God designed marriage as an “intimate partnership of life and love” (see Gaudium et spes, no. 48). In God’s design, marriage is a unique union of one man with one woman “for the whole of life” (see Canon 1055, The Code of Canon Law). Marriage is oriented to the good of the spouses and to the creation and nurture of new human life (see Gaudium et spes, no. 48). Making decisions therefore, about when and how many children to have in marriage is a sacred responsibility that God has entrusted to husband and wife. This is the foundation of what the Church calls, “Responsible Parenthood,” the call to discern God’s will for your marriage while respecting His design for life and love. 

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 conception. These methods are based on the observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle. Some natural methods include use of fertility monitors to better understand the time of the wife’s fertility. Married couples using NFP to postpone conception abstain from intercourse and genital contact during the fertile phase of the wife’s cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy. Married couples who use NFP to attempt a pregnancy, make use of the fertile window–the optimum time when conception is likely. 
  • 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)

Information on Fertility Awareness

FAbM Base – Seeks to establish the practical, scientific and communal foundation and continuing support necessary for those learning and practicing fertility awareness in all stages of life

The Marriage Group – Online, On-Demand Catholic Course: NFP Life – An Introduction to Natural Family Planning

Method Overviews

FAbM Base – Provides a breakdown of the different methods of fertility awareness
Sympto-Hormonal
Sympto-Thermal
Mucus-Only

Sympto-Hormonal

Marquette Method

Vitae Fertility Education
Louise Boychuk, RN
Marquette Method NFP Instructor
780-222-8671
louise@vitaefertility.com
https://www.vitaefertility.com/

Whole Mission
https://www.thewholemission.com/about-mmnfp

Boston Cross Check

Sara Graf
saragrafcoaching@gmail.com
917-375-3873

FEMM

Sympto-Thermal

Couple to Couple League

Matt and Jenene Peterson
813-949-2226
jmjpetefamily@gmail.com
Our Lady of the Rosary Parish

myparishnfp.org – Helping families, parishes, and dioceses navigate fertility with faith.

SmartLoving Fertility

SymptoPro

Mucus-Only

Billings Ovulation Method

Billings Ovulation Method Association

Julie J. McKean, LMHC, NCC, LLC
Family of the Americas
Bridgewater Professional Park
4913 Van Dyke Road, Lutz, FL 33558
813-453-1151
Julie@counselingwithcare.biz
Will see clients out of office

Creighton Method – English

Diane M. Hale, RN, CFCE
St.Gianna’s Center for Women’s Health and Fertility Care
727-798-2340
diane.hale@stgiannacenter.com
https://www.stgiannacenter.com/ – Clients seen at the St. Gianna’s Center in Largo and via Skype

Linda Mackenzie, RN CFCP
Ave Maria Fertility Care
813-541-8517
fertilitycaretampa@gmail.com
www.fertilitycaretampa.com
Will see clients at St. Stephen Parish in Valrico or in Plant City.
Will also accommodate out of area clients by WebEx.

Melissa Zumpano, BS, CFCP
LorettoFertilityCare@gmail.com  
Online Sessions Available
www.LorettoFertilityCare.com
Online only

Creighton Method – Spanish

Arianna Banuelos
Stella Maris FertilityCare Services
ariannabcrms@gmail.com
562-458-8782

Updated January 2024