How effective is Natural Family Planning?
For Achieving Pregnancy: According to the Pope Paul VI Institute for the study of Human Reproduction, 76% of couples using the Creighton Model System and having normal fertility will achieve pregnancy in their first cycle of using fertile days for intercourse. This means that couples using NFP can accurately time conception and their due date to within about a month, 76% of the time. Those rates go up to 90% after three cycles and 98% after six cycles. For couples struggling with infertility, 20-40% will become pregnant within six to twelve months of use by charting alone. When couples receive medical treatment along with charting, their pregnancy rate goes up to 80%. Numbers may vary with the different methods; however, all NFP methods help couples to identify the most fertile time to try to conceive. Further, all methods can help identify cycle issues which can impact the ability to conceive and can pinpoint when pregnancy occurs--making calculating accurate due dates possible.
For Avoiding/Postponing Pregnancy: Overall, the rate is as high as or higher than any contraception systems--97%-99% method-effectiveness! No, really! It's THAT good. Plus, the continuation rate of NFP (people who love it and keep using it) is around 93%. The continuation rate of contraception ranges from 43% to 72% (see Jason Evert's Love, Sex & Babies, p. 2 [Catholic Answers, 2004]).
More Effectiveness Studies
Effectiveness in Delaying Pregnancy (Sympto-thermal Method such as CCL)
For Achieving Pregnancy: According to the Pope Paul VI Institute for the study of Human Reproduction, 76% of couples using the Creighton Model System and having normal fertility will achieve pregnancy in their first cycle of using fertile days for intercourse. This means that couples using NFP can accurately time conception and their due date to within about a month, 76% of the time. Those rates go up to 90% after three cycles and 98% after six cycles. For couples struggling with infertility, 20-40% will become pregnant within six to twelve months of use by charting alone. When couples receive medical treatment along with charting, their pregnancy rate goes up to 80%. Numbers may vary with the different methods; however, all NFP methods help couples to identify the most fertile time to try to conceive. Further, all methods can help identify cycle issues which can impact the ability to conceive and can pinpoint when pregnancy occurs--making calculating accurate due dates possible.
For Avoiding/Postponing Pregnancy: Overall, the rate is as high as or higher than any contraception systems--97%-99% method-effectiveness! No, really! It's THAT good. Plus, the continuation rate of NFP (people who love it and keep using it) is around 93%. The continuation rate of contraception ranges from 43% to 72% (see Jason Evert's Love, Sex & Babies, p. 2 [Catholic Answers, 2004]).
More Effectiveness Studies
Effectiveness in Delaying Pregnancy (Sympto-thermal Method such as CCL)