New clinic offers alternative to IVF

Sydney
7 July 2002

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New clinic offers alternative to IVF

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New clinic offers alternative to IVF

By Marilyn Kerjean

A clinic offering an holistic alternative to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) sympathetic to the philosophy of natural family planning has been launched in Perth.

The Australian Centre for FertilityCare and NaProTechnology, at the St John of God Hospital health care centre in the suburb of Subiaco, is the first of its kind in Australia and only the fourth in the world.

Dr Amanda Lamont, who established the centre, says the techniques enjoy a 25-30 per cent success rate in Ireland’s FertilityCare clinic where she has worked over the past few years.

That figure reflects the total number of pregnancies per number of patients each year.

Many of them had previously tried IVF unsuccessfully, she says.

In comparison, the United Kingdom’s IVF success rate is only around 15–19 per cent.

FertilityCare relies upon a method of charting fertility cycles (called NaProTracking) which is similar to that used in the Billings method.

It is highly standardised and is extended to enable medical diagnosis and treatment of infertility plus a range of other women’s health problems.

The procedure follows three stages:

First, women are taught to monitor their own cycles so they can identify times of fertility and infertility;

Next, medical investigations and diagnostic procedures (blood tests and ultrasounds for example) are carried out to time with the woman’s cycle. In the case of infertility, the man’s sperm count is also investigated;

Then a treatment plan may be designed which might include the use of hormones or other medications, or surgery to correct any physical problems such as blocked fallopian tubes or endometriosis.

Extensive consultations with the patient and informal counselling are also part of the program, and Dr Lamont hopes to be able to offer workshops and support groups as well.

Among other things, these will explore how lifestyle, diet, exercise and stress can impact on a couple’s fertility.

Dr Lamont began setting up the FertilityCare service in the hospital at the beginning of March.

The Archbishop of Perth, Archbishop Barry Hickey, says he is pleased the hospital “is able to offer couples treatment for infertility that is perfectly in keeping with the moral norms of the Church”.

Dr Lamont studied the method at the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction in Omaha.

Before that she studied medicine in Perth and worked in hospitals and as a locum in general practice.

About 90 people, including GPs, obstetricians and gynaecologists, attended the official launch at which Archbishop Hickey was on hand to offer his blessing to the centre and its work.

Clinics or centres using the FertilityCare techniques are already operating in Ireland and in London and Canada, as well as Omaha where the method was developed by US researcher Dr Thomas Hilgers.

Dr Lamont already has several people wanting to learn how to teach the standardised FertilityCare charting method, which is useful in itself.

But she would like to get other doctors and gynaecologists involved in learning how to marry it up with the medical components.

She hopes that will give more people the opportunity to forgo going down the IVF path.

Phone (08) 9446 4181 email@fertilitycare.com.au or www.fertilitycare.com.au