What is Natural Family Planning?

Natural Family Planning, or NFP, is the general title for the scientific, natural and moral methods of family planning that can help married couples both achieve or postpone pregnancies.

With NFP, there are no drugs, devices, or surgical procedures used to avoid pregnancy, enabling a couple to work with the body rather than against it.

When a couple learns to use NFP, they are taught to observe their naturally occurring signs and symptoms of fertility on a day-to-day basis, treating each menstrual cycle as unique—unlike the rhythm (or calendar) method which was based on the theory that ovulation could be determined from previous menstrual cycles. NFP is not the rhythm method.

NFP is up to 99% successful when a couple understands the methods and is motivated to follow them as instructed by a certified instructor.

Why Choose NFP?

NFP can help achieve and postpone pregnancy

While couples do not need to seek to have a child in every act of intercourse, every act of intercourse must remain open to life.

NFP is good for your marriage

During times of periodic sexual abstinence, husband and wife live a renewed courtship as they discover non-sexual ways to express their love for each other.

NFP is good for a woman’s health

NFP methods support reproductive health. The natural methods have none of the harmful side effects caused by contraception, especially chemical contraceptives (e.g., pill, injection, etc.).

NFP is good for our common home

NFP is environmentally friendly, organic, natural, pure and safe. No chemicals or artificial ingredients are involved in NFP.

Additional Resources

• NFP Brochure: English |  Spanish
• NFP Providers and Instructors
• Visit USCCB’s webpage for NFP resources including: couples’ stories, couple videos, prayer and liturgy, and other NFP resources. For more info, contact nfp@usccb.org.

As a Catholic infertility ministry, Springs in the Desert accompanies many women and couples struggling with infertility and loss by offering a place of respite and solidarity, where they come to know God’s love for them and discover that He is transforming their suffering into fruitfulness.

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