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Clergy

Virtual Marriage Preparation and NFP Education

Healthcare Professionals

NFP Providers

NFP Private Social Communities

Other Websites
 

Select links are provided here for the visitor’s convenience. Please be advised that the websites represent the insights and perspective of their authors. Reference to these sites do not imply USCCB official endorsement. The USCCB assumes no responsibility for these websites, their content, or their sponsoring organizations.


Clergy

Attention: Please remember to check with your diocesan NFP coordinator or office of Marriage and Family Life to learn of local clergy NFP education events and resources in your diocese.


Virtual Marriage Preparation and NFP Education

The following distance learning courses offer Catholic
marriage preparation with NFP method education.

 


Healthcare Professionals

(More information on NFP resources for healthcare professionals at USCCB.)

  • Catholic Medical Association is a national Catholic organization for healthcare professionals and interested persons. Among their activities, CMA holds annual conferences which often provide pre-conference seminars on NFP. The CMA publishes Linacre Quarterly, a peer-reviewed journal on Catholic bioethics. NFP articles and research are frequently included in the journal.
     
  • FACTS (Fertility Appreciation Collaborative to Teach the Science) is a national organization devoted to educating healthcare professionals on the science and methodology of all NFP methods.
     
  • Marquette University, Institute of NFP provides education for clients and training for teachers on the Marquette Model of NFP. The Marquette Model is a Sympto-Hormonal method of NFP. Institute leaders also conduct research on various aspects of NFP. Please note, many MM educational programs include CEUs for nurses and CMEs for physicians.
     
  • National Catholic Bioethics Center is a think tank and resource center on Catholic teaching and bioethics. Staff also provide individual consultation to healthcare leaders and professionals.
     
  • The Saint Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction offers a number of programs for healthcare professionals in the methodology of the Creighton Model of FertilityCare system and the medical practice of NaProTechnology. Please note, many of the Institute's educational programs include CEUs for nurses and CMEs for physicians.

NFP National and Regional Providers

(See NFP providers at USCCB)

 


 

NFP Private Support Communities

Please note, the USCCB has no professional connection with the NFP support communities listed below. They are listed and described here for the convenience of our visitors. Only those social media groups whose support of Catholic teaching and NFP use are included here. Please contact us at nfp@usccb.org if new groups emerge and should be included.

List of Abbreviations
Billings Ovulation Method, BOM
Buy, Sell, Trade,  B/S/T
Cervical Mucus Method, CMM
Creighton Model FertilityCare™ , CrM
Sympto-Hormonal Method, SHM
Sympto-Thermal Method,  STM
Trying To Avoid pregnancy,  TTA
Trying To Conceive,  TTC

____________________

Catholic NFP TTA, facebook.com/groups/1547240995521476
Support group for Catholics who are trying to avoid pregnancy (TTA). Various NFP methods are represented among the members.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Catholics Permanently TTA, facebook.com/groups/472926266999621
Support group for Catholic parents using NFP to avoid pregnancy long-term ("permanently"). Whether the member is "relieved to be done," or your "heart aches for more" but you can’t have any more children for serious reasons, this is a place to share thoughts and feelings.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Catholic Support Group for Couples TTA for serious medical reasons, facebook.com/groups/1422253144743349
Catholic-based support for women struggling with having to avoid pregnancy due to serious medical complications. The aim of the group is to offer only love and support and not judgements, while still following Catholic teaching on sexual morality/NFP.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Clearblue Monitor Methods (MM) NFP support group, facebook.com/groups/MonitorMethods
This group is interested in discussing the monitor methods of Natural Family Planning such as Boston Cross Check and the Marquette Method of NFP. It is open to both women and men. It is not a Catholic-specific group; however, the adminstrators of the group are Catholic and the rules of the group are Catholic-friendly (e.g., if a member mentions that they use barriers with their natural method, they may not encourage others to do likewise).
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

EndoFam, facebook.com/groups/endofam
Endometriosis support for NFP users with a Catholic perspective.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

FertilityCare Creighton and NaPro User Support Group, facebook.com/groups/crmsnapro.usergroup
Support group for users of the Creighton Model FertilityCare method (CrM) and for those interested in NaProTechnology (NaPro). This is a user-based support group where CrM users, practitioners, physicians, and those interested in NaPro are welcome to talk, ask questions (minus charting questions), and share their personal experiences with both the method and NaPro. It does not officially represent the method or its affiliates. It is a support group and comments should not be taken as personal charting advice or to replace the relationship with your FertilityCare Practitioner or physician. While this group does not espouse any one moral code or set of beliefs in general or about fertility treatment, it only exists for support and promotion of NaPro treatment. Any posts supporting ART or requesting support for reproductive therapies that are not restorative in nature or complementary to NaPro treatment will be deleted by the adminisrators.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Fertility Monitors B/S/T, facebook.com/groups/341819159694974
Members of this group can simply buy, sell, or trade (B/S/T) fertility monitors and femtech. Method or device instructions are not hosted here.
Caution: This group is not Catholic in focus. It may include mention of people following immoral practices that are against Church teaching (e.g., IVF, commercial surrogacy, contraceptives, etc.).
Private group: Only members can see who’s in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Joyful Ever After Catholic Marriage, facebook.com/groups/joyfuleverafter
Support for Catholic marriage, with a focus on communication, connection, and intimacy. Very supportive of NFP practice but not focused on NFP charting.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Marquette Method NFP, facebook.com/groups/296532714516862
A support group for current Marquette Method users and those interested in learning about the method. Interested parties can connect and find resources on how to find proper instruction for practicing the Marquette Method. As this is a formally affiliated group with Marquette University’s Natural Family Planning Institute, it maintains HIPAA standards. Due to HIPPAA regulatins, some forms of discussion (such as chart-sharing or test stick pictures) are not permitted.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Natural Family Planning – CLOSED group, facebook.com/groups/NFPfans
A place for those who use, support, or wish to learn about NFP. This group is open to both men and women. People of all faiths and no faith are welcome. In addition, people who practice secular natural fertility charting are welcome. The group was created by Catholics with Catholics in mind and the rules reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Private group: Only members can see who’s in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Natural Family Planning-Pregnancy, Parenting and Motherhood Support, facebook.com/groups/735986096456493
Natural Family Planning-Pregnancy and Parenting Support group is for NFP users who are interested in discussing fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, postpartum emotional health, parenting, and baby care. This group supports all methods of NFP and is open to all faiths. The group does not permit advocating for immoral activities which are contrary to Catholic teaching and the vision of NFP (this includes: IVF, surrogacy, abortion, pornography, homosexual activity, masturbation, contraceptive use, etc.).
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

NFP and Hyper-fertility Support/NFP Rejects, facebook.com/groups/384532738678280/
This support group is for people faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church but who have experienced unexplained NFP method failures while trying to achieve (TTA) or would generally describe their relationship with NFP as “complicated.” The group  is also supportive for parents who have several small children close in age.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

NFP Instructor Inter-method Support, facebook.com/groups/630696897491373
A support group for instructors of all methods of NFP and Fertility Awareness-Based Methods. Because this group is designed especilly for NFP instructors, it upholds the teachings of the Catholic Church. This free, easily accessible, inter-NFP-method, Catholic friendly support space, is designed to foster unity and oppose the NFP "method war" mentality. In this group instructors can help each other with questions about business and methodology as well as provide emotional support for difficult instructor situations.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

NFP Premenopause Group, facebook.com/groups/412486138896385
A group for those who use NFP and want to discuss questions related to premenopause. All people are welcome. The group is run in accordance with Catholic principles and abides by Church teachings. This group is for women only, with an exception made for a male Catholic endocrinologist who occasionally contributes.)
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

NFP Support: Billings Ovulation method, facebook.com/groups/700439266684610
This group is a place where women using the Billlings Ovulation Method (BOM) can support one another. This is not an official BOM group, but it focuses on the authentic Billings Method which relies on periodic sexual abstinence during fertile times when postponing conception. Understandably, contraceptive barriers, spermicides, and withdrawal are not compatible with the BOM. While this group is not Catholic-specific, the focus of the group is compatible with Catholic teaching.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Official NFP: Catholic Style! facebook.com/groups/NFPCatholicStyle
This group is a branch-off of the closed NFP group. It is a place for Catholic women and men who already practice NFP or support NFP users. It is also for those who wish to learn about NFP from a Catholic perspective. This group upholds Catholic Magisterial teaching  on married love and the gift of life. Please note that some of the discussions are of a sensitive nature (i.e., interpreting charts). While the prime focus of the group is NFP, questions of a more moral Catholic nature are also welcomed so long as charity is maintained.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Positive Catholic TTA Group, facebook.com/groups/467330696725461
This is a group for those who seek the silver lining in challenging trying to avoide (TTA) times and who want to give positive encouragement to each other. The group adheres to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Postpartum NFP Support, facebook.com/groups/338240116547758
This group is for postpartum women, (breastfeeding or not), who use NFP and are looking for charting support throughout their journey to return to fertility, whether trying to avoid pregnancy, trying to conceive, or without any particular family planning intent. This includes those who are interested in choosing a method if they have not done so already. This group is for women of all faiths and no faith. The group upholds the teachings of the Church in all matters--particularly on matters of sexuality, marriage, and family life.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Proov user and support Group, facebook.com/groups/121476308499019
A space for Proov users to share their experiences using the ovulation tests. It can be helpful in understanding how they work.
Caution: Not Catholic specific and some members may discuss practices that are incompatible with Catholic teaching.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Restorative Reproductive Health Professionals, facebook.com/groups/RRHPros
A business support community for all professionals who are working to change the status quo of reproductive health care. This may include NFP/FABM educators, Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM) physicians, allied health professionals, or anyone considering pursing work in this field.
Caution: Not Catholic in focus, so some discussions may include material not in alignment with the faith, although many of the principles of RRM are consonant with Catholic teachings.

SymptoPro, facebook.com/groups/symptoprocharting
An informal place to discuss NFP, specifically the Sympto-Thermal method taught by SymptoPro Fertility Education.
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

Tempdrop: Catholic Women’s NFP Group, facebook.com/groups/1718981824841341
A place to discuss integration of Tempdrop with Catholic forms of NFP use. For women TTA, TTC, or just wanting a better idea of their fertility. General info and troubleshooting might still be best placed in the larger general Tempdrop group, which is a secular/open group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/853131758175555
Private group: Only members can see who is in the group and what they post.
Visible: Anyone can find this group.

REDDIT

Catholic TTC, reddit.com/r/catholicTTC
Designed for Catholic married couples hoping to get pregnant. Topics include advice on achieving pregnancy, physiological barriers to pregnancy, infertility, miscarriage, and stillbirth. Topics also treat preparing spiritually, economically, and physically for parenthood. The moderators state loyalty to the Magisterium and will delete posts debating Catholic teaching or promoting unethical procedures.

Catholic Womens Health, reddit.com/r/CatholicWomensHealth
This community is a place for people to share their experiences with fertility, NFP, menstrual disorders, and anything relating to women’s health. It is open to men and women of all faiths but is designed for practicing Catholic women. Content posted must align with Catholic doctrine and will be removed if it violates Catholic teaching. Although the content may be sensitive, best efforts are made to ensure it is a “safe for work” space, therefore vulgar language or detail about sexual sin is not permitted.

FAMnNFP, reddit.com/r/FAMnNFP
This is not a Catholic specific group, nor is it particularly Catholic-friendly, so care must be taken in choosing topic threads, and if posting a question or topic Catholics might wish to identify themselves as asking from a Catholic perspective, to avoid answers or discussions that veer from Catholic teaching. This is primarily a Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) group with a secular approach to fertility charting. (Moves are underway to create a Catholic-specific NFP group.)

OTHER GROUPS

Off the Charts, offthechartsnfp.com
A subscription-based ad-free community with a membership of $19 per month or $190 per year. It is aimed to be a support for anyone who has ever struggled with NFP, to learn it, to live it, to keep at it, to grow through it, to teach it, and to find community in it. Off the Charts operates in reference to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Not currently accepting new members but may at a future date. Check this website for changes in membership.

Pearl & Thistle Connect & Share, pearlandthistle.podia.com/ptcommunity
An ad-free community with no membership fee. The aim of this community is to nurture relationships, conversations, and mutual support around the topics of NFP and body literacy. Couples, parents, young adults, educators, and church employees are all welcome. This group is open to non-Catholics and is tolerant of varying opinions. However, Pearl & Thistle is Catholic focused, and members are not permitted to promote teachings contrary to those of the Catholic Church.


Other Websites

  • American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals accredits FertilityCare Centers, certifies Creighton Model FertilityCare teachers, and offers a number of educational programs including an annual conference.

  • California Association of Natural Family Planning serves NFP teachers and couples of all methods. They provide resources and annually host a conference in the state of California.

  • Chart Your Cycle Engaged
    Chart Your Cycle Engaged is an online fertility awareness coaching program that follows a multi-index approach to cycle tracking by recording and interpreting cervical fluid, basal body temperature, and additional at-home hormonal monitoring for increased efficacy and confidence. Chart Your Cycle Engaged provides two offerings for couples fulfilling their marriage preparation requirement for Natural Family Planning:

    1. Live Virtual Introduction to Natural Family Planning Workshop (one hour)
    Each month a free live Introduction to Natural Family Planning virtual workshop is offered. In this one-hour presentation, clients will meet a Chart Your Cycle coach, learn the basics and benefits of cycle charting, and why it matters when getting married in the Catholic Church. The live question and answer session allows time for clients to discuss the information with the cycle coach.

    Participants will receive a certificate of completion for their marriage preparation program. The couple is required to attend together but may attend on separate devices. This is a great option for couples who are not in the same geographic location.

    To learn more and register for the next session visit: Introduction to Natural Family Planning at awesomecatholicmarriage.com;contact: @email

    2. Complete NFP Method Instruction
    Complete NFP instruction and support are offered through a 12-week hybrid program offering self-paced learning with online live coaching for charting evaluation and support.

    Full instruction for autonomous use of fertility awareness cycle charting and interpretation for NFP is provided. 

    The program uses Chart Neo, a medical management model cycle tracking app and platform for secure charting and data management.

    This hybrid program offers both on-demand content and live coaching. It is intentionally structured for busy couples. Join anytime, work at your own pace, and receive personalized support with regularly scheduled check-ins. 

    Chart Your Cycle Engaged includes an Introduction to Catholic Marriage, which provides background on the integration of fertility awareness in Catholic marriage.
     
    To get started visit: awesomecatholicmarriage.com; Melissa Buchan, NBC-HWC, Chart Your Cycle Founder, Neo Fertility Advisor, Integrative Health Coach; Chart Neo Co-Founder, melissabuchan.com, chartneo.com

  • ForYourMarriage.org is a pastoral service of the U.S. Bishops' Committee for Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth. This site offers a wealth of information on preparing for marriage as well as marriage enrichment information. ForYourMarriage.org Blogs can be found here.

  • The Hormone Genius Podcast (hormonegenius.com) is a podcast series developed by two FertilityCare leaders (Teresa Kenny, WHNP, MC and Jamie Rathjen, MA, CFCP) to empower women to "become the genius of their hormones" and "proud" owners of their "feminine design."

  • Marquette Fertility Education is a website for fertility literacy and learning the Marquette Method (MM) of NFP, (a Sympto-Hormonal method). Founded by Mary Lee Barron, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, a master teacher of the MM, the website provides sound information about fertility health for men and women.

  • MarriageUniqueforaReason.org is a pastoral service of the U.S. Bishops' Sub-Committee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage (which relates to the Committee for Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth). Many interesting resources are available on this site, including informative podcasts.

  • NFP Outreach provides resources for evangelizing the faithful about Catholic teaching on married love and the gift of life. They also offer the unique resource of NFP parish missions.

  • Natural Womanhood is a secular national NFP education organization. Their website offers engaging articles and other useful resources.

  • Pearl & Thistle, brings faith and science together in its many resources--including NFP classes for married couples. Some resources are parent-child based and focus on fertility literacy that is connected to how God created men and women. Other resources are for single women and Catholic leaders (clergy and laity). The Pearl & Thistle program, Cycle Prep, is the preferred cycle education program for My Catholic Doctor.

  • Person & Identity Project is an educational outreach of the Catholic Women's Forum. This website provides resources about men and women being made in the image and likeness of God. It includes Catholic teaching about the person and human sexuality, as well as information about gender ideology and its dangers. The content is tailored for parents, schools, and Catholic leaders.

  • The Catholic Woman is an activity of GIVEN, a faithful group of Catholic women who strive to help each other identify their vocations in the world and in the Church. The website provides beautiful and inspiring stories of real Catholic women who love God, His Church, and their neighbors. The formats include articles and films. The overarching message is that womanhood is neither monotonous nor uniform, but a way of being that is expressed uniquely in every woman.

  • The St. Augustine Foundation is a national Catholic educational organization that focuses on the virtue of chastity, NFP, and Catholic teachings on human sexuality, marriage, and responsible parenthood. Among their resources, the website offers helpful virtual courses on Catholic teaching in these subjects.

  • You, Me, and NFP is a website developed by a Marquette Method teacher and her friends. The site provides an engaging and simple overview of NFP methods and Catholic teaching. It also features a blog, information about NaProTechnology, and a link for registration to learn the Marquette Method.

  • Whole Mission is an NFP education website developed by Marquette Method nurse teachers. These nurse teachers reside in different states. They provide both group and individual instruction in the Marquette Method. They can provide courses both in-person and online. Online classes are conducted through a secure video meeting platform.

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