The Art of Natural Family Planning:

This information-packed book is a must for couples who wish to understand the gift of their fertility. It gives the reader an excellent understanding of Natural Family Planning. This is not the "rhythm method", but a method based on observation of one's own pattern of fertility. As a woman, I particularly was pleased to develop an awareness of my body's natural cycles. This method is exceptionally useful for women, like me, who have irregular menstrual cycles. The authors cite moral, religious, health and environmental reasons to support the use of Natural Family Planning. They also provide ample information demonstrating why the sympto-thermal method of NFP gives a woman all the tools she needs to determine her fertile time, whether she is seeking pregnancy or to avoid a pregnancy. The effectiveness of this method approaches or exceeds that of the Pill, without the health risks for the woman or baby. I highly recommend this book!

I would definitely recommend this book over others on fertility awareness and natural family planning. The review at the end of each chapter is very helpful in learning the basic concepts, and the sample chart exercises are invaluable -- they cover "real-life" cycle irregularities as well as some "textbook-perfect" cycles. There is also a lot of information on the return of fertility following childbirth, which I don't remember seeing in the other books I've read. There also seem to be more rules for chart interpretation than in other books, which allows for a shorter period of abstinence given individual cycle patterns. This is a very well researched book, and includes lots of references to medical journal articles. One section of this book covers Christian teaching on birth control and Catholic teaching in particular, and is very interesting for those who are pursuing NFP for religious reasons. However, this book is not "just" for Catholics, and is a wonderful resource for any couple looking for natural, ecologically-friendly birth regulation.

My husband and I learned to use NFP (7 years and running) using the last edition of this book, but this one is much better. There is more of everything--more science (this is not hocus-pocus, cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best stuff) and lots of information that is related to the method but not actually part of the method. As someone who has had wildly irregular cycles all of my adult life, NFP has been a huge health bonus--I feel that I understand what is happening with my body. (Note: The method is effective even for those with irregular cycles. We have 2 children, and both were conceived on the first try.) This book explains the method so clearly, anyone can have confidence in its effectiveness. It also explains other things like using breastfeeding for natural child spacing. The book, scientific as it is, is rooted in a Catholic view of marriage and sexuality--I feel that that is one of its strengths, but even if that is not your style, you shouldn't avoid this very comprehensive work on an under-appreciated method of child spacing.

This book is the "bible" of Natural Family Planning (NFP)---NOT the "rhythm method," but a proven method of monitoring a woman's cycle signs to determine when her "window of fertility" begins and ends. It can be upwards of 95% effective!This book is used as a textbook for the Couple to Couple League International NFP course. It's the best book for a "beginner" to buy---and it will guide you through your entire reproductive life. There's an extensive section for "beginners" and a chapter on the special charting needs of women just quitting the Pill. It explains how to use your fertility awareness to avoid pregnancy, as well as how to beat marginal infertility. It tells how to know you're pregnant and how to maintain infertility during breast feeding, as well as how to tell when you become fertile again. Finally, it explains how to chart all the way through menopause. There is plenty of info about the effects of nutrition and pharmaceuticals on your cycles too!While the technical information will help anyone, the book is particularly well-suited for Christians as it has sections which delve deep into the morality of family planning. But non-Christians shouldn't be scared off either---this is simply the best book around for learning how to use your natural body signs to prevent or achieve pregnancy, no matter what your reasons.My husband and I use this method, and we think our marriage and my health is better for it.

My husband, Tony, and I became acquainted with this marvelous book when we learned Natural Family Planning with the Couple to Couple League while we were engaged. Now in the fourth edition, it serves as the textbook for the course. It contains an easy to understand discussion of the biology of fertility and the application of the rules to find the fertile and non-fertile times of the woman's cycle. About the time a woman ovulates, her basal body temperature will rise about 4/10'ths of a degree, F. She will also notice a change in the cervical mucus and cervix. By charting these signs, a couple can know the limits of the fertile time in any cycle. They can abstain from intercourse accordingly whether they desire a baby or not that cycle. The method is completely reversible. Also included in the manual are helps for relatively infertile couples seeking pregnancy, discussion of the ecological breastfeeding which spaces babies, as well as nutrition and medication information that affects the fertility cycle. We were so pleased with the effectiveness (99+%) of the symptothermal method (NOT the old rhythm method at all!) and the effects on our relationship and communication that we decided to become a teaching couple too. We are happy to share this art and science with other couples seeking to space their children in a healthy way. Julie and Tony Skokna http://members.aol.com/ChicagoCCL