Frequently Asked Questions
Back to Natural Family Planning
What is natural family planning?
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is using knowledge of the man and woman's fertility to avoid or achieve a pregnancy. A couple can avoid a pregnancy by identifying the fertile days of the woman's cycle, and then abstaining from genital contact until the fertile days have passed. Fertile days are identified by keeping a chart of a woman's signs, and then using that chart to determine the phases of fertility and infertility.
When is a couple fertile?
A woman only ovulates (releases an egg from her ovaries) once per cycle. The time around ovulation is the time that a woman is potentially fertile. The old fashioned 'Rhythm Method' is based on the assumption that women ovulate on Day 14 of their cycle. While this can be true sometimes for some women, it is by no means a safe assumption to make! Even a woman with fairly regular cycles won't necessarily ovulate on Day 14 or even on the same day every month. Therefore, it is important to use a woman's fertility signs to determine her fertile period in any given cycle.
What are a woman's fertility signs?
Signs of fertility include the quality of a woman's cervical mucus, changes in her basal (waking) body temperature, and changes of her cervix. A couple can learn how to chart some or all of these signs to help identify when she is fertile.
The sympto-thermal method (taught by Wellspring Fertility Education) involves charting multiple signs of fertility, while ovulation methods typically only take the mucus sign into account.
How effective is NFP at preventing pregnancy?
The short answer is that the various rules of the sympto-thermal method of NFP, when used correctly, are 99+% effective at preventing pregnancy. The long answer is that effectiveness is entirely dependent on user choice. Your NFP instructor will work with you to determine which 'rules' best fit your cycles, and then as a couple you need to decide how closely to follow those rules. Effectiveness is largely determined by motivation!
How much abstinence will be required?
The amount of abstinence will depend on a number of factors such as experience, length of cycles, and special circumstances (such as coming off the Pill, breastfeeding, etc.) Statistically, the 'fertile window' in which most pregnancies occur is around 6 days; in order to safely miss that window, the typical NFP user will usually abstain between 8-12 days a cycle.
Generally, the most abstinence is required during the learning period and transitional periods such as return of fertility after childbirth and while coming off of artificial hormones. As a couple begins to grow more comfortable in both their knowledge of NFP and of the woman's particular cycling pattern, more and more days will become available.
Can I use NFP while on the Pill? What about while using condoms?
No. The Pill, as well as other artificial hormonal devices such as the IUD, skin implants, vaginal rings, etc. interfere with a woman's natural cycle to such an extent as to make charting useless. These hormones can also mask health problems.
Wellspring Fertility Education does not advocate the use of condoms or other barrier methods during the fertile time. Effectiveness of NFP depends on abstinence during fertile periods to avoid pregnancy: introducing barriers also means introducing their higher failure rates.
Can I use NFP if I have irregular cycles?
Yes! This is one of the strengths of NFP. No two women are the same, and no two cycles in any given woman are the same either. Because the sympto-thermal method is based on daily observations of a woman's fertility signs, rather than just counting days on the calendar, an unexpected change such as early fertility is immediately observed and taken into account. NFP can actually help predict whether your menstruation will be early, late or on time. NFP also works during times of cycle irregularity (or no cycles) such as premenopause or breastfeeding, or if you have medical conditions such as PCOS.
Can I learn NFP if I'm not married or engaged?
Absolutely. NFP has many benefits besides pregnancy prevention, including a greater knowledge, awareness, and appreciation for the way your own body works. Charting your cycle is a beautiful way to stay in touch with your emotions as your hormones change throughout the month. It can help you stay on top of any possible health issues, and it also provides parents some tools to use when discussing menstruation with their daughters. Every woman deserves to have the knowledge of NFP!
Note: It is NOT recommended to use NFP for pregnancy prevention unless you are in a stable, committed, monogamous relationship. NFP requires that both partners take equal responsibility for family planning, and requires good communication, patience and understanding from both partners in order to be most effective. NFP does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.
What is the difference between NFP, the Rhythm Method, and Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)?
All forms of true natural family planning are based on the same scientific principles regarding the cyclical fertility of women, and using physical signs to identify fertility (this includes both ovulation methods and sympto-thermal methods).
Rhythm methods (including counting devices such as Cycle Beads as well as some apps) are not based on checking signs of fertility, but rather guessing when the fertile time is based on the assumption that most women ovulate around day 14 (or by looking at lengths of past cycles). Some women find success with this method, but it is highly ineffective for others.
Fertility Awareness Method is a phrase often used interchangeably with natural family planning. The only real difference is that FAM allows for the use of barrier methods such as condoms during the fertile time, while NFP does not. Even if a couple does not have religious objections to barrier methods, NFP providers will still advocate against their use because use of barrier methods during the time when a couple knows they are potentially fertile may decrease effectiveness of pregnancy prevention.
What is natural family planning?
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is using knowledge of the man and woman's fertility to avoid or achieve a pregnancy. A couple can avoid a pregnancy by identifying the fertile days of the woman's cycle, and then abstaining from genital contact until the fertile days have passed. Fertile days are identified by keeping a chart of a woman's signs, and then using that chart to determine the phases of fertility and infertility.
When is a couple fertile?
A woman only ovulates (releases an egg from her ovaries) once per cycle. The time around ovulation is the time that a woman is potentially fertile. The old fashioned 'Rhythm Method' is based on the assumption that women ovulate on Day 14 of their cycle. While this can be true sometimes for some women, it is by no means a safe assumption to make! Even a woman with fairly regular cycles won't necessarily ovulate on Day 14 or even on the same day every month. Therefore, it is important to use a woman's fertility signs to determine her fertile period in any given cycle.
What are a woman's fertility signs?
Signs of fertility include the quality of a woman's cervical mucus, changes in her basal (waking) body temperature, and changes of her cervix. A couple can learn how to chart some or all of these signs to help identify when she is fertile.
The sympto-thermal method (taught by Wellspring Fertility Education) involves charting multiple signs of fertility, while ovulation methods typically only take the mucus sign into account.
How effective is NFP at preventing pregnancy?
The short answer is that the various rules of the sympto-thermal method of NFP, when used correctly, are 99+% effective at preventing pregnancy. The long answer is that effectiveness is entirely dependent on user choice. Your NFP instructor will work with you to determine which 'rules' best fit your cycles, and then as a couple you need to decide how closely to follow those rules. Effectiveness is largely determined by motivation!
How much abstinence will be required?
The amount of abstinence will depend on a number of factors such as experience, length of cycles, and special circumstances (such as coming off the Pill, breastfeeding, etc.) Statistically, the 'fertile window' in which most pregnancies occur is around 6 days; in order to safely miss that window, the typical NFP user will usually abstain between 8-12 days a cycle.
Generally, the most abstinence is required during the learning period and transitional periods such as return of fertility after childbirth and while coming off of artificial hormones. As a couple begins to grow more comfortable in both their knowledge of NFP and of the woman's particular cycling pattern, more and more days will become available.
Can I use NFP while on the Pill? What about while using condoms?
No. The Pill, as well as other artificial hormonal devices such as the IUD, skin implants, vaginal rings, etc. interfere with a woman's natural cycle to such an extent as to make charting useless. These hormones can also mask health problems.
Wellspring Fertility Education does not advocate the use of condoms or other barrier methods during the fertile time. Effectiveness of NFP depends on abstinence during fertile periods to avoid pregnancy: introducing barriers also means introducing their higher failure rates.
Can I use NFP if I have irregular cycles?
Yes! This is one of the strengths of NFP. No two women are the same, and no two cycles in any given woman are the same either. Because the sympto-thermal method is based on daily observations of a woman's fertility signs, rather than just counting days on the calendar, an unexpected change such as early fertility is immediately observed and taken into account. NFP can actually help predict whether your menstruation will be early, late or on time. NFP also works during times of cycle irregularity (or no cycles) such as premenopause or breastfeeding, or if you have medical conditions such as PCOS.
Can I learn NFP if I'm not married or engaged?
Absolutely. NFP has many benefits besides pregnancy prevention, including a greater knowledge, awareness, and appreciation for the way your own body works. Charting your cycle is a beautiful way to stay in touch with your emotions as your hormones change throughout the month. It can help you stay on top of any possible health issues, and it also provides parents some tools to use when discussing menstruation with their daughters. Every woman deserves to have the knowledge of NFP!
Note: It is NOT recommended to use NFP for pregnancy prevention unless you are in a stable, committed, monogamous relationship. NFP requires that both partners take equal responsibility for family planning, and requires good communication, patience and understanding from both partners in order to be most effective. NFP does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.
What is the difference between NFP, the Rhythm Method, and Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)?
All forms of true natural family planning are based on the same scientific principles regarding the cyclical fertility of women, and using physical signs to identify fertility (this includes both ovulation methods and sympto-thermal methods).
Rhythm methods (including counting devices such as Cycle Beads as well as some apps) are not based on checking signs of fertility, but rather guessing when the fertile time is based on the assumption that most women ovulate around day 14 (or by looking at lengths of past cycles). Some women find success with this method, but it is highly ineffective for others.
Fertility Awareness Method is a phrase often used interchangeably with natural family planning. The only real difference is that FAM allows for the use of barrier methods such as condoms during the fertile time, while NFP does not. Even if a couple does not have religious objections to barrier methods, NFP providers will still advocate against their use because use of barrier methods during the time when a couple knows they are potentially fertile may decrease effectiveness of pregnancy prevention.