De-mystifying NFP Jargon Part 1

There are many terms and acronyms associated with Natural Family Planning. For starters, you've got NFP as well as TTC, TTW, TTA, BBT, LH, FSH, and many more. It can get complicated especially for those new to NFP. There are so many different terms and abbreviations out there. Let's de-mystify some of them.

NFP - Natural Family Planning. These are methods of family planning that involve charting biomarkers or signs of fertility. They do not involve the use of contraceptives. You can read more about some of the many different methods of Natural Family Planning here.

TTC - Trying to Conceive. As Creighton practitioners, we usually say trying to achieve pregnancy. When couples are trying to achieve pregnancy, they select fertile days for intercourse. They can and are encouraged to select infertile days for intercourse as well. Each method of NFP has slightly different ways of identifying the peak day and the fertile window.

TTA - Trying to Avoid. Couples who are trying to avoid pregnancy will only select days of infertility. It is up to couples to discern their intention in a given cycle through prayer and discussion. However, if an NFP instructor notices acts of intercourse on fertile days, they will bring it up and discuss it with their clients to make sure they understand the instructions of the method and how to use the method according to their stated intention.

TTW - Trying to Whatever. This can be tricky term, and it's not one that I prefer to use. Most people mean that they are not trying to avoid or achieve pregnancy. However, selecting fertile days for intercourse means that a couple is using their chosen method to try to achieve pregnancy. Some people say that they are open to life. When they say this, they often mean that they are OK with a pregnancy if it does occur, but they are not actively trying to conceive. This is a perfectly acceptable attitude to have towards achieving a pregnancy. However, I want to point out two things. First, this couple should consider themselves as trying to achieve pregnancy, since they will likely be selecting fertile days for intercourse. Pregnancy is fairly likely to occur if they are selecting fertile days and if they are not experiencing infertility. Second, this is a misleading use of the term open to life. Couples who are using natural family planning to avoid pregnancy, are not using contraceptives or contraceptive practices (i.e. withdrawal), and are discerning their family planning intentions through prayer are open to life. You do not need to select fertile days for intercourse to be open to life. You can read more about being open to life here.

CrMS - Creighton Model System. This is a mucus only method of NFP, meaning users chart their cervical mucus observations and no other biomarkers. This is the method that Groesbeck FertilityCare Center teaches.

CFCP/FCP/FCPI - Certified FertilityCare Practitioner/FertilityCare Practitioner/ FertilityCare Practitioner Intern. We teach the Creighton FertilityCare System. You can learn more about our practitioners here.

What terms would you like to know more about? Let us know in the comments, and I can write a part 2.