Question 1

Are FertilityCare Practitioners licensed health care professionals?

Accepted Answer

No…and yes! FertilityCare Practitioners (FCPs) are not required to hold a professional license, though many also practice as registered nurses or allied health professionals. In order to teach the Creighton Model, FCPs must complete a 13 month program and supervised practicum through the Saint Paul VI Institute. FCPs are trained to identify patterns on a woman’s Creighton Model chart that require an evaluation by a licensed physician, and will refer you to a NaPro-trained doctor if necessary.

Question 2

How are NaProTechnology doctors different from other doctors?

Accepted Answer

NaProTechnology or “NaPro” doctors complete additional medical training through the St. Pope Paul VI Institute and Creighton University in Omaha, NE, where they are trained to assess a woman’s Creighton Model chart for various patterns that may indicate a reason for concern. These physicians then use this information to assist them in diagnosing and treating the condition in a way that seeks to correct the underlying problem, instead of covering up the symptoms of the problem. Physicians and mid-level providers (such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners) may choose to complete a 6-month training course where they learn about how to monitor specific hormone levels and prescribe different medicines to correct what is ailing the woman. Additionally, OB/GYN physicians who have completed residency may apply for a one year fellowship program during which they learn how to apply advanced therapy plans and surgical techniques to correct and restore natural gynecologic function and fertility. Providers trained in NaProTechnology do not prescribe contraceptives, provide or refer for artificial reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI), or provide or refer for elective abortions.

Question 3

What biomarkers will I be tracking with the Creighton Model FertilityCare System™?

Accepted Answer

The Creighton Model FertilityCare System™ (CrMS) is a type of fertility awareness-based method (FABM) that tracks patterns of bleeding and cervical mucus discharge. CrMS does not require you to take your temperature, identify the position of your cervix, or purchase any additional monitoring devices or test strips.

Question 4

Can I still work with a Creighton Method teacher or a NaPro doctor if I’m using hormonal or artificial birth control?

Accepted Answer

The Creighton Model FertilityCare System™ and NaProTechnology may be utilized by any girl or woman actively in cycles, however, using hormonal or artificial birth control such as “the Pill,” NuvaRingⓇ, or intrauterine device (IUD) will fundamentally change bleeding patterns and cervical discharge observations. While our FertilityCare Practitioners (FCPs) are happy to teach you how the Creighton Model works, NaPro doctors will not be able to accurately use the information from your chart because it would reflect the patterns caused by artificial hormones rather than what your body is doing on its own.

Question 5

Can I still work with a Creighton Method teacher or a NaPro doctor if I am pursuing artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization?

Accepted Answer

The Creighton Model FertilityCare System™ and NaProTechnology may be utilized by any girl or woman actively in cycles, however, the goal of NaPro is to restore the couples’ fertility to its natural functional state. Consequently, our FertilityCare Practitioners (FCPs) and NaPro doctors only assist married couples with conceiving by means of a natural act of sexual intercourse and do not refer for alternative services.

Question 6

How was the Creighton Model FertilityCare System™ developed?

Accepted Answer

The Creighton Model FertilityCare System™ (CrMS) was initially a project begun by Dr. Thomas W. Hilgers, MD, the current director of the Saint Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction and the National Center for Women’s Health in Omaha, Nebraska. As a young physician and devout Roman Catholic, Hilgers was struck by Pope St. Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, which explicitly called upon doctors, nurses, and medical scientists to “strive to elucidate more thoroughly the conditions favorable to a proper regulation of births” (HV p. 24). In response to this call, Hilgers and his colleagues developed CrMS while working together at the St. Louis University and Creighton University Schools of Medicine. Since this time, Hilgers has dedicated his career to providing women with holistic, restorative solutions for building and planning their families in a manner consistent with his faith in the teachings of the Catholic Church. In 1978, Dr. Hilgers began training allied health professionals as FertilityCare Practitioners (FCPs) to teach CrMS to women, and in 1981, also began training physicians in the basic principles of the medical applications of natural fertility regulation.

Question 7

Where can I find data to support the treatments recommended by NaPro doctors?

Accepted Answer

In 2004, Dr. Tom Hilgers published the first edition of The Medical and Surgical Practice of NaProTechnology, a medical textbook which describes the protocols and surgical techniques developed to treat the underlying causes of various endocrine and reproductive dysfunctions. Included in this textbook are numerous studies completed within his own practice as well as among those of his colleagues. Many of these citations are additionally published in several peer-reviewed journals, such as the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fertility and Sterility, and others. A selection of abstracts are available to read here.

Question 8

I’ve heard natural methods do not work to avoid pregnancy. What is Creighton’s success rate for avoiding or achieving pregnancy?

Accepted Answer

Because the Creighton Model (CrMS) of charting tracks various biomarkers that indicate when a woman’s body is fertile, a couple can use this information on any given day to decide if they want to conceive a baby or not. Based on a study published in The Journal of Reproductive Medicine, the effectiveness of charting with CrMS to avoid pregnancy was 99.5% with perfect use, and 96.8% with typical use (full text article linked here). Tracking the quality and patterns of cervical mucus discharge is prospective and fundamentally differs from retrospectively presuming when ovulation may or may not occur based on previous cycles. Therefore, CrMS should NOT be assessed for effectiveness in the same category as other natural methods. The abstract for a recent systematic review of the effectiveness of various natural methods to avoid pregnancy can be accessed here.

Question 9

How much does learning to chart my cycles with the Creighton Model FertilityCare System™ cost?

Accepted Answer

Each individual FertilityCare Practitioner (FCP) sets her own fee schedule based on a variety of factors, including location, materials provided, and whether meetings are offered virtually or in person. Typically, session costs range between $30-$50 per meeting. At this time we do not accept medical insurance, but we can accept HSA and FSA payments. Please note however that services will never be denied due to an inability to pay. If you are experiencing financial hardship, we ask that you email us directly at visitationfertilitycare@gmail.com to discuss the need for assistance.

Question 10

Can I use the Creighton Model FertilityCare System™ as a method of family planning for religious reasons?

Accepted Answer

Yes, because the Creighton Model FertilityCare System™ is a method for determining when a couple is naturally fertile or infertile and does not artificially manipulate a man or woman’s ability to conceive, it is considered an acceptable means to space births or indefinitely avoid pregnancy my most, if not all, major faith traditions.

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