Southern Nebraska Register
Worldwide FertilityCare Week, March 19-25 this year, is an annual celebration for the Creighton MODEL FertilityCare System (CrMS) and NaProTECHNOLOGY.
The FertilityCare Center of the Diocese of Lincoln shares not only information about the method, but also the newest medical providers in the diocese who provide support through the use of NaProTECHNOLOGY.
The CrMS relies on standardized observations and charting that are necessary for woman’s health and fertility. These observations provide information to the user about the natural times of fertility and infertility, which allows couples to use the method to either achieve or avoid pregnancy while following the teaching of the Church. Research that led to the development of the CrMS began in 1976 by Dr. Thomas Hilgers, founder and director of the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction in Omaha.
NaProTECHNOLOGY is a women’s health science that utilizes the biomarkers specific to the CrMS to monitor a woman’s cycle and detect hormonal issues that may be present. Abnormalities can be detected, treated and monitored for long-term health.
Dr. Arthur Grinstead, a physician practicing at Holy Family Medical Center in Lincoln for nearly two years, said studying and practicing NaProTECHNOLOGY has been “the most rewarding experience of my entire medical career.”
He has provided support to more than 30 couples and several dozen single women without any use of harmful chemicals and devices that are quite often recommended and used in modern medicine. The CrMS has successfully provided many women solutions for painful periods, irregular cycles, unusual bleeding, chronic discharges and infections, ovarian cysts, recurring miscarriage, preterm labor, and infertility.
Family Nurse Practitioner Allison Kleier, in Hastings, is currently wrapping up her studies with Saint Paul VI Institute in Omaha. In medical practice, Allison often reflects on the moral and ethical issues that come up in care for her patients with regards to typical treatment for women’s health.
“We are taught within the medical community how to treat conditions conventionally instead of what we can do to get to the root causes,” she said, “and this poses significant issues for women and couples trying to navigate the world of fertility.”
A common solution for many women’s gynecologic and reproductive issues includes some form of hormonal contraception – birth control pills, IUD, implant, sterilization. This “solution” is a large concern for many healthcare providers, but many lack the support to be able to move away completely from contraceptives. Some side effects of birth control include bleeding, headaches, nausea, bloating, increased blood pressure, increased risk of blood clots, increased risk of breast cancer, weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, depression, anxiety. But most importantly, use of these products does NOT provide answers for an underlying condition or a solution for it.
Both Dr. Grinstead and Kleier received training through the Saint Paul VI Institute about women’s health that is beyond and above that of nursing programs and medical training. All programs with Saint Paul VI Institute last a minimum of 13 months, have many requirements to complete the program, and have close supervision with an experienced supervisor. The objective of the programs is to create new allied health professionals who can enter their communities and empower women and couples to use the method while providing high quality care.
Many people feel they “know someone” who has undergone some form of fertility treatment. Unfortunately, many treatments include the use of Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART). In general terms, ART includes procedures that surgically remove eggs, combine them with sperm in a laboratory, and place fertilized embryos into the woman while freezing remaining embryos.
Father Tad Pacholczyk, Ph.D., director of education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, offered a good “rule of thumb” for determining whether a procedure is morally acceptable in a 2017 column in the Southern Nebraska Register: “treatments that assist the marital act are permissible, while those that replace, or substitute for, the marital act raise serious moral objections. The ideal approach to resolving infertility involves identifying the underlying causes… and addressing those causes so that marital intercourse can now result in a conception.”
The CrMS and NaProTECHNOLOGY allow couples and physicians to practice true healthcare and assist couples in carrying out safe, successful, and long-term pregnancies while keeping pro-life values at the forefront of their practices.
In addition to achieving pregnancy, the method can be used with 99% effectiveness (perfect use) to avoid pregnancy. The method teaches the principle of selective intercourse in order to be successful. This idea stems from Pope Saint Paul VI’s encyclical letter Humanae Vitae, which states “The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator.” The CrMS is not a method of contraception as it never breaks the unitive and procreative potential during the marital act.
“Some of the challenges for women [and men] when learning the method are that they have to put in a little more effort and they may be required to practice abstinence which may be difficult when they aren’t used to doing that,” Grinstead noted. But when a couple is following the instructions provided by their FertilityCare Practitioner, they can be certain the method is effective and find more support, communication, and emotional growth within their marriages.
Dr. Grinstead also recalled several couples who sought treatment after multiple miscarriages.
“They sought out but did not find answers from many reproductive endocrinologists. They come to me, and we start fresh in a much more natural approach to things. We try to get to the root cause and figure things out. I have multiple couples this has been the case for. They’ve been able to achieve pregnancy, and I’ve been able to see their whole pregnancy develop and then deliver a healthy baby.”
Kealey Butler, Certified FertilityCare Practitioner and coordinator for the Diocese of Lincoln, encouraged all women to learn more about the method in order to better understand their bodies and learn to advocate for themselves in the world of medicine.
“It can be difficult to disagree with a treatment suggested by your physician,” she said. “I’ve felt that way numerous times. Learning to advocate for myself led me to finding the right doctors… who truly have my best interests in mind when it comes to not only me, but my family as well.”
For those interested in learning more about the method, attending training for NaProTECHNOLOGY, or to become a practitioner for teaching the CrMS, contact Butler at 402-473-0630 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
