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Click here for a list of Natural Family Planning instructors in the Grand Rapids area. (PDF)
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“To experience the gift of married love while respecting the laws of conception is to acknowledge that one is not master of the sources of life, but rather the minister of the design established by the Creator.”
-Pope Paul VI
What is Natural Family Planning (NFP)?
NFP is a method of achieving or avoiding pregnancy based upon an informed awareness of a couple’s fertility.
Why use NFP?
NFP provides a safe, healthy, effective, and low-cost method of family planning. It is convenient, user-friendly (regardless of a women’s cycle regularity) and can build stronger marriages.
Does it work?
YES! NFP is 99% effective in avoiding pregnancy when used by a motivated and fully instructed couple.
The Catholic Church and NFP:
The Catholic Church supports the methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) because they respect God's design for married love. In fact, NFP represents the only authentic approach to family planning available to husbands and wives because these methods can be used to both attempt or avoid pregnancy. When learning about NFP, it is important to know that:
Natural Family Planning is an umbrella term for certain methods used to achieve and avoid pregnancies. These methods are based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. Couples using NFP to avoid pregnancy abstain from intercourse and genital contact during the fertile phase of the woman's cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy.
NFP reflects the dignity of the human person within the context of marriage and family life, promotes openness to life, and recognizes the value of the child. By respecting the love-giving and life-giving natures of marriage, NFP can enrich the bond between husband and wife.
(Standards for Diocesan Natural Family Planning Ministry, p. 23)