The Many Faces of NFP

Natural Family Planning is a generic term to describe many techniques for identifying the fertile and infertile days of the cycle.

Outdated techniques relied on a history of cycles, and then used mathematical calculations to “guess” when ovulation would occur in the coming cycle. Ironically, many phone apps in common use today, are just these outdated techniques, with a misleading modern appearance due to their smart phone application and convenience. And convenient they are, since all the user has to do is enter the first day of her last period. But the convenience comes at a cost—and that cost is effectiveness and accuracy.

Using modern NFP, a woman observes the actual signs her body produces and the couple identify if today is fertile or infertile. It is very important the woman/couple learn how to do this correctly, initially, in order to become confident, effective, and independent lifelong practitioners of NFP.

The best investment in becoming proficient at identifying, charting, and interpreting fertility, is through instruction by an expert. CANFP offers an up to date online directory of NFP professionals in California at www.canfp.org. One can search by region, to find the nearest teacher, or by method, if seeking out a particular method of modern NFP (of which there are several). Most regions of California offer services, but there are some that do not, and so the directory also lists the teachers that specialize in offering long distance instruction, over the phone or via web based conferencing.

NFP is taught in a variety of settings throughout California, each offering unique advantages. This edition of CANFP NEWS features programs offered by CANFP Professional Members in a physician’s office, a pregnancy help center, a  unique medical/crisis pregnancy center model, a Catholic  parish, and the chancery of a Catholic Diocese.

I have personally taught NFP in a wide variety of venues over the past 35 years: home office, house calls to client’s home, Catholic churches, Catholic hospital, physician’s office, public library meeting room, childbirth and parenting program, Christian church, crisis pregnancy center, county hospital, military hospital, and a military chapel serving multiple denominations.

Probably the two most common settings for NFP services are private homes of the NFP teacher and Catholic parishes. While both are appropriate venues for NFP services, expanding the type and number of venues offering NFP would benefit the clients served, as well as the sponsoring organization, and broaden  the appeal of, and access to, NFP.

Because I have taught NFP in such varied venues, and not all of them the usual Catholic ones NFP is often associated with, I have seen the broad appeal of NFP to a diverse audience. Currently, I see clients for individual instruction in an office I built onto my home, affording me the ability to offer privacy, and a professional but personal environment, while reducing my dependence on the availability of space at other sites. I always offer the initial session, however, at a public place, and only set up individual appts at my home office as follow up to that meeting. I  presently offer the initial presentation in church settings, and advertise them primarily in Catholic church bulletins, so, not surprisingly, the couples coming to learn are predominately, though not exclusively, Catholic.

However, for 18 years I offered both the initial presentation and the follow up instruction in a Catholic hospital, and the primary promotion of this program was a catalogue of classes on health and wellness that was mailed to every residence in that community. There, I taught more non-Catholics than Catholics. People came for a variety of reasons, not all of them faith based. Many sought a healthy or natural alternative to intrusive and harmful artificial methods. I particularly enjoyed the variety of people that I was able to teach, and form relationships with, and saw many benefits to offering in that professional medical and educational setting. I also saw the amazing potential to the hospital, to position themselves as filling a unique role in that community, providing authentic women’s healthcare, particularly if they expanded their staff to include a NaPro Technology physician (especially one who could provide surgical services as part of their treatment of infertility and women’s reproductive health disorders.).

While a home office is convenient, and a viable option when privacy and professionalism can be maintained, it isolates the service, limits its visibility to the public, and is a barrier to integrating into other institutions. It is important, for NFP services to expand, for it to be offered in a variety of settings. Each setting offers  unique advantages. Couples preparing for marriage or part of a church community might benefit from and prefer a church based program, where their instruction would be integrated within the familiarity of their faith family. And the church benefits, as marriage and church community bonds are strengthened. Others may be more comfortable and confident in the more religiously neutral medical setting of a physician’s office or hospital. The service also is a benefit to the sponsoring medical group, attracting and serving clients with a women’s health service unique to their community.

It would facilitate the expansion of NFP, and benefit both clients and the sponsoring agency, to increase the number of venues, Catholic and non-Catholic, offering NFP services, in particular more hospitals, churches, pregnancy centers, and physician’s offices. Expansion of services to include a variety of venues, and models of NFP, will benefit all programs, with an increased awareness and understanding of the benefits NFP offers not only to those who use, it, but also to those who sponsor the programs.

What can you do to expand NFP services in your region?