NFP News
Alphonsus Liguori united two purposes of marital act
Many of us know that the teachings of the Church on marital love are founded on the inseparable connection between the two meanings of the conjugal act: the unitive meaning and the procreative meaning (HV #12). Less well-known is that it took centuries and the teaching of several doctors of the Church for this foundational…
Read MoreMore evidence that periodic abstinence is good for marriage relationship
New research confirms that despite the challenge of periodic abstinence, the use of natural family planning can be beneficial for marital relationships. The study, “Natural Family Planning and Marital Chastity: The Effects of Periodic Abstinence on Marital Relationships” (Linacre Quarterly, June 12, 2020) by Richard J. Fehring, PhD, RN, and Michael D. Manhart, PhD, found…
Read MoreLearning NFP? Start with Sympto-Thermal
OK, you’ve been hearing about fertility awareness-based methods. You like that they are safe and healthy. But how do you know which method to learn? You could search online to find advice or surveys that help match a method to your personality, lifestyle or needs. There’s good logic behind that. But I recommend everyone start…
Read MoreGrowing in devotion to St. Joseph as my spiritual father
As I help prepare for our family’s Father’s Day celebration this weekend, my thoughts happily keep turning to the foster father of Jesus, thanks to recently working on a Consecration to St. Joseph. I must admit my sorrow at neglecting a deeper relationship with him before now. As a woman, I pretty much relegated St.…
Read MoreFebruary: National Self-Check month
his February — which is National Self-Check month — commit to making your fifth vital sign your most important self-check. Don’t accept vague dismissals about what “normal” periods look like (after all, normal and healthy are not always the same). Don’t be fooled by the artificial “stability” of the Pill or the lie that to be good, a female body must perform like a man’s.
Read MoreReactions to male birth control drug are telling
There’s something unsettling about implanting foreign substances into our bodies to stop them from working properly. Men should be repulsed by hormonal contraceptives in any form. Women should feel slighted that they’ve been kept in the dark about better alternatives and convinced that their fertility is a “burden” that falls only on their shoulders.
The beauty of NFP is that it respects the dignity of the human person in a way hormonal contraceptives just don’t.
Read MoreFertility fitness: How female athletes are embracing their cycles
In fact, fighting menstrual cycles — especially with hormonal contraceptives — can hurt athletic performance. Inadequate nutrition, sleep, and body fat negatively impact hormone levels, which in turn can create symptoms that disrupt training such as sluggishness, bloating, intolerable cramping or bleeding, and more. Medicating cycles away with artificial hormones can create further troubles, including poor bone density and increased risks of blood clots in otherwise healthy athletes.
Read MorePCOS? The reason your period app can’t tell
Here’s the dirty little secret: use of hormonal contraception totally voids any charting data that could be helpful in identifying a reproductive disorder like PCOS.
Read MoreCreighton doctor joins CCL Board of Directors
“I have a tremendous respect for CCL, particularly how it has reached out to younger couples utilizing social media and the like. I also greatly respect the goal of CCL to improve marriages overall. I always find the CCL message to be one of pro-family and pro-marriage.”
Read MoreNew study: Fertility app users with formal NFP education more likely to stick to charting
We know, we know. It sounds like common sense that formal training on NFP makes users more consistent and committed to charting, but it’s important to back up claims with data…and now we have data. CCL’s own Mike Manhart, PhD, conducted the study which analyzed anonymous data from CycleProGo users who gave their permission. CycleProGo…
Read More