Napro in the News

Not much to report today, so I decided to do a google news search for napro. I found three articles.


Dr. Edward Fleming, a napro trained dr joined the Dillsburg Family Health Center in PA.

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/polish-govt.-will-pay-for-test-tube-babies-despite-pressure-from-catholic-b/
Poland is 90% Catholic. A group of 100 Polish scientists were dismayed by the IVF plan after issuing a document urging the government to pursue NaProTechnology as an ethically acceptable and highly successful method of treating infertility. The government is now going to pay for IVF. This comes despite strong opposition from the country’s Catholic bishops who have threatened to excommunicate politicians who publicly support IVF.

 http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/viewpoint/something-better-than-contraception-1.2947509#.UJ-d-aCk-Sp
 Lindsey Marugg is a senior majoring in music and pre-med at Our Lady’s University. She can be reached at lmarugg@nd.edu

In her article she had two ruptured cysts and went to the ER. She went on birth control and had issues with others at school. She said that  the most common medicine prescribed for endometriosis is birth control, and the most common treatment for infertility caused by endo is ART. She concluded "Now here’s something that should strike a nerve with Catholic women. Are the only options birth control when you don’t want kids and in-vitro when you do?"  

She worked on a study in Omaha and said, "I can tell you that the science behind NaProTechnology is real.  Beyond that, I am a success story myself. I have polycystic ovarian disease, am on medication to treat the underlying problem and am now 8 natural cycles in a row, pain free. NaProTechnology has been successfully treating endometriosis without birth control for years."
 
At the end she raised a great point, "Why does no one at Our Lady’s University know about NaPro? If we claim to be a preeminent Catholic research institution, why isn’t NaPro on our radar? Why don’t we ever talk about how the World Health Organization labels hormonal birth control a class 1 carcinogen? The conversation always seems to fall back on: “The Catholic Church is against women.” False. The Catholic Church has been right all along.  Catholic teaching has led to a better way.  One that I confidently stand behind not based on the Catholic teaching alone, but on the proof offered in scientific statistics and in my own life. There is something better than contraception. But we need to open our hearts and minds to it.

I wrote her a letter bc I felt a connection to her frustration about lack of awareness of Napro. 

Traffic Ticket and Blood Tests Results

My speeding ticket:
I got a speeding ticket at the end of December. I had to go to court this week to speak to the ADA to see if I could get it reduced.  When I got there and saw that the room was already full of people I knew it would be a long night. You sign in and then they call you up to speak to the ADA for like a min in the corner but it was still in front of everyone. I sat there and watched everyone go up and listened to see what kind of deal they got. It seemed that everyone got a large reduction on their pts but had to pay $150 fine. Then it was my turn. I got up there and I was all set to plead my case but he already had a deal without hearing any info from me. He reduced it from 6 pts to 2 pts. Then I had to also pay a fine of $150 plus the state surcharge of 85. So for my first offense I had to pay a large fine and also get two pts. I am not complaining bc it could have been 6 pts plus at least $300. So this is ok with me. I am just glad that this two month drama is finally over. I can go to a defensive driving course and remove my pts.

 TTC:
My blood tests came back. I have to speak to the dr but I have some ideas on the results thanks to the Internet and my past experiences.

I tested positive for another blood clotting disorder.  That puts my total up to five  which includes  PAI-1 4G/5G that is mentioned below. I think I have been tested for 9 or ten, so I have about half of them. Sometimes it amazes me that I even walk around. It seems that I really need the blood thinners. My hematologist upped my dose to 40mg once a day. It is hard to know if this is enough, bc she said I am her only IF patient. Her others are all pg women with RPL and she wants to give me the same dose as them.

 My natural Killer cells were high, but about the same as usual. This was what I expected to see. When I start TTC again, I will go back on the med to lower this. My  TNF was a little higher than my usual but still in the normal range.

My Vitamin D level is getting better each time. I am very pleased to report that it is now up to 46. It is so great when something works correctly. 1,000 equals 10 pts and that is what has been happening with me. I have been taking 3,000 so now I am going to add another  1,000.

My ferritin level was low. It was 37 which seems normal  in the lab's range, but everything I read online stated that under 40 caused fertility issues. Some sites mentioned wanting a level near 60. So I am going to slowly ease in some supplements in order to prevent GI distress.

My folate level is still really high but it came down a lot since the last time I was tested. A few months back, I was taking  a high dose folate supplement for my MTHFR. I reduced the dose after the test came back much higher than the range. Since it is still outside of the normal range, I am going to reduce it some more. I eat a lot of salad so I guess I do not need to supplement that much.

Here is something I found online. 
http://www.rbmojournal.com/article/S1472-6483%2810%2961004-8/abstract

While the role of inherited thrombophilia has been accepted as a cause of recurrent late pregnancy complications, the contribution of mutated thrombophilic genes to implantation failure has not been studied. Proteins involved in fibrinolysis are necessary for trophoblast invasion into the endometrium. This study compared the prevalence of 10 thrombophilic gene mutations among 42 women with a history of recurrent implantation failure after IVF–embryo transfer with 20 fertile control women. Buccal swabs were taken from all of the women for DNA analyses. Women with a history of implantation failure after IVF–embryo transfer displayed a higher prevalence of PAI-1 4G/5G mutations than controls (P = 0.007). No differences in the frequency of the other specific gene mutations were detected. However, the prevalence of total gene mutations among patients with implantation failure was significantly higher than among controls. More than three gene mutations among the 10 genes studied were observed in 74% of women with implantation failure and 20% of controls (P = 0.0004). 

It is concluded that inherited thrombophilias are associated with implantation failure. This association is manifest by total number of mutations as well as with PAI-1 mutations.

What a Great Day!

Yesterday I had a great day!

I woke up and had a pos OPK. I love seeing those two blue lines bc they might just be the only ones I ever see. It is also a reassurance that part of my system is working. This happened on CD15 which is great. That is back to my usual. Last month it was much later due to stress. I took my trigger.

Later on that day my dr's office called and made an apt for next week. I was happy to hear back and have something written down. It was Friday, dress down day, and a pay day, so that just made it even better.

My work situation continues to improve. My boss gave me a compliment on something I did. I had to work on something with the teachers that I had an issue with in Sept. I did a great job collaborating and then I came up with a great idea and everyone loved it. I was so happy to hear that. I enjoy working there and I want to be able to move forward.

After school I was just cleaning my room when my cell phone rings and it was my napro Dr. =)   I told him that I just made an apt to talk with him next week. =)  He is so great. I love the compassion and positive energy in his voice. We spoke about doing the lap surgery. He said that there is a possibility that if he takes away too much tissue I could go into early menopause. Yikes. At this point I am not willing to risk that. Then we talked about how all my napro stats are great. I mentioned the polyps and how I was worried that they may have come back in the past 3 years. He agreed to do the hysteroscopy and also check my tubes. I am so thrilled. I told him that I need to know that my uterus is in top shape before I get into any more medications. The dr that did the last one 3 years ago was not napro so I am excited to have my napro surgeon get a good look and give me his expert opinion.

We also spoke about using nsaids to calm down inflammation. I have heard many people talk about using them. I have always avoided them due to my lufs, since nsaids can make it worse. My Dr said that there is some research that a specific nsaid can help with implantation. He suggested that I only use it post peak after the threat of lufs is over. I also have thick blood, so this will thin it also. I did a google search and found an article on  piroxicam and implantation rates    The implantation rate was 12.3 vs. 7.7% (p-value = 0.04) and the clinical pregnancy rate was 25.5 vs. 10% (p-value = 0.015) in the piroxicam vs. control groups, respectively.  

Even though the article is talking about IVF, we can use this information for non ivf too. It mentioned  prostaglandins which is something people like me with endo have issues with. It said that they can increase uterine contractions and decrease receptivity of embryo and nsaids block prostaglandins. I am going to try this after my procedure.

NaPro Surgeon Signs with Richmond Hospital

Today I got an email from a reader who is also trying to help support  napro. She mentioned that a new napro trained surgeon will be opening up her practice in Richmond Virginia in August of 2012. I am so excited to share this news. We need to keep passing on good news like this, so that everyone can see that napro is growing. Here is some info about the new dr with a link to the full article.

http://www.nfpworksblog.com/2011/12/14/napro-surgeon-signs-with-richmond-hospital/

Christine Louise Cimo Hemphill, M.D. is an obstetrician/gynecologist who is completing her fellowship training in Medical & Surgical NaProTECHNOLOGY with Dr. Thomas Hilgers, co-creator of the Creighton Model FertilityCare System.

In August, 2012, she starts at a new practice at St. Francis Medical Center, a hospital within the Bon Secours Hospital System in the Richmond, Virginia area. Her focus will be mainly infertility patients, but will continue to practice general obstetrics and gynecology.

It will be great to have another surgeon on the east coast.  If you are FCP in the Richmond area, be sure to mark your calendar.

Gianna Center Seeks to Expand Beyond New York

A friend of mine just sent me this link to a new article about napro and the Gianna Center. I try to search Google for articles but they are sometimes hard to find. If you see a new one, please contact me. I always make a post about it and then I add a link to my section on articles.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/gianna-centers-pro-life-medicine-seeks-to-expand-beyond-new-york/

This is a great article bc it goes through the histroy of the Gianna Center and how they had to adjust when St. Vincent's closed. Now they are part of St. Peter's and have opened up two locations. They are working on opening more.

Here are some quotes from the article.

"Now the Gianna Center is back in its original office in Manhattan, run by Nolte, and has opened a second office at St. Peter’s Hospital, run by Dr. Kyle Beiter, an obstetrician-gynecologist who delivers babies and performs surgery, while specializing in NaPro technology as well. Under the auspices of St. Peter’s Hospital, the Gianna Center accepts health-insurance plans again and there are plans afoot to open additional offices across the country."

“The work of the Gianna Center is totally consistent with our Catholic principles and our special emphasis on women and children,” Rak said, pointing out that St. Peter’s Hospital is sponsored by the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J. “Their approach to medicine fully complements what we are doing at St. Peter’s, and we are looking to expand these services beyond the confines of New Jersey. Patients come from very long distances for their services because they cannot find this kind of care where they live.”

Although most people think of NFP as only a Catholic Church-approved method to delay conception, the Gianna Center is serving many women from across the country who seek help with infertility problems through NaPro technology.

Maureen  and her husband were married nearly five years without a child when they found that physicians in their area did not know how to treat infertility in a morally acceptable way. The Catholic couple rejected in vitro fertilization, which is prohibited by the Church because it separates conception from the conjugal act by joining egg and sperm in a petri dish. The couple found a NaPro family physician in New Jersey, who eventually referred them to Dr. Beiter at the Gianna Center, where surgery was performed to treat endometriosis.

Two months after the surgery, Maureen became pregnant. She said that she and her husband are expecting a child in April, and hope to have a large family. “You have to trust God,” said Wilkins, who is 30 years old, “because you never know what will happen.”

New Article: Gianna Center

I like to search Google news for infertility topics to see what is new. I was surprised today when I saw a photo of Dr. Beiter and his nurse Jamey in an article about the Gianna Center in NJ.
Here is the link, Pass it on.
________________________________________________________________________________
The Gianna Center for Women’s Health is named after Italian pediatrician St. Gianna Beretta Molla, who sacrificed her life for her unborn child in 1962, and embodies the saint’s devotion to Catholic morals. The FertilityCare certified center offers women natural ways to overcome infertility, a condition that affects about 7.3 million women of childbearing age.

Affiliated with St. Peter’s University Hospital and located on Easton Avenue in New Brunswick, the center officially opened its doors to patients in November 2010 and is steadily increasing in popularity.
The original Gianna center, located in Manhattan, opened in 2009 with funding by the former St. Vincent’s Hospital and is now privately owned.
St. Peter’s University Hospital lacked sufficient fertility care resources in 2010 and reached out to Beiter and Anne Meilnik, M.D. who is the director of the New York office.

“Unfortunately, a lot of the therapies used by other practitioners are destructive to early human life,” center director, obstetrician, and gynecologist Kyle Beiter, M.D., said. “We aim to respect human life at all ages, from the embryo to the old adult. This is not always easy or convenient to do but we believe that it is the right thing to do.”

Aside from general ob/gyn consultations and treatment, the center promotes NaProTECHNOLOGY and the Creighton Model FertilityCare System, two natural fertility treatment methods based on patient education and pattern observation. The hospital is the first in the state to offer these methods, Beiter said.
Beiter studied NaProTECHNOLOGY under a selective fellowship at Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha with Thomas Hilgers, M.D., the chief researcher of NaPro.

The Gianna Center is part of a network of 200 to 300 centers across the country that provide NaProTECHNOLOGY, most of which are run by family practitioners who refer to gynecologists like Beiter for procedures on a weekly, if not daily basis.Referrals are received from a wide range of areas, including but not limited to Massachusetts, Connecticut, the Tri-State area, and Florida.

“There are many women who don’t want contraception or birth control forced on them, and don’t want abortion as an option,” Beiter said in a press release. “For those reasons, we have found, many of them hadn’t gone to a gynecologist in years.”
Patients can choose to use the care-based procedures as alternatives to control-based methods such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) for treating infertility, or to avoid pregnancy by identifying detailed patterns in her menstrual cycle.

In avoiding pregnancy, the system is 96 percent effective; Birth control pills have a 92 percent effectiveness rate, according to Beiter.  “With fertility, our goal is to help conception through active intercourse between husband and wife, the most natural way,” Beiter said. “[Patients] respond in favor to it though we don’t force it on anyone.”

The center provides patients with additional testing to determine whether IVF can be avoided and if the couple can proceed with a natural pregnancy after treatment at the center. Because the center does not use IVF, an important goal is removing all disease.
Dr. Hilgers made significant developments in adhesion to reduce scar tissue build up, which is a common problem after surgery, according to Beiter.

“Our philosophy is that you can equal results by putting out far less cash out of your pocket,” Phillip Hartman, Director of Public Relations for St. Peter’s University Hospital said of the treatment, which is much less expensive for patients than IVF.
The center appeals to Catholic patients who hold ethical concerns as well as those who seek a more natural treatment.