Question

I just had my 7th child. We learned the Creighton Model of NFP 20 years ago and learned the sympto-thermal method 2 years ago. We are a very fertile couple and I have a lot of double peaks. Now that I am getting older I am having shorter cycles. I have some health issues and my last delivery almost ended up in an emergency C-section. I heard about a computer form of NFP called a Baby Comp out of Germany that is used to avoid pregnancy, and was wondering if you had heard anything about it. How accurate it is and if it is acceptable with the teaching of the Catholic Church. I was also wondering if the Clear Plan Easy computer can be used to avoid pregnancy and if you had any information on that.

Answer

There are many different monitors and devices on the market, some more effective than others. And there is ongoing research which it appears will culminate in even more devices for measuring hormones. At this time, it is important you read the scientific studies on the effectiveness of these monitors, and judge each on its proven effectiveness, recognizing their limitations. We hope in the future to do a review of these devices and post that on our website, and to provide a speaker on this topic at one of our annual conferences.

Re: their acceptability to the Catholic Church--- NFP is acceptable not because it is “natural” (does not use a drug or device) but because it respects the love-giving and life-giving nature of the marital act. How one determines the fertile time (whether by observing mucus on tissue, measuring basal body temperatures with a digital thermometer, or measurement of hormone in the urine) is irrelevant in terms of the morality. All are simply different ways to identify the fertile time so one can exercise responsible parenthood by engaging in marital relations during the fertile time, or avoiding them to postpone a pregnancy.

Sheila St. John

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