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Naprotechnology (Natural Procreative Technology) is a method of natural procreation. Naprotechnology is often chosen by couples for philosophical reasons.
Ilona and Jakub, after trying for a child for over a year, decided to see a doctor. – As a standard, others prescribed me hormone pills to regulate my cycle. I kept asking if it would help and, unconvinced, I went to another gynecologist – recalls Ilona. Finally, they found their way to Dr. Maciej Barczentewicz from Lublin, who deals with NaProTechnology. – I came home with a diagnosis: polycystic ovary syndrome. The treatment plan included contact with an instructor who would teach me to observe my cycle, and then start pharmacological treatment in the form of tablets and injections. There was no pressure like “bubble burst, you have to act fast!” The doctor convinced us that knowing how to recognize the fertile days, you should simply have sex happily and spontaneously – he says. Finally succeeded. Ilona became pregnant.
Not everyone succeeds
Dr. Jan Domitrz from Białystok, who performs the in vitro procedure under the government program, talks about many patients who came to him after two or three years of unsuccessful treatment with NaProTechnology. – If a woman is 25, no problem. But more and more often 39 and even 40-year-olds come. In this case, I believe that NaProTechnologia was a waste of time – says the doctor. Anna and Marek from Warsaw, after five years of trying for a child, had a child. They took advantage of the government’s IVF program. Little Józio is already one year old. Parents plan to have siblings next year. – We froze the embryo, hoping for a brother or sister for Józio – says Anna. Were it not for the government program, they would not be able to pay for the procedure.
The government announced the end of IVF financing. Couples who treat infertility and who cannot afford such a procedure are already interested in cheaper naprotechnology. For the residents of Białystok, the city where the first IVF child in Poland was born, it will be free. PLN for the treatment of infertility using the naprotechnology method. – I do not mind that the councilors of my city decided to subsidize the infertility treatment. However, it must be made clear that NaProTechnology is not for everyone. And you cannot give patients false hopes – says Dr. Domitrz. Unfortunately, IVF also gives illusory hope. There is little mention of the fact that only about 100 percent of women get pregnant thanks to IVF, in addition usually after several attempts. That is, most couples who decide to undergo IVF never become parents. And there is no mention of how many percent of those 30 percent of pregnancies are full-term?
What is NaProTechnologia?
NaProTechnologia stands for Natural Procreative Technology – methods of natural procreation. Father of NaProTechnology, American gynecologist prof. In the 70s, TW Hilgers developed a fertility recognition method using symptoms assessed by a woman: cervical mucus, vaginal discharge, intensity of menstrual bleeding.
It was an extension of the idea of the Australian neurologist J. Billings and his wife, a pediatrician, who, at the priest’s request, prepared a natural way of family planning. They noted the variability of the mucus produced by the cervix in the ovulatory cycle. These observations, supported by research on hormones secreted in particular phases of the cycle, allowed for the determination of fertile days. Prof. Hilgers developed standards for the use of this method and decided to use it for the treatment of infertility. It turned out that some changes in mucus secretion and menstrual bleeding can be attributed to specific diseases, such as hypothyroidism or hormonal disorders. NaPro Technology differs from standard infertility treatment, apart from self-observation of mucus and strict adjustment of the treatment to the course of the natural ovulatory cycle, by excluding the use of assisted reproductive techniques inconsistent with the position of the Catholic Church, i.e. in vitro. Both methods use modern diagnostic techniques, e.g. the use of a laser in operations, etc.
What does NaProTechnologia offer?
Maciej Barczentewicz, a gynecologist who has been dealing with NaProTechnology for years, explains that the most important innovation is the precise linking of diagnostics and treatment with the individual cycle of a woman, and then monitoring the effects of treatment. In addition, NaProTechnology assumes the performance of time-consuming and costly surgical procedures that are rarely used in Poland today in the in vitro era, e.g. near contact laparoscopy, i.e. very thorough with meticulous removal of endometriosis foci, special anti-growth techniques or, in the case of obstruction of the fallopian tubes, selective hysterosalpingography.
– A healthy body is fertile. If someone is looking forward to having a descendant, he must be diagnosed and, if possible, treated – says Aleksandra Baryła, gynecologist and obstetrician – naprotechnologist from the Specialist Hospital. Holy Family in Warsaw. – This is what medicine should be like. This, however, requires patience and costs money, he adds. We are bound by meticulousness that got lost somewhere in our daily practice – says gynecologist Dr. Ewa Ślizień-Kuczapska from Warsaw, who uses NaProTechnology. “It is true that 50% of the couples we treat would have children regardless of our actions, but half have a specific problem diagnosed and resolved,” he explains. Doctors using NaProTechnology must undergo a special course. Then there is a six-month practice supervised by NaProTechnology specialists. There are already dozens of doctors of this specialty in Poland. Their list is available at www.fccp.pl
Self-observation
A medical visit to a gynecologist using NaProTechnology lasts up to one and a half hours. Before that, the couple should have several meetings with the instructor teaching the observation of cervical mucus. The woman’s task is to closely observe the mucus and monitor the bleeding. Instead, body temperature is measured. For the first 2-3 months, almost everyone has trouble implementing systematic cycle observation and daily note-taking. Over time, each of the ladies gains self-confidence and can cope on her own – says certified instructor Dr. Krzysztof Strug. After three months, the couple comes back to the doctor with a completed observation card, where they also note the days when they had sex. The doctor, trying to determine the cause of infertility, orders a number of tests. He is also interested in food intolerances, because being allergic to gluten or protein may also make it difficult to get pregnant. Treatment includes surgical procedures related to the removal of endometriosis, clearing the fallopian tubes and others, an elimination diet, drugs regulating hormone levels, and sometimes vitamin B or D supplementation.
NaProTechnologia – medicine or quackery?
Gynecologist prof. Stanisław Radowicki believes that NaProTechnologists raise too high hopes in patients. In his opinion, it is unethical to convince patients that the treatment of infertility using the NaProTechnology method is so effective that it will solve the problem of every couple struggling with infertility. The supporters of the method emphasize that the effectiveness of in vitro measured by the number of conceptions is approx. 25%, while NaProTechnology – measured by the number of births, on average 71%. Opponents, however, argue that NaProTechnologia is paramedical.
– I was once considered a quacker when I ordered the use of antitussive syrup in one of my patients in order to thin the mucus too thick. When she told her friend that she got pregnant, after the doctor told her to take vitamins and cough syrup, she asked her for the address of the quack doctor – she laughs and explains Dr. Baryła. He adds that sometimes a thorough cycle analysis and vitamin supplementation are enough. – All medical procedures that we perform are standard medical procedures. But the dispute is ideological, because for ethical reasons we reject IVF and hence the whole campaign – he explains.
Worldview and NaProTechnologia
In vitro, for philosophical reasons, even if it was 100% effective, is unacceptable for many couples. In the document of the Polish Bishops’ Conference “On the bioethical challenges faced by modern man” we read that apart from the selection and destruction of embryos, which are an endangering human life, freezing embryos also offends human dignity.
According to the Episcopate, the in vitro method is another experiment on humans. That is why Beata and Rafała from Lublin, after several years of trying to get a child, sought help from a doctor using NaProTechnology. The chances were small, because Rafał had practically no sperm in his semen after the previous treatment of Hodgkin’s disease, i.e. one year of chemotherapy and a bone marrow autograft. Beata was diagnosed with endometriosis. – The doctor has been monitoring and analyzing the test results and my mucus observations for over two years. He also commissioned me to test for IgG antibodies and it turned out that I must have a gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free and yeast-free diet. He also gave me a laparoscopy to remove any endometriosis lesions. The results of my husband’s tests, to our surprise, gradually improved and reached the level of a healthy man – says Beata. Eventually a daughter was born to them.
NaProTechnologia and in vitro – comparison of effectiveness
– Of course, we are not able to help everyone, but if approx. 50% of treated couples become parents, then there is a lot – says Dr. Barczentewicz. To the objection that these pairs would have had children even without treatment, he replies: – If, after several years of treatment in different centers, the NaProTechnology used ends with conception, then probably a cause-and-effect relationship can be seen here. – In vitro fertilization is proposed in the so-called spontaneous infertility. I believe that there is no such thing. The cause was not found, because it was not possible, and sometimes it was not looked for at all. For me, infertility is not a disease, but a symptom of one or even several diseases – says Dr. Baryła.
Doctors participating in the government’s IVF program emphasize that they use all diagnostic and treatment methods prescribed by NaProTechnology. However, in a situation where they are exhausted and still do not become pregnant, as well as when medicine is helpless, e.g. in the case of permanent dysfunction of the fallopian tubes, some types of male infertility, they suggest IVF. Therefore, comparing the effectiveness of both methods does not make much sense, because in vitro was created as a procedure used when conventional – pharmacological and surgical methods of infertility treatment, e.g. NaProTechnologia – they fail. The health ministry announces a “national procreation program”. According to Konsante Radziwłł, the in vitro procedure cannot replace infertility treatment.