CANFP offers a variety of resources for those just discovering Natural Family Planning, as well as to meet the varied needs of our CANFP Members. Most resources are available to any visitors to our site. Some resources do ask you to register as a site user in order to access them, others are available only to CANFP Members. 

Listen to our HV50: Faithful To Godā€™s Design podcast as we answer discuss numerous topics surrounding NFP and the Catholic Church

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CANFP Articles

Explore NFP, and topics of interest to those who use, teach or advocate for NFP, from personal and professional perspective. Benefit from the insights of experts from around the nation, and the world, and enjoy the sense of community with others from throughout California who share an interest in all things NFP.

NFP Stories

NFP Stories

The Heartbreaking Paradox of IVF

by Alison Zinkewich

In our five year struggle with infertility, the first suggestion from friends and coworkers was always, ā€œwhy donā€™t you try IVF?ā€. These were well-meaning people, who understood the natural yearning for a child that a happy couple has. As a nurse working in the ER, my coworkers were especially perplexed as to why I hadnā€™t yet tried this medically advanced ā€œsolutionā€. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) seems, on the surface, to be the logical solution for this heart wrenching problem of infertility. But while this procedure might result in a healthy pregnancy, it isnā€™t, in fact, solving any fertility problems. Moreover, in the process of trying to become a mother or father via IVF, couples become participants in an act horrifying to the very nature of a parent. Ā  In the heart of most happy, God-loving couples, is a deep desire to multiply this love with children. When pregnancy doesnā€™t occur...

Zindewich family 2024
Zindewich family 2024

The Heartbreaking Paradox of IVF

by Alison Zinkewich

In our five year struggle with infertility, the first suggestion from friends and coworkers was always, ā€œwhy donā€™t you try IVF?ā€. These were well-meaning people, who understood the natural yearning for a child that a happy couple has. As a nurse working in the ER, my coworkers were especially perplexed as to why I hadnā€™t yet tried this medically advanced ā€œsolutionā€. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) seems, on the surface, to be the logical solution for this heart wrenching problem of infertility. But while this procedure might result in a healthy pregnancy, it isnā€™t, in fact, solving any fertility problems. Moreover, in the process of trying to become a mother or father via IVF, couples become participants in an act horrifying to the very nature of a parent. Ā  In the heart of most happy, God-loving couples, is a deep desire to multiply this love with children. When pregnancy doesnā€™t occur...

NFP Has Been a Blessing

by Maryah Nunez

Practicing NFP as an unmarried, 24-year-old woman has been one of the greatest blessings of my early twenties. I wouldnā€™t describe myself as a very tenacious person. I am not motivated to complete tasks simply from the satisfaction of checking them off my list. My motivation comes from being able to see (or at least visualize) the fruits of my labor. As you can imagine, what would usually seem like a daunting task—charting my cycle every single night—shouldnā€™t have come easy to me. But it did. What motivated me? My motivation came from a deep desire and responsibility to share what I had learned with all the women I had the privilege of being friends with. As well as all the people I knew God was going to put in my life in the future. Through my involvement in youth ministry and college ministry over the past ten years I...

Maryah oct 2023
Maryah oct 2023

NFP Has Been a Blessing

by Maryah Nunez

Practicing NFP as an unmarried, 24-year-old woman has been one of the greatest blessings of my early twenties. I wouldnā€™t describe myself as a very tenacious person. I am not motivated to complete tasks simply from the satisfaction of checking them off my list. My motivation comes from being able to see (or at least visualize) the fruits of my labor. As you can imagine, what would usually seem like a daunting task—charting my cycle every single night—shouldnā€™t have come easy to me. But it did. What motivated me? My motivation came from a deep desire and responsibility to share what I had learned with all the women I had the privilege of being friends with. As well as all the people I knew God was going to put in my life in the future. Through my involvement in youth ministry and college ministry over the past ten years I...

NFP Challenged Our Relationship

by Mariana Lopez

Our journey with Natural Family Planning (NFP) was far from easy. Carlos, a committed Protestant, and I, raised in a Catholic family, faced a significant hurdle as our wedding drew near. Carlos came to realize that I intended to use NFP, a method he disagreed with due to its abstinence periods. This conflict even led us to contemplate the possibility of canceling the wedding. We were both heartbroken. After a week of turmoil, Carlos, aware of the side effects of contraceptives, agreed to adopt NFP, hoping I might eventually change my mind. We married in 2009, and over time, Carlos and I became firm believers in the method’s effectiveness for spacing our children. Moreover, we discovered additional benefits that contributed to our happiness. NFP strengthened our bond as we openly discussed my fertility. Abstinence periods created a honeymoon-like phase, anticipating intimate moments. Additionally, Carlos gained better self-control of his sexuality,...

Mariana&CarlosFamily-83cropped
Mariana&CarlosFamily-83cropped

NFP Challenged Our Relationship

by Mariana Lopez

Our journey with Natural Family Planning (NFP) was far from easy. Carlos, a committed Protestant, and I, raised in a Catholic family, faced a significant hurdle as our wedding drew near. Carlos came to realize that I intended to use NFP, a method he disagreed with due to its abstinence periods. This conflict even led us to contemplate the possibility of canceling the wedding. We were both heartbroken. After a week of turmoil, Carlos, aware of the side effects of contraceptives, agreed to adopt NFP, hoping I might eventually change my mind. We married in 2009, and over time, Carlos and I became firm believers in the method’s effectiveness for spacing our children. Moreover, we discovered additional benefits that contributed to our happiness. NFP strengthened our bond as we openly discussed my fertility. Abstinence periods created a honeymoon-like phase, anticipating intimate moments. Additionally, Carlos gained better self-control of his sexuality,...

NFP Worked in Our Marriage In Ways We Did Not Anticipate

by Loree Lippsmeyer

When my husband and I first got married we had no idea of the richness of grace our marriage would provide for us as a couple. Being Catholics we had an understanding that contraception wasnā€™t the way to go in terms of planning our family and that a moral alternative was NFP. Since my husband is a chemical engineer who makes pharmaceuticals, he had a keen respect for chemicals and naturally thought using chemicals to alter our fertility was not a good use of them. As a scientist, he appreciated the science behind NFP. This was something we were going to try. We thought it might ā€œworkā€ but werenā€™t very confident in it ā€œworkingā€ for us. After a year of using NFP to avoid a pregnancy and not becoming pregnant, instead of believing it was ā€œworking,ā€ we thought we might be infertile! The next cycle we decided to test out...

Loree and brian 2023
Loree and brian 2023

NFP Worked in Our Marriage In Ways We Did Not Anticipate

by Loree Lippsmeyer

When my husband and I first got married we had no idea of the richness of grace our marriage would provide for us as a couple. Being Catholics we had an understanding that contraception wasnā€™t the way to go in terms of planning our family and that a moral alternative was NFP. Since my husband is a chemical engineer who makes pharmaceuticals, he had a keen respect for chemicals and naturally thought using chemicals to alter our fertility was not a good use of them. As a scientist, he appreciated the science behind NFP. This was something we were going to try. We thought it might ā€œworkā€ but werenā€™t very confident in it ā€œworkingā€ for us. After a year of using NFP to avoid a pregnancy and not becoming pregnant, instead of believing it was ā€œworking,ā€ we thought we might be infertile! The next cycle we decided to test out...

Questioning the Status Quo of the Pill Changed Our Lives

by Katie Smith

When my husband Zach and I married, like every one of my girlfriends, I began taking the birth control pill without hesitation. It was just something every young married woman did, like any other ā€œto doā€ on the wedding planning checklist: book florist, select responsorial psalm, pick up birth control prescriptionā€¦ check, check, check! I had no idea what I was putting into my body, how it would affect my health, or why my Church was against it. It wasnā€™t until two years later when my partner at work began talking with me about NFP, that I decided to look further into the pill. It was the pillā€™s abortifacient nature that caused me to sign up for a Creighton information session, but the information my husband and I learned in that session changed our entire outlook on our bodies, our marriage, and our life. I stopped taking the pill the...

Katie Smith
Katie Smith

Questioning the Status Quo of the Pill Changed Our Lives

by Katie Smith

When my husband Zach and I married, like every one of my girlfriends, I began taking the birth control pill without hesitation. It was just something every young married woman did, like any other ā€œto doā€ on the wedding planning checklist: book florist, select responsorial psalm, pick up birth control prescriptionā€¦ check, check, check! I had no idea what I was putting into my body, how it would affect my health, or why my Church was against it. It wasnā€™t until two years later when my partner at work began talking with me about NFP, that I decided to look further into the pill. It was the pillā€™s abortifacient nature that caused me to sign up for a Creighton information session, but the information my husband and I learned in that session changed our entire outlook on our bodies, our marriage, and our life. I stopped taking the pill the...

Twists & Turns in My Journey to Learn NFP

by Michelle Borba

As I reflect on my married life and think about all the extreme viewpoints Iā€™ve had in regards to NFP, I canā€™t help but laugh at myself a bit. If I was truly honest, Iā€™d admit Iā€™ve been all over the place on this topic and have made it much harder than it needed to be. Early on in my marriage I knew very little about natural family planning. I remember hearing a little about it at our Engaged Encounter weekend, but I got the impression it was out dated and not something anyone really practiced anymore. As I learned more about the teachings of our faith I saw the importance of NFP, but never knew how to make it work for me or even where to go for help. I scoured the internet looking for explanations and apps, subscribed to blogs and podcasts, used ovulation test strips and even...

Borba-family
Borba-family

Twists & Turns in My Journey to Learn NFP

by Michelle Borba

As I reflect on my married life and think about all the extreme viewpoints Iā€™ve had in regards to NFP, I canā€™t help but laugh at myself a bit. If I was truly honest, Iā€™d admit Iā€™ve been all over the place on this topic and have made it much harder than it needed to be. Early on in my marriage I knew very little about natural family planning. I remember hearing a little about it at our Engaged Encounter weekend, but I got the impression it was out dated and not something anyone really practiced anymore. As I learned more about the teachings of our faith I saw the importance of NFP, but never knew how to make it work for me or even where to go for help. I scoured the internet looking for explanations and apps, subscribed to blogs and podcasts, used ovulation test strips and even...

How NFP Has Blessed My Marriage And Strengthened My Walk With God During This Struggle Called Life

by Bill Rodda

ā€œThe life of man upon earth is warfare.ā€™ So said Job many centuries ago. There are still some easygoing individuals unaware of this factā€ St. Josemaria Escriva I read a fascinating article a while ago about happiness. It seems the least happy times for most people are in their 40ā€™sā€”with all the financial pressures of taking care of kids, sometimes parents, and work, work, work. The article says it gets better with time and I hope this is the case, as I am 47 and right in the thick of things. Life is a struggle. For me the hardest part has not been figuring out the truth, but submitting my will to it. Fortunately our Lord has given us a road mapā€”for most of us it involves marriage. God has given the majority of us a helpmate to be with us on our journey. NFP is one of the main...

Rodda-family2
Rodda-family2

How NFP Has Blessed My Marriage And Strengthened My Walk With God During This Struggle Called Life

by Bill Rodda

ā€œThe life of man upon earth is warfare.ā€™ So said Job many centuries ago. There are still some easygoing individuals unaware of this factā€ St. Josemaria Escriva I read a fascinating article a while ago about happiness. It seems the least happy times for most people are in their 40ā€™sā€”with all the financial pressures of taking care of kids, sometimes parents, and work, work, work. The article says it gets better with time and I hope this is the case, as I am 47 and right in the thick of things. Life is a struggle. For me the hardest part has not been figuring out the truth, but submitting my will to it. Fortunately our Lord has given us a road mapā€”for most of us it involves marriage. God has given the majority of us a helpmate to be with us on our journey. NFP is one of the main...

NFP: Plot Twists From the Great Director and Scriptwriter

by Kristy Tucker

ā€œYou know this is just a movie, right?ā€ replied my husband Mark, as he graciously changed the channel. The movie had gotten too scary and depicted a scene that I know would give me nightmares. The only way I could control the movie was to not watch it. Sound familiar? We humans love control in aspects of our lives, and modern conveniences like smart phones, drive-thru windows, and remote controls make us feel that way. Even in the aspect of our fertility, secular society offers the ultimate control: a surgery, a pill, or IVF to make a pregnancy happen or prevent it. Whether itā€™s having kids at the perfect time, avoiding at the perfect time, the illusion of contraception makes it look easy. But were we meant to exhibit that much control in the first place? Natural Family Planning (NFP) would say, nope. And while weā€™re on the subject of...

Kristy-Tucker-family
Kristy-Tucker-family

NFP: Plot Twists From the Great Director and Scriptwriter

by Kristy Tucker

ā€œYou know this is just a movie, right?ā€ replied my husband Mark, as he graciously changed the channel. The movie had gotten too scary and depicted a scene that I know would give me nightmares. The only way I could control the movie was to not watch it. Sound familiar? We humans love control in aspects of our lives, and modern conveniences like smart phones, drive-thru windows, and remote controls make us feel that way. Even in the aspect of our fertility, secular society offers the ultimate control: a surgery, a pill, or IVF to make a pregnancy happen or prevent it. Whether itā€™s having kids at the perfect time, avoiding at the perfect time, the illusion of contraception makes it look easy. But were we meant to exhibit that much control in the first place? Natural Family Planning (NFP) would say, nope. And while weā€™re on the subject of...

One Guyā€™s Challenges

by John Brennan

My wife Cassandra and I were married May, 1, 1993. From the beginning of our marriage we wanted to understand and practice natural family planning as the means by which we could live out our vows to each other as well as the Catholic Churchā€™s teachings on the beauty and power of human sexuality. This led us to take classes in NFP in Sacramento at Mercy General hospital. There we were taught the biological observations that we needed to make and track regarding Cassandraā€™s cycles. More importantly, though, we learned a more holistic approach to human sexual relations in marriage. For the initiated, you know what Iā€™m talking about: SPICE ā€“ the Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Communicative, and Emotional dimensions of our relationships as husbands and wives that need to be balanced to have a healthy, strong marriage. As everyone trying to live out NFP soon finds out, however, there are...

Brennan-John-with-dranddaughter
Brennan-John-with-dranddaughter

One Guyā€™s Challenges

by John Brennan

My wife Cassandra and I were married May, 1, 1993. From the beginning of our marriage we wanted to understand and practice natural family planning as the means by which we could live out our vows to each other as well as the Catholic Churchā€™s teachings on the beauty and power of human sexuality. This led us to take classes in NFP in Sacramento at Mercy General hospital. There we were taught the biological observations that we needed to make and track regarding Cassandraā€™s cycles. More importantly, though, we learned a more holistic approach to human sexual relations in marriage. For the initiated, you know what Iā€™m talking about: SPICE ā€“ the Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Communicative, and Emotional dimensions of our relationships as husbands and wives that need to be balanced to have a healthy, strong marriage. As everyone trying to live out NFP soon finds out, however, there are...

Abrahamā€™s Reward

by David A. Shaneyfelt

I never thought Iā€™d have a big family. I certainly wasnā€™t opposed to it. It just wasnā€™t in my imagination. There were three of us in our family growing up and my mother, who very much wanted a big family, sadly, was deprived of it for health reasons that resulted in a hysterectomy that grieves her to this day. But I didnā€™t need any imagination to guide me in what to do. I was thankful for my faith and realized that the size of our family was in Godā€™s domain, not mine. And I need to be quick in talking about domains to say ā€œours,ā€ not ā€œmine,ā€ as my dear wife, Cari, was every bit as committed to a faithful life as I could ever hope to be. Obviously, having that joint commitment is something I take for granted and that others may not happily enjoy. But that was one...

Abrahams-reward-300x232
Abrahams-reward-300x232

Abrahamā€™s Reward

by David A. Shaneyfelt

I never thought Iā€™d have a big family. I certainly wasnā€™t opposed to it. It just wasnā€™t in my imagination. There were three of us in our family growing up and my mother, who very much wanted a big family, sadly, was deprived of it for health reasons that resulted in a hysterectomy that grieves her to this day. But I didnā€™t need any imagination to guide me in what to do. I was thankful for my faith and realized that the size of our family was in Godā€™s domain, not mine. And I need to be quick in talking about domains to say ā€œours,ā€ not ā€œmine,ā€ as my dear wife, Cari, was every bit as committed to a faithful life as I could ever hope to be. Obviously, having that joint commitment is something I take for granted and that others may not happily enjoy. But that was one...

Source of Grace

by Julia Nader

Sometimes when I look at the beautiful chaos of my life I am completely amazed by the work that God has done in me. After almost ten years of marriage and four children, I am transformed by His love. Although I am a cradle Catholic, and attended fourteen years of Catholic schooling, I never received any instruction about the Churchā€™s teaching on natural family planning. I first learned of NFP during our marriage preparation course, and I was anxious about its efficacy. Nevertheless, encouraged by my husband and desiring to be faithful, we began our marriage with a complete openness to life. The irony of my anxieties became very clear when after more than a year of marriage, we had not yet conceived. It was then that we sought out the help of Dr. Mary Davenport. Through her, we discovered the Creighton Method and subsequently conceived our first child when...

Nader-children-300x214
Nader-children-300x214

Source of Grace

by Julia Nader

Sometimes when I look at the beautiful chaos of my life I am completely amazed by the work that God has done in me. After almost ten years of marriage and four children, I am transformed by His love. Although I am a cradle Catholic, and attended fourteen years of Catholic schooling, I never received any instruction about the Churchā€™s teaching on natural family planning. I first learned of NFP during our marriage preparation course, and I was anxious about its efficacy. Nevertheless, encouraged by my husband and desiring to be faithful, we began our marriage with a complete openness to life. The irony of my anxieties became very clear when after more than a year of marriage, we had not yet conceived. It was then that we sought out the help of Dr. Mary Davenport. Through her, we discovered the Creighton Method and subsequently conceived our first child when...

Answering the Call

by Mayra Garcia-Ceja, FCP

To me, being a Professional Member of CANFP means belonging to an elite group of people in California who are doing Godā€™s work. I am a Creighton Model FertilityCare Practitioner (FCP). Before becoming an FCP, I had a nearly 16year career in agricultural finance. I loved my career and serving my customers. I used to joke with my NaProTechnology doctors about becoming a teacher of the Creighton Model, but it always seemed like a pipe dream. It seemed impossible as I had a nice cushy career which I didnā€™t really want to leave. Little did we know that God had other plans! I now realize He was working towards this end for many years. He was molding and preparing me (and my husband) to answer a calling He had for me. My husband and I suffered through six years of infertility before we were blessed with our own NaPro miracle:...

Mayra-Garcia-Ceja-family-258x300-1
Mayra-Garcia-Ceja-family-258x300-1

Answering the Call

by Mayra Garcia-Ceja, FCP

To me, being a Professional Member of CANFP means belonging to an elite group of people in California who are doing Godā€™s work. I am a Creighton Model FertilityCare Practitioner (FCP). Before becoming an FCP, I had a nearly 16year career in agricultural finance. I loved my career and serving my customers. I used to joke with my NaProTechnology doctors about becoming a teacher of the Creighton Model, but it always seemed like a pipe dream. It seemed impossible as I had a nice cushy career which I didnā€™t really want to leave. Little did we know that God had other plans! I now realize He was working towards this end for many years. He was molding and preparing me (and my husband) to answer a calling He had for me. My husband and I suffered through six years of infertility before we were blessed with our own NaPro miracle:...

CANFP Community Forum

A place for CANFP Members to gather and share information and support. General Forum for all CANFP members to share experiences, ask questions, and journey together. Specialized forums for CANFP Professionals to consult with colleagues. Visit the CANFP Community Forum, the meeting place for the California NFP community.

The Science Behind NFP

For most women, and certainly most men, the Menstrual Cycle is shrouded in mystery. Aware only of the Menstrual Flow (her period), most of us are unaware of the amazing symphony of events occurring throughout the cycle. The mission of CANFP is to take the mystery our of fertility, empowering us all with a newfound appreciation and respect for the intricate design of the female reproductive system, and a deepened appreciation of the miracle of life, when as married couples we mindfully cooperate in the creation of a new life.

Ask The Expert

CANFP Expert Professionals have responded to over a thousand questions from visitors to our site! Check out previously asked questions and, if you are member, you can ask new questions!

Visit our NFP Store for additional resources

Unique resources available only through CANFP! Personal enrichment for those using NFP, and outreach tools to introduce NFP to your community. Order print copies, or purchase digital downloads to share. Visit our store to view special editions and favorite quarterly editions of our CANFP NEWS, brochures, books, booklets and prayer cards, many in both English and Spanish. Quantity discounts provided, on mix and match titles.

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Estos recursos adicionales del CANFP se ofrecen en espaƱol: vƭdeos, artƭculos, enlaces de audio, productos, servicios de expertos de habla hispana y enlaces de interƩs.

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CANFP conducts varied outreach programs to the community at large, in addition to serving our members (NFP users, teachers, and advocates).

CANFP provides education programs tailored to the audience, not only on Natural Family Planning, but on the wide variety of topics related to it.

Programs can be continuing education for NFP Professionals, introductory information for a lay audience of youth or adults new to the topic, or specifically tailored to the interests of a professional audience, such as educators, physicians, or clergy. Content is faith based or secular, whichever is suitable for situation.

CANFP offers a variety of resources for those just discovering Natural Family Planning, as well as to meet the varied needs of our CANFP Members. Most resources are available to any visitors to our site. Some resources do ask you to register as a site user in order to access them, others are available only to CANFP Members.

CANFP statewide conferences, regional events offered in collaboration with local partners, events featuring CANFP speakers, or exhbit, as well as other events throughout the state of interest to our NFP community.Ā  Come meet one of our experts at one of these events or book a speaker for your own upcoming event.

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