New Hope for Infertility

10 Responses to “New Hope for Infertility”

1. Nicholas says:

   November 11, 2009 at 10:55 am

   Wow, $25,000 for two IVF sessions! Any idea what the cost for the full-blown NaPro session described in the video costs?

   Are the Creighton fertility instructors like CCL teaching couples or are they typically medical professionals?
2. nfpworks says:

   November 11, 2009 at 11:54 am

   Yup, and $25,000 is a low number. It can run as high as $100,000, and is usually not covered by insurance.

   The cost of NaPro treatments really varies, depending on the cause of the compromised fertility. As you’ll see in the follow up video which I just posted, it can be as simple as blood work, analysis and progesterone shots, or nutrition consultation, or surgery, or any combination. I’ll have to ask my friends who’ve gone through the process. I think generally it’s not as high as IVF, and because some of the blood work and analysis is diagnostic, some or much of it can be covered by insurance, especially if the underlying cause is billed as necessary to the woman’s health, rather than for pregnancy achievement.

   Creighton FertilityCare instructors, called Practitioners, can be medical professionals or lay persons, as it were. I think because of the extensive training (including introductions to NaPro and a 1,000 page text book) they require college education and some biologic familliarity. Here’s the eligibility:

   http://www.popepaulvi.com/education.htm#ae

   Generally they teach singly, also.
3. Nicholas says:

   November 11, 2009 at 2:41 pm

   Looks like NaPro Practitioners are the real medical deal, but what about the typical Creighton Fertility instructors not associated with NaPro or FertilityCare; can they be laypeople with no medical background?
4. nfpworks says:

   November 11, 2009 at 3:16 pm

   FertilityCare is Creightonspeak for Creighton Method of NFP, which applies to both basic instruction as well as the method applied to NaProtechnology. Practitioners is Creightonspeak for instructors. There are several different types of practitioners: regular practitioners, medical consultant practitioner (they can give one an opinion about diagnosis and possible treatments), Instructor practitioner (teachers that train practitioners), and Surgical practitioners, who are always trained OB/GYNs. The latter is far more rare, but you can find them in a couple different places, including (I believe) Ireland, Omaha (Dr. Hilgers and company), Singapore, New York and other places.
5. CrMSrocks says:

   November 11, 2009 at 6:28 pm

   The vast majority of the FertilityCare Practitioners I know have a degree in a medically-related field, with most of them being nurses. The training program is pretty challenging even for someone with a medical background, but it can be done by a layperson (no medical background) who is willing to work hard.
6. Nicholas says:

   November 12, 2009 at 7:04 am

   Forgive me out of my ignorance towards other NFP methods, but if Creighton is mucus only and CCL is mucus plus temperature and possibly cervical signs, why does the Creighton method require medical expertise in their instructors when they’re teaching half the method of CCL? Is it because they want people that can teach more than the method and can provide additional medical advice? As CCL teachers, we cannot advise on medical issues.
7. Nicole says:

   November 12, 2009 at 3:20 pm

   I am a FertilityCare Practitioner.

   I have a BA in Marketing and the program to become a Creighton Practitioner was really intense, in a good way. The first exam over anatomy I found myself studying while the docs and nurses in my class went out to dinner. So I had a lot to get caught up on.

   Overall I know so much now! Totally worth it!
8. Nicole says:

   November 12, 2009 at 3:26 pm

   You are doing a great job at covering the process and how the cost could be broken down. Each person is different. All is usually covered under insurance bc its billed as a health issue – not a getting pregnant issue. (unless you find yourself out of network, which can be worked around) Which in the end, is the overall picture = getting healthy.

   I personally struggled with low progesterone and edno stage 2. Since I charted Creighton for three years prior – we could actually see this all on my chart. The Creighton system is standard in all vaginal discharges. Which allows a doctor to figure out what might be causing the problems.
9. Nicole says:

   November 12, 2009 at 3:37 pm

   Nicholas – I thought I would jump in here and make a few comments since I am a product of Napro and teach Creighton.

   Creighton does not require medical expertise in their instructors. We are taught the entire process so as an instructor I can guide a client along. I never make recommendations – I always forward up to a doctor who can treat. However, along the way I can brainstorm with a client on what the chart is telling us…. example – short post peak phase and brown bleeding: could be low progesterone. And so on…

   The Creighton system has very specific guidelines for any discharges – and all types and quality tell a story about what is going on with the womans body. It is since the 70′s that Dr. Hilgers has taken all the data on the discharges and been able to associate them with problems and solutions.

   I hope this answers your questions. I think all methods are fabulous and some work better for one couple over another. The important thing is that couples are using them…. and if trouble comes up, they are able to solve infertility.
10. Nicholas says:

    November 13, 2009 at 11:59 am

    Thanks Nicole! I am amazed at what the Creighton method covers. It’s intriguing that so many methods exist and they all seem to be as effective as another. With so many “natural” options, there must be a solution for everyone that does not involve ABC. But alas, as a past co-worker told me, some people “are just too lazy for NFP.”