NFP Charting? There's an App for That

[Michie]

Now that the storm of ludicrous misinformation about the Confession app has all but died down, I’d like to draw your attention to another app that will be useful to many Catholics—and it was developed by a Baptist.

It’s an NFP charting app for iPad and iPhone. There are several NFP apps available, mostly for the sympto-thermal method. They carry the warning: “for recreational purposes only,” which makes me giggle. “Recreational?” I hate, dread, and stink at keeping charts. No, that’s not God’s way of telling me that NFP is inherently sinful, or that I should just go ahead and have 11 more babies. It’s just that I and my household are utterly, tragically unsuited for handling routine paperwork.

While I am grateful for the scientific and theological labor that went into developing modern NFP (I use Creighton), asking me to stick little stickers on a paper chart at the end of the day, every day, is like asking me to take up base jumping: sounds lovely, but I’m just not that kind of girl.

So when I spotted this app, I was delighted to see that it’s extremely similar to my Creighton chart. It’s designed for the Billings Ovulation Method, which tracks a woman’s cervical fluid to establish times of fertility. (NB: I’m using a Billings app for a Creighton method of charting, and have gone off the grid with my teacher. I don’t endorse or recommend this behavior! For more information about Creighton, which is about more than achieving or avoiding pregnancy, see their website to get the whole scoop.)

I didn’t get paid to endorse this app—just thought it’s an interesting and helpful development, one of the bright spots in the technological revolution.

Here’s a screen shot:

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[princess_ballet]

That picture absolutely confused me.

 

[epiclesis]

That picture absolutely confused me.

take an NFP class. then you'll look at it and go "I KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!"

 

[princess_ballet]

take an NFP class. then you'll look at it and go "I KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!"

I don't have to worry about it right now, but maybe if the time comes, I will.

 

[Aibrean]

How does NFP work with women with PCOS?

 

[epiclesis]

I don't have to worry about it right now, but maybe if the time comes, I will.

No, even if you're nowhere near married... it's amazing to learn THAT much about your body. I knew the body was an amazing thing that can do so much, but I never realized how much your body can tell you.

 

[epiclesis]

How does NFP work with women with PCOS?

I'm not sure what PCOS entails, so I don't really know.

 

[Aibrean]

Pretty much with PCOS you have cysts on your ovaries that result in VERY irregular periods (mine were 2x a year or less).

 

[Davidnic]

Pretty much with PCOS you have cysts on your ovaries that result in VERY irregular periods (mine were 2x a year or less).

I think Couple to Couple league has information on how to do it with PCOS. I think it involves using multiple methods of detection. You can not chart or predict, I think, but you can tell when fertility happens. So it is a more constant vigilance.

That is the little I know. I can try to find more.

 

[epiclesis]

Pretty much with PCOS you have cysts on your ovaries that result in VERY irregular periods (mine were 2x a year or less).

So your period coming regularly is one thing to help you with charting.... I would imagine it might just require a little more abstinence because you can't follow the "rules" for how long to wait.

But you judge fertility based on cervical mucous, temperature, and cervix. So as long as you're ovulating, you could still chart. It would be more difficult, but I'm sure doable.

 

[princess_ballet]

Pretty much with PCOS you have cysts on your ovaries that result in VERY irregular periods (mine were 2x a year or less).

I was wondering this as well, since I'm also in the same boat.

While I don't (obviously) know that much about NFP, I'm not sure it would work because there is no regular cycle. Literally, nothing is regular at all.

 

[Assisi]

The only method I know is Billings, and I think it would be possible to use it with PCOS.

***details about method mentioned***

It's all about mucous detection.
In a normal cycle you use early day rules (only every second day is available for sex) until you start to detect some mucous signaling you are becoming fertile and about to ovulate. Then you abstain 3 full days after a 'clear peak' you no longer have to follow any rules and then your period should arrive approx. 2 weeks after your peak.

In PCOS you would spend a loooooong time doing early day rules. The formation of multiple cysts probably won't have much impact on how you follow the rules. A surge of human leutinising hormone is what causes the mucous and can happen more than once though so there may be two phases of abstinence, the first followed by a return to the early day rules because no clear peak was seen, the second followed by a leuteal phase.

If you are interested in using it, why not see an NFP teacher and see if it can be used for you.