NaProTechnology—A New Option for Fertility Treatment
Ron C. Ferris, MD
Family Practice
Holy Family Medical Associates, LLP
316-682-9900
Approximately 1 in 6 couples will have difficulty in achieving a pregnancy. In the United States, only 1.25% of couples are giving birth through assistive reproductive technology which is approximately 1 in 80 births achieved with assistive reproductive technology.
Low usage is attributed to the lack of knowledge among medical practitioners and those seeking fertility assistance. The concept behind assistive reproductive technology is women learning how to track their menstrual cycles’ fertility phases through the help of specially trained teachers or practitioners. With this knowledge, a couple can recognize the times of fertility in their cycle and may try to achieve a pregnancy. Couples that use this system understand potentially any abnormalities and can help with medical investigation into the cause. NaProTechnology is medical applications which utilize the tracking of the biological markers for fertility.
The landmark publication titled “Outcomes From Treatment of Infertility With Natural Procreative Technology in Irish General Practice” was published in the Journal of the American Board Of Family Medicine 2008. The article cites results of over 2000 couples with treatment using NaProTechnology and an overall success rate of about 40%. Even couples with a history of failed assistive reproductive technology can expect to have a successful pregnancy about 30% of the time using NaProTechnology. Of note, the current success rate for assistive reproductive technology in Ireland is only 21.1% and this is in keeping with the European average. This result is also comparable to the United States rate.
NaProTechnology is an abbreviation of the term Natural Procreative Technology which is a scientific, holistic process of investigating abnormal gynecologic and reproductive health. It involves teaching women and couples how to monitor and record their biological markers of fertility in a precise, standardized fashion using the Creighton Model fertility care charting system. This information allows a physician trained in fertility care and NaProTechnology techniques to conduct a more thorough evaluation of the fertility cycle to identify normal menstrual bleeding patterns, poor cervical mucus flow and subtle hormonal deficiencies that are often not detected by routine gynecologic evaluation. Establishing diagnosis is essential to NaProTechnology. You need to find the problem in order to manage it and achieve success. Medical treatments are prescribed in a timed fashion with respect to the woman’s cycle. The woman has a practical approach of knowing when she ovulates in a very precise manner each cycle. The goal of treatment is to restore normal function and appearance to the fertility chart. Sometimes surgical management is done and, interestingly, the Pope Paul VI Institute has seen tremendous success in reducing the occurrence of adhesions. They have developed a near adhesion free surgery using Gortex or Teflon.
A specific example of a charting abnormality is tail end brown bleeding. Six causes underlying tail end brown bleeding are hormonal abnormalities, low endorphin levels, diet related issues such as food allergies, low-grade infection, or adrenal fatigue.
It is exciting to have a new system in which couples can understand their procreative potential and help achieve the great blessing of a new life.
To Get the Rest of the Story:
For information on NaProTECHNOLOGY infertility care, check these two Internet sites of interest: www.popepaulVI.com and www.fertilitycare.net. In Wichita there are two medical consultants available - Dr. Diana Crook and Dr. Ron Ferris - both affiliated with the Office of Family Life and Natural Family Planning. There are also practitioners available to help in a professional caring and morally acceptable service. To ask infertility questions contact the NaProTECHNOLOGY instructor in your area. For consultation with author Dr. Ron Ferris or Dr. Diana Crook, call their Wichita offices at 682-9900 or 636-2662, respectively.
Avoiding pregnancy utilizes the woman’s same menstrual cycle physical indicators as infertility treatment. Learning the indicators and how to use them will enable a couple to avoid pregnancy naturally with the same 99% reliability as the pill, patch or shot with no cost or side effects. Using this natural pregnancy avoidance method also results in reduced risk of stroke, breast cancer, and divorce. Studies show that the sharing of reproductive responsibility through natural family planning results in a divorce rate of 1% among couples practicing NFP.
To gain an understanding of the use of the body’s normal, natural reproductive indicators to prevent or achieve pregnancy, get a broad overview at this website, www.nfpandmore.org. You can also ask questions by contacting the Office of Family Life and Natural Family Planning at 316-685-6776 or online at www.nfpwichita.org. Providers in the greater Wichita area include Creighton Model FertilityCare, Billings Ovulation Method, Family of Americas Ovulation Method, Symptothermal Method and NFP International.