Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a means of avoiding or achieving pregnancy. Both husband and wife observe and chart her signs of fertility. Whether it is to avoid or to achieve pregnancy, they use the gathered information to achieve their desired goals cycle after cycle, month after month. Think of it as a system of fertility awareness.

Basically:

If the goal is to avoid pregnancy, husband and wife can choose to abstain from sex when they know it is possible to get pregnant

If the goal is to achieve pregnancy, husband and wife can choose to have sex when they know that it is possible to get pregnant

NFP is much more than just birth control. Couples practising NFP will tell you firsthand that this method offers more than what most mainstream birth control methods offer. Living an NFP lifestyle is living a life of authentic intimacy. It brings many benefits, including stronger marriages and better families.

A few clarifications, NFP IS NOT:

Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)

Contraception

The calendar or rhythm method

Serena teaches the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM) of Natural Family Planning.

Serena’s “team approach” to fertility can strengthen your marriage and bring your family closer together. Serena...

enhances communication.

fosters respect between husband and wife.

educates couples about their bodies and their design.

cultivates a culture of transparency, vulnerability and trust.

unifies a couple in more authentic intimacy.

Serena is safe for you and your environment! The Sympto-Thermal Method...

poses no health risks for mother, father, and child.

considers the emotional and psychological well-being of husband and wife.

is reversible -- each month, you and your spouse can make family decisions accordingly (some methods, like a vasectomy or a tubal ligation, are irreversible).

poses no risks to the environment.

Serena is applicable in all situations. Whether you...

have regular or irregular cycles.

are fertile or sub-fertile.

are trying to avoid or achieve pregnancy (before children or between children).

have had children already or have had a miscarriage.

are in your pre-menopausal stage.

Did you know that during a woman's cycle, her body has various observable signs and symptoms? Talk about being a great communicator! These signs and symptoms are indications of her fertility.

Ladies, the science of Serena's Sympto-Thermal Method (STM) involves 3 mains symptoms of fertility:

Cervical Mucus: Produced in the cervix and released in the vagina thanks to estrogen. The stuff of nature that can transport sperm and facilitate conception. Observing this helps to anticipate and confirm ovulation.

Basal Body Temperature: Your temperature at rest. Pre-ovulation, your temperature will be low. Thanks to progesterone, your temperature will increase after you ovulate. Observing this helps to confirm if ovulation has occurred.

Cervical Position: High/low, open/closed, soft/firm and straight/titled depending on the part of your cycle. It's the most stable, yet hardest to observe, symptom out there. But it's totally doable! It's especially great for after having a baby or when approaching menopause (when life's maybe a bit more unpredictable). Observing this also helps to (you guessed it!) anticipate and confirm ovulation.

With the STM, all symptoms are interpreted in light of each other and never on their own. The ability to double-check other symptoms contributes to the beauty of the STM -- you have multiple symptoms to confirm where you are at. With this information you can make your decision together as a couple to be intimate or to abstain, depending on your goal to have a baby or not. And yes, even if you have irregular cycles, the STM can still work for you.

Our method is well-researched and documented. This brief explanation is hardly a biology lesson. For greater detail, register for a course or ask us about our available publications.

Charting

The Sympto-Thermal chart has been designed to facilitate the recording of symptoms (cervical mucus and cervical changes) and basal body temperature as accurately and as clearly as possible. We have empirical data from thousands of cycles compiled from countless couples over the years. With this data, our Medical Advisor, Dr. Suzanne Parenteau, continues to improve our charts and our methodology. By charting their signs and symptoms of fertility, couples have access to a world of information that can be interpreted and used not only to plan their families, but also to have insight into their reproductive and overall health.

Starting a family is a BIG deal! We get it.

Serena’s Sympto-Thermal Method (STM) is effective for achieving or avoiding pregnancy.

Serena participated in an international study1 about the STM to avoid pregnancy. All study participants who used the method correctly and consistently obtained an effectiveness rating of 0.5 unplanned pregnancies in 100 women. In other words, 99.5% of the couples using the STM perfectly achieved their goal of avoiding conception. This rate matches the effectiveness rates published for hormonal contraception.

You’re probably looking for percentages and statistics to compare the effectiveness of NFP with the effectiveness of other more common birth regulation methods. Google and mainstream media will give you all sorts of statistics, but we want to first equip you to understand what it is that you will be looking at because the numbers aren't as straightforward as you may think!

A small lesson on interpreting effectiveness and statistics:

Effectiveness statistics for birth control methods are expressed in pregnancy rates. Dr. Suzanne Parenteau, Serena’s Medical Advisor, explains reliable statistics cite results of actual research studies. In those studies, the scientific standards categorize unplanned pregnancies in 2 ways:

Typical Use: all unplanned pregnancies that occur during an effectiveness study, including those which result from incorrect or inconsistent use of the method

Perfect Use: pregnancies that occur even though the method was used correctly and consistently

Pregnancy rates are not simple mathematical percentages which consider only the number of pregnancies and the number of couples involved in a study. They also take into account the number cycles that every participating couple has contributed to the study.

Don't be deceived! Most methods of contraception only ever advertise and publish perfect use statistics when describing the effectiveness of the contraceptive. Do a quick search and see for yourself!

Effectiveness mainly depends on: a.) how well taught and understood the method is, b.) how it is consistently used as instructed and c.) the couple's motivation to respect the rules.

If a condom breaks or slips, this has consequences only if intercourse happens during the fertile window of a woman’s cycle. The condom is useless the rest of the time. If you’re using the STM and think to use a condom during the fertile time, you would not actually be reducing your chances of getting pregnant -- you would only be subjecting yourself to the failure rate of the condom. Effectiveness is not just based on the stats, it’s based on the stats and which part of the cycle you are in. Stats matter little if you are in the infertile part of your cycle.

Now, permit us to get a little more technical...

You may find it bizarre that pregnancy rates are used to describe a method's effectiveness for avoiding pregnancy. It is. But remember, reliable statistics cite results of actual research studies. Dr. Suzanne points out that while pregnancies are real and can be counted in these research studies (leading to a pregnancy rate), a particular study's lack of pregnancies may occur as a result of sub-fertility (a very possible reality for some couples) as well as the technical effect of the method used. As such, it is not scientifically correct to subtract any given pregnancy rate from 100% to give an "effectiveness" rate.

For example, if in a study there was one unplanned pregnancy out of 100 participating couples using a particular method (statistically translated as a 1% pregnancy rate), it is not correct to say that the method is 99% effective because some of the 99 couples who did not have a pregnancy would not have had one anyways, using a method or not. Consequently, 99% overvalues the method and is misleading. You can, however, approach the 1% in this way: a couple who follows the rules of the method correctly and consistently has a 99% probability of avoiding pregnancy.

See the difference? THE METHOD is not 99% effective. Rather, A COUPLE has a 99% probability of avoiding pregnancy.

Have we lost you? We admit, effectiveness and stats are not the easiest to grasp. There is more to it than meets the eye. That said, our hope is that you are now adequately equipped to understand the numbers.

Here are the Typical and Perfect Use pregnancy rates2 for some common contraceptives during the first year of use:

Contraceptive Perfect Use Typical Use

Male Condom 3% 15%

"The Pill" (Combined Hormonal Contraceptive) 0.1% 5%

Injectable Depo-Provera (Progestin-only Contraceptive) 0.3% 3%

Intra-uterine Device (IUD) 0.6% (copper) to 0.1% (progestin) 0.8% (copper) to 0.1% (progestin)

Withdrawal (Coitus Interruptus) 4% 27%

Now compare these to Typical and Perfect Use pregnancy rates for the Sympto-Thermal Method in various countries:

Country Perfect Use Typical Use

Belgium3 0% 2%

Canada1 0.5% 5%

France4 1% 6%

Germany5 0.43% 1.79%

Serena has published a document titled Family Planning Methods. In it Dr. Suzanne revised the available research on birth control and comprehensively compares contraceptive methods with NFP methods, not only compiling and explaining their respective use statistics, but also addressing the additional factors we're about to introduce to you. Let us know if you are interested this publication.

Here are a few more factors to consider:

Are there other implications of use? When considering methods of birth control, think of the entire gamut of risks and benefits to you and your spouse. Make an informed choice. Ask yourself:

What methods are available?

How do they work?

Do they affect my health? My spouse’s health?

How much do they cost?

Are they convenient?

Do they affect future fertility?

When considering methods of birth regulation,what else will impact your well-being and overall satisfaction?

Surely the issue of fertility is not just about avoiding pregnancy! Perhaps there’s more to the equation. Choosing your birth control method is a big decision, a decision that affects your marriage and family, so consider these questions as well:

Who bears the responsibility for its use?

What is the impact of this method on intimacy in my relationship?

What other values are involved in its use?

When we’re ready to start a family, will this method help us achieve pregnancy?

Will this method positively impact our well-being and our overall degree of satisfaction?

For some answers to these questions, please talk to one of our team members.

So, what are you to make of all this? Really, there is a lot more involved with birth control than just achieving or avoiding pregnancy. We encourage you to take the time as husband and wife to talk through everything we've shared on effectiveness and satisfaction. Your marriage is worth the time and effort. It's an opportunity for you to draw closer in authentic intimacy.

References

1.) RICE FJ, LANCTOT CA, GARCIA-DEVESA C. Effectiveness of the Sympto-thermal Method of Natural Family Planning: an International Study. Int. J. Fertil., 26 :222-231, 1981.

2.) TRUSSELL J. The Essentials of Contraception : Efficacy, Safety, and Personal Considerations. Chapter 9 in Contraceptive Technology by HATCHER J, TRUSSELL J et al. Ardent Media, New York, 2004, p. 226.

3.) De LEIAZOLA. Première phase d’une étude prospective d’efficacité du planning familial naturel réalisée en Belgique francophone. J. Gynecol. Obstet. Biol. Reprod., 23 :359-364. 1994

4.) ÉCOCHARD R, PINGUET F, ÉCOCHARD I, DE GOUVELLO R, GUY M, GUY F. Analyse des échecs de la planification familiale naturelle. Contracept. Fertil. Sex. 2, 4 : 291-296.1998.

5.) FRANK-HERRMANN P, HEIL J, GNOTH C, TOLEDO E, BAUR S, PYPER C, JENETZKY E,.STOWITZKI T, FREUNDL G. The effectiveness of a fertility awareness based method to avoid pregnancy in relation to a couple’s sexual behaviour during the fertile time: a prospective longitudinal study. Hum. Reprod, 22, 5 : 1310-1319, 2007.

We're here to help, whatever your season or need.

Ready to jump on board with the Sympto-Thermal Method? Sign up for our course STM Basics.

Had a baby? Or are about to? Sign up for our After A Baby course.

Not feeling so hot? Or maybe too hot? Consult with us for a better handle on Premenopause.

Having difficulty conceiving? We're sorry, it must be a struggle. But we can help! Let's walk through the possibilities of Subfertility and Infertility and what can be done.

Ran out of Charts or need more Supplies? Let us know. We ought to have what you need handy!

Need a Speaker? Ask to book one of our team members to tackle any NFP topic for your event.

STM Basics

Come as a couple (yes, gentlemen, that means you too)! Learn the science of your fertility in a cozy, 2-hour session out of a teacher-couple's home. You'll come away from this course with everything you need to begin practice of the Sympto-Thermal Method. 4-6 weeks after this initial teaching, with your first cycle charted in hand, you'll go back for a follow-up meeting. Having taken the STM Basics, you'll be set for life with us. No seriously! If you ever have questions or are in need of additional support, you can contact your respective teacher-couple or Serena. We'll be there for you.

The details...

The registration fee for the STM Basics is $80/couple or $100/couple including a basal body thermometer.

Materials are included with the STM Basics.

Learned the STM awhile back and need a refresher? It'll be an extra $25 for the audit.

No classes available near you? Ask us about distance education.

If you are in another province, find your local Serena chapter through Serena Canada.

We currently offer courses in Abbotsford, Burnaby and Surrey's Cloverdale and Newton neighbourhoods. Our teacher-couples in Abbotsford and Burnaby are available for classes according to their schedules upon request. Register or check for available courses here.

After A Baby

After a baby will be one of the most precious times of your lives. It can also be challenging for marital intimacy. Birth and breastfeeding will sure affect your fertility, but you CAN know what is going on. An accredited teacher (who also happens to be a super experienced and hip mama!) will empower you to detect the return of your fertility (breastfeeding or not). Choose from the Lactional Amenorrhea Method (LAM) for the exclusively breastfeeding mamas or the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM). Mom and Dad are always encouraged to come together.

The Details...

For couples who have already taken the STM Basics or offered in conjunction with the STM Basics.

$25 including materials taken separately or in conjunction with the STM Basics.

After A Baby is taught as needed, classes are scheduled upon request.

No classes available near you? Ask us about distance education.

If you are in another province, find your local Serena chapter through Serena Canada.

It's what we live for. What about you?

Intimacy. The word can be intimidating, but lived authentically, it's only all good and chances are it's what your heart desires most. Think of the word "intimacy" as "in-to-me-see", the seeing into and consideration of each others' hearts - even and perhaps all the more in matters of sex and fertility. It's the art of learning and honouring who you each are and where you each are at. In the end, it's the journey of becoming less focused on yourself, more focused on your spouse and what you have to give. This "authentic intimacy" has been the honest and beautiful experience for us as husbands and wives and it is possible. It is something that you too can grow into and live.

Couple-to-Couple

We're all about the couple. We're all for husband and wife living the joys of authentic intimacy together. No surprise, then, for our couple-to-couple teaching model. Too common today is fertility considered a "woman's issue". But the truth is, it's not. It takes two to tango: not only a sperm AND an egg, but also both husband and wife to make the decision together to wait or to pave the way for new life - all respectfully, beautifully, totally.

Serena is built upon good, solid marriages and families. We are husbands and wives who can't contain to ourselves the good life and joy that NFP affords us. And so, here we are, moved to spread this authentic intimacy that touches us day in and day out. We have stronger marriages and better families for it. Our hope is that your marriage and family will be too.