NFP (fertility awareness) is knowledge of a couple’s fertility; it is a means of reading a woman’s bodily signs of fertility and infertility. The Couple to Couple League (CCL) teaches how to observe, record, and interpret the sympto-thermal fertility signs of a woman’s cervical mucus, basal body (waking) temperature, and cervix (optional observation). Once trained to understand these signs, a woman and her husband can confidently use this information to implement their family planning intentions. (For further information, see http://ccli.org/nfp/stm-method/ccl-stm-method.php.)

Yes. A study of the effectiveness of the sympto-thermal rules of NFP found a method effectiveness of 99.6% and a user effectiveness of 98.2% (study conducted by P. Frank-Hermann, J.Heil, C. Gnoth, et al. and published in the medical journal, Human Reproduction, in 2007).”Method effectiveness refers to how effective a method of birth control is when all rules are known and followed correctly. User effectiveness refers to how effective a given method is when people use it in everyday life regardless of whether method is correctly implemented or not.”

No. Modern methods of NFP are based on a woman’s daily biological signs, whereas Calendar Rhythm relies solely on past cycle history (and not on a woman’s current signs of fertility). For a woman with consistently regular cycles, Calendar Rhythm could be effective. However, few woman are consistently regular, and even women who are consistently regular can occasionally have an irregular cycle.”. Thus, Calendar Rhythm is not an effective method of NFP and not recommended.

One possibility is that your doctor is confusing modern methods of NFP with the old Calendar Rhythm method (see previous question). Another possibility is that your doctor is not aware of how modern methods work (as this is not covered in depth during medical school). Those who are willing to understand/read how a method works will usually acknowledge that it is biologically based, scientifically accurate, and would work to postpone pregnancy if a couple is willing to abstain for the time required.”

Yes. There are several other effective methods of NFP in addition to the Sympto-thermal method. There are mucus-only methods such as Creighton FertilityCare system and the Billings Ovulation method. There is also the symptom-hormonal method, the Marquette method, which uses the ClearBlue fertility monitor in addition to biological signs.

Yes! As stated previously, NFP is knowledge of a woman’s fertility. Because NFP uses each woman’s individual biological signs, it can be used even for women with irregular cycles. Further, when NFP is properly applied and interpreted, it can reveal what may be causing a woman’s irregular cycles or other health problems. The book,  Fertility, Cycles and Nutrition (available through Couple to Couple League) offers many helpful suggestions for cycle irregularity or a woman can have her charts interpreted by an NFP-aware physician, both of which can provide tips or solutions to improve her menstrual cycles and fertility.

The daily observation and recording of the signs takes less than 5 minutes a day. Interpretation can take a few more minutes. If you make a daily habit of observations and discuss the interpretation as a couple, then it will soon become second nature.

Most couples can confidently use the method by the end of the main NFP series (three months). Class options include live onsite, live online and self-paced online. Within six months, it is usually second nature and a couple knows their fertility very well. If you find you are having difficulty learning NFP, your Teaching Couple (as well as CCL Central) is always available for questions, even after you finish the class. As long as you continue to record your signs and apply what you learned in class, your ability to interpret your chart will improve.

The average length of abstinence during a regular cycle is 7-10 days. If you are already married when first learning NFP, there will be more abstinence in the first month or two as you learn to observe your fertile signs. Periods of abstinence are also longer during times of transition in your fertility, such as postpartum or premenopause. CCL offers special classes to couples in these particular times so they can learn unique rules to help them navigate the different fertility patterns. If you, or someone you know, are not in a time of transition and yet are experiencing periods of abstinence longer than 7-10 days, please contact a Teaching Couple to find out if there is anything that might help. Sometimes a misapplication of the rules can lead to more abstinence or there could be an environmental, nutritional or medical condition which is affecting your fertility and increasing the amount of time you as a couple must abstain.

There are many, but here are some of the top reasons: • Highly effective (see question #2) • Easy to learn and use (see questions 7 & 8) • Gives a couple knowledge of their fertility • Increases a husband’s respect for his wife • Brings to light medical problems (see question #6) • Can be used to achieve or postpone pregnancy • All natural—there are no side effects • Green—no waste or pollution products to affect the environment • Increases a couple’s communication

For all of the benefits of NFP, we would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge that it can at times be challenging. Challenges include: • Must be learned. It can take a while to become confident. • Daily record keeping. Not every couple struggles with this, but it can be an issue. • Abstinence is required to postpone pregnancy. This is often seen as the biggest drawback, but it can also be one of the biggest gifts. • Method is often misunderstood/disparaged by others.