I was a wee nervous about my presentation, which I coped with by telling just about every warm body I encountered on my way there all about SymptoPro and NFP. So, since I've put a lot of thought into it over the past week I thought I'd share the top 5 reasons my husband and I practice Natural Family Planning. It's not for everyone, but here's why it has been life changing for us!
(Yes, he's grabbing what you think he's grabbing... see reason #2)
Reason #1
My fertility is a beautiful part of what makes me a woman. By using NFP my husband and I are constantly talking about my fertility. It's not something I "deal with" on my own. It's never something we forget about or take for granted, because it's an active part of our every day life and our daily (yes, daily) conversations. It's never something we shove out of sight until we're ready to use it. My fertility is part of what makes me a woman and me being a woman is part of what makes me attractive to my husband... so me without the fertility God made me with isn't attractive to him. Just like him without his manliness that God gave him isn't attractive to me. This could be why the divorce rate is in the single digits for couples practicing NFP. I give ALL of me to my husband just the way I am.
Reason #2
Sex is better when you practice NFP. If you don't believe me you've never practiced NFP. And if you still won't take my word for it, that's ok, but would you consider a US news study? So if A + B = C then this could be part of the significantly lower divorce rate thingy.... oh yes it is!
Reason #3
It is all natural. 100% organic. No fine print. No trading one symptom for another. Completely in sync with the natural design of our bodies. I hardly like taking Tylenol. I'll suffer through most pain before I turn to medication. I will do everything in my power to avoid taking an antibiotic. I go through the trouble of buying natural, healthy, hormone free food to feed my family. Wouldn't it be a little silly for me to do all that while taking the pill? It simply does not make sense for me to willingly turn to a chemical every single day to avoid a pregnancy in turn for the many grave potential side effects of hormonal contraception. Women say they won't happen to them, but as someone who works in this industry I can promise they do happen.
Reason #4
I am open to life and pro-life. Being pro-life isn't just about abortion. It isn't just about having a million kids. Many people who are open to life don't have kids and don't particularly want to have any. Being pro-life and open to life is about loving, cherishing and dignifying every single life even beginning with the act that has life giving potential. Being open to life is a commitment to welcoming the fullness of a sexual act: the pleasurable and the procreative functions. That doesn't mean every single time we have sex we hope for it to be procreative, but we accept, understand and expect that it could be. This very mindset brings about a deep bond between man and woman unlike any other relationship!
Reason #5
It's second nature now. I never believed it would happen... but on more than one occasion I've caught myself charting when I was pregnant. I've crossed a line.... I'm in too deep and now I'm not sure I could stop practicing NFP even if I wanted to. I can't help but observe fertile markers now that I understand what they are! It's as second nature as feeling a cold come on. If we could all learn how to do this imagine how much healthier we'd be? Learning to practice NFP isn't second nature at first by far, but that's like anything, how many people jump on a bicycle without training wheels for the first time and just speed off? It does take a little practice to learn, but once you do, like riding a bike, it's really hard to unlearn!
Do you practice NFP? What are some of the reasons you do or don't?
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