Luck’s Got Nothing to do With It

On this feast of St. Patrick’s Day perhaps you are thinking about some of the luck in your life. Whether it be something small, like getting a good parking space or something larger, like being in the right place at the right time to meet your spouse. There are all sorts of luck (aka blessings!) to recognize in our lives, but when it comes to NFP and effectiveness — luck’s got nothing to do with it.

Some people still believe that using NFP and successfully avoiding pregnancy is all just a stroke of rare luck; NFP still gets a bad rap as being ineffective, or even gets compared to the outdated Rhythm method. We’re here to tell you that is definitely not the case.

You can learn more about specific differences between the Rhythm method and modern NFP here, but the gist of Rhythm was to assume that every woman’s cycle was 28 days and that she ovulated on Cycle Day 14. While this may be a good estimation for an average cycle, it is by no means “law.” Every woman’s cycle and ovulation is different, which is why the Sympto-Thermal and other modern NFP methods monitor actual day-by-day signs that tell a woman where she is in her cycle. No theoretical here; NFP uses real-time data!

Since the days of the Rhythm method, NFP has definitely kicked things up a notch in science and methodology, so much so that when used correctly it competes right up there with the most effective forms of contraception. If you want to look into the effectiveness data, you can check out this 2007 study.

So if you thought NFP users were just getting lucky in avoiding pregnancy, think again because the science is there. Couples feeling lucky (aka blessed!) to have learned the method and reap its benefits is the only luck involved!

— Megan Imwalle
Communications Intern