by Jason Coon
At a time when our government is currently attempting to mandate infertility and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) services into America’s health plans, I discovered a newsletter article released by the Catholic Healthcare Leadership Alliance (CHCLA) and Paul A. Carpentier, MD, CFCMC that is pure Catholic medical gold.
In the article entitled, Identifying the Causes and Solving Infertility with Modern Restorative Reproductive Medical Care, Home Fertility Charting and Surgery, (1) Dr. Carpentier lays out data points of how Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM) is “progressively advancing and successful”, “seeks “to identify the underlying causes of infertility”, improves health, and increases the likelihood of pregnancy naturally vs. IVF.
I found the statistics and medical outcomes surrounding RRM discussed in this article so compelling that I have planned a multiple article series on the findings over the next few months.
RRM us Natural Procreative Technologies (NaProTECHNOLOGY) and Natural Family Planning to identify medical underlying disease with an aim of repairing and restoring normal fertility or bodily function.
Dr. Carpentier states “NaProTECHNOLOGY (NPT) is firmly rooted in reproductive endocrinology as well as the women’s own fertility observations.” And that this approach is “attested in world renown journals” of medicine like the New England Journal of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care.
What stood out to me is the number of conditions beyond infertility that RRM is seeking out. Conditions like menstrual disorders, pelvic pain, and male infertility.
And then there was this gold nugget…Dr. Carpentier points out that even “one of the founders of some of the IVF procedures, Sir Robert Winston…has complained that the IVF industry is not”…”seeking the 70 different causes of infertility” and is “preying on the couples’ despair for profit.”
My medical claims costs antenna went up immediately. What type of “causes” was IVF attempting to bypass?
Further research into what conditions NaProTECHNOLOGY can treat opened my eyes. Conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovarian disease, ovarian cysts, repetitive miscarriage, and hormonal abnormalities were just a few.
Endometriosis here in the United States is a $78- $119 billion medical cost burden to the US economy each year and affects more than 6.5 million women (2). It affects conservatively 1 in 10 women and globally, according to the World Health Organization, 10% of women and girls of reproductive age. That’s 190 million women worldwide. (3)
Another concerning statistic is that it takes on average 4-11 years to diagnose Endometriosis.
So why should employers cover and promote NFP and NaProTECHNOLOGY?
First, this is just functional medicine at its finest. It seeks the underlying cause of the medical condition and aims to correct, not bypass or cover up, the condition that is causing pain, suffering, and even infertility.
Second, the church often teaches Natural Family Planning as part of marriage prep for young couples, but these methods used by couples can also identify medical complications early throughout the life of the women – well beyond the wedding day.
Third, there are cost avoidances associated with this type of care by identifying the conditions early and through less costly medical means using NFP and NaProTECHNOLOGY.
And lastly, there is an opportunity to embrace true Catholic healthcare practices that are “women-friendly and successful.”
Over the next several months I plan to further explore the data provided by Dr. Carpentier, speak with NaPro doctors around the country, and research the costs associated with the conditions that NaProTechnology and NFP can identify and treat. I hope you will stay tuned to what we find out.
Resources:
(1) Reach out to CBA for a copy of this article.
(2) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2022.902371/full
(3) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis
photo from FreePik