What Is Natural Family Planning?
Fertility is a gift, and married love naturally tends to be fruitful (cf. CCC 2366).
Simply put, Natural Family Planning (NFP) is fertility awareness. NFP helps a couple to know more about its fertility by reading the body's signs of fertility and infertility. With this awareness, a married couple can virtuously choose to open themselves to the possibility of the gift of pregnancy, or, as an exercise of responsibility, regulate procreation by spacing the births of their children (cf. CCC §2368). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explains that "NFP methods are based on the observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy. Since the methods of NFP respect the love-giving (unitive) and life-giving (procreative) nature of the conjugal act, they support God's design for married love."
Simply put, Natural Family Planning (NFP) is fertility awareness. NFP helps a couple to know more about its fertility by reading the body's signs of fertility and infertility. With this awareness, a married couple can virtuously choose to open themselves to the possibility of the gift of pregnancy, or, as an exercise of responsibility, regulate procreation by spacing the births of their children (cf. CCC §2368). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explains that "NFP methods are based on the observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy. Since the methods of NFP respect the love-giving (unitive) and life-giving (procreative) nature of the conjugal act, they support God's design for married love."
Which NFP Methods Are Approved? And, Which One Is Right for Us?
While the fundamental principle remains the same (a morally acceptable and chaste way for a couple to be open to the possibility of pregnancy, or to morally and chastely postpone pregnancy), a variety of NFP methods exist. The methods differ in terms of reading the signs and symptoms of a woman's fertility cycle.
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has approved a variety of NFP methods (e.g., Couple to Couple League's sympto-thermal method, Billings, Creighton, Marquette, etc.). As Providence would have it, St. Gertrude parishioners have been trained as instructors in each of the approved methods. Their contact information can be found below.
Rather than randomly picking a method and seeking to be trained in it, we encourage couples to gain an understanding of each of the methods. We've found these articles to be helpful:
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has approved a variety of NFP methods (e.g., Couple to Couple League's sympto-thermal method, Billings, Creighton, Marquette, etc.). As Providence would have it, St. Gertrude parishioners have been trained as instructors in each of the approved methods. Their contact information can be found below.
Rather than randomly picking a method and seeking to be trained in it, we encourage couples to gain an understanding of each of the methods. We've found these articles to be helpful:
Who Is NFP for?
All engaged couples—both the bride and the groom—seeking to be married at St. Gertrude and being prepared for marriage by one of our Dominican friars are required to attend an approved NFP course. Additionally, engaged couples being prepared for marriage by one of our Dominican friars but getting married at a different church, are required to attend an approved NFP course.
Beyond engaged couples, NFP methods can be helpful for already married couples who find themselves in a new set of circumstances (e.g., a shift in work schedule, postpartum, etc.). Young women, though not yet engaged, will also benefit from gaining increased fertility awareness as a way of coming to a deeper understanding of their bodies, cycle, and so forth.
Beyond engaged couples, NFP methods can be helpful for already married couples who find themselves in a new set of circumstances (e.g., a shift in work schedule, postpartum, etc.). Young women, though not yet engaged, will also benefit from gaining increased fertility awareness as a way of coming to a deeper understanding of their bodies, cycle, and so forth.
Contacting an Instructor
St. Gertrude Church is happy to share that we have parishioners trained in each of the four NFP methods. Here's a brief introduction to each of the methods and our instructors to help you find the right method and instructor for you.
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Jenna Bernardo – Marquette Method
Jenna Bernardo is a wife, mother of three beautiful daughters, a nurse, and a Marquette Method instructor. Marquette allows women to test their urinary hormones with the ClearBlue monitor. The monitor reads low, high, or peak fertility, and women use that objective information, along with protocols and complementary markers, to abstain or conceive a child with up to 99 percent effectiveness. With the help of a registered nurse, couples can determine their fertility in an objective manner while navigating normal cycles, and especially during postpartum and perimenopause, which are generally confusing phases in cycles. For more information, please reach out to Jenna at JennaMarquetteRN@gmail.com. |
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David and Ann Stein – Couple to Couple League’s Sympto-Thermal Method
David and Ann Stein are certified instructors for the Couple to Couple League International (CCLI) dedicated to helping couples build healthy marriages and families in accord with the truth of married love. CCLI classes focus on the Sympto-Thermal Method of NFP, the return of fertility after childbirth, and Catholic Church teaching on marriage and sexuality. Try NFP and experience the freedom that comes with working as one with your spouse. To learn more visit www.ccli.org or call (513) 207-9673. |
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Emily Young – Creighton Method
Emily Vork Young is a FertilityCare Practitioner-Intern teaching the Creighton Model FertilityCare System. She is also a founder and the executive director of the New Eve Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to bring women to an encounter with Christ through the truth, beauty, and goodness of their femininity. The Creighton Model is a clinically-proven, life-affirming, and medically-applicable method of Natural Family Planning that focuses entirely on cervical mucus observations. Charting with the Creighton Model empowers a woman to take charge of her reproductive and gynecological health. This is especially true when Creighton Model charting is used in conjunction with treatment from a physician trained in NaProTECHNOLOGY, a women’s health science that works cooperatively with the woman’s cycle. For more information on charting with the Creighton Model or about the New Eve Foundation, contact Emily at eyoung@newevefoundation.org or at (805) 798-7534. |
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Darcie Hester – Billings Method
Darcie Hester is a wife of three years, a mother of a fifteen-month-old boy, and a certified instructor for the Billings Ovulation Method. Billings focuses on the sensation felt from cervical mucus to help women realize and chart their own unique pattern of fertility. Using four consistent rules, couples can understand where they are in the woman’s cycle and use that knowledge to either achieve or space a pregnancy that month, based on their discernment. This method is also a powerful tool that any woman (married or single) can use as a strong indicator of her health. Please reach out to darcie.hester@gmail.com if you have questions or are interested in learning more! |
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Samuel and Adriana Vásquez – Billings Ovulation Method
Married in 2010, Samuel and Adriana Vásquez are blessed to work together at home and for the Church. Their children, Julian and Zoe, attend St. Gertrude School and Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori. Samuel serves as the director of Hispanic Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and Adriana as the director of Marriage and Family Life. They are instructors in the Billings Ovulation Method, focusing primarily on teaching the local Hispanic communities. Their particular niche at St. Gertrude Church is to support couples on the fertility journey who are struggling with the crosses of miscarriage or infertility. They also welcome questions about the different NFP methods to help couples decide which NFP method best suits their needs. They can be reached at avasquez@catholicaoc.org and svasquez@catholicaoc.org. |
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For More Information
If you have any questions about NFP, please email nfp@stgertrude.org. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati also has great resources on this topic. Please visit the Center for the New Evangelization's NFP webpage.
