2003 Science & Research Forum

Biosketch:

Joseph B. Stanford, MD, MSPH, CNFPMC, is Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. He is Past President of the American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals. Dr. Stanford is a past recipient of the Generalist Physician Faculty Scholar Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. His current research in fertility care is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Presentation Abstract:

Retrospective Evaluation of Outcomes of the Use of the Creighton Model FertilityCare System to Achieve Pregnancy

Introduction: The Creighton Model FertilityCare System (CrMS) is a standardized method for educating couples about their fertility. Past research indicates that the method is highly accurate for identifying days of fertility. Data from unpublished research indicates that couples with infertility can also use the CrMS to help them achieve pregnancy. A study of 6 CrMS centers suggested that about 20% of couples that seek training in CrMS do so with the initial intention to use the method to achieve pregnancy. Formal research on the outcomes of using the CrMS to achieve pregnancy is currently sparse. This study aims to determine the outcomes of couples that begin use of the CrMS intending to achieve pregnancy.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional assessment of a retrospectively defined cohort. The cohort is all married couples in participating CrMS centers who entered instruction during 1996-2001 with the stated intention on the General Intake Form to achieve pregnancy (i.e., a 1 or a 2 on question #78 of the General Intake Form). Lists of candidates were obtained from participating CrMS Practitioners who contacted their clients about the study. A letter introducing the study was then sent to each potential candidate. If willing, participants are interviewed over the phone. The telephone questionnaire involves questions about the CrMS and other methods the couple has used to achieve pregnancy, and how well they feel the CrMS has worked for them. The primary outcome is time from be-ginning CrMS instruction to first pregnancy, and the secondary outcome is the couple’s reported satisfaction with the CrMS to achieve pregnancy. Cox proportional hazards regression will be used to explore couple characteristics that might be associated with a greater probability of success while using the CrMS to achieve pregnancy. Re-spondents were also asked to rate level of satisfaction with the CrMS on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being extremely dissatisfied and 10 being extremely satisfied).

Preliminary Results: Interviews and analyses are currently ongoing, and should be complete by July. To date, 21 respondents have been interviewed, of which 15 achieved pregnancy (71%). Of these, 11 reported they were using the CrMS at the time of conception, and 8 had help from a CrMS medical consultant. The mean time spent trying to achieve pregnancy prior to learning the CrMS was 19 months, mode 12 months, range 0 months to 10 years. The mean satisfaction rating was 6.8 for those who achieved pregnancy, and 6.7 for those who did not. Eight women reported having previously used some form of alternative therapy (such as acupuncture).

Conclusion: Many women seeking to achieve pregnancy with the CrMS meet the medical definition for infertility, and many of them are successful. More definitive results are pending the completion of further interviews.

Commentary:

One of the first steps in the diagnostic workup for a couple with infertility is the learning and charting of a "mucus based" method of natural family planning. The Creighton Model FertilityCare System (CrMS) is a standardized method that enables couples, practitioners, and physicians to evaluate, plan, and act to achieve a common goal: a healthy conception and pregnancy. Anecdotally, many of us have seen couples with infertility successfully con-ceive after learning from the CrMS without any further diagnostic or therapeutic interventions. Other couples may require additional medical and surgical assistance. This study looks at a group of couples who attended classes with the stated intention of achieving pregnancy, many of whom met the definition of infertility. Larger studies like this will give further evidence to the medical community (and public) of the successful approach to infertility through the use of the CrMS and NaProTECHNOLOGY®.