<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow long have you been trying to conceive?\u201d the woman asked me over the phone. At the time, I was a military spouse, and had called Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to schedule an appointment with my assigned primary care doctor, specifically so I could get a referral for infertility care\u2014without which, we’d have to pay for treatment ourselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSix months,\u201d I said, and immediately regretted it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, I\u2019m sorry, but your doctor won\u2019t be able to refer you for infertility treatment, because you\u2019re under 35 and haven\u2019t been trying for a year, yet.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut,\u201d I immediately responded, \u201cI\u2019ve been charting my cycles, and we\u2019ve been having intercourse timed to my fertile window. Statistically, I should be pregnant by now.<\/a>\u201d But the cat was already out of the bag: I\u2019d said six months, and I was under 35. Tricare (the military health insurance we had at the time) and its standard of care algorithm would neither make a referral for, nor cover the costs of, the infertility care I already knew we needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I was flustered, but not surprised. Even as a 23-year-old newlywed, I was used to the idea that the standard of care for women\u2019s reproductive health did not follow the science of the woman\u2019s cycle. For that, I would have to go directly to a NaProTechnology doctor, or a doctor trained in some form of Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even as a 23-year-old newlywed, I was used to the idea that the standard of care for women\u2019s reproductive health did not follow the science of the woman\u2019s cycle. For that, I would have to go directly to a NaProTechnology doctor, or a doctor trained in some form of Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Once a niche form of care few women (and doctors) had heard of, NaProTechnology and Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM)<\/a> have recently been in the news more than ever before, largely because of statements made by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past few months, both professional organizations have released statements, briefs, Instagram posts and\/or fact sheets asserting that RRM is a \u201cnonmedical and nonpatient-centered approach\u201d which \u201cestablish[es] barriers to evidence-based fertility care,\u201d<\/a> and stating that RRM is a \u201crebranding of standard medical practice\u201d that \u201cexcludes IVF and related treatments on moral or religious grounds, not clinical evidence.\u201d<\/a> In a June 27 Instagram post, ACOG even stated: \u201c\u2018Restorative reproductive medicine\u2019 may be portrayed as a promising approach, but it can delay or block access to proven infertility treatments. Patients deserve science-backed options to build their families<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But ASRM\u2019s and ACOG\u2019s full-court press against RRM is distinctly at odds with the growing number of thriving RRM practices and clinics across the country, and the lived experiences of women, like myself, who have been successfully treated by RRM-trained professionals to overcome reproductive disorders, infertility, and more. One look at the nearly 400 comments<\/a> on ACOG\u2019s aforementioned Instagram post, the vast majority of which detail personal RRM success stories (whether treatment resulted in healthy pregnancies or improved reproductive health and quality of life), tells us that ASRM\u2019s and ACOG\u2019s statements aren\u2019t telling anything close to the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ASRM\u2019s and ACOG\u2019s full-court press against RRM is distinctly at odds with the growing number of thriving RRM practices and clinics across the country, and the lived experiences of women, like myself, who have been successfully treated by RRM-trained professionals to overcome reproductive disorders, infertility, and more. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n About three months after that disappointing call with the Walter Reed appointment scheduler, and through a strange twist of fate, I found myself sitting in the office of a new primary care doctor\u2013this time, on the island of Guam. Trained as he was in restorative methods, Dr. Burke<\/a> did not require me to endure three more anguished months of trying and failing to get pregnant to take my concerns, my PMS symptoms, and my heavy and painful periods seriously<\/a>. Instead, he knew the underlying science of the female menstrual cycle<\/a>, he trusted that with more than a year of charting my cycles with a fertility awareness method (FAM) that I knew <\/em>my body, and he could see that my charts reflected the reality that something, indeed, was wrong.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n So we dove immediately into a series of lifestyle changes, vitamin and mineral supplementation, targeted blood draws to assess hormone levels (and then targeted, bioidentical hormonal supplementation), all of which not only improved my heavy, painful cycles, but made me feel healthier overall. Physical exams of my husband and myself, semen analysis, imaging studies of my uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes, and continued FAM charting through it all, provided us with further pieces to our infertility puzzle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n About five or six months after my first appointment with Dr. Burke, my cycles were clearly improving, and I felt healthier than ever, but we still hadn\u2019t conceived. We were just beginning to discuss the possible next step of exploratory surgery for endometriosis, when we finally conceived for the very first time. To our great sorrow, I miscarried that child at 8 weeks gestation, while on vacation in California. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We were shocked at the 1-week post-miscarriage follow-up appointment at the hospital where I miscarried, when, after only being asked how long we’d been trying to conceive (about 15 months, by that time), I was promptly offered IVF by the OB\/GYN<\/a>. Buoyed by the improvements in my health we’d seen over the past several months, and the fact that this approach was clearly working\u2014I’d finally conceived for the first time ever<\/em>, after all!\u2014we staunchly refused his offer<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, back from vacation and armed with a new hormonal protocol from a NaProTechnology-trained physician, I conceived a child the very next cycle, who eventually grew into a healthy seven-and-a-half pound baby boy, born at 38 weeks. About a year later, my healthy cycles returned\u2013 but thankfully, my fertility issues never have. I have since gone on to have three additional, healthy, full-term babies, only utilizing bioidentical progesterone support early on in each pregnancy<\/a>. We have also successfully used FAM (and the detailed knowledge and understanding of my health and fertility that it gives us) to intentionally space each pregnancy until the time of our choosing.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the website of the International Institute for Restorative Reproductive Medicine (IIRRM)<\/a>: \u201cRestorative reproductive medicine (RRM) is a specialized field of medicine that focuses on identifying the underlying health conditions that contribute to reproductive dysfunction and suboptimal reproductive health, treating them to restore the natural functions of the reproductive system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnlike conventional approaches that use treatments that suppress normal physiology to deal with dysfunction, RRM seeks to work with the body, treating reproductive abnormalities, not by bypassing the body\u2019s processes but by diagnosing, understanding, and addressing underlying health concerns. This approach improves overall wellness and restores reproductive abilities such as fertility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A hallmark of RRM is the utilization of detailed FAM charts, which provide women with a keen understanding of their cycles and fertility for both health and family planning. In the hands of a RRM-trained physician, a FAM chart can be as informative as an EKG tracing is in the hands of a cardiologist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A hallmark of RRM is the utilization of detailed FAM charts, which provide women with a keen understanding of their cycles and fertility for both health and family planning. In the hands of a RRM-trained physician, a FAM chart can be as informative as an EKG tracing is in the hands of a cardiologist.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n My personal experience is an excellent example of the power of the FAM + RRM approach in helping women achieve optimized cycles for health and fertility. When women are taught to read the signs of our cycles via FAM\u2013that is, to become truly body literate<\/em>\u2013we can become educated, empowered, and informed advocates for our reproductive health, who accept nothing less than real answers and root cause solutions that protect, preserve, and\/or restore our fertility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When women are taught to read the signs of our cycles via FAM\u2013that is, to become truly body literate<\/em>\u2013we can become educated, empowered, and informed advocates for our reproductive health, who accept nothing less than real answers and root cause solutions that protect, preserve, and\/or restore our fertility. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n My story likewise helps illuminate the differences between the \u201cstandard medical practice\u201d (to borrow ASRM\u2019s phrase<\/a>) and restorative reproductive medicine. Standard obstetrics and gynecology would have put me on birth control for my painful periods (when I wanted to avoid pregnancy), to then later refer me to IVF after a year of unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant. (This is the story many women have to share, including Shannon Leach, ARNP, who now advocates powerfully for the RRM approach to reproductive health on her Instagram<\/a>, and through the organization FACTS<\/a>.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n RRM trained professionals, on the other hand, take seriously that a woman\u2019s cycle is a fifth vital sign of her health, and that infertility is often a symptom <\/em>of an underlying issue with one\u2019s cycle. (Importantly, male factor infertility is also explored, evaluated, and treated\u2013and RRM has restorative andrology<\/a> protocols for that, too). <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n From cutting-edge surgical techniques for endometriosis<\/a>, PCOS, and fibroids, to targeted hormonal support, to addressing nutrition and lifestyle changes and more, NaPro- and RRM-trained healthcare professionals are not only following the science of fertility, but taking a patient-centered approach that has improved the lives of countless women<\/a> and couples across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n From cutting-edge surgical techniques for endometriosis<\/a>, PCOS, and fibroids, to targeted hormonal support, to addressing nutrition and lifestyle changes and more, NaPro- and RRM-trained healthcare professionals are not only following the science of fertility, but taking a patient-centered approach that has improved the lives of countless women<\/a> and couples across the country.\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n One recent example of RRM\u2019s incredible impact came from Madeleine Kearns, an associate editor at The Free Press<\/em>, who recently wrote about her own struggles with (and eventual healing from) endometriosis and infertility in her piece, \u201cWhat I Went Through to Meet My Daughter<\/a>.\u201d By focusing on her experience at Veritas Fertility & Surgery (a NaProTechnology-based practice in St. Louis, MO), and through weaving in the stories of other women and couples who also found hope and healing at Veritas, Madeleine demonstrated that NaProTechnology is, without a doubt, doing something <\/em>outside \u201cstandard medical practice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n When interviewing Valerie, a fellow patient at Veritas who had previously undergone IVF on the difference between the two experiences, Madeleine noted: <\/p>\n\n\n\n “The most important thing, [Valerie] said, was that Veritas focused on restoring her health, whereas IVF felt like bullying her body into submission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘NaPro requires an understanding that your body isn\u2019t a machine, and you can\u2019t just force it to do something and that it has to heal and that takes time and patience,’ Valerie said.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “‘NaPro requires an understanding that your body isn\u2019t a machine, and you can\u2019t just force it to do something and that it has to heal and that takes time and patience,’ Valerie said.”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The promise of NaPro is something we\u2019ve long written about here at Natural Womanhood, especially for its ability to identify and treat underlying causes of fertility issues<\/a>, rather than suppress or circumvent them via birth control<\/a> or IVF. And as infertility rates skyrocket, and more couples than ever before are encouraged towards IVF, IUI, and other forms of assisted reproductive technology (ART), it\u2019s critical to continue raising awareness of this root-cause approach to treating reproductive disorders and infertility.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Importantly, as other restorative approaches, like FEMM<\/a> and NeoFertility<\/a>, have also become better-known and more accessible, couples are no longer limited to NaProTechnology\u2013although NaPro\u2019s pioneering reproductive surgical techniques (used to great effect by physicians such as Dr. Gavin Puthoff at Veritas, Dr. Patrick Yeung at the RESTORE Center for Endometriosis<\/a>, and Dr. Naomi Whittaker<\/a> of RRM Academy, among others) remain unparalleled.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, while ASRM claims<\/a> that \u201cReproductive Health Care\u2013Including IVF\u2013Is Inherently Restorative and Ethical,\u201d patients like Valerie, Shannon Leach, and Mamta (whose story we featured here<\/a>), have seen firsthand that IVF does not see infertility for what it truly is: a symptom <\/em>of an underlying issue, rather than a disease in itself. IVF therefore does nothing to restore <\/em>one\u2019s good health and fertility. In fact, it may often do the exact opposite<\/a>, as it relies instead upon circumventing issues like PCOS<\/a>, endometriosis<\/a>, and tubal factor infertility<\/a>, rather than treating them (and does so despite the fact that women with these conditions are less likely to have successful IVF cycles<\/a>, and that IVF may actually make these underlying disorders worse<\/em><\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Importantly, as Dr. Leonora Butau, PhD, wrote in her 2022 Natural Womanhood article, \u201cWhen IVF fails, what\u2019s next?<\/a>:\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Even if IVF leads to a successful live birth, the root causes of infertility often go unresolved, and in many cases, are left undiagnosed. In the event that IVF treatment fails, not only do women and couples suffer the pain of a failed cycle, but they are no better off health-wise, and many times, the reason for failure is not understood.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the same article, Dr. Butau further noted: <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Professor Robert Winston, a British infertility expert, has argued that, strictly speaking, IVF is not a \u2018treatment\u2019 for infertility, as it does not address or resolve the underlying causes of infertility. Significantly, he has asserted that \u2018more than half of the women referred to IVF clinics would be better served by alternatives\u2019 and has underlined that doctors are failing to diagnose the root causes of infertility and are using IVF as a \u2018blanket treatment\u2019 [6].”<\/p>\n\n\n\n My story, Madeleine\u2019s story, the stories of the women featured in her Free Press<\/em> article, and the stories of multiple women we\u2019ve featured at Natural Womanhood over the past several years are part of a growing chorus of voices praising NaPro and\/or RRM as the effective, affordable<\/a><\/em>, restorative approach to women\u2019s health and fertility. As millions of women suffer needlessly from endometriosis and other reproductive issues, and as infertility leaves countless couples heartbroken and longing for children of their own, these stories are critical to raising awareness of, and helping other couples demand access to, the truly cutting-edge approach to care that is RRM.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite ASRM and ACOG\u2019s insistence to the contrary, RRM is not only the best, but the only <\/em>truly patient-centered approach to authentically treating infertility available to women and couples today. The growing number of voices singing RRM’s praises based on lived experience are now too loud to possibly ignore. But the question remains: Will ACOG and ASRM listen? \ud83d\udd17 Read more about NaProTechnology and restorative reproductive medicine on the Natural Womanhood website:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udd17 Learn the truth about IVF on the Natural Womanhood website: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udce2 Share this article with a friend or family member who needs to learn more about the root-cause approach to treating infertility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mujeres y parejas que se han beneficiado del MRR comparten sus historias","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":22871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5364,5368,5509],"tags":[5726,4219,4181],"class_list":{"0":"post-22869","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-endometriosis","8":"category-infertility","9":"category-pregnancy-loss","10":"tag-ivf","11":"tag-napro-technology","12":"tag-restorative-reproductive-medicine","13":"cs-entry","14":"cs-video-wrap"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRestorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM) is finally in the news\u2013but can you trust what you read about it?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
My experience with algorithmic vs. patient-centered, cycle-based infertility care<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So, what is <\/em>RRM? <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The power of FAM + RRM<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Madeleine Kearns\u2019s NaPro success story in The Free Press <\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The crucial difference between RRM and IVF<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
IVF is neither the only nor the best way to overcome infertility <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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