Married sexuality and family planning are issues that should be studied carefully and reflected on prayerfully. One wouldn’t want to invest hard-earned money in the stock market without seriously studying the fund performance. Or, one wouldn’t consent to a serious medical procedure without first researching and consulting with specialists. Marriage and family are serious obligations with eternal consequences and need proper care and attention.
Natural Family Planning (NFP) empowers couples with knowledge of their fertility. What an awesome privilege it is to share with God in the creation of new life! Fertility can be viewed as a gift to be understood, not a “problem” to be eliminated. The Church’s approach to family planning is a balanced one, encouraging couples to be generous with their love by welcoming children into the world, while not being careless in deciding on the size of their families.
Fertility awareness involves learning simple biological signs that are easily detected, indicating a woman’s fertility. Natural Family Planning is the ability to interpret those signs of fertility to determine the times of fertility and infertility in a woman’s menstrual cycle. Responsible parenthood is the virtuous choice of the couple whether to plan for a new life or abstain to prevent conception in that cycle.