NaPro Technology FAQ

Is NaProTechnology (NPT) medicine or surgery? NPT incorporates both medical and surgical treatments. Medical treatments may include medications, natural (bio-identical) hormones, or vitamins, to normalize ovulation and reproductive function. Some problems require specialized surgery for restoration of reproductive function. Is NPT experimental? No. Most of the treatments used in NPT, both medical and surgical, have a long history of use in medicine. All of the medications used have been found to be safe and are on the market in virtually all countries. What is unique about NPT is the use of these therapies with the patient’s charting of the clinical […]

Fertility Charting Methods-Marquette

The Marquette Method is a new method of Natural Family Planning (NFP) that was developed within the last 10 years.  It employs the use of traditional signs of fertility (i.e. mucus) as well as modern signs of fertility (i.e. a handheld fertility monitor that measures hormones in the urine), in addition to an algorithm that helps identify the fertile window based on findings from the previous cycles. In addition to being taught in person, the Marquette Method has been validated for online learning.  

Patient Resources

Family planning is the ability to avoid or plan a pregnancy. Most non-RRM approaches allow you to only try and avoid pregnancy using artificial hormones or chemicals or by altering the physical function of the reproductive organs. Many of these methods dramatically alter the natural functioning of the body. This is not without consequences, some of which are outlined in the video below. Methods that use knowledge and biology to empower men and women to make informed decisions about whether or not to try and conceive are collectively known as Fertility Awareness Based Methods or FABM methods. Research has indicated […]

Reproductive Health Issues

In standard reproductive health care, a woman with cycle irregularity or painful bleeding is often trialed on different oral contraceptive pills to ‘regulate’ her period and lessen the pain, despite limited evidence to support this approach . This approach is suppressive, in that it turns off the normal hormonal cycle and with that provides a ‘regular’ bleed that is chemically induced . It doesn’t address or correct the underlying issues such as abnormal ovulation or endometriosis. Those problems often return when the patient stops the pill or wants to try and become pregnant.

Reproductive Health Issues

Tubal blockage, endometriosis, pelvic adhesions are a few issues that can lead to infertility and sometimes pelvic pain. Often the standard approach is to bypass these issues when ‘treating’ infertility with artificial reproductive technologies.  A restorative approach seeks correct the underlying anatomical issue to give the couple the best chance of achieving pregnancy on their own. Therapies that are consistent with a restorative approach in the treatment of tubal or pelvic issues include:  tubal canalization (opening of fallopian tubes) for tubal sludge or spasm , fimbrioplasty (or opening of ends of blocked tubes), tubal reversal (reconnecting tubes cut or coagulated for […]

Reproductive Health Issues

It is estimated that 1 in every 10 women have endometriosis during their reproductive years and about 1 in 5 teenagers have the disease. There is a significant delay – between 7 to 12 years – in the diagnosis of endometriosis, from the time of onset of symptoms suggestive of endometriosis to the gold standard surgical diagnosis.  The problem is that endometriosis not only causes pelvic pain but also negatively affects fertility, can progress over timeand often pain is the only herald of the disease.  The restorative approach to this prevalent disease is not to mask the disease with hormonal […]

Reproductive Health Issues

Infertility The difference between RRM and standard reproductive medicine is very clear in patients who struggle with infertility. For the couple, the investigation phase is often fairly straightforward or minimal, as per recommendations : semen analysis, a hystersalpingogram (HSG) to check tubes, and sometimes, tests to check thyroid function and ovulation (a day 21 or 23 progesterone test often done but recommendations acknowledge a week before menses is best). After completion of these preliminary investigations to rule out easily correctable issues, the patient younger than 35 is often offered ovulation induction medication for a limited number of cycles, followed by […]

Reproductive Health Issues

The IIRRM believes that every woman who suffers through a miscarriage or early pregnancy loss deserves medical assessment and intervention to minimize her risks of experiencing another. We disagree with the common medical advice to wait until the 3rd loss before any evaluation. Often parents affected are told that the loss is ‘genetic’, though research suggests that abnormal chromosomes in the embryo may explain only 50 – 60% of miscarriages; tests on the miscarried embryo are rarely performed. Various menstrual or fertility charting indicators have been associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. This includes short luteal phase and brown […]