A Napro TECHNOLOGY Review from an Average Person
I had never heard of Napro Technology or Creighton model charting when I stumbled upon the website of a Napro practicing physician in my area.
I am very passionate about sharing this information because I believe it’s what led to the conception of my son after three and a half years of infertility.
For a little bit of history, my husband and I had been trying for two and half years and had failed four IUIs. The fertility clinic we went to diagnosed us with idiopathic, or unexplained infertility, a diagnosis I was never satisfied with. You can read the full story of our infertility journey here.
I was frustrated with the one-size-fits-all approach to infertility treatments we were presented in and desperately seeking an alternative. NaproTECHNOLOGY was the answer I was looking for that I never knew existed.
What is NaproTECHNOLOGY?
NaproTECHNOLOGY stands for Natural Procreative Technology. It is a holistic method of treatment that involves closely observing a woman’s symptoms, as well as intelligent testing, to discover the underlying issues that may be contributing to infertility. Infertility is seen as a symptom of a disease, not the disease in itself. Every treatment method is personalized to the individual. The goal is to remove any barriers to fertility that may be there in order to let the body get pregnant on its own.
According to naprotechnology.com
NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology) is a women’s health science that monitors and maintains a woman’s reproductive and gynecological health. It provides medical and surgical treatments that cooperate completely with the reproductive system.
I believe NaproTECHNOLOGY might be more well-known in Catholic circles, however, you don’t need to be religious to go see a Napro doctor. It just might be the right decision for you.
How Does Napro TECHNOLOGY Work?
The Napro TECHNOLOGY clinic in our area is run by a medical doctor who specializes in gynecological care. Napro can be used to treat infertility, prevent pregnancy or monitor fertility symptoms.
Here’s how it worked for me and my husband.
We met with our doctor for an initial consultation where she inquired about our medical history and any symptoms I had. Our initial consultation was much longer than any doctor’s appointment I had ever had. She made sure to get every detail of our medical history and symptoms.
After that I was paired with a charting teacher who taught me how to do Creighton Model charting. I had done charting with basal body temperature in the past to pinpoint ovulation. However, Creighton charting works a little differently and can give a doctor more information about your symptoms. You learn to track your cervical mucus throughout your cycle. The way that your mucus changes throughout the month can tell you when to time intercourse and when you ovulate, but it can also give your practitioner clues about any conditions that may affect you.
After charting for a couple months, we returned for a follow-up. Based on our charts, our doctor ordered a panel of blood tests for me to check my hormone levels.
A lot of doctors only order one test for progesterone. However, due to variations in cycle length and other factors, checking your progesterone and estrogen just one day in your cycle can lead to an inaccurate picture. In order to get the full picture of my hormones, I went to the lab for blood draws five times in the last ten days of my cycle.
Although the testing is time-consuming, it is worth doing as it gives you a much better picture of what is going on. By getting numerous hormone tests during the second half of my cycle, my doctor was able to see how my progesterone was rising and falling throughout the second half of my cycle.
In addition to hormone testing, we did an HSG. My husband didn’t do a semen analysis at the time because he had done one recently and we still had the results, but that is something you should definitely request if your doctor doesn’t suggest it.
My hormone profile showed that my progesterone was low, and I was prescribed progesterone. I noticed a difference in my cycle and mood right away. My insomnia and PMS that had plagued me for years were greatly improved. It really is a miracle hormone.
After we corrected the hormones and I still hadn’t gotten pregnant, our doctor advised surgery to remove what she suspected was a polyp on my uterus. While in there, the surgeon would also check for endometriosis, and do a biopsy to test for any other conditions that may be affecting my fertility.
There was a specific surgeon she trusted to do the job, and he was a four-hour drive away in New Jersey. It seemed like such a hassle at the time that I remember putting it off for a couple of months. But I’m so glad we ended up committing to the surgery.
The surgery went well and recovery was smooth. After the biopsy came back we finally had a diagnosis. It came back positive for endometritis, an inflammatory condition in the uterus caused by an infection. I was prescribed antibiotics and a strong probiotic.
I was relieved to finally have a diagnosis, but still not so sure this was the answer. Three months later I returned for a follow-up biopsy and the endometritis was gone, but I still wasn’t pregnant.
At this point though, I completely trusted the process. Unlike our previous experience at a fertility clinic, I actually felt like I was improving my health along the journey, not just trying to get pregnant as quickly as possible in any way possible.
Three months after the second biopsy, and six months after the surgery, my husband and I were looking at our first positive pregnancy test ever in complete shock!
Does Napro Work?
Yes. It worked for us. Our doctor told us to commit to two total years of the process, but for us it took about one year from our initial consultation.
Is it Expensive?
Our insurance covered everything, making it quite affordable. You will have to pay standard co-pays and costs for prescriptions. For us, the co-pays were $40 and my monthly prescriptions were less than $20 a month. All the labs and bloodwork we had to do was completely covered by our insurance. We also paid a deductible for the surgery we decided to have. I can’t remember how much it was.
In contrast, our IUIs were technically covered under my insurance, but the drugs we needed for the procedure were not. We ended up paying $2,000 out of pocket for drugs. We decided against IVF, but that was not covered by our insurance, and would have been thousands of dollars.
Is Napro the Right Choice for Me?
NaproTECHNOLOGY might be the right choice for you if…
- You are uninterested or ethnically opposed to artificial reproductive techniques
- You are looking for an affordable alternative to IUI or IVF
- You are seeking a 2nd opinion on an infertility diagnosis
- You have symptoms such as PMS, abnormal bleeding, heavy cramping, etc that you want answers for.
Napro may not be the right choice for you if…
- You have a medical condition such as blocked fallopian tubes that make IVF necessary
- You must rely on frozen, or donor eggs or sperm
- You will need a surrogate
- You do not have enough time to commit to the process
Ultimately, only you know for sure. For me, it was absolutely the right choice. I was completely unsatisfied with our experience at a traditional fertility clinic, and wanted a more firm diagnosis than “Unexplained Infertility”.
I still wonder what would have happened if we plowed ahead with IVF. Would it just have failed because we never corrected the underlying problem?
I am completely happy with our decision and I went straight back to our doctor after my second pregnancy which ended in an ectopic. It was such a relief for me to know I had a doctor I could trust and who actually looked at me as a unique case, not simply another patient to apply standard techniques to.