Michael and April Ruffing have practiced several Natural Family Planning (NFP) methods during their 27 years of marriage and said a method developed at Marquette University is the best way they have found to help them plan for the possibility of children without using artificial contraception.
The Marquette method, developed in 1999, brings 21st-century technology to NFP by using urine fertility biomarkers collected at home to measure hormone levels. These biomarkers can be used in conjunction with cervical mucus or basal body temperature and an algorithm to confidently determine a woman’s monthly fertility window.
The method has been particularly helpful to women who recently have given birth, are breastfeeding or are premenopausal.
“The biomarkers used are the hormone estrogen, which causes mucus to form, and luteinizing hormone (LH), which signals the ovary to release an egg within 24 to 36 hours. This allows us to pinpoint more accurately and more objectively the fertility windows,” said April Ruffing, who became the first certified Marquette method teacher in Ohio in April 2019 and is about to teach it to her 50th couple.
“This information is collected through use of a Clear Blue fertility monitor and test strips. I test for 10 days each month. The monitor costs approximately $120, and the strips are $35 per box of 30. Most women with normal cycles will use approximately one box of strips every three months.”
“It’s a much more accurate and objective method than those based on cervical mucus and temperature changes alone because it objectively measures the hormones that cause these changes. It gives much earlier indications of fertility than other indicators,” Michael Ruffing said.
“Since Marquette doesn’t solely depend on the subjectivity of checking mucus, I am able to see the monitor day to day and know the fertile cycle with more certainty. I feel more confident knowing that the test is objectively measuring the amount of hormone in April’s urine, which tells us with more certainty when the fertile window is.
“I’m also more aware of the magnitude of the marital act in a way that is muted by the use of artificial contraception, which removes consequences and encourages couples to see each other as objects of desire while removing the care, affection and total giving of oneself in marital relations.”
April said she and her husband learned of the Marquette method at about the time they attended a four-session discussion program at their church, Sunbury St. John Neumann, marking the 50th anniversary of Pope St. Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae, which explained how artificial contraception can negatively affect the balance of life and God’s plan for all people.
“This was a pivotal point in our own understanding of marriage,” April said. “Pope Paul pointed out his concerns that artificial birth control would lead to more marital infidelity, lowering of standards in general and to men losing respect for women and reducing them to mere instruments. You can see how this has happened in the years since Humanae Vitae.”
The Ruffings, who met while attending Olentangy High School, recently celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary and have four children: Stephanie, 26, of Cincinnati, who is engaged to be married in September; Jessica, 23, of Columbus; and Ashley, 21, and Mark 19, who are attending Columbus State Community College and Ohio State University, respectively.
April is a registered nurse, graduated from the Mount Carmel College of Nursing in 1999 and works for the 3M Co. in medical sales. Michael is a former Marine Corps pilot and is now a corporate pilot.
“In the early years of marriage, we sort of winged it and didn’t have an NFP instructor,” April said. Although NFP has evolved and has demonstrated increasing effectiveness rates over the years, the importance of having an instructor for guidance is crucial.
“Because I wasn’t confident in understanding my fertility window, we did choose artificial contraception for a while,” April said. One of the NFP methods they used before switching to Marquette was the FEMM (Fertility Education and Medical Management) model, which is based on charting hormonal biomarkers of mucus and temperature.
“We found this difficult because I struggled with the subjectivity of the biomarkers,” April said. “I also felt a lot of pressure to know this, and Michael just had to trust me to determine if these observations were accurate.”
Although it has been in use for 23 years, the Marquette method has grown slowly in awareness. A doctor or a nurse is required to teach the method. April is about to teach it to her 50th couple. Her students have come from as far as Toledo, Lima and Dayton. The state now has one other Marquette method teacher, who is based in Cincinnati.
April teaches sessions online and in person, but most couples prefer virtual sessions because they offer more flexibility. Couples generally learn the method in individual sessions, but April has taught as many as four couples at a time and has hosted virtual and live events with as many as 15 women. Those sessions are open to anyone, married or unmarried.
“What most people call Natural Family Planning I describe as fertility awareness,” she said. “A woman shouldn’t wait until she is married or planning a family to understand her body, understand how God created her perfectly and know how fertility works.
“I’ve discussed the Marquette method with my three daughters, and two of them are using it to be aware of their own fertility cycles. For many reasons, it’s better to learn and understand your body as a woman before you get married and want to start a family. Most women have normal cycles and can learn charting, and when something is abnormal, charting can help medical professionals pinpoint an issue much earlier.
“Learning NFP has taught me about my body, but it has also helped me to grow spiritually and grow in the virtues of chastity, purity and self-control,” April said. “I feel more respected by my husband, and it has helped us grow closer as a couple. I have started seeing the effects of this on my adult children as they are choosing to better understand their bodies, how God created them and how to cooperate with what God wants for their lives.
“The Marquette method, as well as other forms of NFP, helps couples realize the true greatness of how God created us to ‘be fruitful and multiply.’ NFP helps couples be empowered with the knowledge of how they were created, and their faith assists them with the discipline to be chaste before marriage and to space their family after marriage, and can also help them in successfully achieving pregnancy.
“Mary was the first to say ‘yes’ to God and his plan for her life,” April said. “Our faith helps us understand and choose His will for our life and not think that we are in total control. Through prayer, studying God’s word and participating in the sacraments, we learn to trust in God’s plan. NFP allows us to better understand our bodies so that we can practice chastity during fertile times, sometimes for spacing of children or for medical reasons.”
To learn more about the Marquette method or to contact the Ruffings, visit their website at fiat-fertility.com. Information about many NFP methods is available from Jennifer Fullin, NFP coordinator for the diocesan Marriage and Family Life Office, at (614) 241-2560 or jfullin@columbuscatholic.org.