Natural Family Planning Methods & Instructors
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is the general title for the scientific, natural, and moral methods of family planning that can help married couples either achieve or postpone pregnancy.
NFP methods are based on the observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. No drugs, barriers, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy.
Since the methods of NFP respect the love-giving (unitive) and life-giving (procreative) nature of the conjugal act, they support God's design for married love!
The following resources can help couples learn about natural family planning, which is an effective and moral way to participate in God's plan for sexual intimacy.
Couple to Couple League
Couple to Couple League is a modern, scientific and highly effective sympto-thermal method of natural family planning that uses a cross-checking system based on three signs of fertility to postpone or achieve pregnancy.
The Main Course is offered in 3 different learning options: live (onsite), live (online), or self-paced (online). Transition courses for postpartum and perimenopause are also offered. Go to ccli.org or contact a local teacher to learn more.
Couple to Couple League teachers in the Des Moines area include:
Billings Ovulation Method
The Billings Ovulation Method® is a highly effective and uniquely simple method of natural family planning. The BOM is taught and used in over 100 countries worldwide, and is based on over 60 years of ongoing scientific research, including independent trials by the World Health Organization.
A recent multi-center study found the method-related pregnancy rate was zero; the use-related pregnancy rate was 0.5%. In another study almost 70% of couples trying to achieve pregnancy using the BOM were able to do so in the first cycle.
To learn more about the Billings Ovulation Method® and enroll in online instruction, visit www.billings.life
Creighton Model FertilityCare System
Creighton Model FertilityCare™ System (CrMS) uses the authentic language of a woman's health and fertility. The CrMS relies upon the standardized observation and charting of biological markers that are essential to a woman's health and fertility. These "biomarkers" tell the couple when they are naturally fertile and infertile. These biomarkers also show when abnormalities exist and can be used to diagnose and treat many gynecologic conditions. The course consists of an introductory presentation, followed by follow-ups with a practitioner.
Creighton Model FertilityCare™ practioners in the Des Moines area include:
SymptoPro™ Fertility Education
No longer “guess work,” SymptoPro™ Fertility Education is an effective, scientifically based method, that treats fertility as a normal, healthy process. SymptoPro is a Sympto-Thermal Method of fertility awareness, based on changes in a woman’s cervical mucus, waking or resting temperature, and cervix. These observable signs change in response to the hormones of the menstrual cycle.
It only takes seconds a day for a woman to track her fertility; then the couple interprets the chart and makes a decision based on their family planning intentions. SymptoPro works through periodic abstinence during the method-defined fertile time for couples who are avoiding a pregnancy and can be used effectively throughout a woman’s entire reproductive life.
Classes can be taken online and are available in both English and Spanish.
Marquette Model
The Marquette Model (MM) system brings 21st century technology to NFP by using the ClearBlue Easy Fertility Monitor, a device used at home which measures hormone levels in urine to estimate the beginning and end of the time of fertility in a women's menstrual cycle. The information from the monitor can be used in conjunction with observations of cervical mucus, basal body temperature, or other biological indicators of fertility.
The Marquette Model was developed by professional nurses and physicians at Marquette University in the late 1990s. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing demonstrated a 97.9% efficacy of the Marquette Model in avoiding pregnancy when taught by a qualified teacher and correctly applied.
To learn more about the Marquette Model and sign up for classes, visit www.mmnfp.com Online classes are conducted through a secure video meeting platform. All class options include individual follow-up for a minimum of 1 full year, and lifetime access to online course documents is included.