Natural Family Planning

"You knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful"-Psalm:139 13-14

When I studied birth control in nursing school, NFP was a joke. In fact, my professor told us about it in joke “What do you call people who use NFP for birth control? Parents!” Before September 2008, I thought NFP was irresponsible and definitely not ever an option for Mike and I. So, two months before our marriage I went to Dr. C and got on the pill. I can remember how excited I was to be starting the pill. It was like a huge milestone in my life, and also meant that it was only a few months away before I could have sex (Mike and I were both virgins when we got married, something we both value and want to instill in MK.). Fast forward three months and I was 1 month into marriage and feeling gross. The pill made me bloated, nauseated and moody (Once I was off the pill Mike said to me “I am so glad to have you back Katy”… yikes! I didn’t know I was that bad!). I had contemplated calling Dr. C to get on something else, but I was so busy with nursing school that I didn’t. Then, one day I lost my pills. They were the last pack in my initial prescription and I couldn’t find them ANYWHERE! After panicking mildly and running to the store for a box of condoms (come on guys, we were newlyweds, it wasn’t like we were going to be abstinent till we figured this thing out!) I picked up my phone and texted my new friend Sallie. She had some crazy experiences on the pill and had just decided to start NFP. She told me about a book she got at Half Price Books and I rush out to get it. I think I read the entire book that night and was hooked. It was empowering to know that with practice and getting to know my body, I could tell when I was ovulating and thus prevent pregnancy (or achieve it eventually!).

It is amazing how God designed our bodies to produce children…all of the hormones that have to be working in sink, how our temperatures go up after ovulation to provide a warm environment for a potential fertilized egg, how our cervical secretions are designed to change during ovulation to be the perfect medium for sperm, how the progesterone secreted from the corpus luteum in our luteal phase (post-ovulation) prevent menstruation for 12-16 days (depending on your cycle, but most likely doesn’t vary for a reproductively health individual) just the right amount of time for a fertilized egg to travel down from the fallopian tubes and into the uterus to implant in the lining of the uterus … it is just amazing!

After a few months of charting, I realized that I am pretty much like clock work… I have a 28 day cycle and I ovulate on day 14… so by knowing that an egg can live for 24-48 hours and sperm can live up to 5 days, I know that Mike and I have to be extra careful from day 10 to 17. And guess what, it worked! Mike and I successfully practiced NFP for a year and a half, and then when we thought the time was right, successfully got pregnant the first time we tried. I can attribute our first time success majorly to the Lord, but also a little bit to the knowledge that NFP has given me. We are still using NFP and I was so shocked that after 10 months of pregnancy and 7 months of breastfeeding, my cycle has returned just as regular as ever!

It wasn’t until I was pregnant that I really got informed about how the Pill and other chemical forms of birth control work. My dear friend Sallie did a whole bunch of research on exactly how the pill works and told us about it one day. I did my own research also, looking specifically from a medical perspective (I would be happy to share my findings and some of Sallie’s research with you if you would like). I won’t go into a whole lot of details here, but I would highly encourage you to do your due diligence before you start on any birth control regimen. For me, the Pill/patch/ring/IUD conflicts with my views on life beginning at conception. I do not judge anyone for using any of those forms of birth control, just urging you to do some research and see if those forms fit into your value/moral system, especially if you are a Christ follower!

If you want to start using NFP here is what you will need:

-A copy of “Taking Charge of your Fertility” by Toni Weschler ( I found mine at HPB for less than 10 dollars)

-A thermometer

-A chart (the book gives you one, but you can also find them online if you search for NFP charting)

-Patience and discipline the first couple months to chart

-A willing husband who will be abstinent for your fertile week, or ok with using a barrier method during that time to prevent pregnancy.

NFP is not for everyone. You have to be disciplined to taking your temperature every day when you wake up (I don’t do that anymore since I am so regular). You also have to be ok with the possibility of an “opps!” All forms of birth control have some risk to them… I know SEVERAL people who have gotten pregnant while on the pill! You simply have to trust in the Lord, give the control up to Him! But, I will guarantee you that if you try NFP you will feel so in tune with your body, so empowered, so amazed at the body that the Lord created you to have!

Happy Charting!