Roman Catholic 
Diocese of Ogdensburg

Celebrate and reverence God’s vision of human sexuality

Natural family planning

Welcome to the NFP Office of the Diocese of Ogdensburg. Our  ministry focuses on accompanying couples in learning and living the good news of God’s plan for sex, love, and marriage. We hope that this information helps you on your journey.       

                Angelo and Suzanne Pietropaoli,  NFP Directors      

What is NFP?

  • A scientific method that uses physical signs of fertility [changes in basal body temperature and cervical mucus] to achieve/avoid pregnancy.
  • Based on facts: egg is released once a month and is viable for 12-24 hours. Sperm can live 3-5 days.
  • Knowledge empowers couples to work with their fertility to plan their families.
  • Highly effective, on par with the Pill.
  • Free from side effects.
  • Accepts fertility as a gift rather than treating it like an illness.
  • Shared responsibility for family planning.
  • Increases couple communication on relationship and family planning intentions.
  • Honors both the love-giving and life-giving meanings of sexual intercourse.
  • Helps couples grow in love for God and for each other.
  • Respects the bodies of the spouses and encourages tenderness between them.

Why use NFP?

  • It's 100% natural! 
  • Knowledge is power, and NFP provides comprehensive knowledge of fertility. KNOW when you are fertile and when you are not. ·
  • It's 100% healthy! There is NO risk of side effects of other methods: headaches, depression, menstrual cycle irregularity, weight gain, gall bladder disease, blood clots, stroke, heart attack, cancers, fertility problems, etc. 
  • It's highly effective. Used correctly, NFP methods achieve effectiveness ranges of 98-99%, on par with hormonal contraceptives. 
  • It's inexpensive. Cost is minimal: the price of a course of instruction, plus thermometer, charts, and any devices a woman may choose to use. 
  • It shares responsibility. Since a man is always fertile and a woman is fertile only a few days a month, family planning is clearly not a “woman’s problem.” NFP involves both spouses in understanding and applying the knowledge that this system provides. 
  • It increased communication. Communication deepens as couples learn about their fertility and together apply their knowledge according to their family planning intention. 
  • It builds marriages. NFP challenges couples to be more open, patient, and generous with each other—to grow more deeply in trust and in love.
  • It's in harmony with the teachings of the Catholic Church. [CLICK to see more on Church teaching.]

Videos

Couples, doctors, and  priests discuss the goodness of Natural Family Planning.  

Church Teaching

With the creation of man and woman in his own image and likeness, God crowns and brings to perfection the work of his hands. He calls them to a special sharing in his love and in power as Creator and Father, through their free and responsible cooperation in transmitting the gift of human life: “God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it. “                                      --St. Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation on the Family

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 

·       (2363) The spouses’ union achieves the two-fold end of marriage: the good of the spouses themselves, and the transmission of life. These two meanings or values of marriage cannot be separated without altering the couple’s spiritual life  and compromising the goods of marriage and the future of the family.

·       (2367) Called to give life, spouses share in the creative power and fatherhood of God. Married couples should regard it as their proper mission to transmit human life and educate their children….They will fulfill this with a sense of human and Christian responsibility.

 ·       (2370) The method of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of the infertile periods is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These (natural) methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom.

Infertility 

Related resources:   

https://www.naprotechnology.com   (Dr. Hilgers, et al. Information on infertility, recurrent miscarriage, cycle problems, hormonal issues)    

https://www.giannaofalbany.com  (Well woman care, Fertility Care NFP system, NaPro technology interface)   

https://www.organic-conceptions.com (Your fertility journey reimagined. Online community support.)  

https://www.miscarriagehurts.com (Emotional healing and support)

To Learn More

For information, local classes, support, or further discussion, please contact NFP Directors Angelo and Suzanne Pietropaoli at315-393-2920.

ONLINE LEARNING OPTIONS                       

Sympto-Thermal Method  (Temperature AND mucus signs)  

http://symptopro.org/  (classes also available locally) 
http://www.ccli.org/  (Couple to Couple League)                                    

Ovulation/Mucus-Only Method 

https://www.creightonmodel.com/ (This system links with NaPro Technology)
https://billings.life/en                       

Sympto-Hormonal Method (NFP system with hormone monitors) 

https://www.mmnfp.com/ (Marquette University School of Nursing)     

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GOD’S PLAN FOR MARRIAGE: 

http://tobinstitute.org     (Theology of the Body Institute) 
www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/natural-family-planning      (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) 
https://livingthesacrament.com/ (Online Catholic NFP community)