NPF proven effective, beneficial to marriage

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
July 21, 2005

Natural Family Planning (NFP) Awareness Week will be observed July 24-30.

NFP is a means of either achieving or avoiding pregnancy based upon the couple's knowledge of their cyclic fertility and infertility. It promotes the mutual love of the husband and wife through the shared understanding of their complementary natures. It gives a woman greater confidence in herself by helping her understand her own natural physical makeup and body functioning.

The program is 99 percent effective when used to prevent or postpone pregnancy by an instructed and motivated couple. It can also be used effectively by those who wish to achieve pregnancy.

"For the couple, it builds a deeper relationship," said Vera Ludwig, coordinator of family programs in the Diocese of Sioux City. "It strengthens their commitment to each other. It also strengthens their communication with each other. Not to be negative, but sometimes I think men think that it is a woman's responsibility when in fact it is both. It is the couple's responsibility. I think this is a method that helps them realize that it is a couple thing, not just a woman thing. I think that is very important."

One diocesan parishioner who uses NFP with her husband noted that the main thing that NFP brings to their marriage is strength.

"It has brought us closer. We are more in-tune with me. I think my body is healthier," said the parishioner. "I feel it is what God wants for us. I think it is why my husband and I have as strong of a marriage as we do. We have to wait. We can't do it any day of the week or any time. When we do get to, it is special. When it is the right time of the month, I am excited."

The woman parishioner encourages women to use NFP because "it will keep them closer to their mate." She also added that she read an article that stated that for those who use NFP, the rate of divorce is less than three percent.

NFP is effective for couples throughout their fertile years, with regular or irregular cycles, in transition from contraceptives and through peri-menopause.

Methods of NFP include Couple to Couple Leauge (CCL), the Creighton Model and Northwest Model. The CCL and Creighton Model are both taught in the Diocese of Sioux City and classes are available upon request.

At Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, the Creighton Model is taught to interested couples.

"We are now called Fertility Care Services," said Mary Egan, a fertility care practitioner at Mercy. "Natural Family Planning has had kind of a negative connotation in the secular world. Fertility care is a more appropriate title because that is what we teach couples to do and that is take care of your fertility."

She explained that they teach couples, specifically the woman, to make observations and chart their biomarkers by using stamps plus descriptions to identify days of fertility and infertility. They can use the infertile days if they wish not to become pregnant and the fertile days if they do.

"You can go back and forth and use it how you wish," said Egan. "One of the main things that couples learn is to appreciate their fertility. They recognize what an awesome thing it is when they use a specific day that they know they are fertile. It takes on a spiritual dimension and becomes a way of life."

The classes are offered by appointment and can be made by calling Egan or her colleague, Donna Vondrak, the director, at Mercy at (712) 279-2048. First there is an introductory session, an hour long. Then there are follow-up sessions at two-week intervals. They also do pregnancy evaluations and help identify problems.

"The people that I have talked to that have used this method, there is no turning back," said Ludwig. "Another thing I heard was that because someone used NFP they were more in-tune with their body. It actually helped them diagnose a form of cancer because something wasn't right. There are other benefits besides reproductive health."

Egan stressed that it is a helpful system in identifying problems that a couple my have, specifically the woman - anything including endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, PMS and post-pardum depression.

This method is morally accepted by all faiths. It is completely natural and organic and is a model and means to transmit values and ideals about sexuality within marriage to children.

According to Ludwig, the diocesan policy is to follow a statement from Pope John Paul II's On the Family (The Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio), "Love is essentially a gift; and conjugal love...does not end with the couple, because it makes them capable of the greatest possible gift, the gift by which they become cooperators with God for giving life to a new human person."

The diocesan handbook states that all programs of marriage preparation provide general information about NFP. In addition to a resource book, every engaged couple hears a presentation from an NFP instructor, a married couple or a video. Each couple also receives a brochure which lists the instructors' names, addresses and phone numbers. The methods of instruction are described in a brief overview as well.

"It is a God-given method. It's natural," said Ludwig. "The different contraceptive pills actually do cause abortions. You never hear that and people never talk about it."

The parishioner noted that she has read literature that says what the pill actually does.

"You can actually become pregnant and you might be pregnant for a day or two but then the pill causes your uterus to expel the life. I don't think most people know that," explained the woman.

For interested people, there will be a week long conference, titled Love and Life Unlimited Conference, held in Omaha at the Pope Paul VI Institute. The conference is for priests, deacons, physicians, family life directors, RCIA team members, marriage preparation instructors, NFP coordinators, pro-life directors and other interested lay and religious educators. It will promote the truth and beauty of the Catholic vision of marriage, family and sexuality. For more information about the conference, contact Ludwig at the Chancery Office at (712) 233-7532.

Ludwig noted that a memo including intercessions was sent to parishes to be used during NFP awareness week. There is also a Web site, www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/nfp/nfpweek/index.htm, if anyone is interested in finding out more about Natural Family Planning.