Every July, the Church commemorates St. Paul VI’s encyclical on the regulation of birth and human life, Humanae Vitae, which was published 52 years ago. This week, we celebrate National Family Planning Awareness and offers us a chance to reflect on how God intended for us to live our lives.

My story began with the birth of our second daughter. After being married for just four years, my husband and I had an in-depth conversation about what method of family planning to use as we knew that we needed to postpone pregnancy. We were both very devoted to our Catholic faith and wanted to make sure we respected the Church’s teachings. Luckily, a good friend of mine told me about the Creighton Model Fertility Care System (CrMS) of Natural Family Planning. She spoke very highly about its efficacy and safety, and how it was family planning the way that God intended it to be.

At my six-week postpartum visit, my doctor asked me, “What method of family planning are you going to use?” I responded, “Natural Family Planning.” She assumed that I meant the Rhythm / Calendar system and warned me that, since I was breastfeeding and likely not having regular menstrual cycles, I’d be back again in her office pregnant within three months.

I confess that I walked out of her office thinking, “What am I getting myself into?” However, our conviction that this was God’s plan for us was so firm that my husband and I jumped in and attended a one-on-one personalized instruction on the CrMS. Never would I have imagined all that we were about to learn, and for the first time, we understood how God designed our fertility as a gift to our marriage.

All the knowledge I obtained through making simple observations daily helped me recognize the true days of fertility and infertility for each given day. Not only were we free from any chemical contraceptive, with CrMS we were in the “driver's seat” to either avoid pregnancy (99.5% effective when used according to instruction), or to achieve pregnancy (76% in the first cycle using fertile days). As it turned out, my doctor was wrong – I didn’t return pregnant within three months, and the CrMS proved effective for the next 24 years.

With this knowledge, and with all the benefits it brought to our marriage, I chose to pursue a career in teaching the Creighton Model System, which has been my passion for the past 33 years.

I highly encourage all women and their husbands to consider an introductory session on the Creighton Model Fertility Care System. It is safe, effective, and precise in all reproductive categories, including breastfeeding, long cycles, perimenopause, etc. Women don’t need to harm their bodies with chemicals and instead trust in their capabilities to learn to appreciate their fertility as a normal process and not treat it as if it were a disease.

Join me in saying “YES” to God’s plan for your marriage, and say “YES” to NFP!

Dolores currently gives classes on the Creighton Model Fertility Care System through the Diocese of San Jose. To inquire, call (408) 983-0209 or visit www.dsj.org/NFP.