Print Issue: July 4, 2002

NFP Is Special Ministry Of Archdiocese

ATLANTA - "Capture the Romance" is the theme of this year's National Natural Family Planning Week, July 21-27.

Natural family planning, or NFP, is an umbrella term for certain methods used to achieve and avoid pregnancies. These methods are based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle.

NFP is not the rhythm method, said Lynn Crutchfield of the archdiocesan office of family concerns. "The rhythm, or calendar, method was developed in the 1930s. Based on the scientific theory that ovulation could be predicted by calculating previous menstrual cycles, this method was often inaccurate because it did not take account of the unique nature of a woman's menstrual cycle," she said.

Today's methods of NFP do take account of such variations and are based on observable signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual cycle. NFP methods track the changes associated with ovulation and not only treat each woman as unique, but each cycle as well. The accuracy of women's observations has been validated by scientific research.

There are two methods of NFP used effectively in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and across the nation. Both the Sympto-Thermal Method and the Ovulation Method teach couples to identify natural body signs related to fertility and infertility.

NFP is more than a class or program. It is a ministry in the church, and a holistic approach to family planning. Both husband and wife understand their fertility, emotions and family planning intention (whether to have a baby or not), Crutchfield said. Its successful use to avoid pregnancy relies upon a couple's following what they know about the method and one another.

"Successful use of NFP requires a couple to communicate," she said. She explained that in the daily charting of their fertility signs, couples quickly appreciate their shared responsibility for family planning. Husbands are encouraged to "tune into" their wives' cycles and both spouses are encouraged to speak openly to each other about their sexual desires and their ideas on family size.

Couples using NFP to avoid pregnancy abstain from intercourse and genital contact when the woman is fertile and can conceive. The total days of abstinence will vary from woman to woman and even from cycle to cycle. Whatever the length of the fertile phase, no barriers or chemicals are used at any time to avoid pregnancy.

To achieve pregnancy couples have intercourse during the fertile time of the cycle. NFP is not a contraceptive. It does nothing to suppress or block conception. Instead couples adjust their behavior according to their family planning intention using the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of a woman's cycle.

Said Crutchfield, "NFP promotes openness to the transmission of human life and recognizes the value of children. Sexual relations are understood as love-giving as well as life-giving. It is true family planning. Because NFP respects the twofold nature of sexual intercourse, it can enrich the bond between husband and wife."

The message of NFP is shared at all of the marriage preparation programs across the archdiocese.

NFP classes are offered in English and Spanish at many parishes in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Individual instruction is also available. An NFP class is a series of four classes usually spaced over four months.

Registration is required for all NFP classes. For additional information, contact Lynn Crutchfield at the Office of Family Concerns at (404) 885-7450.