International NaProTechnology Evaluation and Surveillance of Treatment for Infertility and Miscarriage (iNEST)

Overview

NaProTechnology (NPT) is a treatment option for infertility or miscarriage that identifies issues in a couple's fertility and fixes them to the extent possible by medical intervention. An important part of NPT is teaching couples to monitor the signs and symptoms of the woman's fertility cycle (menstrual cycle) with the Creighton Model FertilityCare System (CrMS). The purpose of the study is to look at outcomes among couples who consider or get NPT treatment to help them have a live birth. Results from the study will be used to answer questions such as: How many couples who use NPT get pregnant and have a baby? How can NPT treatment be improved? Does NPT treatment have fewer long-term health risks for the resulting children than other fertility treatments? What types of characteristics or environmental exposures influence whether NPT will be successful for a specific couple? To be eligible for the iNEST study, a couple must have a consultation with a NPT-trained clinician who is participating in iNEST.

Infertility is a common problem. Natural procreative technology (NaProTechnology, NPT) is a standardized approach to the treatment of infertility that seeks to correct underlying reproductive problems. NPT incorporates many standard infertility treatments (e.g., drugs to stimulate ovulation, natural hormones, and other medical and surgical interventions) to maximize the probability of pregnancy from normal sexual intercourse. NPT evaluation identifies abnormalities of the woman's reproductive cycle (menstrual cycle) that may be correctable by medical intervention. The male is also evaluated. An integral part of NPT is teaching women to observe and chart the biomarkers of their fertility (menstrual) cycle, based on changes in vaginal discharge (resulting from uterine bleeding and cervical fluid production). This charting of fertility biomarkers is done according to the Creighton Model FertilityCare System (CrM). The CrM alerts women when ovulation is approaching within the next few days and therefore intercourse is most likely to result in pregnancy, even for subfertile couples. The CrM also gives the physician or provider a record that can be used as a standardized basis for doing diagnostic tests timed in reference to ovulation. The physician can also employ medications to enhance ovulation, ovarian hormonal production, or cervical fluid production, and use the CrM chart to assess the immediate response of the woman to treatment. Where appropriate, NPT may also include medical treatment for male factor infertility, and for prior miscarriage. Formal evaluation of the outcomes of NPT in medical practice has been done in a few studies based on single medical practices. This is a multi-national prospective observational study to measure the generalizability of this approach to multiple populations and settings, and characteristics of patients that may correlate with the likelihood of treatment success. This is an observational study. Patients will receive whatever care they choose to receive. Couples receiving NPT treatment will be compared to those declining NPT treatment, waiting for NPT treatment, receiving other treatment, or stopping treatment. Interventions received, conceptions, and outcomes of conceptions will be followed for up to 3 years for each couple entering the study.