NFP

mcolpoys · November 2010

My fiance and I are doing our marriage prep and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for which NFP class to take. I don't know much about the different methods and any help would be great!

agapecarrie · November 2010

I recommend Creighton because it is tied to napro technology-- which is the science regarding fertility health issues. It is scientific observation, standardized codes and standardized teaching. It also might be covered by health insurance (other methods might be too, not sure)

Marquette is creighton method with the addition of a fertility monitor.

Sympto thermal method uses 3 different signs to determine fertility, which on the surface may seem better (and for some, it is helpful), but this tends to lead to confusion about main signs and secondary signs, and relying too heavily on secondary, while not learning the main sign well enough.

Billings is a similar method to creighton, but not standardized.... creighton is derived from billings.

Hope61 · November 2010

I'm just going to tag on to this post if thats ok... how far in advance do I need to take those classes? FI and I aren't sure yet if we're going to use NFP (yes, ever... ), we need to figure out how health insurance would work since I'll stop working when I have a baby. At most we'll do it for 3-4 months and then we'll be less than 9 months away from him graduating and starting residency (which would have insurance). But do we need to decide and start those classes asap or do we have time?

agapecarrie · November 2010

Start absolutely immediately. It takes time to learn and feel confident. Mine took a long time becasue I had health issues, and more were uncovered with charting. I have an NFP-only doc, so he was able to diagnose the issues, fix them, and then I worked more textbook and was able to get more confident.

In fact, I think all women should be learning this when they are about 18, to track their health. It is absolutely amazing to learn everything, and I will never stop charting-- becasue it is a health record.

One never knows what kind of situation may come up that they may need to space their children, or if they may have health issues that would be dangerous to get pregnant again-- so learning before marriage is very important.

Hope61 · November 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_nfp-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:4edfd01e-e909-4b97-bb49-67092fa2c8abPost:209479ea-f85b-4698-8bee-aa72eef25d6a">Re: NFP</a>:
[QUOTE] One never knows what kind of situation may come up that they may need to space their children, or if they may have health issues that would be dangerous to get pregnant again-- so learning before marriage is very important.
Posted by agapecarrie[/QUOTE]
Yeah, this is true. I guess part of my hesitance is just that FI is hard to talk to about wedding stuff in general lately. He's super super busy with med school, and on top of that has been feeling really down lately in general, and therfore anxious about getting married. :( So I feel like I've been nagging him enough with honeymoon stuff, and something way more serious like NFP will be even worse. But thanks so much for your answer, I guess I'll move that farther up on my ever growing to-do list!

Jay&Marissa · November 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_nfp-3?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:4edfd01e-e909-4b97-bb49-67092fa2c8abPost:a45add4e-bf25-4176-83ad-20ca048aa415">Re: NFP</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm just going to tag on to this post if thats ok... how far in advance do I need to take those classes? FI and I aren't sure yet if we're going to use NFP (yes, ever... ), we need to figure out how health insurance would work since I'll stop working when I have a baby. At most we'll do it for 3-4 months and then we'll be less than 9 months away from him graduating and starting residency (which would have insurance). But do we need to decide and start those classes asap or do we have time?
Posted by KatieAnne18[/QUOTE]

We had a 2.5 year long engagement and took it a year in advance--it was great to have the practice. Do it as early as possible. Honestly, I recommend sympto-thermal through CCL because it is simple and has a supportive community behind it. I'll admit I don't know much about Creighton, but doesn't it require constant contact with a doctor? We preferred to do it on our own, though I would switch to Creighton in a heartbeat if fertility issues come up.

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend Billings--it seems counterproductive to ignore the temperature sign if it is available (it really helps us). Also, I had a friend who got pregnant on her wedding night using it--on Day 8. She pretty much gave up on it after that. We were told anything past Day 6 is usually really risky, so I'm not sure why her teachers told her that was okay. Our CCL teachers were down on that particular method, too.

catarntina · November 2010

I took the CCL class that taught the Sympto-Thermal method also.

It takes time to learn the fertility signs like Agape said. The temperature part of it is a snap to learn, but not really the *main* sign. The other stuff is definitely more important and takes time to get used to.

I've been using it since May and I'm just now feeling comfortable with it. I would definitely start early to get used to it.

Fi and I were pretty skeptical about it all, too. But when we went to the classes, and actually got to meet a couple who had been practicing NFP sucessully, it really lessened our fears.

mcolpoys · November 2010

Thanks everyone!

agapecarrie · November 2010

Creighton does not need constant contact with a doctor. All of the teachers are certified through the Creighton training program, most of them health professionals.

Riss91 · November 2010

We also use sympto-thermal. I don't think that it's confusing at all about main signs vs. secondary signs. I chart cervical fluid changes, as well as position and texture. The temperature helps a lot, because it is more visual, but you must use all signs together.

I think if I had any medical issues or we had fertility problems, I'd certainly research Creighton, but I really think that Sympto-thermal is completely acceptable and simple to use, so I wouldn't rule it out.

Calypso1977 · November 2010

yes, i've had good luck wtih sympto thermal as well. i self taught using the TCOYF book, and they stressed greatly in there the need to use all of the signs including the "optional" sign of cervix position. ive been charting for well over 24 cycles now and i love it and have fortunately had no issues.

bibliophile2010 · November 2010

I'm still going majorly back and forth about whether we are going to use ST or Creighton. I'm leaning toward Creighton, but ... we'll see. Part depends on what we are able to work out in terms of classes.

newlyseliski · November 2010

If you have a relatively steady routine in your life and regular cycle for the most part, CCL sympto-thermal is probably a good bet!

I'm using Creighton because I have PCOS and do not have a steady routine or a regular cycle. I'm concerned that I may eventually have infertility issues, so wanted to get a jump start on charting. My fiance and I started in late July and I'm beginning to get the hang of it now!

It doesn't necessarily require constant contact with a doctor, either; my fiance and I attended an intro course and have 8 individual follow-up sessions with the instructor that we schedule at our discretion both before and after the wedding. I think the only issue I have is that it's a lot more expensive than CCL in my area since neither mine nor my fiance's medical insurance cover the cost of the instruction and materials.

GulfCoaster · November 2010

I used the Sympto-thermal method (Couple to Couple League) for more than 4 years, without any trouble. I liked it because it was very simple, and the teachers were actual couples who used the method.

However, I am in the process of learning Creighton method because we have been having some difficulty TTC and Creighton method is often recommended for women with cycle irregularities. I'll be honest -- I don't care for Creighton at this time. I don't like all the codes and I prefer using words to describe things. The classes give me a headache. BUT, if it helps me TTC, hey, it's all good.

All in all, though, I don't think you can go wrong choosing any of the methods of NFP. All methods of NFP are so much better than artificial birth control, and you'll learn so much about your body with any of the methods!!

bibliophile2010 · November 2010

Ladies, I'm looking for thoughts about which method (ST or Creighton) I should use, and I'm hoping one of you can help me. I will be taking a full course in NFP for my Marriage Prep requirements, and my FI knows that I have spent much more time researching methods than he has and is open to either method. The cost difference is only $50, so that is not a factor. Below are the factors that are leading me to each option.

ST -- I have already learned basic charting from TCOYF (mostly because I wanted to get used to it and to start paying attention to what is happening with my body). I have very regular cycles (27-29 days) and always have. I like the cross-checks.

Creighton -- My family has a history of infertility. Even though I feel like my cycle is regular, my CM seems to be a bit more productive than may be normal (hope that's not TMI). I have always had irregular sleep patterns and while it is under control now, I am worried about how it will be affected by FI's schedule/sharing a bed, which makes me think that the temp cross-check would be useless anyway.

What do you think? I don't need to decide today, but I'd like to sign up in the next couple of weeks (also -- I'm posting and running, but will check back in later).

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