My wife and I were married in 1972 when the Rythmn method was the recognized natural family planning alternative. About four years later, we discovered the Couple to Couple League, ordered their materials and began using the method. At that time we did not have any local assistance. The method was an eye opener for us in our relationship. We looked forward to our Honeymoon every month when we knew we were past ovulation. We had three children, not specifically planned but all within our ability to support and nurture. We later worked in our Diocese with BOMA and again with marriage preparation in our current Diocese. We would rate the method as a marriage maker vs a marriage breaker - we found so much more to do to learn to be a couple when we knew each others feelings, thoughts and bodies well.

NFP really works! I'm pleased the the Knights of Columbus are reminding our brothers of its benefits. If you are not practicing NFP and are a catholic, find out, and see your local NFP practioner. Your relationship with your wife will be more blessed than you can imagine.

NFP really works!!!!!

Thank you for the article here and in Columbia! My husband (a Knight for 34 years) and I used NFP taught by the Couple to Couple League for 25 years. It was a wonderful means of spacing our children with the assurance that there were no bad health effects. The CCL magazine articles helped us to understand the hows and whys of the teachings of the Church. She has constantly taught that there should be nothing to separate the marital union (both unitive and procreative) of husband and wife. It was also very reassuring as I approached menopause and better understood my potential fertility.

My wife and I have used NFP since our wedding in 1992. We find it to be a beautiful way of planning and avoiding pregnancy. Even during the times when you wish to avoid pregnancy, you are constantly aware of possibility of God's great gifts.

My wife and I have been using NFP/Creighton Method for only a few months now after the birth of our second child and are happy with the process and results thus far. We have been lucky to have a very well-trained instructor to guide us, because - as anyone who's used the method knows - it can be confusing and frustrating at first. It is nice to have such great guidance! We highly recommend that anyone wishing to use NFP to go through a trained intructor.

We're so happy that we found NFP, and highly suggest you look into it if you feel scared about getting pregnant, and that barrier or pill methods are the only way to go -because it's not.

Somewhere you should mention that NFP can be used to space children only when "just" or "serious" reasons are present. The Church leaves it up to couples to judge in their particular circumstances what is "just" or "serious" but I think delaying a child just to have more material comforts is not one of them. We started using NFP after #4, when my wife had four c-sections and the doctor really thought she might not make it the last time.

Let's start a forum on what is really a "just" or "serious" reason.

Thank you for this great article. My husband and I are certified NFP teachers through CCL, and I'm a little concerned about the comment, "and the wife has a regular cycle." Regular cycles are absolutely NOT necessary to practice NFP. If you're talking about the outdated Rhythm Method then sure, you'd need regular ones. But we're not talking about Rhythm.

I just don't want anyone to get the wrong impression and think NFP won't work for them because they have irregular cycles. Mine are as unpredictable as anyone else's, but we've used NFP for 4 years without any problems.

I love these comments. People are so interested in this topic because it's one everybody wants to talk about but no one wants to bring up in public or even with friends.

My wife and I have been using NFP for years and it does improve our relationship! What about including findings from Doctors and couples that use NFP?

My wife and I have been using NFP for our entire marriage. We have three beautiful daughters (one in heaven waiting for us) all three were planned and I never had an ounce of suprise. My wife wasn't suprised but was certainly in denial each time. Probably more that she didn't want to get her hopes up since we lost our first child.

As a newly engaged couple we sought out some friends of the family that are instructors from the Couple to Couple League. This is truly a beautiful gift from God and should be more promoted as a necessity of marriage and a lifestyle instead of merely a way of regulated how many or how few children you have.

There are so many benefits

(physical, financial, spiritual, emotional, relational)

offered by this tool but its rarely talked about even by groups or authorities in the Church except during NFP awareness week/month. I remember talking to a priest before we got married and we asked him if he thought it would be a good idea to take our NFP class before we got married and he said "sure, that might be a good idea" (like he hadn't even considered it on his checklist of marriage prep)

My wife and I are supporters and users of NFP. My wife was hospitalized shortly after the birth of our 4th child. We'd like to have more children, but with the medication and her learning to cope with this illness, NFP gives us the tools to avoid pregnancy in this case, or help get pregnant as in the cases of our first three children!

My husband and I practice NFP Creighton Model and have two young children. Our second one was conceived during the "postpartum" phase, which is fine since we were open to life, but we find our selves a little nervous this time around wondering how to properly track a cycle during this time. Does anyone have some practical advice for charting postpartum? We are trying to teach ourselves the CCL model but its not easy to do all this reading with the two babies.

NFP works, but is a challenge.

It may be dividing my wife and I. She has super-fertility, needed to have C-section with our first two, and are now seeing (with a new job) that just the medical expense of having a third child is out of our financial reach. I work for pay and she is a homemaker.

Limiting sexual intimacy to the less fertile times also is when she is less physically/hormonally interested. As far as I can tell, she practices NFP only because contraception is against my conscience, and I think that is one of the biggest challenges.

I'm open to any suggestions for improving our situation.

There is an error. The article mention a 99 percent effective rate and includes a woman with a regular cycle. That in NOT correct. A woman with an irregular cycle can also use NFP at a highly effective rate. That is just perpetuating the errors that are out there. Please correct!

My wife and I have 7 children. Before and after our last child was born, Jeanne, my wife, went through 5 miscarriages. She was hospitalized for the last two, and we nearly lost her on the last one. We consulted our pastor because the doctor said the next one would most likely kill my wife. We both are always open to accepting the most precious gift from God, children. But we didn't like any alternatives - possible death, total hysterectomy, vasectomy, complete abstinence. I cannot say to use Natural Family Planning to avoid conception, but I can tell you this. You will learn your wife's body well. You will learn when the perfect time to conceive will be. And the converse. Remember, peak plus 4. God bless all of you.