Pregnancy planning: Promoting the natural way

Whether you're trying to achieve it or trying to avoid it, pregnancy is one of the top issues on most women's minds.

Recent years have seen the release of a variety of new products from the medical field -- from patches to shots to pills -- but some health-care professionals believe the best form of control is both free and already a natural part of the body.

A local physician is now offering clinics in the Creighton Model Fertility Care System, a method of birth control that has been 30 years in the making and doctors say can help prevent or achieve pregnancy.

Pregnancy promotion

The system uses biological markers -- such as cervical mucus -- to determine when a woman is ovulating and whether or not her body is low on progesterone, a hormone needed to maintain pregnancy.

Ovulation only occurs once a month, and the ovulated egg only lives for 12 to 24 hours. If it is not fertilized within that time period, the egg dies.

According to Joyce Gibbar, a Creighton Model practitioner, tracking that time of ovulation can help achieve pregnancy. In fact, combined research by five Midwest universities has shown the system is three times more successful than in vitro fertilization and the rate for multiple pregnancies (more than one child) is 10 times lower, she said.

"This program gives information for the first time that allows us to monitor and maintain our own health," said Gibbar, who first began working with the Creighton Model in the 1980s and became involved again recently when the idea of Natural Procreative (NaPro) Technology surfaced.

Using that technology, women track biological markers such as cervical mucus and menstrual flow, which reflect changes and deficiencies in hormones. Such changes can also help treat menstrual cramps, ovarian cysts, repetitive miscarriages and postpartum depression, according to Gibbar.

She recently teamed up with Cape Girardeau physician Dr. Michael Wulfers to begin offering clinics in the Creighton Model.

"By charting this, we can recognize a pattern because we know what's normal and this allows us to see what is abnormal," said Wulfers. "The difference between the Creighton Model and other models of natural family planning is this is a medically-based model."

Pregnancy prevention

Wulfers said his role is to support Gibbar, do medical consultations and incorporate the NaPro Technology techniques into his practice. Patients will still see their regular gynecologist and obstetricians.

Knowing when ovulation occurs can also prevent pregnancy, said Wulfers, who is studying to become a natural family planning consultant.

Wulfers said statistics show the model is 96.8 percent effective in preventing pregnancy.

"It's as good as [birth control] contraceptives and it's morally acceptable for people who have issues with that," said Wulfers.

Introductory classes will be offered the second Tuesday of every month. For more information, call 331-5501.

cmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128