Over the last 6 years I have had the opportunity to work as a practitioner with the Holy Family Center for Life in our Diocese teaching the Creighton Model FertilityCare™ System of Natural Family Planning. This is a comprehensive method of family planning that monitors and maintains a woman’s health throughout her entire life.

I’ll be honest in that when I was first approached by a friend and co-worker about learning the Creighton method my initial thoughts turned to a high school health class where it was drilled into our heads that the “rhythm method” and any form of NFP was not reliable. That stereo-type is unfortunately still current today as I encounter couple after couple who have the same thoughts.

As I went on to learn and use the method, then teach it to others, I began to see that the importance of explaining Church teaching in a respectful, non-judgmental manner was the key to opening minds on this topic. Many clients I’ve worked with were fearful and doubtful of NFP, just as I had been, because they simply didn’t know enough about it to make an educated decision. Part of our role as practitioners is to plant the seeds of information and meet women and couples where they are in terms of understanding and appreciating Church teaching.

Many of their doubts are the same shared concerns of most people as they come to embrace NFP. This is some of the basic information we typically share with a client during an introductory session

Scientific Research:
The Creighton Model System has a rate of 99.5% method effectiveness (perfect use) as a means of avoiding pregnancy and 96.8% use effectiveness (typical use). What makes Creighton unique is that its purpose is not strictly meant as a means of contraception, but rather it is a method of actual family planning. It is medically safe and has no known side effects associated with its use, which is a considerable benefit over other hormonal contraceptives.

While contraceptive methods can only be used to avoid pregnancy, the Creighton Model has the advantage as a highly effective method to achieve pregnancy as well. For couples of normal fertility, approximately 75% will achieve pregnancy in the first cycle that fertile days are used for intercourse. About 85-90% will achieve within three cycles.

The Importance of Monitoring Health:
NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology) is a new women's health science that monitors and maintains a woman's reproductive and gynecological health. It provides medical and surgical treatments that cooperate completely with the reproductive system. Unlike common suppressive or destructive approaches that apply a band-aid to cover up a problem, NaProTECHNOLOGY works cooperatively with a woman’s procreative and gynecologic systems to identify the problem and correct the underlying condition.

This is the first women's health science to network family planning with reproductive health monitoring and maintenance. It is a fertility-care based medical approach rather than a fertility-control approach to family planning and gynecological health.

Assessing Infertility:
Infertility is a symptom of underlying disease. The diseases that cause infertility have a “two-pronged” effect. They not only hinder the functioning of fertility, but they also cause both short and long-term health problems. The persistent unwillingness to address infertility problems from this point of view or perspective is one of the major flaws in the current approach to the treatment of infertility.

NaProTechnology works towards assessing the underlying causes of the reproductive abnormality and then treating the cause rather than skipping over the root cause of the problem. Diagnostic laparoscopy and hormone assessment treatments have been proven very effective in helping couples with infertility achieve healthy pregnancies, without expensive and invasive artificial procedures.

During the past 6 years I’ve worked with women and couples in various situations and seen the benefits NFP can have on marriages as a means of opening communication and dialogue. Each client who calls upon our center comes with a different situation and the challenge for practitioners is to manage each one individually and address their needs.

Although this falls under some of my responsibilities here at Catholic Charities to promote the dignity and sacredness of human life, it is also a personal ministry. As a practitioner of this method, I am in a position of great privilege to work with women and couples as they navigate God’s plan for us and our lives. I can connect with clients on a personal level and share honestly with them my own struggles and blessings.

Frequently couples report that by embracing NFP they have grown in generosity, patience, love and trust within their marriage -- virtues they would not have nurtured as much or as well if they had deliberately withheld their fertility from each other and used artificial methods of contraception. I encourage you to explore this option and learn more about NFP by attending an introductory session and making an educated decision.