Does anyone use natural family planning?

[MargaretoftheSavoy]

Up until now we have always used contraception but I have recently been wondering whether I am comfortable with it. We're Catholic and so of course technically should not be using any at all but tbh most Catholics seem to.

But I have recently found myself becoming more devout and may be changing my mind. We do not want children yet ideally, although it wouldn't be the end of the world if we did have one. Of course, I am very nervous about abandoning 'normal' contraception, but it is something I am seriously considering. At the moment we use condoms, but I have a coil too as a back-up. I don't like the idea that if a sperm escaped the condom, it could join the egg but then would be prevented from implanting by the coil.

By searching the net I have come across things like NFP, Persona and Tori Wenschler's book. My current idea is to get rid of the coil, carry on using condoms and use NFP as a back-up in place of the coil, and possibly bin the condoms at a later stage.

Does anyone else have experience of any of these. Does it work?! I have very regular cycles and get my period every 28 days...

Btw please don't think I am judging anyone else's contraception choices, as that is obviously a very important personal decision for everyone to make and nothing to do with me.

You want to get the coil removed because if sperm escaped from a condom you would hate that the coil would prevent conception?!!

Baffled

I was told a while ago that if you're going to do it, find someone who teaches it and do it that way. It's just not reliable enough to learn it from a book - you need to learn it from an actual person trained in teaching this method. Your church might be able to recommend someone? Or google of course.

This is interesting about contraceptive choices and religion (it starts off talking about abortion but not graphically, later it moves to contraception) www.patheos.com/blogs/permissiontolive/2014/01/life-and-choice-why-abortion-isnt-what-i-thought-it-was.html

Purple, I mean that conception might occur (e.g if condom broke) and then it would be prevented from surviving due to the coil. Obviously the point of the coil is to prevent conception! and that was originally what I had intended, I am just not sure whether I am comfortable with that any more. Sorry, badly worded.

Thanks for the article, Bertie. I see her point of view and I personally think that safe medical abortion should be legal and available. I know that biologically speaking you aren't technically pregnant until it implants, but a zygote is created when the sperm meets the egg and that is commonly referred to as conception.

Hi Margaret, the Wenschler book is EXTREMELY detailed and thorough, and if you have regular cycles it should be pretty straightforward for you to chart them, and avoid sex during your fertile times.

I have used Persona, but that does depend on you being willing and able to get up and go to the loo 1st thing in the morning, every morning, before doing ANYTHING else!

I once heard Richard Madely talking about this as," NFP, or Chloe as she is known in our house"

I have no personal experience of this, I was taught 'Billings method' at school (RC girls' school) and I did teach a friend who wanted to conceive so I taught her the 'opposite' if that makes sense.

I think it is a personal decision but you really need to think about whether you are ready for a child because there is a chance that will happen.

A close friend does and so far it works for her, she has 3 DC all planned. I would echo finding someone trained in NFP and take it from there.

I'm trained in NFP, and people do use it to achieve or avoid pregnancy for many different reasons, some medical, some religious etc.
Some people do feel the coil is unethical because there is a chance that egg and sperm will meet but the embryo is unable to implant because of the presence of the coil.
If you want to get more information about NFP then there is a website you can go onto and contact them. They will put you in touch with a teacher. I can't link as I am on my phone, but I hope this helps.

A bit late adding to this thread but I use a Persona monitor. Would recommend it. No dodgy hormones although it does take a few months to get used to your system and you get a lot of 'red days' in the beginning. First month you do 16 test sticks and then only eight per month after that. Costs around £10.50 for one month (eight) test sticks from Amazon.

Yes! We use it, very happy with it.

I really recommend finding a NFP teacher, as you will need someone to help you understand your charts. It may be fine and relatively simple with a regular 28 day cycle but Billings etc are not the same as the Rhythm Method (they are much more accurate) and you may be thrown off by a period of illness/stress. Then your teacher will be invaluable.

There are a couple of different methods, using cervical mucus, temperature or both. From what I understand the hormone testing kits can be reassuring back up for some people but I have no personal experience of them.

Your parish priest or diocese website should be able to give you details of an NFP teacher.

PM me if you want any more info!
Good luck x

Argh just realised this is an old thread!

I'm no expert on either Christianity or contraception but I thought the hole issue is that any form of contraception or preventing pregnancy is wrong?
Hence as a non married couple you should abstain from sex and once married you should let nature take its course.

To consciously prevent pregnancy through actions or behaviour would be deemed a sin.

FYI. Contraception has been used in my relationships other than when trying for children so I'm not against it at all. Just trying to explain my understanding of the religious side of it.

I'm a sinner!

New, for followers of Catholic teaching a married couple may consciously avoid sex in a know fertile period to avoid conceiving.

That's not the same as having sex but contracepting to avoid pregnancy.

Married couples are also asked to be open to life - not forced to have baby after baby with no thought to health, time, financial implications - but be generous. (See what Pope Francis said recently:
www.ibtimes.com/pope-francis-suggests-natural-family-planning-instead-breeding-rabbits-1787832)

There's a contraception app? It was designed by a scientist and the ads keep popping up on my social media. I think it works by a combination of ovulation tests, temperature taking and maths.

Just to explain different ideas about contraception in non Christian faiths. When the prophet muhammad (pbuh) found out that people were having anal sex with their wives in order to prevent pregnancy he forbade that but allowed them to do other methods to prevent pregnancy. it is why as a conservative muslim woman now I feel free to use contraception without being a sinner. he (pbuh) also declared the fetus has no soul before 120 days and that in the modern times has made leeway for muslim women to use contraception that prevents implantation after fertilisation.

I used NFP (from the Toni Wechsler book) successfully for several years, getting pregnant on the first times I tried and avoiding pregnancy the rest of the time. Having said that, I was only happy using it at a time when I would have been OK with an accidental pregnancy. These days I use a coil because a baby would be a bit of a disaster right now. And the big downside that I found with NFP is that it goes against your natural instincts because generally the times that you most want to have sex are the times when you are most fertile which means that you need to be very, very disciplined about it because if you slip up once, the chances of pregnancy are extremely high. It also gets pretty frustrating.

I used it, Basel thermometer, mucous analysis, etc. My beautiful daughter is now 24.