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If
a couple use FertilityCare from the beginning of their
sexual relationship they have tremendous insight into their fertility
potential BEFORE they ever try to conceive. This is extremely beneficial
in a society where one couple in 6 will experience some difficulty
conceiving. The earlier problems are identified and treated, the
greater the likelihood of a successful outcome.
NaProTECHNOLOGY®
NaProTechnology is an abbreviation of the term “Natural Procreative Technology”, which is a scientific, holistic process of investigating abnormal gynaecologic and reproductive health. It is particularly effective in treating infertility and recurrent miscarriages. NaProTECHNOLOGY was developed by Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Thomas W. Hilgers in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It involves teaching women and couples how to monitor and record their “Biological Markers” of fertility in a precise and standardised fashion using the FertilityCare charting system.
This information allows the physician who is trained in FertilityCare and NaProTechnology techniques to conduct a more thorough evaluation of the fertility cycle to identify abnormal menstrual bleeding patterns, poor cervical mucus flow and subtle hormonal deficiencies that are often not detected by routine gynaecologic evaluation. Establishing a diagnosis is essential to NaProTechnology. You need to find the problem before you can fix it! Medical treatments are prescribed in a timed fashion with respect to the woman’s cycle. The goal of treatment is to restore a normal appearance to the fertility chart and restore optimum fertility potential for the couple.
Correcting underlying charting and hormonal abnormalities improves fertility and reduces the risk of miscarriage. When optimum function is achieved, conception can occur anywhere from the first to the twelfth effective cycle of treatment. On average couples complete fertility evaluation and treatment between 18 to 24 months after the initial medical consultation, or sooner if conception occurs. Many of the medications used with NaProTechnology are widely used in other fertility programmes, but the precise timing and monitoring of treatment using the FertilityCare charting system is unique to NaProTechnology.
Become your own Fertility Expert
The system
teaches couples how to become their own fertility experts. They
learn how to assess monitor and manage their fertility through a
series of consultations with their physician and specially trained
teacher-practitioner. Nearly 40 practitioners are available in Ireland
with and a further 10 in the UK. The process of “Fertility
Tracking” empowers couples, and is essential to identify and
treat the underlying causes of abnormal reproductive health.
Suitability
NaProTechnology is suitable for nearly every category of infertility and recurrent miscarriage. Couples with conditions such as Endometriosis, Polycystic Ovaries, Pelvic Adhesions, Blocked Fallopian tubes, Low progesterone, not ovulating, Unexplained infertility, Unexplained recurrent miscarriage and Poor semen analysis have all conceived using the NaProTECHNOLOGY approach.
Male Factor Infertility
Men with very low sperm counts or anti-sperm antibodies can be treated. If one result is poor the analysis is repeated about 2 to 3 months later following “healthy lifestyle” advice. The man is advised to increase exercise, stop smoking and reduce alcohol intake, stress reduction and vitamin & mineral supplements may also recommended. It is important for the man to have a complete urological assessment with a urologist interested in finding and treating the underlying cause of male infertility. Surgical correction of a varicocele, and medical treatments including Indomethacin, tamoxifen, L carnitine, antibiotics, prednisolone, coenzyme Q10 and Pycnogenol can been used to improve the mans semen analysis.
A further crucial factor is to conduct a thorough evaluation of the woman’s fertility potential, with NaProTECHNOLOGY. Often a previously un-identified female factor is found, such as poor cervical mucus flow and suboptimal hormones. Correction of these factors improves the overall chance of successful treatment. Men with very low sperm counts have conceived with this approach. If the count remains persistently below 1 million, despite treatment, conception is less likely to occur. The lowest (treated) semen analysis that resulted in conception in the Irish programme had a count of 4 million with 45% motility and 96% abnormal morphology. This had improved from untreated levels that had counts of less than 1 million. That couple had tried and failed ICSI twice before succeeding with NaProTechnology.
NaProTechnology has been available in
Ireland since February 1998. In that time nearly 1,500 couples have
been treated with an overall success rate of about 40%. Even
couples with a history of failed IVF can expect to have a successful
pregnancy about 30% of the time using NaProTechnology. To date
nearly 100 couples with previously failed IVF have conceived using
this approach. In cases of recurrent miscarriage, nearly 80% of
couples will have a successful pregnancy. Couples with a history of
eight to nine previous miscarriages have now had successful
pregnancies using this system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Consultations are of necessity much longer than for most other specialties. An average consultation will last between 40 to 45 minutes. Each consultation is part of an ongoing process of education, support and couple empowerment. It is rarely possible to complete the consultation in a shorter time. NPT Physicians review couples every 3 to 4 months for a follow up consultation. On average couples are seen between 3 to 4 times per year.
The entire program can last between 18 – 24 months before treatment would be discontinued and deemed unsuccessful. Of course many couples do achieve successful pregnancies before reaching the end of NPT treatment and pregnancy is possible from as soon as you begin to track the biological markers of fertility. Overall success rates can be surprisingly high even despite long standing infertility, advanced female age and previous unsuccessful attempts with Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART).
Specific results from Ireland, which involved treatment for over 1,200 couples between Feb. 1998 and Jan. 2002 are awaiting publication and cannot be printed at this time. Although there is a reasonable chance of having a successful live birth with NPT it is important to emphasise that about 50% or so may not succeed in achieving that goal. A key point is to persist with treatment until the programme is completed so that you give yourself the best possible chance of success. Treatment is couple-centred. The husband and wife attend medical consultations together and work on this project as a team, hoping to realise the ultimate goal of achieving a successful pregnancy. While we dearly wish that everybody would conceive, unfortunately a significant number will not. This is not to be pessimistic but realistic and honest. Older couples, where the female age is greater than 40 years, and those with severe pelvic adhesions or severe endometriosis have a reduced likelihood of success.
It is obviously a very emotional time in couples lives and is frequently described as an emotional roller-coaster!
NPT helps you to adjust to and accept involuntary childlessness, which may be the final outcome despite our best attempts at fertility treatment. Successful treatment is much more than helping you to conceive and deliver a healthy child. Our goal is to offer the best medical treatment available in order to achieve a pregnancy….. but not at any price. We do not want to reach our goal at the expense of a couple’s health, relationship or psychological well being.
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