Some couples embracing natural method to aid with their conception
Some couples embracing natural method to aid with their conception
By Chris Jones
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Published: June 24, 2008
Aiden Francis, 6 months, cooed as his mother, Cindy Francis, 35, rocked him and talked about the joy and the surprise she and her husband, John, 37, experienced when she learned she was pregnant.
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Jennifer Daly, 29, and her husband, Jerry, were about to accept a life without children when a 1957 Pontiac Star Chief and an
Oklahoma City obstetrics/gynecology doctor changed everything.
These women are among many
Oklahoma women cuddling babies they thought they never would have.
Cindy Francis was having trouble conceiving. She and her husband, John, 35, wanted a family, but she said they didn't want to bankrupt themselves financially, physically and emotionally by going through in-vitro. They made up their minds not to push the issue.
"We didn't want our lives to revolve around the desire to have a baby at all costs,” Cindy Francis said. "We thought if it was meant to be, it would be. In this society, we think a pill can cure everything.”
Three years ago, she was referred to
Dr. Mary Martin, M.D., specializing in obstetrics, gynecology and infertility at
St. Anthony Hospital.
"She sat down with me and John and talked to us,” Cindy Francis said. "I was very thankful she didn't start out by prescribing pills. Dr. Martin is very thorough, and she asked lots of questions, and she didn't rush in. I think some doctors are so quick to put a person on drugs without getting to the root of the problem.”
Cindy Francis learned about the Billings Ovulation Method, a natural form of family planning used throughout the world since 1953 and taught by Martin since 2003. This method involves the use of a menstrual calendar using stickers to identify physical changes that occur on a day-to-day basis in a woman's body. When a woman uses the Billings Method, she learns how to become familiar with the natural rhythms of her body, when estrogen level is low and when it is high. There is no need to take a temperature, and there are no fertility drugs.
Led by her Catholic faith, Martin said she stopped prescribing birth control pills in 1999 and began studying the Billings Method.
Some women who come to her are motivated by their faith. Others are inspired by the "green” movement to be free of chemicals in their body and in tune with nature, Martin said.
"This method is based on science, and women who don't read or write can use it,” Martin said. "This is good medicine, and I am not here to evangelize. I just plant seeds and work with nature. Not everyone wants to be filled with chemicals, and when women learn about this, they do see the beauty of this method. Very few doctors use it.”
Martin said many of her patients are skeptical when they begin using the Billings Method. It seems too simple to some, especially to many women who have nearly given up hope of becoming pregnant. Martin also treats underlying problems related to infertility.
During the time Cindy Francis was seeing Martin, she was also told that she had endometriosis, a condition in which the lining of the uterus grows or attaches itself to other organs outside the uterus, and that she was insulin resistant.
Minor surgery corrected the first problem, and a prescription for metformin, the generic name for
Glucophage, helped control the insulin resistance.
"I had never heard of the Billings Method,” Cindy Francis said, "and we used the method as soon as we heard about it from Dr. Martin. It's great for anyone who wants to conceive naturally or if they are having difficulty. I hope we have more children.”
Jerry and Jennifer Daly married in 2003, and though they wanted children, both realized Jennifer would probably have to have a hysterectomy because of severe endometriosis and other problems.
Jennifer's doctor suggested that she see a fertility doctor, and the couple made an appointment.
They were told the odds of an in-vitro procedure being successful were 52 percent, and they had to have $7,000 immediately.
"I cried, and I called my mother, and she cried,” Jennifer Daly said. "My husband and I decided, after hearing the statistics, we would adopt, and I would have the hysterectomy.”
Later that day, Jennifer's mother,
Betty Jones, called from her home in
Enid. She told her daughter to make the appointment with the fertility doctor.
"One of my dad's passions is to restore old cars,” Jennifer Daly said. "He put his 1957 Pontiac Star Chief on
eBay and sold it for the money we needed. I told my mom I couldn't let my dad do that. My mom told me it was too late, the car was already on eBay, and the bids were coming in. My dad,
Mark Jones, and my grandpa,
Charles Jones, drove the car to
Tennessee to deliver it.”
The one-time chance with the in-vitro procedure was successful, though the pregnancy was difficult and sometimes in danger. Clara, now 3, was born healthy. The couple thought Clara would be their only child, and again things changed.
"I began seeing Dr. Martin because my doctor moved his practice. I knew Dr. Martin's daughter, Natalie, and she told me to go and see her mom because she helps many women who think they can't get pregnant. I learned I had polycystic ovarian disease. No one had ever told me that. I began medication, followed the Billings Method, and in two months I was pregnant with Charlie.”
A few months after Charlie's arrival, she again made plans for a hysterectomy, only to learn she was pregnant with Colt, now 7 weeks old.
"Colt was a surprise,” Jennifer Daly said. "Now, all of our bedrooms are full; we have our family.”
Related Topics:
Culture and Lifestyle,
Health and Fitness,
Medicine,
Medical Specializations,
Sexual and Reproductive Health,
Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Pregnancy and Childbirth,
Medical Treatments and Procedures,
Family,
Surgery,
Infertility,
Birth Control
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