1.) You list several organizations which teach NFP. How do we decide which is best for us? The best way is to search their websites to understand how each works, order their brochures, or call to "interview" and ask questions.
2.) My husband and I have small children and would be unable to find babysitting to take formal classes. Is there another way? Some classes allow you to bring your children or they offer child care. Otherwise,
Couple to Couple League, for example, offers a Home Study Course in which you can learn through a workbook.
3.) My menstrual cycles are very irregular. Does NFP address this? Yes, the way NFP works is that you recognize certain signs which tell you when you are fertile. Whether you have a 28 cycle one month and a 36 day the next month, it doesn’t matter. All of the teaching methods for NFP can explain this.
4.) I asked my OB/GYN about NFP and she didn’t seem confident in being able to answer my questions. Many doctors see NFP as a glorified Rhythm Method (the Rhythm—or Calendar- Method is an older, less accurate method of natural planning which relies on the calendar). Some doctors have chosen to become NFP-only doctors (they do not prescribe Artificial Birth Control, and are usually very pro-life) and are highly knowledgeable about NFP. You can see if there is one in your area by visiting the
One More Soul website under NFP Only Online Directory. The alternative would be to educate yourself enough about NFP to feel confident talking with your doctor.
CCL also has a brochure for physicians about NFP.
5.) How can I find a teacher in my area? Either by contacting any of the organizations on our "contact list" or visit the
One More Soul website, find the NFP Only Online Directory and type in your zip code. For the Creighton Model, click
here.
6.) I have been diagnosed with endometriosis and my doctor has prescribed the Pill for this. Is there an alternate treatment? Yes, there is. Dr. Hilgers at the
Pope Paul VI Institute can answer questions related to medical conditions. They also specialize in infertility issues.
7.) I speak very little English. Is there an organization that teaches NFP in simple English?Family of the Americas offers video instruction in easy to understand English, as well as teachers who speak more than one language. They also offer videos and written materials in several languages, including Arabic and French. Another website to check out is
World Organisation Ovulation Method Billings (WOOMB), which has information in many languages.
CCL has materials translated into many different languages as well, including ministries in various countries.
8.) My wife suffers from a medical condition which, if she were to become pregnant, the medications she’s on could harm her or the baby. Is NFP really the best for us? NFP has a 99% effectiveness rate for avoiding pregnancy, making it even more effective than the chemical forms of Artificial Birth Control. Contact Dr. Hilgers at the
Pope Paul VI Institute for help regarding individual medical conditions.
9.) If I or my spouse have been sterilized, where do we go from here? We recommend you and your spouse read the book "A Change of Heart." It can be ordered through
www.aboverubies.org10.) I am currently struggling with Biblical principles and whether I should even be preventing pregnancy by any means. The position you are considering would be popularly described as a "Providentialist" Christian point-of-view (aka "Quiver Full") and there is actually nothing wrong with leaving your exact family size and exact timing completely up to God. Should you go down this path, you wouldn't even seek or try to understand the signs or cycles of your fertility. This Christian view-point can be more fully explained by other groups and we suggest you try contacting any number of support networks that are loosely and poetically described as "Full Quiver." It should be noted that some proponents in the Full Quiver group would find fault with practicing NFP, of even having the knowledge of when you are most likely to conceive, as you could then be tempted to "control" that which you should not try to control. This position is very much similar in comparison to certain Christian missionary organizations who believe that God has called them to never share or disclose to other Christians the financial needs of their ministry, as this knowledge could potentially be a temptation to move one's confidence away from God into purely worldly means of raising money.
Natural Family Planning is NOT contraception, although it could be abused for selfish ends by deliberately putting off children forever. It is true that NFP, with it's moral teaching, would allow you to wait in conceiving another child through sexual abstinence only, as long as it was not for worldly and selfish reasons. But realistically speaking, if you are practicing NFP it would be very difficult to continue in a selfish mode as the very emphasis of the whole method focuses on the sexual power and energy of God's handiwork. (The popular saying among NFP'ers is that practicing NFP trains you to be "open to life".) NFP will help you to understand and respond to the natural cyclical desires for sexual intimacy between a man and a woman. Heightened desire for physical intimacy is not random, but follows a certain ebb and flow and NFP works on that understanding. Remember, NFP does not disconnect you from the natural expression of your sexuality because it eschews the use of any form of barrier method, chemical drugs, or sexual sterilization. It is truly NATURAL. For others who have difficulty conceiving, NFP then puts the emphasis on planning so that you know when to have sexual intercourse in order to conceive (and there are excellent resources by NFP groups that deal with infertility).
In all fairness, most of those from a Providentialist viewpoint who are uncomfortable with NFP are only reacting to the use of the word "Planning" in the acronym NFP. Some in the NFP camp have echoed that reaction and have even wished the word "planning" wasn't in there to avoid association with the darker shades of it's contemporary meaning, but now the term has stuck.
Keep praying about His direction for you and as long as you truly want to do His will, He will show you exactly how to live out your sexual life free from Artificial Birth Control and free to relax in His grace.
11.) I am not sure I understand the difference between NFP and other means of preventing pregnancy which are not life-taking (i.e. barrier methods). One problem with barrier methods is that they do not allow for a growing appreciation of your sexuality and puts you immediately into a "no-child" autopilot mode. In addition to the conception aspect, barrier methods are truly a "barrier" to greater sexual intimacy, as witnessed by one couple we know who happily relayed to us how much of a pleasurable difference the whole marital act had become once they had stopped using barrier methods. Remember that Natural Family Planning doesn't focus on the "planning" part of NFP as would barrier methods, but instead focuses your awareness of when you can conceive a new human life. This also has the wonderful side effect of cultivating a greater understanding and respect of why sexual intimacy seems to be much more pleasurable for women during a short time period every month and why it is not physically appealing at other times of the same month. Both husbands and wives who practice NFP (as ourselves) have been amazed by how much it really opens up our eyes to how God made us. It puts the focus of our love back on the creative power that God has given us. NFP has a way of keeping you in check to make sure it isn't used solely to limit the number of children you have. Indeed, if you tried to use NFP as some kind of sophisticated contraceptive regime, you would always be abstaining during the most pleasurable time of the month! You can therefore see why Natural Family Planning as opposed to barrier methods has a way of stacking up the arguments IN FAVOR of life.
12.) I have a question for you that is not listed here. How can I ask it? Feel free to e-mail us through our contact page. Renee added several questions to her Woman to Woman page. We hope to expand this list of questions as they come up, so you also may want to bookmark this page and periodically check back for more updates.