Ep. 200: Step by Step Gameplan for Starting a Fertility Awareness Method/NFP in 2026

Learning a Fertility Awareness Method can feel intimidating, which is why having a step-by-step game plan for starting NFP can help so much. If you're looking to begin learning the Creighton Model System or any other cycle tracking method, this episode is meant to walk you through what you need to do before beginning. We discuss how long it takes to learn, what is helpful when things get difficult, how to find the right instructor, and more.

NOTE: This episode is appropriate for all audiences.

Ep. 34: Is Contraception a Faithful Choice for Christians?

Ep. 108: Choosing a Natural Family Planning (NFP) Method

Ep. 2: BASICS - Fertility Method of Choice: Creighton

Ep. 196: My Wife Wants to Use Natural Family Planning: A Primer Episode for Husbands (and Fiancés)

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Transcript

Caitlin (00:25)
Welcome back to the Woven Well podcast and happy new year. I love a new year. I love a new year's resolution. It's a right up my alley. I am a big fan of making a game plan and seeing it happen, whatever it may be. And I know that for a lot of you, your goal in 2026 is to finally start using a fertility awareness method or a natural family planning method. But it's just not as easy as just joining a gym, is it? You know, if you want to start using a fertility awareness method, Where do you start? What does it really involve? How do you actually do it? 

Well, that's what today's episode is all about. And if you're already using one of these methods, this may be the perfect episode to send to a friend who may be asking you questions about what you do or always showing a little bit of interest whenever you talk about using a fertility awareness method, let them know that you believe in them. You know that they can do it because honestly, a lot of times encouragement, especially for a new year's resolution is really all we need. So let's dive into this step-by-step game plan for starting a fertility awareness method in 2026. And I think the first thing we have to start with is determining why you want to do this. Everyone has a slightly different reason, or you may even have more than one reason. I know that for a lot of the clients that I work with, some of the most common ones are like being tired of the side effects of birth control. And so you may be looking for a new option, a natural option that doesn't have those same side effects. Or you may want a tool for getting to the bottom of reproductive health issues. So you're trying to learn more, figure out how you can advocate for yourself and empower yourself. You may have theological concerns or spiritual unrest and disquiet about using hormonal birth control or an IUD because of the likelihood of an embryo not having a healthy place to implant in the uterine lining.

If you want learn more about that, I'll make sure to have a link in the show notes that goes over some of the other episodes that we have about that tender topic. So there are lots of different reasons. Those are just a few and some of the ones that maybe people are more likely to tell me are their main reasons for looking into it, especially if they're avoiding pregnancy. But what are your reasons? What's your motivation?

Because learning something new is not gonna be easy. It always takes effort and commitment, particularly at the beginning, but good things aren't usually easy, right? They usually take a little bit of work. Good things can be hard things. So knowing why you're interested in it and why it's worth the effort for you makes all the difference in the world.

Next, decide which method is the best fit for you. I'm going to go ahead and assume that if you're listening to our show in particular, you may be most interested in the Creighton model system, which is our particular favorite. Again, I'll link another episode about the Creighton model system if you want to learn more about that first to decide. But understanding what your method is, is going to be a great next step. There are so many out there and they all offer something slightly different, based on which reproductive biomarker you want to make use of. So again, I've got other episodes that can be helpful to help you figure that out. But I'm just going to move forward assuming that the Creighton method, because it's only one reproductive biomarker, it's 99.5 % effective at avoiding pregnancy and can be learned with a fertility care practitioner. I'm just going to assume that's the one you want to do. So the next step would be to find an instructor that you can trust. 

It is huge to have somebody who is on your side in this process. I can tell you from experience that when I was first interested in natural family planning in general, just for my own use, I went to the library and I got a book and I read that book from beginning to end and I took a lot of notes, but the thought of then having to use that information to actually plan my family, actually avoid pregnancy, which is what my goal was at that time. My gosh, that was terrifying, terrifying. I really benefited from being able to work with a fertility care practitioner myself. And that's one of my favorite parts of the Creighton Model system specifically because we are working with you to see you be successful. We're just as invested as you are. So on your end, you are maybe if you're using it to avoid pregnancy, very focused on not getting pregnant right now. But as your fertility care practitioner, I'm very focused on making sure that you feel educated and empowered and you have the tools that you need and that this is something that you can actually use regardless of what your reproductive status or goal is and you can actually use it for the rest of your reproductive life. So when you're looking for an instructor, the first thing I would say to look into is their education. There are methods out there, because Creighton's not the only one, there are many, methods.

There are methods out there that only go like a weekend to train their educators or a quick four to six week course. Just to speak for ours, it's a 13 month program with intensives and practicums and exams. I mean, we really have to go through a lot in order to be able to call ourselves a fertility care practitioner. Next, you want to look for somebody with experience. So there are benefits to working with someone who's new, like an intern, someone who's learning because, not only will they look at your charting and talk with you, but you're also going to have the benefit of their educator looking at your charts too. But in general, if you can find someone who's been doing it for a while, that is a huge benefit. I know for myself, I have seen thousands of charts over the years, and I really don't think that there's a scenario that I've yet to see. somebody else has been through it before, and I would be happy to walk you through that.

And then you're looking also for your connection to them, your vibe, your, you know, do I feel comfortable with them? Do I feel safe? Do I feel like I can share some of these really intimate and tender things with this person because you're about to be talking about intimate and tender things. So it's good if it's someone that you feel really comfortable with. All right. Next up in the game plan, attend an interest class or an introductory session.

The thing about these kind of classes is that there are no commitments here. It's a great place to learn more information and just to ask a lot of questions. Have your husband attend with you if you're married and gonna be using this for fertility reasons. Even invite a friend to join with you if you want to. But come to these classes ready to learn and ready to ask questions. That's what that instructor is there to do for you. Which makes me think of another point which is,

As you're making this game plan to really be serious about starting a fertility awareness method in 2026, invite a friend to join you in the process. My goodness, community makes it so much easier to be consistent, but honestly, it just makes it more fun. When you have somebody that you can text and be like, I'm meeting tomorrow with them or this is going on or what do you do in this situation or, How are you feeling? Are you remembering to do it? Is it going well or is it hard for you right now? Like just having somebody there that you can talk to, I think makes a big difference. And although there are tons of women using this systems, it's nice to know that someone in your real life is using it too. And even more specifically, someone who is learning it from scratch right alongside you. So if you can find a friend to do it, even if you convince them to do it just to help you get started, knows? They may stick around with it for a long time.

And by the way, it can sometimes feel intimidating to bring this up. I talk about it so easily because this is what I do for a living. So I'm used to talking about cervical mucus all the time. But sometimes it can feel a little bit uncomfortable or awkward at the beginning. But we ladies talk about our cycles, right? We talk about birth control, we talk about pregnancy, we all talk about this kind of thing. So we can talk about our fertility too. And we can talk about natural family planning methods.

Do know how many women are out there looking for a way out of birth control or for an alternative that doesn't make them feel bad or give them mood swings or cause them to gain weight? I promise it will be a fruitful conversation starter no matter what. All right, next step is to set a start date for your first day of observations. So a lot of times people will get the materials in the mail and they'll say, well, I'll get started on this in a week or in a couple of days or.

Let me just finish this or I'll wait for my period to start or you know, and there's just always something standing in the way. My personal preference is when you get those materials, as long as your instructor has given you the green light, go ahead and begin immediately. If you can, then that's ideal. Like read all the material that day and then the next day get started. If you know that you're just maybe two or three days away from the start of your period and you really want to wait until that period start date, I get it.

You can do that, but if it's going to be like 10 days, two weeks, it's not worth it. Just go ahead and get started beforehand. Next step is to be realistic about the time that it takes to learn. my goodness. This is one of the things that causes the most struggle for a lot of ladies that I work with initially. Just because you get started making your observations, for instance, on January 10th, doesn't mean that you have to know how to use the method on January 10th. In fact, that's not actually how it's done. can't be. January 10th may be the first day that you're starting to make observations, the first day that you think about checking that you remembered a chart, that you check in with your friend or your husband or whatever those pieces are to help you begin to use it, but give yourself grace to learn. It's not the day that you understand how everything fits together or what everything means or how to interpret it.

That comes with time and experience with working with your instructor specifically. So they know how to walk with you from the beginning to the end. You know, this is why an instructor matters so much. Our job is to guide you and help you to be successful, but also to remind you that it takes time to learn. So we're actually going to build that into your learning. And what I mean is that we know that you don't know what you're doing. So let me say that again. We know that you don't know what you're doing. That's okay. We're gonna build in guardrails, so to speak, to help you be successful in those early weeks and months. So ask them questions, gain their guidance, take one day at a time. These fertility care practitioners are there to help you. And also from the first day that you begin, give yourself a solid three months before you expect to feel like, oh, I got this. This is nothing. This is so easy. Give yourself at least three months to get to that point.

Because the reality is you will likely feel that way before then, but knowing that you're investing three months of time at the front end really helps set your expectations well.

And I do feel like I should clarify here that this doesn't mean three months of like intense focus and study and labor and that sort of thing. It's not a college course. Okay. But it is a small daily decision to choose this natural method, to choose to pay attention to your reproductive biomarkers, to choose to stay committed. Once you hit that three month mark, you won't have to be as intentional about making that choice because by then it'll actually be a habit. So you'll feel much more confident without having to try so hard.

Okay, we're getting close to the end here, but the next step in the game plan is to talk with your husband, if you're married, about how you'll both participate. So if you're married and you're using this for family planning, in addition to health monitoring, then you'll want to make sure that your husband is on board. Now, ideally, he would join you at the education session so that he can learn right alongside you. You'll be a team as you do this, but...

I realize we live in a real world and if he can't do that, then you could send him maybe our primer for husbands episode, which I'll link in the show notes, or make a plan to share what you've learned at the end of each session. I realize that sometimes that can feel overwhelming for the women's like, my gosh, I'm just learning this and now I have to teach him too. But it's not about the teaching so much. It's about sharing that learning experience. If this is overwhelming for you, it's gonna be overwhelming for him too. But without all that helpful education that you're receiving from us each week as you meet with your fertility care practitioner. And we know that education, that's a game changer. I really feel like when it comes to my clients long-term, the participation of the husband goes a long way in helping both of you feel informed and heard, especially if you've been physically intimate while on birth control, it can be a real adjustment navigating those days of fertility. I mean, the adjustment is worth it and it can be beautiful, but it takes effort and intentionality, especially in those first three months. So doing that as a team, it just makes all the difference in the world. So maybe at the start of your period, talk about whether you're avoiding or trying to conceive that cycle. Even having that conversation and kind of knowing that you're on the same page can be really helpful. You could talk about a plan for how you'll handle days of fertility.

What are ways outside of genital contact, for instance, that you can still express love to one another? What helps communication during those days? Be a team, work together. Another idea is at the end of the day, have some way for him to see and interact with the chart. Maybe you could chart and he puts on the colored stamp. Maybe he passes you the chart and all you have to do is a quick check-in, know, last 10 seconds to kind of communicate about what's going on. But keep that communication open. Stay open to one another. It'll be awkward at first. I'll just go ahead and say that. It's new, right? You've not had to do it before, so it is going to be a little bit awkward. That's okay. Practicing together can really help. All right, lastly, and most importantly, the last step is to pray.

We don't always think about our method of family planning much when we're on birth control or we have an IUD in We think of it more as a medical decision and it's a medical decision that can last sometimes up to 10 years, Depending on the type of birth control you're using. But natural family planning really opens up this whole new world of thoughts and possibilities.

Although the odds of conceiving an unexpected pregnancy are the same or less than an IUD or birth control, it feels more possible because you're so much more aware of your fertile potential this way. I admit that that can feel really scary, but I encourage you to open those thoughts and feelings up to the Lord. Welcome him into this personal area of your lives that maybe you've never even thought about inviting him into before.

Our biology and our fertility are not outside of the realm and reign of God. In fact, I actually think it's the opposite. God is the creator of all life. So it's kind of unbelievable that we would even get to be invited to take part in it the first place. But he does invite us to do just that. He really values our opinion. He gives us agency and invites us to participate. Man, we serve an amazing God and we can trust God with this area of our lives. So let him know your questions.

Talk about that together as a couple, your concerns, your fears. Pray about it together if at all possible. But really opening up your heart to the Lord can make a huge difference. This is a new area, not just in your marriage, not just in your own life, but in your spiritual journey as well. This could be an area even of submission to the Lord. And again, that doesn't mean you don't have a say. He does invite you to have a say, but it's acknowledging that ultimately God is the creator of all life and that you trust him with that. So when you pray, you can say things like, Lord, I trust in you. Open our eyes to your presence. Give us guidance and direction. Help us to trust you when we doubt ourselves. Guide and prepare us for what you have for us. Open our hearts to your will and develop in us trust for you and whatever journey you have for us here, that it will be one that is good for us and will bring you glory no matter what it may be, if we expect it or if it's the unexpected. I really think that this can be an incredibly rich spiritual season for women and for couples. So welcoming him in, praying with him, walking with him is absolutely a critical step to take. All right.

Those are my step-by-step guides, my game plan for starting a fertility awareness method in 2026, and if you follow those, I really think you will be good to go. You will be able to do it. And if you're eager to learn more and dive in even deeper, then we have resources available to help you. You could certainly attend one of our introductory sessions. We'll make sure to have a link to that in the show notes. We're actually offering a discount to this intro session for our podcast listeners.

Just leave a review, screenshot that, send it to us and it's yours. We also have tons of podcast episodes for you. There will be some linked in the show notes. We have free resources on our website. We have a great team of fertility care practitioners to support you and we want to help you be successful in 2026. As always, thanks for listening as we continue to explore together what it means to be woven well.