NaProTechnology and PCOS

NaProTechnology is a method for enhancing fertility developed at Creighton University, a Roman Catholic institution of higher learning in Omaha, Nebraska, to enable couples to overcome infertility without resorting to techniques that sacrifice embryos, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), or going outside the marital bond, such as the use of donated eggs or sperm. Most of the couples who use NaProTechnology actually aren't Catholic. It's a simple method of improving fertility that goes beyond purely "natural" methods without the need for costly technology. And it usually works.

The idea behind Naprotechnology is very simple. Pregnancy never happens if the egg is not fertilized by the sperm. Part of NaProTechnology is simply recognizing the five or so days in a woman's period she is likely to be fertile, so that sexual intercourse can be timed for those days. And another basic idea of NaProTechnology is that it isn't enough to have sexual intercourse to achieve fertilization. The sperm has to reach the egg, and one of the ways that sperm reaches the egg more readily is with the help of the cervical mucus. Just keeping hydrated sometimes is enough to increase cervical mucus, and the slight change in cervical mucus can be enough to enable conception. Conversely, increasing volume of semen also can be enough to enable conception, and all this requires is for the male partner to abstain from ejaculation for one up to four days before sexual intercourse intended for conception of a child.

When these simple methods are not enough, then the NaProTechnology program might instruct the couple in how to chart the peaks of hormone levels that indicate ovulation with a fertility monitoring system such as ClearBlue, or the physician might then look at easily correctable hormone deficiencies. The benefit of NaProTechnology for couples trying to conceive a child is that it allows them a chance to use the simplest and least expensive interventions first. Treatment of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is not typically part of the NaProTechnology program. However, simply ensuring the production of cervical mucus, increasing semen volume, charting the ovulation date, and working with a trained, knowledgeable, and caring NaProTechnology counselor enables about 65 per cent of women who have PCOS to conceive, even without specific treatment for the condition.