Local success for new fertility technique

A baby boy born to a Maltese couple is being considered as nothing short of a miracle by the new parents, who managed to conceive naturally after some failed artificial insemination attempts.

The couple - whose names have not been released - are the first Maltese to have given birth to a baby through the use of Natural Procreative Technology, a breakthrough style of medicine that attempts to treat the underlying problems leading to infertility.

"IVF does not claim to fix the problem leading to infertility, but rather bypasses it and tries to produce a baby," Dr Tracey Parnell, from the International Institute of Restorative Reproductive Medicine, said. "NaProTechnology attempts to identify and correct the underlying abnormalities so that the couple can conceive naturally."

An Irish study of more than 1,200 couples who resorted to NaProTechnology revealed that 45 per cent of women had been told their infertility was "unexplained". Following NaProTechnology only one per cent remained in the dark as to what was stopping them from conceiving a child.

The Maltese couple, in their 30s, had tried the ICSI technique - through which a sperm is injected into an egg - in Belgium but this was not successful. The woman lost both fertilised eggs that were implanted in her womb within two weeks.

The husband complained that when they sought help locally his low sperm count was never addressed. Moreover, he said, the gynaecologist "laughed at us" when they said how unsatisfied they were that the low sperm count had not been addressed, saying there was nothing to be done other than try to bypass it. Both treatments conducted locally were a failure.

"By now we were distraught, our every outing bringing tears to our eyes as we saw happy couples with their kids, unruly parents beating their children, teenage parents facing their consequences. Why them and not us? My wife had finally resigned herself to adoption, something which I personally could not yet accept," he said.

After stumbling on an article on NaProTechnology, the couple contacted the London Centre for NaProTechnology, where the husband was given a number of supplements to increase his sperm count, which within months had risen to normal levels.

The couple were told how to chart the wife's fertility signs and she also had to take blood samples on alternate days, which were sent to a medical laboratory in London via courier. The couple found out they were expecting a baby after the third month.

The success rate for NPT is as high as 54 per cent for couples who had not previously had IVF and as high as 39 per cent for those who had failed IVF, she said.

"This is pretty good compared to the results of IVF," she said. The local success rate of IVF treatment stands between 25 and 30 per cent.

"We ask them to give it a try for two years," Dr Parnell said, adding that on average couples conceive after four to eight cycles after treatment starts. The cost of treatment stands at £2,700 (around Lm1,700) for two years, although many couples manage to conceive before.

Speaking during a press conference organised by the Cana Movement yesterday morning, the Canadian doctor explained that NPT maps out the woman's cycle and tries to understand what is stopping her from conceiving.

Sometimes the treatment involves regulating the woman's hormone levels while at other times it involves more drastic surgical interventions including repairing blocked tubes.

She pointed out that it was a fallacy that an egg was always released on the 14th day, and in fact only around 13 per cent of women do so. Showing different cycle maps, she pointed out that different women ovulated at different times.

The monitoring also attempts to avoid miscarriage by keeping tabs on the expectant mother's hormone levels during pregnancy.

A number of Maltese couples have expressed interest in the system, but London Centre for NaProTechnology case manager Kristi Panchuk said most are discouraged by the fact that they need to travel to London for consultations.

Couples need to visit London every three to four cycles for a consultation, she said. The centre is exploring the possibility of decreasing these visits by training local nurses and doctors.

More information on NaProTechnology can be found on www.naprotechnology.co.uk, www.reproductiveinstitute.com or www.iirrm.org.