Natural Family Planning
 This
page describes Natural Family Planning (NFP) in general, as well as
specifics for the program in Tucson, AZ, including the program for
those fulfilling the marriage preparation requirements for St. Mark
Catholic Church.
In
Tucson, NFP classes are taught in the Sympto-Thermal Method, a program
endorsed by the Diocesan Development Program for Natural Family
Planning of the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The
instructors are certified or in the process of receiving certification
through the Diocese of Tucson NFP Program, a USCCB Diocesan Program.
NFP Instruction classes are
available for couples who want to learn how to use the Sympto-Thermal
Method of NFP. As of January 1, 2007, this class is required of couples
preparing for marriage through St. Mark’s Parish, and is open to all of
any denomination or parish affiliation.
This
is composed of an initial session to learn the method, and follow-up
classes to practice chart interpretation. These classes are followed
with six months of follow-up for review of couple's charts, and
follow-up sessions to go over specific areas of concern if needed. All
materials (thermometer, charts, textbook) are provided.
A
$25 fee per couple is requested to cover materials. Any further
follow-ups ever needed (eg. to review breastfeeding rules, etc) are
provided at no further charge.
Classes
are taught every 2nd Wednesday of the month from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Introductory sessions held regularly. All classes are held in the St.
Joseph’s Hospital Auditorium. Registration for the classes is through
the Diocesan NFP Coordinator, NOT through the parish office. To inquire
about class dates and to register please call:
Luz-Elena Shearer
St. Joseph's Hospital
Carondelet Health Network
350 North Wilmot Road
Tucson, AZ 85711
(520) 873-3867
(520) 873-5062 FAX
leshearer@carondelet.org
Frequently Asked Questions About NFP
 What is SymptoThermal Method? SymptoThermal
Method (STM) is a NFP method that involves taking the basal body
temperature each morning along with cervical mucus observations--and
using this information to help either achieve or avoid pregnancy as
circumstances dictate.
How well does STM work? STM,
when used consistently and correctly, has a 96-98% efficacy for
pregnancy avoidance, a rate comparable to the actual user pregnancy
rate of the birth control pill, and superior to those of barrier
methods such as condoms or diaphragms. It also has a high success rate
at helping couples achieve pregnancy.
Is STM hard to learn?
NO!! STM, like the rest of NFP, can be easily learned by any couple
with motivation. Although it is easy to learn, it is best learned from
an instructor who can aid you in learning mucus interpretation and the
rules of the method.
What are some of the benefits of using Natural Family Planning?
Safe--there
are no chemicals or devices involved. Some methods of family planning
to prevent pregnancy present side effects which range from irritating
to dangerous. These include rash, irritability, depression, acne,
irregular periods, blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks.
Effective--when
taught by a trained instructor and used correctly, NFP methods are
96-98% effective in postponing or preventing pregnancy according to the
World Health Organization (WHO). The Virginia Department of Health 1997
pamphlet lists efficacy at 91-99%. This compares favorably to the user
effectiveness of hormonal methods such as oral contraceptives, and is
superior to barrier methods like the diaphragm or condoms. NFP is also
very effective in helping couples achieve pregnancy when desired.
Marriage-building--NFP
promotes good relationship skills, thought to be one reason that the
divorce rate for NFP-user couples is less than 5%, compared with 50%
for the general population
Morally acceptable--some
methods of contraception, including hormonal methods and the IUD, can
be abortifacient by disrupting implantation of a 7 day old embryo after
fertilization. NFP has no such potential. In addition, it is the only
method of family planning accepted by the Catholic Church.
A Clinical Scholarship study published in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2003, Couples’ Views of the Effects of Natural family Planning on Marital Dynamics,
found that although one-fourth of the comments indicated that NFP
presented challenges, the majority (74%) found it beneficial, often
resulting in stronger bonds, better communication, and improved
knowledge.
The theme of
enhanced relationships was reported most frequently in the study, such
as greater communication, greater love for one another, and respect. An
enriched spirituality that made couples feel more connected to God
helped them feel more connected to their spouses. Respondents also
expressed pride in the self-control they had developed, and that using
NFP produced no side effects [common with the use of contraceptive
pills].
Negative
effects included decreased frequency and spontaneity [though some
couples reported the opposite], unbalanced drive between partners, and
in some cases (6%), worsened relationships and misunderstandings when
husbands did not participate in monitoring the cycle.
As
one respondent noted, “Natural Family Planning is the best kept secret
right now. The only negative is that it needs more publicity and for
society to see its credibility”
[Authors: Leona VandeVusse, Lisa
Hanson, Richard j. Fehring, Amy Newman, Jaime Fox, 2008]
“Section 21 of Humanae Vitae is
especially of interest in that it states that periodic abstinence (as
practiced in NFP), far from being harmful to marital life, actually
confers upon it a higher value and produces spiritual gifts. These
spiritual gifts include self-mastery, the full development of one’s
personality, favoring the spouse, selflessness, peace and harmony, and
being better educators of one’s children.
Critics might
argue that a celibate pope could not know about these marital/spiritual
gifts or how the practice of “rhythm” affects marital life. However,
one of the members of the commission, Karol Wojty_a–Pope John Paul II
but then bishop of Krakow–ran natural family planning clinics in his
diocese. Using a phenomenological approach, he studied couples and
their responses in published papers and in his subsequent book Love and Responsibility.” [Richard J. Fehring, D.N.Sc, R.N., Elizabeth McGraw, B.A., R.N., Spiritual Responses to the Regulation of Birth (A Historical Comparison), online, http://www.uffl.org/vol12/fehring12.pdf, 2008]
“Couples on contraception demonstrate to their children that fertility
is not a part of their relationship unless they wish it to be. Sexual
intercourse is available at their wish and there really is no need to
abstain. Children are not given examples of how to be chaste within
marriage or of the need to be chaste. Because the procreative dimension
has been suppressed or eliminated in a contraceptive marriage, it
provides neither awareness nor example of how to live with one’s
fertility.
A junior
student in a Natural Family Planning class at Marquette University
mentioned in a paper that she has no role model on how to live with
one’s fertility (48). She said: The people of generation X have grown
up knowing birth control. By the time they were in their 20's, they had
more or less accepted AIDS and along with it condoms as a means of
protection. Growing up as children of the baby boomers, this generation
as a whole does not have strong feelings about premarital sex or
contraception.... We have a generation that lacks a role model in the
family, and we need to find new ways to promote the ideology and
methods of natural family planning.” [Richard J. Fehring and William Kurz, S.J., Anthropological Differences between Contraception and Natural Family Planning, 255-256, online, http://uffl.org/vol10/fehr-kurz10.pdf, 2008]
Discuss
and pray over Humanae Vitae, Familiaris Consortio, illuminated by
Veritatis Splendor, and other documents of the Church which outline
Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality. Many married couples,
unaware of the valuable wisdom found in these materials, have deprived
themselves of a beautiful source of support for their mutual love.
"Authentic
married love is caught up into divine love and is directed and enriched
by the redemptive power of Christ and the salvific action of the
Church, with the result that the spouses are effectively led to God and
are helped and strengthened in their lofty role as fathers and mothers.
Spouses, therefore, are fortified and, as it were, consecrated for the
duties and dignity of their state by a special sacrament; fulfilling
their conjugal and family role by virtue of this sacrament, spouses are
penetrated with the spirit of Christ and their whole life is suffused
by faith, hope, and charity; thus they increasingly further their own
perfection and their mutual sanctification, and together they render
glory to God" (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Past. Const. on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, December 7, 1965, n. 48).
Condom Fallacies: Short-Sighted Campaigns Spread Diseases
by Father John Flynn, LC, http://www.zenit.org/article-21741?l=english
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