Where the Creighton Model comes from
Medical informationThe Creighton Model FertilityCare System was developed by Dr Thomas Hilgers and colleagues at Creighton University in Omaha, building on earlier research into cervical mucus, including the work behind the Billings method. The aim was a method that is not only reliable for family planning but standardized enough to serve as a medical record. Every observation is described in the same terms by every woman who uses it, which means a trained practitioner or doctor anywhere can read the chart.
That standardization is what sets Creighton apart. It is often described as both a family planning method and a window into gynecological health, because the chart shows how the whole cycle is working, not only when fertility begins and ends.
How daily observation works
Medical informationThe woman pays attention to cervical mucus each time she uses the bathroom during the day and notes the most fertile sign she saw. In the evening the couple record it using a short code for its sensation, stretch and appearance, and place a colored stamp on the chart. Very broadly, stamps mark bleeding, dry infertile days, days with fertile mucus, and the days after the peak.
The peak day is the last day of the most fertile type of mucus. Fertility is considered to continue until the end of the third day after it. Couples who wish to postpone pregnancy follow the rules the practitioner teaches for the days before and after the peak; couples who hope to conceive use the same chart to choose the most fertile days. No temperature taking or monitor is needed, which many couples find simple once they are used to it.
This description is general. The method has detailed rules that must be learned from a trained teacher, not from a web page, because small mistakes in reading the signs matter.
| Chart element | What it shows | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Bleeding days | Menstruation and any spotting | Unusual bleeding can point to a health issue |
| Dry days | No mucus observed | Often infertile, within the method rules |
| Mucus days | Fertile type mucus described by code | Signals that fertility has begun |
| Peak day | Last day of the most fertile mucus | Ovulation is near; counting starts here |
| Post peak phase | Days after the peak | Its length can reveal hormone problems |
How the method is taught
Pastoral guidanceCreighton is taught by FertilityCare practitioners who complete a specific training program. A couple usually attends an introductory session, then meets the practitioner individually in a series of follow ups spread over the first year, more often at the start. At each follow up the practitioner reviews the chart line by line, corrects misunderstandings and answers questions. Many follow ups can now be done by video.
Both spouses are encouraged to attend. The husband often keeps the chart, which helps him understand the cycle and share the decisions. If your diocese includes NFP in marriage preparation, ask whether it recommends Creighton or another method, since practices differ. To compare the options first, read our guide to natural family planning.
NaProTechnology and women's health
Medical informationNaProTechnology is a medical approach developed alongside the Creighton Model. Doctors trained in it read the chart to look for causes of problems such as infertility, recurrent miscarriage, irregular bleeding, painful periods, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, low progesterone and postpartum depression, and then treat the cause where possible, using medication or surgery when needed.
For couples facing infertility this can be an option that respects Church teaching, since it seeks to restore fertility within the marriage act rather than replace it. Not every region has trained doctors, and treatment should always be guided by a physician who knows your history. If you have pain, very irregular cycles or bleeding that worries you, see a doctor whether or not you chart.
What the Church teaches about using it
Church teachingThe Church does not endorse one method over another. What it teaches is that spouses may space births for just reasons and that using the natural infertile times is morally different from contraception. The Catechism says that methods based on self observation respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness and foster freedom. Humanae Vitae adds that such couples make legitimate use of a natural faculty. Our page on NFP vs contraception sets out the moral difference in full.
The same teaching applies to Creighton, Billings, sympto-thermal or Marquette. Choose the method you can live with well, and let it serve your marriage rather than rule it. Charting is one part of a bigger picture of Catholic intimacy and marriage.
Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom.
Creighton compared with other methods
Couples often weigh Creighton against the Billings Ovulation Method, which also reads mucus but focuses more on sensation and uses fewer formal codes. Sympto-thermal methods add temperature as a cross check, and Marquette uses a hormone monitor. Creighton suits couples who like structure and precision, and those who may want medical help through NaProTechnology. Others prefer a lighter method. Effectiveness for well taught methods is high, above 98 percent with perfect use in studies, and good teaching matters most.
Sources
Every source below is linked to the full text on vatican.va or usccb.org. Quotations are short and given word for word.
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USCCB NFP Pastoral guidance
USCCB, What is Natural Family Planning?
Natural Family Planning is the general name for scientific, natural and moral methods that help married couples either achieve or postpone pregnancy. The methods rely on observing the natural signs of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's cycle, with no drugs, devices or surgery, and they respect the unitive and procreative meaning of the conjugal act.
Read the source -
Is NFP based on guesswork? Pastoral guidance
USCCB, Is NFP based on guesswork?
NFP is based on scientific facts about fertility, not guesswork. Research on cyclic changes in cervical mucus and the temperature rise after ovulation led to programs that teach couples to observe and interpret these signs, and research continues to refine the methods.
Read the source -
Who can use NFP? Pastoral guidance
USCCB, Who can use NFP?
Any married couple can use NFP; a woman need not have regular cycles. The methods can be adapted to different reproductive situations, including irregular cycles, breastfeeding and the years approaching menopause, ideally with help from a trained NFP instructor.
Read the source -
CCC 2370 Doctrine
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2370 (The Sixth Commandment)
Periodic continence, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, conforms to the objective criteria of morality: these methods respect the spouses' bodies, encourage tenderness and foster freedom. By contrast, every action intended to render procreation impossible, before, during or after intercourse, is intrinsically evil.
Read the source -
HV 16 Magisterium
Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae 16 (1968)
If there are well-grounded reasons for spacing births, arising from the physical or psychological condition of the spouses or from external circumstances, married couples may take advantage of the natural cycles and have intercourse only during infertile times. This differs essentially from contraception, which impedes the natural process.
Read the source -
CCC 2368 Doctrine
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2368 (The Sixth Commandment)
For just reasons spouses may wish to space the births of their children. They must ensure their desire does not come from selfishness but fits the generosity of responsible parenthood, and they must conform their behavior to the objective criteria of morality.
Read the source