LONDON (EWTN News) — Developers of a new fertility-monitoring system claim it is as effective as in vitro fertilization in helping women become pregnant.
It could allow better treatment for the infertile without using drugs, invasive techniques or unethical means (the procedure often creates “leftover” human embryos whose lives are at risk. Catholic ethicists also object to IVF’s separation of procreation from marital sex.)
New Zealand-born Shamus Husheer, founder of the company Cambridge Temperature Concepts, told The Wall Street Journal that six months’ use of his
DuoFertility monitor has the same success rate as a round of IVF, according to a peer-reviewed study his company has published.
“From a woman’s perspective, IVF is pretty awful. With us, all they have to do is wear a patch,” Husheer said.
The monitor system uses a small temperature sensor which a woman tapes under her arm and wears all night and preferably during the day.
The monitor is synchronized with a base station connected to a computer to record a woman’s body basal temperature, which is lower before ovulation than after.
A small increase in temperature of about 0.78 degrees Fahrenheit takes place within 48 hours of ovulation and will remain elevated until a woman’s next period.
Recording the body basal temperature has historically been difficult and depends on taking a woman’s temperature with regularity upon waking each morning.
The monitor uses the data to identify the day of a woman’s ovulation and to suggest the ideal three-day window to try to conceive. A woman can also use the base station to report other events, such as the beginning of her menstrual cycle, interrupted sleep or illness.
The DuoFertility website characterizes the product as a “personal fertility coach” and as an alternative to lengthy waits to see fertility experts.
The device has been licensed by the British National Health Service and is undergoing approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The NHS is considering using the system for its patients with unexplained fertility, who number 4,000 per year.
In the U.K. an IVF cycle costs $7,200, while the DuoFertility system costs about $800.
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This is good news. Not to downplay the benefits of this new device, but the Creighton method, developed by NaPro Technology doctors at the Pope Paul VI Institute effectively does the same thing (and has been doing it for years) as this fertility monitor. I’m willing to bet that it’s cheaper too. The first thing that came to mind is the question as to whether this monitor would be able to help infertile couples that deal with or even identify issues which cause infertility - like low progesterone after ovulation (which causes implantation issues and thus early miscarriage). This was the case for me. I could conceive but I couldn’t maintain the pregnancy. After years of infertility, it was my NaPro doctor with the help of the Creighton Model Fertility System that diagnosed my problem. I’m not saying this new fertility monitor won’t be helpful to some couples, just probably not to all couples. Infertility isn’t the disease - its a symptom of the disease. And NaPro/Creighton is about fixing the cause of the infertility so that couples can conceive and maintain pregnancy naturally. I know this is a shameless plug - but hey… I’m now in my 3rd trimester with our first child thanks to NaPro Technology. My husband and I have no regrets because we didn’t have to violate our beliefs to get pregnant (my previous OBGYN wanted to send us to a fertility clinic for IVF). http://www.popepaulvi.com/
I used the Creighton for a few weeks when I got married and I hated it! It was gross. It was difficult and I stopped.If I had a fertility problem this machine would be much better. I am sure the NaPro thing is great for some people but I know lots of people who would much rather use this than the NaPro system. If this helps someone than GREAT!
Serena Canada teaches the Sympto-Thermal Method of Natural Family Planning. Charting all the symptoms of fertility that change as ovulation approaches and after ovulation as well as temperature that confirms ovulation provides couples with complete information for the timing of intercourse to optimize the chances of conception.
The Basal Body Temperature Method of Natural Family Planning has been well documented since the 1930’s. This is the scientific/biological basis of this device. Science has long ago proven that the basal body temperature change does not predict ovulation, rather it confirms ovulation. If this device can honestly claim the same rate of success as IVF it is because the success rate of IVF is so low. There are many reasons for this low success rate, but the most obvious is that couples who turn to it are indeed, infertile. The survival rate of embryos implanted after IVF is low. If this device has a similar success rate, it is a low rate and it is with couples who are not infertile: logic tells us that if the couple becomes pregnant, the couple is fertile. Much more effective is using all the indicators of approaching ovulation a taught by the many NFP groups. This organization is trying to capitalize on the abhorence of the Catholic community for IVF by selling a technology that uses only a small part of the information and support available if couples turned to NFP teaching organizations. But there’s no money there.
It is unfortunate that new gadgets emerge all the time to solve the problem of infertility. God has already solved that problem by teaching us to recognize the few days and sometimes the few hours the spouses can cooperate with God to create a new human life. With the Ovulation Method of Natural Family Planning,as taught by Family of the Americas, teaching infertile couples the days and sometimes only hours of fertility,women of low fertility can be taught to identify the cervical mucus signs that alert her about the peak of her fertility. The spouses can achieve a high degree of success without incurring unnecessary medical expenses or having to buy fertility monitors. We have conducted a study among poor couples in Guatemala, and we achieved a 99.3% in postponing pregnancy and 50% success in helping those having trouble conceiving. The study can be obtained through our website. We don’t charge for our teaching assistance. God deserves the credit.
Mercedes Arzu Wilson - President, Family of the Americas Foundation
http://www.familyplanning.net
Surprise, surprise. Couples that started using Natural Family Planning could more accurately guess when they were ovulating. If that’s the case, then the benefit is, I’m sure, similar to IVF’s success rate when using Sympto-Thermal, Billings, or Creighton. This is a gadget that does some of the work. I would consider buying this to save us the annoyance of using a thermometer, but the price would have to be around $200 before I even started considering that. $800 is way too much.
While I of course believe NFP is the best way to solve fertility issues it is still good to see scientists producing fertility devices that are effective and ethical to offer an alternative to the unethical devices and procedures out there—like IVF that destroys human life in the process of trying to conceive it.
NFP is best but some people like using something more…mechanical for lack of better words? This would be a good first step in the right direction for couples trying to get away from contraceptives and intrauterine devices. But I agree with Paul—$800—yikes! Still, this is only the beginning—now we can hope that the future is not so bleak when it comes to ethical solutions to infertility.
I still think your best bet is to test your LH surge. Temperature can give you an idea of when you ovulated, but LH surge levels can hone in on it a little better. Take your basal body temperature (one time cost of $6 for a thermometer) and supplement with an ovulation predictor kit ($22/mo) and you have the best chance for the cheapest cost.
Of course, none of this will help those with low progesterone, thin lining, bad eggs, male factor infertility or endo but I suppose it could still help a handful out there. No need for an $800 patch if you’re willing to put the work in yourself.
My sister works for the"Big Pharma” and I have two other friends in the buisness as well. The reason this is so expensive is because the FDA requires really expensive testing. The patent will only last a certain amount of time for them to regain the money and make some in the process. I could see where this test would really help someone and if they want to spend 800 bucks than that is up to them. I hope that this can and will help a couple have a baby rather than use IVF.
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