Doroski, D. M. (2014). How Humanae vitae has advanced reproductive health. The Linacre Quarterly, 81(3), 286-294. https://doi.org/10.1179/2050854914Y.0000000028
Doroski DM. How Humanae vitae has advanced reproductive health. Linacre Q. 2014;81(3):286-294. doi:10.1179/2050854914Y.0000000028
Doroski, Derek M. "How Humanae vitae has advanced reproductive health." The Linacre Quarterly, vol. 81, no. 3, 2014, pp. 286-294.
Humanae vitae advanced NFP-based reproductive care, an essay argues
An essay citing published studies argues that Humanae vitae encouraged natural family planning (NFP), which advanced reproductive health care. The author reports that NFP-based approaches reach higher published success rates than IVF for infertility. The author also reports that multiple pregnancies are rare with NFP-based approaches.
Study at a glance, narrative essay: An essay argues Humanae vitae advanced NFP-based care. Source: Doroski DM, 2014, PMID 25249708.
Key Findings
The essay reports published success rates of 61–66% for NFP-based approaches in treating infertility, against 30% for IVF, which it gives as a birth rate per IVF attempt.
Live-birth rate was 28% after tubal factor infertility in 1979 and 50% after endometriosis in 1981. IVF in 2009 reached 32% and 35.3% for those conditions.
The chance of multiples after IVF is 1.9% with one embryo transferred and greater than 25%, reaching 34.7%, with two or more. Two NFP-based studies reported 4.5% and 0%.
Across multiple studies, NFP-based approaches found previously unidentified root causes of infertility. Many of the couples had already tried IVF without a successful diagnosis.
Interpretation
The paper is a narrative essay. It draws on published studies and a national IVF report. The comparisons set success rates from separate studies of NFP-based approaches beside IVF figures. Some comparisons set studies from 1979 and 1981 beside IVF results from 2009 and 2010. For the comparisons across decades, the author calls comparison of similar studies the best available evidence at this point. The argument sits within Catholic teaching and addresses readers of a Catholic medical journal.
RRM Context
Restorative reproductive medicine works to find and treat the cause of infertility. Charting the menstrual cycle gives clinicians the information for that work. The essay cites a 2006 statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that calls the cycle a vital sign. IVF goes around the reproductive system and leaves the reason conception fails unresolved.
Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.
Abstract
By encouraging doctors and scientists to improve the regulation of births through the observation of natural fertility rhythms, Humanae vitae promoted the development of natural family planning (NFP). The study of NFP has lead to NFP-based methodologies in reproductive healthcare that are promoting advances in treatment of infertility, miscarriage, and a number of reproductive health disorders. In contrast, the contraceptive mentality has stunted the development of reproductive healthcare. Humanae vitae has provided a great gift to science and reproductive healthcare that all Catholics should be proud of.
The diagnostic and treatment philosophy behind RRM. How cause-based care differs from suppressive medicine, and what to expect from an RRM-trained clinician.
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