Natural Family Planning: The Complete Approach

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Introduction

Where Faith and Science Meet

This small book contains practical instruction on how to use scientifically gained knowledge about nature for two related purposes: 1) to achieve or to avoid pregnancy (systematic NFP) and 2) how to space babies with breastfeeding (ecological breastfeeding). Almost every reader realizes that there are unnatural ways to achieve and avoid pregnancy, ways that involve the use of technology and scientifically gained knowledge to thwart or get around nature. On the contrary, the Catholic Church stands out in teaching that it is seriously immoral to use unnatural methods either to achieve or to avoid pregnancy. Is this a conflict between faith and science?

Not at all. Faith and science are two different ways of knowing. Both use reason. In fact, you use reason to decide whether to believe. At the most basic level, if an obviously intoxicated total stranger asks you for money and promises to pay you back at this same spot tomorrow, you have to ask yourself if you have good reason to believe him. We call that motives of credibility. If you believe him, you would be exercising credulity or blind faith. He offers you no reasonable grounds for believing him. Some people exercise blind faith, and they lose their money.

The claim of Jews and Christians is that God has not only created the universe but has entered into human history. Is this believable? In the Old Testament we read the story of the Jews. In the Exodus, we see God working signs and wonders and miraculously delivering the Jews from the slavery of Egypt. Later, we find the prophets continually referring to the Exodus from Egypt as a concrete sign for believing that the one true God has revealed Himself to them and that therefore He deserves to be believed and followed. This is not a religion of ideas or pie in the sky. This is a religion of action. There is nothing like this in all the rest of human history.

When the Jewish Jesus walked this earth, He called attention both to his fulfillment of past prophecies and to the signs and wonders He worked. He pointed to his resurrection as the supreme reason for believing in Him and therefore in what He taught. Further, knowing that future generations would be skeptical, He chose simple men as his apostles, men of action rather than men of ideas and certainly not religious fanatics. He chose men who went back to fishing even after witnessing the empty tomb but who later gave up their lives in witnessing to the truth of what they had seen and heard. The combination of the beauty of his teaching, the fulfillment of the prophecies, the resurrection, and the witness of the apostles combine to provide a powerful reason for believing that Jesus is all that He said He was. The Catholic religion does not ask for blind faith.

There can be no true contradiction between faith and reason because God is the author of all being and all truth. That is a statement of reason. If there is one Almighty God, then it is certainly a matter of reason to conclude that He is the creator of all other beings. If He chooses to reveal Himself and certain things about us, He is not going to contradict what He has enabled us to discover in ways other than direct revelation.

Books have been written on these subjects. Our only point is that the Catholic faith is not a matter of wishful thinking or agreeing with certain philosophical ideas. It is based on God’s revelation in history, upon the words and deeds of the Old Covenant and the words and deeds of Jesus and his apostles in the New Covenant. It is for real.

Faith and science meet today in what has become an arena of conflict about love, sex, and marriage. Some people think that because some scientists used their God-given brains to develop the Pill and other methods of birth control, it must be permissible to use them. Can you think of a clever crime in which the criminal did not use his or her God-given brains to plan and execute it? And what about the modern development of weapons of mass destruction? Certainly it took considerable use of God-given brains to develop them. The question is: Is it morally good to use them? Or under what conditions might it be permissible to use them, if ever? Those are questions that are simply beyond the scope of science although individual scientists may have personal opinions. Similarly, the fact that it took brain power to develop the Pill and other unnatural forms of birth control provides absolutely no reason to believe that it is morally right to use them.

How do faith and science meet in Natural Family Planning?

God Himself made woman in such a way that frequent suckling by her baby at her breasts postpones the return of fertility for more than a year in most cases. This is not an old wives tale. Scientific research has demonstrated that the frequency of suckling is the key to the normal postponement of fertility. Mothers who practice the ecological breastfeeding explained in this book will experience, on average, 14 to 15 months of breastfeeding amenorrhea (the absence of periods). They will also give the best nutrition to their babies, and with each baby they will save over a thousand dollars by not using formula and baby foods. Finally, they will gain health benefits for themselves as well as for their babies. Every man and woman deserve to know this part of God’s creation.

God Himself made woman in such a way that pre-ovulation estrogen causes a healthy discharge of mucus from the cervix and also causes several physical changes in the cervix. Both the mucus and the physical changes of the cervix can be detected and evaluated by informed women. Every man and woman deserve to know these aspects of God’s creation.

God Himself made woman in such a way that post-ovulation progesterone causes her waking temperature to rise enough that it can be readily noticed with accurate temperature taking and recording. A sufficiently elevated temperature pattern of at least three days provides a positive indication that she is past ovulation. Every man and woman deserve to know this aspect of God’s creation.

When couples monitor these signs of fertility and infertility, they are using the scientific method—the systematic observation, recording and evaluation of recurring events, and they can use this information both to achieve and to postpone pregnancy. In the ways described in this book, both eco-breastfeeding and systematic NFP provide a happy meeting of faith and science.

The time has come

Both secular humanists and men of Christian faith in 1929-1930 predicted that the acceptance of contraception would bring social evils. Divorce rates are 500% higher now than they were before the birth-control culture wars began just before World War I. Out-of-wedlock pregnancies and births have soared despite universal access to contraception and abortion. Single motherhood has become the single greatest cause of new poverty households. Sexually transmitted diseases have reached epidemic proportions. In short, the contraceptive sexual revolution has denigrated human sexuality, and the social sciences have documented the personal and social disasters.

The time has come to return to the biblically based faith that sexual intercourse is intended by God to be exclusively a marriage act, and that within marriage it ought to be a renewal of the self-giving love and commitment of the couple’s original marriage covenant. For many, this realization of the meaning of the marriage act has been a life- changing experience.

Natural Family Planning is the answer.

Natural family planning—whether eco-breastfeeding or systematic NFP—is the answer, spiritually and physically. Safe, healthy, effective, and morally right, it is the best form of conception regulation when it is properly taught and used. Unlike unnatural forms of birth control, NFP has no bad side effects. Best of all, practicing NFP for the right reasons can bring spiritual growth and peace.

—John and Sheila Kippley

Cincinnati, Ohio

Make me to know thy ways, O Lord;

Teach me thy paths.

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me,

For thou art the God of my salvation;

For thee I wait all the day long.

Psalm 25, 4-5

Come to me, allyou who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me . . . and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

—Matthew 11:28-30

Chapter 1

Natural Family Planning: What and Why

1. NFP: What is it?

What is Natural Family Planning?

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a way of following God’s plan both for achieving and for avoiding or postponing pregnancy. NFP uses the physical means that God has built into human nature.

Is there more than one form of natural family planning?

Yes. There are two basic and distinctly different forms of NFP:

• Ecological Breastfeeding. Not many people know this, but the right kind of breastfeeding postpones the return of fertility.

• Systematic NFP. This is based on the systematic observation of the naturally occurring signs of fertility and infertility in a woman’s menstrual-fertility cycle.

Why do we say NFP involves Science, Art, and a Way of Life?

• Science is the basis for both forms of NFP. Ecological breasfeeding has been with us since the beginning of time, but the research is relatively recent. Systematic NFP is relatively new in history, starting in 1923 with the discovery of ovulation. By 1930, the pioneer researchers developed the first form of systematic NFP, calendar rhythm. Further discoveries led to the use of the current indicators of fertility and infertility.

• The Art of NFP refers to the application of the science to your situation.

• Way of life refers to the proper use of NFP. When married couples use NFP for the right reasons and with the proper attitudes, they can experience real growth in their relationship with each other and with their Creator.

What is Ecological Breastfeeding?

Ecological breastfeeding (EBF) is that form of nursing in which 1) the mother fulfills her baby’s needs for frequent suckling and her full-time presence and 2) in which the child’s frequent suckling postpones the return of the mother’s fertility. Ecological breastfeeding is described by the Seven Standards.

What are the Seven Standards?

The Seven Standards of ecological breastfeeding are maternal behaviors that help to ensure the frequency of suckling. This is the only pattern of breastfeeding associated with extended natural child spacing. The Seven Standards of ecological breastfeeding are described in Chapter 6. Ecological breastfeeding is also called eco-breastfeeding.

How effective is eco-breastfeeding for spacing babies?

Studies have shown that mothers who follow the Seven Standards of ecological breastfeeding will experience, on the average, 14 to 15 months after childbirth without menstruation. Some mothers experience an earlier return of fertility, and others experience a later return of fertility. On the average, however, ecological breastfeeding spaces babies approximately two years apart.

Why is breastfeeding so important?

Breastfeeding is important because it provides many health benefits to baby and mother alike. Worldwide, if all babies were exclusively breastfed (only mother’s milk) for the first six months of life, the lives of 1,500,000 babies would be saved each year.¹

What is systematic NFP?

Systematic NFP is the method that uses a woman’s natural signs to identify the fertile and infertile times of the menstrual cycle. All systems that identify the fertile time of the cycle can help couples both achieve and avoid pregnancy. Contemporary forms of systematic NFP enable you to know the most-fertile days in the overall fertile time for achieving pregnancy. All true NFP systems use chaste abstinence during the fertile time as the method for avoiding pregnancy. The use of systematic NFP involves both the knowledge of fertility and putting that knowledge into practice.

Are there different methods of systematic NFP?

Yes. Systematic NFP consists of various methods or systems that seek to determine the fertile and infertile times of the cycle. You will be learning how to use a cross-checking system called the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM). It uses all the common signs of fertility in a cross-checking way. Another common system focuses primarily on the mucus sign and is frequently called the Ovulation Method. Some couples use a temperature-only form of NFP, and some use the cervix sign in combination with either the temperature sign or the mucus sign.

How effective is systematic NFP for avoiding pregnancy?

We have no doubt that married couples who are properly instructed and motivated can practice the cross-checking Sympto-Thermal Method at the 99% level of effectiveness for avoiding pregnancy. Various studies have shown that the perfect use of the method yields that result. That means that the couples in the studies followed the rules. A German study on the sympto-thermal method published in February 2007 showed an effectiveness of 99.6%.² On the other hand, fertile spouses who do not follow the rules and engage in the marriage act during the fertile time are going to become pregnant sooner or later.

It is important to realize that contemporary systems differ significantly from the Calendar Rhythm that was developed and taught in the 1930s. Cars have advanced since that time, and so has systematic NFP.

What is the marriage act?

The marriage act is the term for sexual intercourse between husband and wife. This term implies that marital intercourse is more than just a physical act and that it should reflect the committed love that the spouses pledged to each other on their wedding day.

What do we recommend for a couple who has a serious reason to avoid pregnancy?

If and when a couple has a serious need to avoid or postpone pregnancy, we highly recommend that they use the full Sympto-Thermal Method with its cross-checking signs of fertility and infertility. We believe that knowing the various signs and options most fully empowers the couple to make intelligent choices based on their circumstances, needs, and experience.

How effective is systematic NFP for achieving pregnancy?

We don’t know of any study that has tried to measure this among couples of less than normal fertility. What we do know is that many couples of marginal fertility have achieved their desired pregnancy through the simple means of identifying the most fertile time of the cycle and engaging in the marriage act on the most fertile days.

Briefly, about 80% of couples have normal fertility and conceive within six cycles, frequently one to three cycles. Couples with marginal fertility will usually conceive within six to 12 cycles. For more information on achieving pregnancy, see Chapter 4 of this manual.

Can infertile couples benefit from fertility awareness?

Yes. Every infertile couple can be helped in some way by systematic NFP. All will benefit from mutual fertility awareness. Many will benefit from better nutrition. Some may experience the healing of an underlying health problem. All will benefit from a better understanding of God’s plan for love, marriage and sexuality that should accompany NFP instruction. Many, but not all, will achieve pregnancy. Some couples will need to reconcile themselves to their mutual infertility.

Are test-tube babies part of natural family planning?

No. Absolutely not.³ This is generally called in vitro (in a glass dish) fertilization (IVF). It is seriously immoral for several reasons. First, it depersonalizes conception that ought to come from the act of mutual personal love of the parents—the marriage act. But with in vitro fertilization, conception comes about from the skills of technicians. Second, the IVF process involves drug-induced multiple ovulations, and multiple eggs are fertilized. Then the excess embryos, who are real human beings and not just things, are either discarded, which is early abortion, or frozen for possible future use, which is an act of tremendous disrespect for the rights of the newly conceived human baby. Third, generally the semen is obtained through masturbation, an immoral act.

2. NFP: Who should learn it?

Who should learn NFP?

We believe that every engaged and married couple should learn natural family planning—even if they hope to become pregnant on their honeymoon and plan to let the babies come as they may. This applies not only to systematic NFP but also to ecological breastfeeding. If couples are disposed to letting the babies come as they may, it is extremely important for them to learn and to practice eco-breastfeeding.

Should doctors and nurses learn natural family planning?

Yes. Contemporary health education programs are almost always sorely deficient in their treatment of these matters. Over the years we have heard many doctors and nurses tell us that they learned about all the fertility-related organs and hormones in their medical education, but they had not been taught how to put it all together for purposes of systematic natural family planning. Or they assume that systematic NFP of the 21stcentury is the same as the calendar rhythm of the 1930s. The health-science schools are equally deficient in educating their students about ecological breastfeeding.

Doctor Konald A. Prem, our chief mentor, once told us that it takes about 30 years for a new idea to take root in the field of health care; as a prime example he used the time lag between the discovery of the value of the pap