to have sexual relations with her husband is when she is fertile and when they both want kids.

Some might say if the motivation from abstaining from sex is to prevent conception when the wife is fertile, that is also a form of contraception which goes against “be fruitful and multiply”

 

[Maureen1125]

The woman makes the observations, but the man makes the recordings on the chart. If there are some anomalies in his wife’s cycle, he is to ask questions about it. Example: If she is experiencing a longer ovulation cycle, he might ask, “Have you been under stress, lately?” And then the man should listen to his wife and see what he might be able to do to reduce her stress.

Now this would make for an interesting thread. I am willing to bet that in the majority of the cases it is 100% the WOMAN who carries the burden of NFP.

It is a very accurate method for predicting fertility, and serves to bring couples closer, and reduce the number of divorces in these marriages

This statement is VERY debatable…based on the number of threads I have seen from Women who are pregnant or recovering from delivery who used NFP and it failed them. Also…there is ZERO evidence that couples who use NFP are any more likely to remain married then those who don’t. I would be willing to be that those who do remain married do so NOT because of NFP, but because divorce is a sin in church and without an annulment they would not be able to enter into another committed relationship, so they might as well suck it up and deal.

 

[prstoessel]

OK… so NFP involves only having sexual relations when you are fertile and abstaining when you are not.

No. NFP is a system for a married couple to determine the times of their fertility.

The teachings of the Catholic Church allow for the use of NFP (for a married couple) to determine when a couple should have sexual intercourse depending on whether (or not) they wish to conceive.

If the couple has a morally valid reason for not conceiving, they are allowed to abstain from intercourse during the times of fertility. During this time, however, they must completely abstain from any genital contact so as not to be led to the occasion of sin (oral sex, mutual masturbation, etc.).

Whether the couple uses NFP or not, they are not allowed to abstain from sex indefinitely for the purpose of avoiding conception, as this is a violation of the promise of lovingly accepting children from God they made on their wedding day.

Whatever happened to “wives submit to your husbands”

This passage has absolutely nothing to do with sex or this topic.

 

[prstoessel]

Now this would make for an interesting thread. I am willing to bet that in the majority of the cases it is 100% the WOMAN who carries the burden of NFP.

How much would you like to wager?

By design, the practice of NFP calls for a shared responsibility of the couple’s fertility. In my case, my wife also keeps the chart in addition to having to make the observations. The reason for this does not need to be made known here, but this was what we found works best for us, even though the textbook way of doing it has the man keeping the chart.

Does this mean that I am off the hook? Certainly not. We still have to communicate effectively and be willing to talk about our fertility. If she happens to be fertile and we are not wishing to conceive, then we both must guard our sexual advances towards one another. It is also during this time that most women find that they are more… uh… amorous. So, there is a lot work for the man to do to keep the proper level of married chastity pure.

First, he must learn how to mortify his own sexual desires so as not to lead the couple to the occasion of sin through performing a disordered sexual act (oral sex, for example)

Second, he must engage the body’s most powerful sex organ: the mind. Communicating, going for walks, playing games, sharing a hobby, etc. - all with the focus on his love of his wife - is what he must do. He must continue to listen intently to his wife.

Third, the couple must continue to pray and discern over their decision as to whether they are properly cooperating with God’s plan of life. Since the man is the spiritual leader of his family, he should be the one to lead the couple in prayer.

This statement is VERY debatable…based on the number of threads I have seen from Women who are pregnant or recovering from delivery who used NFP and it failed them.

There are many reasons why this may have happened. Neither of us know the details, so it is futile to build an argument on it. Statistics on the Creighton Model of NFP show a 99.5% method-effectiveness and a 97% user-effectiveness within the first year.

Most of the time, a couple practicing NFP fails to avoid conception because:

1. The couple was not faithful to the NFP methodology in complete abstinence during times of fertility;
2. The couple attempted to use NFP with incomplete guidance. This could be because they used an online resource to “learn” the method, but never sought the counsel of a real practitioner.

In short, it is more likely that they failed NFP and not the other way around.

Also…there is ZERO evidence that couples who use NFP are any more likely to remain married then those who don’t. I would be willing to be that those who do remain married do so NOT because of NFP, but because divorce is a sin in church and without an annulment they would not be able to enter into another committed relationship, so they might as well suck it up and deal.

Oh my. I’m too tired to reply to this one. Perhaps another day…

 

[Maureen1125]

But you totally proved my point by pointing out that your WIFE is responsible for temping, monitoring AND charting…it doesn’t matter WHY all that matters is it is all her responsibility. Yes, you have to communicate but that is as simple as you say “Honey, wanna make love” and her telling you “This is a bad week for us” or even easier…marking it on the calendar/chart so that you can check it without even having to ask.

As I said…I think it would be a very interesting thread/poll to see who REALLY is doing all the work here

 

[prstoessel]

I’m perfectly willing to do the charting, and did for many years. There is an underlying issue that made the determination for us that the charting is best left in her hands for now.

I am sorry that none of the other stuff I said had any value to you. I happen to view sex as a lot more than a wink and a nod and let’s go to the bedroom. If the man is owning up to his responsibility in the relationship, his part is every bit as important because every encounter should be a spiritual one. One where the wedding vows are renewed each time.

 

[PatienceAndLove]

Well… since it’s my body and I am the one in the restroom actively observing my cervical mucus, it is much easier for me to be the one to chart because I am the one who saw what texture, color and consistency the mucus had.

Then again, I am also unmarried.

When I was married, I was still the one charting. It would seem odd for me to call my then husband into the bathroom to observe my mucus. But if that’s what I should have done…

 

[prstoessel]

When I was married, I was still the one charting. It would seem odd for me to call my then husband into the bathroom to observe my mucus. But if that’s what I should have done…

No. The woman always is the one to make the observations.

 

[PatienceAndLove]

No. The woman always is the one to make the observations.

I was addressing that to the PP who said all the charting end up on the shoulders of the woman

 

[prstoessel]

I was addressing that to the PP who said all the charting end up on the shoulders of the woman

Oops. Sorry I misunderstood.