The World Health Organization estimates that, worldwide, one in six couples of reproductive age at some point struggle with infertility, which they define as “the failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.” Studies show that infertility cases are increasingly common, and many factors involving both men’s and women’s bodies, as well as environmental issues, can contribute to the problem.
The Catholic Church does not approve of I.V.F. because it involves the creation of human embryos outside of the womb, in a laboratory setting. There are church-approved fertility treatments, as well as support groups for couples struggling with infertility, but they are relatively unknown, which leaves many Catholic couples feeling lost and alone as they consider their options.
The church has expressed great concern for couples struggling with infertility in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as in “Donum Vitae” and “Dignitas Personae,” two Vatican teaching documents on bioethics.
“The community of believers is called to shed light upon and support the suffering of those who are unable to fulfill their legitimate aspiration to motherhood and fatherhood,” according to “Dignitas Personae.” At the same time, the church is clearly opposed both to artificial means of conception and to practices such as “selective reduction,” in which multiple embryos are transferred simultaneously to increase the chance of achieving pregnancy, with some later being aborted to maximize the chance for safe delivery of those that remain.
Catholic couples struggling with infertility have a number of church-approved options they can pursue instead of I.V.F.
“Infertility is not a disease,” according to Marguerite Duane, executive director of Facts About Fertility. “It’s actually a symptom of other underlying diseases. And to effectively treat infertility, you really need to treat the underlying root causes to restore the reproductive system the way it’s designed to function.”
Dr. Duane named three modern approaches to restorative medicine treating fertility: natural procreative technology, or NaPro; fertility education and medical management, or FEMM; and NeoFertility.
These treatments fall under the umbrella of restorative reproductive medicine, or R.R.M., a medical discipline that seeks to heal the causes of infertility and conceive naturally. Ongoing research suggests that R.R.M. can be as effective or sometimes even more effective than I.V.F.
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The Diocese of Parramatta is fortunate to have a Natural Fertility ministry as part of the Mission Enhancement Team (MET), which helps couples struggling to conceive, people wanting to space out their children as well as informs women of their reproductive cycles.
The Diocese is hosting a seminar for couples hoping to conceive on Saturday 2 August, which can lead people towards restorative reproductive medicine.
To learn more about Natural Family Planning in the Diocese of Parramatta, visit parracatholic.org/natural-fertility
J.D. Long García is a senior editor at America.
With thanks to America and JD Long García, where this article originally appeared.
