What Is the Creighton Model?

The Creighton Model is a natural family planning method that finds your fertile window by tracking one sign, cervical mucus. You watch and record the same standardised observations each day, then read them against clear rules. It was developed by Doctor Thomas Hilgers at Creighton University and is taught one to one by a trained practitioner. Here is how it works and what the research shows.

What is the Creighton Model?

The Creighton Model FertilityCare System is a mucus only method of fertility awareness. It grew out of the same cervical mucus science as the Billings Ovulation Method, and was first described in 1980 after research begun by Doctor Thomas Hilgers in the late 1970s. Unlike the symptothermal method, it does not use basal body temperature or a hormone monitor. You track changes in cervical mucus alone, using a standardised vocabulary and a set of colour coded stamps on a daily chart. The goal is to see when your fertile window opens and closes so you can time intercourse to avoid or achieve pregnancy.

How does the Creighton Model work?

Each day you note the sensation at the vulva and the look of any mucus, then record it with a standard code and a coloured stamp. Dry days, days with non fertile mucus, and days with clear, stretchy, slippery mucus each get their own marking. Over a cycle this builds a picture of your pattern. Rising oestrogen before ovulation makes mucus clearer and more stretchy, which signals the fertile window. The method teaches set rules for reading these signs rather than guessing from the calendar.

What is Peak Day?

Peak Day is the last day you notice clear, stretchy or slippery mucus, or a lubricative sensation. It lines up closely with ovulation and is identified looking back, once the mucus has changed. The days around Peak Day are your most fertile, and the Creighton rules use Peak Day to mark when the fertile window closes.

Do you need a FertilityCare Practitioner?

The Creighton Model is designed to be learned one to one from a certified FertilityCare Practitioner, not from an app or book alone. You start with an introductory session and then meet your practitioner for several follow up visits across the first year. At each visit they check your chart, correct any recording slips, and tailor the instruction to your cycle. This teaching is a core part of the method, and studies stress that proper training matters.

How effective is the Creighton Model?

Effectiveness depends on the method and how well it is used, so it helps to split two things. When the rules are followed exactly, true method failures are rare. In a study of 701 couples, Howard and Stanford reported a method related pregnancy rate of about 0.14 per 100 couples over 12 months, meaning almost no pregnancies happened when couples avoided intercourse on the days the chart marked fertile. An earlier study by Hilgers and Stanford reported about 99.5 per cent method effectiveness.

Everyday use is harder to pin down. The same 701 couple study found a total pregnancy rate of about 17 per 100 couples at 12 months, but most of those were couples who deliberately had intercourse on days they knew were fertile, so this is not a simple failure rate. For fertility awareness methods as a broad group, Trussell's United States data put typical use at about 24 unintended pregnancies per 100 women in the first year, which reflects many different methods and how consistently people use them.

It is worth being even handed. Systematic reviews note that the quality of effectiveness research on fertility awareness methods is limited, and that results vary a lot between studies and populations. By comparison, Trussell's figures put the contraceptive pill at about 9 per 100 in typical use, and long acting methods like the implant and IUD below 1 per 100. No method is right for everyone, and the best choice depends on your health, your goals and how a method fits your life.

How is the Creighton Model different from the Billings Ovulation Method?

Both read cervical mucus and both identify a Peak Day, so they are close cousins. The main difference is standardisation. The Creighton Model uses a fixed vocabulary, set descriptions, and colour coded stamps, so that every chart is recorded the same way and can be read by a trained clinician. Doctor Hilgers described it as a standardised development of the Billings approach, though the Billings organisation sees the two as separate methods. In practice, Creighton leans heavily on one to one teaching and a chart built for medical review.

Can the Creighton Model help with health and conceiving?

Because the chart is standardised, some doctors use it as a record to spot cycle patterns linked to conditions such as irregular ovulation. This medical side is known as NaProTechnology, which uses the chart to guide investigation and treatment. Couples trying to conceive can also use the fertile mucus signs to time intercourse. The evidence here is mostly from observational studies without comparison groups, so it is promising rather than proven, and many couples in those studies also received other treatments. If you are trying to conceive or manage a cycle problem, it is best to work with your practitioner and your doctor.

How Majella helps

Majella is a cycle and fertility tracking app made for women of faith who practise natural family planning. You can record your daily mucus observations and watch your chart build over each cycle, which makes it easier to bring a clear record to your FertilityCare Practitioner. Cycle tracking is free, the natural family planning features are paid, and your data stays private on your own device. Majella supports your learning with a trained teacher, it does not replace it.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Creighton Model the same as the rhythm method?

No. The rhythm method predicts fertile days from past calendar dates. The Creighton Model reads your cervical mucus each day, so it responds to what your body is doing in this cycle rather than guessing from an average.

Is the Creighton Model only for Catholics?

No. It was developed within a Catholic setting and is popular with people of faith, but anyone can learn it. The method itself is based on tracking cervical mucus and works whatever your beliefs.

How long does it take to learn the Creighton Model?

Most people learn the basics in the first cycle or two, then meet their practitioner for follow up visits across the first year to build confidence. Giving it a few cycles with proper teaching helps you read your pattern reliably.

Can I use the Creighton Model with irregular cycles?

Yes. Because it reads daily mucus signs rather than calendar dates, it can be used when cycles vary in length. Irregular cycles can make the pattern harder to read at first, so support from a trained practitioner matters even more.

Related reading: What Is the Billings Ovulation Method?, and Understanding Your Cervical Mucus.

References

Howard MP, Stanford JB. Pregnancy probabilities during use of the Creighton Model Fertility Care System. Archives of Family Medicine. 1999;8(5):391-402.

Hilgers TW, Stanford JB. Creighton Model NaProEducation Technology for avoiding pregnancy: use effectiveness. Journal of Reproductive Medicine. 1998;43(6):495-502.

Trussell J. Contraceptive failure in the United States. Contraception. 2011;83(5):397-404.

Peragallo Urrutia R, Polis CB, Jensen ET, et al. Effectiveness of fertility awareness based methods for pregnancy prevention: a systematic review. Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2018;132(3):591-604.

This article is for education only and is not medical advice. The Creighton Model should be learned from a certified FertilityCare Practitioner. Talk to a qualified health professional before making decisions about contraception, conceiving or your health.