Natural Family Planning International

We have been told that many—or even most—NFP teachers fail to address the temptations to which married couples as well as single people are tempted.  It takes less than a couple minutes to convey standard Catholic teaching against masturbation and sodomy in a class; it takes less than a couple inches of space in a text to do the same.  And we know from an East Coast study published in secular newspapers that at least half of high school teens in that survey have experienced oral sodomy.  Now, what happens when these former adolescents find themselves in an NFP class and hear that abstinence is the method for postponing pregnancy?  Surely they will be tempted to think, “Well, we know how to get around that one!”

One does not have to promote immorality these days.  It is the given.  What is needed is the promotion of chastity, both marital and pre-marital.  Yes, it is good to get young women off hormonal birth control with its abortifacient properties, but that is simply not enough.  The goal has to be chastity, and it is a serious omission not to address this issue.

The purpose of any Catholic-sponsored or recommended NFP program must be to encourage virtuous living, not just the adoption of non-harmful birth control with immorality during the fertile time. The NFP course ought to be an agent of the New Evangelization.

John Kippley

One of the easiest ways to learn when your period was going to start is the temperature sign. During our fertile years when John saw my waking temperature had dropped, he would tell me my period would start that day. In addition the length of the luteal phase is fairly consistent so you can determine so many days ahead of time when to expect your period. You know way ahead of time whether you need to bring feminine products on vacation or to work. While it is also true that a woman will feel more-fertile mucus a few days before menstruation, the temperature sign is so helpful.

I was reminded of this benefit of the temperature sign because of what one lady said as a result of taking our online course for marriage preparation:

“As mentioned before, I have extremely irregular menstruation cycles (28 – 44 days) which caused me to never know when to expect my period. As I was reading the text, I came across the section that discussed the luteal phase being the most consistent in women. At the time, my mind didn’t want to believe that after ovulation I would have 14 days until I would get my period, but I decided to ‘trust’ it…. and it worked! For the first time in my life I was able to predict when I would actually get my period which was such a relief (not having to worry about carrying feminine hygiene products, what I was wearing, and so on). So even though I am not married, therefore not in the immediate need of NFP, I can still use charting with temperature and mucus to figure out when my next period will come. Yay! I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but to me it is!”

Sheila Kippley