For Information on Natural Family Planning call the Archdiocesan Family Life Office (415) 614-5680.
Trying to get pregnant?
Looking for an alternative to the "pill"?
Learn how to use a Natural Family Planning method.
Enjoy the benefits:
• Safe No drugs or hormones.
• Reliable High success rate to achieve or avoid a pregnancy.
• Affordable Initial training and annual material costs are a fraction of artificial contraception costs.
• Natural Learn to work with the natural cycles of your body.
• Shared by the Couple Involves mutual support and communication between couples.
• Respects the Dignity of Women Helps a woman understand her fertility not treat it as a disease.
• Invites God Fully into a Marriage There are no barriers between spouses or between them and God.
| Billings Ovulation Method | ||
| Jodi Mendietta (San Francisco) | (415) 285-3036 | jodi7twin@aol.com |
| George Maloof (beeper) | (415) 219-8719 | |
| Creighton Model Fertility Care System | ||
| Cristina Frazier (San Francisco) | (415) 820-1638 | frazierc2001@yahoo.com |
| Gloria Gillogley (San Mateo) | (650) 345-9076 | GGillogley@aol.com |
| Jenny Perez (Daly City) | (650) 301-8896 | eperez1020@aol.com |
What is NFP?
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is an umbrella term for certain methods used to achieve and avoid pregnancies. These methods are based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a womans menstrual cycle.
NFP promotes openness to the transmission of human life and recognizes the value of children. Sexual relations are understood as love-giving as well as life-giving. It is true family planning. Because NFP respects the two-fold nature of sexual intercourse, it can enrich the bond between husband and wife. For these reasons it is an acceptable form of family planning for people of various religious and philosophical beliefs.
Natural Family Planning Methods:
The three most common Natural Family Planning methods include the Creighton Model Fertility Care System, Billings Ovulation Method, and Sympto-Thermal Method. They incorporate the following techniques:
Ovulation Methods These include the Billings and Creighton methods, which use cervical mucus as a fertility marker. Women observe their external mucus that is produced when estrogen is high, alerting them to approaching ovulation. In addition, the Creighton Model System uses NaproTechnology to help a woman monitor her gynecologic health.
For more information, visit their Web sites:
www.creightonmodel.com
www.billings-centre.ab.ca
The Billings Ovulation Method
The achievement or avoidance of pregnancy by a technique which is very reliable and morally
acceptable. No medication or device of any kind is necessary.
At the highest point of the woman's fertility, her cervical mucus gives a definite lubricative sensation. The last day of this sensation is marked on her chart as the "Peak".
Days 1, 2 and 3 after the Peak are days of diminishing fertility in that order. Ovulation occurs on day 1 in many cases. Days 2 and 3 are days of lesser fertility, day 3 being less fertile than day 2 and day 2 less fertile than day 1. Conception may occur from any genital contact on these three days after the Peak.
The length of time between the Peak of the mucus and the onset of the next menstruation is about two weeks. Infertility begins again from the fourth day after the Peak. If any mucus occurs from now on it will be sticky and opaque, which forms a natural block to the sperm.
The woman's infertile period is marked by a sensation or feeling of dryness around the genital area. The number of such days may vary in each cycle. They may be many in a long cycle, but few, if any in a short cycle.
The end of the dry sensation means that the slippery mucus has begun again. If no dry days occur following the menstruation, the mucus has already begun.
Cervical mucus prolongs the life of the sperm cells, and conception may occur from any genital contact on mucus days prior to ovulation.
Sympto-Thermal Method Usually taught by the Couple-to-Couple League.
This is a multi-indexed method that uses primary signs of fertility (the cervical mucus
and basal body temperature) as well as secondary signs (changes in the cervix and
tenderness in the breasts).
For more information, visit the Couple-to-Couple League at www.ccli.org
Also www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/nfp/information.shtml
Click here for A Modern Couple's Experience with Natural Family Planning.