The Benefits of Using Natural Family Planning
Promotes a Stronger Marriage
NFP improves communication in a very important part of a couple’s relationship.
Take Control of Your Fertility
Allows you and your spouse to plan when and how many children to have.
NFP is also effective when used to ACHIEVE pregnancy.
100% Organic
NFP works WITH a woman’s body to determine when she is or is not fertile. No harmful chemicals or toxins.
Saves Money
Artificial methods of birth control cost up to $1,800 for five years. Infertility treatments can cost thousands of dollars. NFP can be used for life without ongoing costs for medication, procedures, etc.
No Side-Effects
Artificial methods of birth control can have many side effects.
Methods of Natural Family Planning
There are 4 NFP methods taught in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. They are all-natural methods to understand your fertility and they each have their unique benefits.
Download printable PDF of all the methods in the Archdiocese of St.Louis.
Billings Ovulation Method
boma-usa.com
Women observe the external mucus that is produced when estrogen is alerting them to approaching ovulation. When progesterone is high, cervical crypts produce a thick mucus that is very difficult for sperm to penetrate and usually not visible externally. Group classes are offered monthly by volunteer women at St. Anthony’s Medical Center and private follow up is available on request.
Additional links:
World Organization of the Ovulation Method
Creighton Model FertilityCare Services
fertilitycare.org
Women observe the external mucus that is produced when estrogen alerts them to approaching ovulation. When progesterone is high, cervical crypts produce thick mucus that is very difficult for sperm to penetrate and usually is not visible externally. The standardization of this model has expanded its use to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of many gynecologic conditions, including PMS, endometriosis, infertility, poly-cystic ovary disease, etc. Learning takes place, primarily in hospitals, through a series of private follow ups by a FertilityCare Practitioner after a group Introductory Session is attended.
Additional links:
American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals
Creighton Model FertilityCare Services
Saint Paul VI Institute
Department of FertilityCare Services, Mercy Hospital St. Louis
FertilityCare Centers of America
NaProTECHNOLOGY
Marquette Model
marquettefertilityed.com
The Marquette Model (MM) system of NFP brings 21st century technology to NFP by using the ClearBlue Easy Fertility Monitor, a device used at home which measures hormone levels in urine to estimate the beginning and end of the time of fertility in a women's menstrual cycle. The information from the monitor can be used in conjunction with observations of cervical mucus, basal body temperature, or other biological indicators of fertility. The MM was developed by professional nurses and physicians at Marquette University in the late 1990s. A recent (2007) study published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing demonstrated a 97-98% efficacy of the MM in avoiding pregnancy when taught by a qualified teacher and correctly applied.
Couple to Couple (CCL)
ccli.org
Couples are taught to observe mucus and cervix signs, which signal the approach of ovulation, and the temperature sign and other signs which typically accompanies ovulation. Group sessions are presented usually in parishes by a volunteer teaching couple.
NaPro Technology: A Proven, Successful Approach to Naturally Achieving Pregnancy
Natural Family Planning has other applications in addition to avoiding a pregnancy or spacing children. For example, couples who struggle with infertility have been successful in achieving pregnancies even after artificial reproductive technologies were recommeded elsewhere and have failed them. Women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, migraine headaches and other reproductive health problems also have been helped. For more information on this new branch of science, click on the following link: NaProTECHNOLOGY: The Contemporary Approach to Women’s Health Care.