Creighton fertility care program a family blessing

Laura and Cooper Ray of Baton Rouge had been married for two years and had tried unsuccessfully to conceive. That challenge was so difficult the couple had begun to investigate the possibility of adoption.

“I went through a cycle of probably depression about it,” said Laura, 29. “I was just trying to trust God, but it was the most difficult thing I had been through in my whole life. We had even decided we were going to adopt and had gone to the adoption meetings.”

In the midst of their struggles, the Rays heard about a natural method of family planning called the Creighton Model FertilityCare System, a natural fertility-tracking program developed by Dr. Thomas Hilgers at Creighton University in the 1980s.

In accord with the church

The system, which is approved by the Catholic Church, provides standardized information about a woman’s reproductive health and enables couples to achieve or avoid pregnancy effectively. The system is the only one that can be used in conjunction with NaPro Technology (natural procreative technology), which offers medical and surgical approaches to treat a woman’s reproductive health problems.

Laura said she and her husband had practiced another form of natural family planning before they found out about the Creighton Model.

“We started the Creighton Model and we discovered that my hormones were out of balance and that there was something not quite right,” Laura said. “I ended up through the Creighton Model being diagnosed with endometriosis. I had gone to many doctors before, and they didn’t know what the pain was from, and they tried to give me birth control (pills) and told me that would make it better.”

Eventually, Laura traveled to Omaha, Neb., in April 2010 to have Hilgers surgically treat her endometriosis. About six months later – two days after she and her husband had attended another adoption meeting – Laura found out she was pregnant. The Rays’ first son, Eli, was born on Aug. 20.

“Cooper had been praying a novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and we found out I was pregnant on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8),” Laura said.

Cooper, 38, said Dr. Hilgers uses surgical techniques that enhance a woman’s chance to conceive.

“A lot of times doctors go in and laser the endometriosis,” Cooper said. “Dr. Hilgers does the extra steps. He doesn’t just take the endometriosis away but provides a better opportunity for a couple to conceive.”

The Creighton Model is taught locally at the Hope Fertility Care Center, part of the Woman’s New Life Center, in Metairie. Shannon Eaton and Helen Britsch have been instructing couples in the method for 2 1/2 years.

“It teaches a woman or couple to chart their cycle, and they can use that information to either achieve a pregnancy or avoid a pregnancy,” Eaton said. “It’s the only method of natural family planning that has a medical science attached to it. NaProTechnology can be used to treat any gynecological condition, from PMS to infertility, including postpartum depression. All of its treatments are natural and in accord with church teaching.”

Baton Rouge doctor assists

Eaton, a registered nurse who has been involved with the Woman’s New Life Center for several years, said the Creighton Method works well for women who are breastfeeding or who have irregular cycles by helping them identify their fertility.

Dr. Robert Chasuk, a family practice doctor in Baton Rouge, is the medical consultant for the Hope Fertility Care Center. Eaton said a woman can continue to work with her own ob-gyn in conjunction with Dr. Chasuk.

“Some women come in and use this just as a method of natural family planning,” Eaton said. “If they’re having problems, they can go to Dr. Chasuk, who reviews their chart and history and orders the appropriate tests. He would be the person to make a diagnosis and give the proper treatment. That can involve hormone replacement or medication.”

The Creighton Model helps a woman chart her natural fertility using a main biological marker, her cervical mucous. It is unlike the old “rhythm” method of natural family planning, Eaton said.

“From my understanding, the rhythm method worked well for women who had regular, consistent cycles,” Eaton said. “The new methods – not just Creighton – work more with women’s cycles. Creighton is 96.8 percent effective if used properly, and that is based on five studies. It can be used as a basis to correct some of those things that aren’t particularly healthy or normal.”

Eaton said she encourages both the husband and wife to take part in the training classes. “This is all about their reproductive ability together as a couple,” Eaton said.

Eight classes are usually held in the first year, and each class is one-on-one.

Alternatives to the pill

In many cases, Eaton says young women will come to the Hope Fertility Care Center with bad PMS or cramping, and they are looking for alternatives to the birth control pill.

Eaton will help them chart their cycles for two months, and that information can then be reviewed by Dr. Chasuk. “It gives us the information to put the physician in the right direction,” Eaton said. “The body gives us clues. This really is empowerment of women to get to know their bodies better.”

If the woman does need hormones, Dr. Chasuk does not use chemical forms of hormones.

As practitioners, Eaton and Britsch have seen about 50  women in the last 2 1/2 years at the center. There are a few other practitioners in the area, but Eaton said she hopes the number will grow in the coming years as women seek natural, effective methods of family planning.

In the summer of 2013, New Orleans will host the national convention of the American Academy of Fertility Care Professionals.

Wealth of information

Eaton said women who go through the classes are amazed by the ease of the method and the wealth of information they learn about their bodies. 

“They will say, ‘Why haven’t I heard about this before?’” Eaton said. “There are a lot of people who are grateful they don’t have to go on the pill to get results. And then there are couples with infertility problems who now have hope.”Laura and Cooper Ray would agree.

“Eli is fantastic and he’s doing so well,” Cooper said. “Every day is such an amazing event. We had so much trouble conceiving, and now we’re so blessed.”

For more information on the Hope Fertility Care Center, call (504) 496-0214. Information on the Creighton Model FertilityCare System is at www.fertilitycare.org and www.popepaulvi.com.