What is NFP?

Natural Family Planning (NFP) refers to a method of family planning that observes your body's natural biomarkers and uses that information to identify the 6 day fertile window in which pregnancy can occur each cycle.  It falls into a broader category of Fertility Awareness Methods (FAM) of family planning, which empower women to take control of their fertility with natural means vs. hormonal contraception.  

Though some methods of FAM use barriers during the fertile window, NFP specifically uses abstinence during the fertile window to avoid pregnancy, resulting in a high efficacy surpassing that of most forms of hormonal contraception.  Marquette Method has an efficacy of 98.4% in regular cycles, and 98% in breastfeeding postpartum cycles when practiced according to method rules with the help of an instructor.

Modern methods of NFP do not rely simply on calendar calculations from previous cycle data but monitor real-time biological markers each cycle

Can I use the Marquette Method if my cycles are irregular/long?

Yes!  Because the monitor measures your hormones and (if tracking other bio-markers) we observe mucus and temperature in real-time each cycle, Marquette ensures we find your peak/ovulation day, even if it varies from cycle to cycle.  We may have to use a few extra steps if you have extra-long cycles greater than 35 days.  This is why working with an instructor is so important.  If you have PCOS or other health issues underlying your irregular cycles, tracking and charting will provide valuable information to bring to your physician to uncover and treat the root cause.  We can help you get in touch with a NaPro Practitioner to help you if desired.  The Mira monitor is sometimes helpful if you have uncontrolled PCOS.

My fiance and I are engaged.  Should we wait until we're married or after our first baby to learn NFP?

It's your choice!  Many couples find it extremely helpful to learn a method of NFP before they get married so that they are already up to speed and ready with the knowledge of their fertility regardless of if they have to avoid pregnancy in the near future or not.  The first six cycles may require more abstinence as well, so getting those charted before the wedding can give you more available days in your married life.  

Additionally, unexpected circumstances can arise to make avoiding pregnancy necessary at any point in a married life, and it's helpful to have knowledge to draw on without having to learn a new method in the midst of a stressful life circumstance.  Some couples plan to achieve pregnancy right away after the wedding, and NFP can also help with getting pregnant!  Other couples come to learn Marquette after the birth of their first baby and the Marquette Breastfeeding Protocols make this a natural time to learn a new method and gain space for their body to recover from pregnancy and birth. 

I'm a single or unmarried woman interested in learning more about my natural cycles and fertility.  Is NFP for me?

Absolutely!  Fertility awareness is awareness of your health and natural biological functions.  If you are interested in learning NFP to track your cycles and learn and understand your body, we can do a mini-class at reduced fee to teach you and help you learn how to track for health understanding.  Contact me for custom price, as instruction will be less.  We can use a non-monitor protocol as well if expense is an issue.

If the fertile window is 6 days long, do we only have to abstain for 6 days per cycle?

While the fertile window in reality is only 6 days long in any given cycle, and modern methods of NFP can pinpoint it with greater accuracy than ever before, the preovulatory phase length of a cycle can vary from cycle to cycle for a woman.  There are therefore extra days of abstinence required in the preovulatory phase to account for the variability of peak day.  Once LH peak is detected, we know ovulation will happen within a 3 day window so our protocol accounts for the most conservative case of the latest ovulation - all together the minimum number of days of abstinence with Marquette will be 11 days/cycle and more days may be required, especially while learning the method in the first 6 months of regular cycles. 

I'm concerned about the ongoing costs of using the monitor.  Are there ways to make this method cheaper?

Yes - if cost is a concern, we have options to use an LH strip protocol with mucus (current study underway to determine exact effectiveness rates).  If using the Mira Monitor I have access to a significant instructor discount I can pass on to you.  I also have information about ongoing costs here and ways to save.

We have had method failure pregnancy with another method.  Are there ways to make Marquette Method even more conservative?

Marquette has extremely high rates of efficacy, particularly in the "typical use" rates compared to other methods of NFP.  In regular cycles, Marquette is 98.4% effective with perfect use and 98% effective with typical use with monitor only.  This is on par or higher than most forms of artificial contraception (the oral birth control pill is 93% effective with typical use, for example)  However, to make the method even more conservative we can add in buffer days to the algorithmic start of fertility, choose to use Phase 3 only (post ovulatory infertile days), and add in double check tests to confirm ovulation (temperature or urine progesterone tests).  

I hear a lot about the newer Mira Monitor - should I start learning Marquette with the Mira instead of the Clearblue Monitor?

It depends on your situation!  For most women, the Clearblue monitor will meet their needs perfectly well.  It's a simpler piece of technology with robust efficacy data supporting the protocols for both regular and breastfeeding cycles.  Mira is a newer device and efficacy studies are still underway so protocols are considered provisional until they have been studied further.  If you are perimenopausal, are going through chemotherapy, have struggled with months of "high" days in Cycle 0 before, have uncontrolled PCOS, or just love the quantitative data that the Mira provides, it can be an excellent choice!  It offers more data and more flexible testing.  We can have a phone consultation to determine if it's the right fit for you.  I'd be happy to discuss the pros and cons!