How does the Marquette Method compare to other NFP methods?

The Marquette Method of natural family planning is a relatively new method that’s growing in popularity. It was developed by the Institute for Natural Family Planning at Marquette University. If you practice NFP, you might be wondering how the Marquette Method compares to other methods you’ve heard of, why people like the Marquette Method, and if you should consider using it yourself.

To see how the Marquette Method compares to other NFP methods, we’ll look at ease of use, objectivity, effectiveness, and cost in comparison to other common NFP methods such as Creighton, Billings, and Sympto-thermal.

Ease of Use

The Marquette Method is easy to use. Practicing the (monitor only) Marquette Method to avoid pregnancy typically requires one urine test per day. That’s it. No temperature readings, no mucus tests every time you use the bathroom, no complicated observations to record. Of course, you’ll still have to do a little bit of charting with the Marquette method, but there’s only one thing you need to record per day.

Compare that to…

• The Creighton Method or Billings Method, which require mucus observations every time you use the bathroom.
• The Sympto-thermal Method, which requires basal body temperature readings every morning in addition to mucus observations.

Objectivity

Another thing that people like about the Marquette Method is that it is less subjective than other NFP methods. The Marquette Method uses data from urine tests with the ClearBlue Fertility Monitor. The monitor reads the levels of different hormones in your urine and shows you the result on the screen. That’s an objective measurement that leaves little room for guesswork.

Compare that to…

• Creighton, Billings, or Sympto-thermal mucus observations, which are primarily focused on a qualitative/subjective measurement.
• Basal body temperature, which can fluctuate for other reasons and can be difficult to measure accurately.

Effectiveness

Studies show the Marquette Method is very effective at preventing unplanned pregnancy. The typical use failure rate of the monitor-only Marquette Method when trying to avoid pregnancy is 2.0-6.8% (over the course of a year).¹

• The Creighton Model claims a similar typical use failure rate of about 2.1-5.4% (over a year).²
• Billings and Sympto-thermal methods have a higher failure rate (10-33% for Billings, 9-33% for various sympto-thermal methods).¹
• Condoms have a typical use failure rate of 18% (over a year).³
• The pill has a typical use failure rate of 9% (over a year).³

Cost

The Marquette Method can be slightly more expensive than other forms of NFP because it requires purchasing the ClearBlue Fertility Monitor and regularly buying more ClearBlue test sticks. You might also make use of OPK test kits. The monitor itself is a one-time purchase of about $120. The test sticks can vary in price but are currently about $40 for 30 sticks, and most people use 10-15 test sticks per month. Thus, test sticks probably cost a little under $20 per month or $240 per year. Other NFP methods are less expensive because they don’t require purchasing any test kits. Still, $20 per month isn’t unmanageable for most people – lots of people spend double that on Starbucks.

• Mucus observation methods like Creighton and Billings are basically free (excluding initial education expenses to take a class) – they just require some paper or a spreadsheet to chart.
• Sympto-thermal methods that make use of basal body temperature will require a one-time thermometer purchase of $20-30.

Summary

The Marquette Method is appealing to couples who want to practice NFP because it’s easy (one test per day), objective (measured by a device), and effective (as effective as the pill). If you want to learn more about the Marquette Method of natural family planning, you should find a qualified instructor to help you get started. And if you need a chart to use, we hope you’ll try our Marquette Method Google Sheet!