Education in the Creighton Model FertilityCare™ System (CrMS)

In order to be treated using NaProTECHNOLOGY, a woman will be required to learn to chart her menstrual cycle using the  Creighton Model FertilityCare™ System (CrMS).

The Creighton Model System is a standardized method of charting a woman’s menstrual cycle where she is taught to track her cervical mucus discharge and bleeding patterns. 

Many women with healthy reproductive systems learn to chart using the Creighton model to help them achieve a pregnancy 

and/or to avoid a pregnancy when necessary.

Over 30 years research has been done on the CrMS at the St. Paul VI Institute  in Omaha, NE. CrMS is the basis for NaProTECHNOLOGY. 

All patients will be asked to send me a HORIZONTAL image of your CrMS chart, 48 hrs prior to each visit, through the patient portal.  See Handout 1b on the Patient Handout webpage. 

Lecture by Dr. Theresa Hilger's teaching about the biomarkers used to interpret the Creighton Model charts. Do your patients have irregular menstrual cycles, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, recurrent miscarriages, premenstrual spotting, tail-end brown bleeding, or are they having trouble getting pregnant? If so, NaProTECHNOLOGY can help you help them.

FIVE Biomarkers: 

1. Length of menstrual cycle

2. Pre-Peak phase

3. Post-Peak phase 

4. Mucus cycle scoring 

5. Unusual Bleeding

I will be asking you to tell me very specifically how much you are bleeding. An example of a "detailed flow" is: M, M, H, L, L, VL/B

TAMPON or PADS: 

• Very Heavy (VH): changing a full pad/tampon every 1-2 hours
• Heavy (H): changing a full pad/tampon every 3-4 hours 
• Moderate (M): changing a full pad/tampon every 5-7 hours
• Light (L): changing a full pad/tampon every  8-12 hours
• Very Light (VL): changing pad/tampon less than every 12 hours

MENSTRUAL CUP MEASUREMENTS

• Very Heavy (VH): 60 cc in a 24 hours
• Heavy (H): 40 cc in 24 hours
• Moderate (M): 20 cc in 24 hours
• Light (L): 10 cc in 24 hours
• Very Light (VL):  5 cc in 24 hours

**The Diva Cup comes in 20, 30 and 32 ml cups 32 being the largest but other cups may vary. 1 ml = roughly 1 cc 

Other important information about your flow: 

• Tail End Brown Bleeding (TEBB): brown bleeding at tail end of period. 
• Premenstrual bleeding: pink spotting or brown spotting at the prior to a full period starting. 
• Intermenstrual bleeding: bleeding between periods. 

On occasion, a woman will find it difficult to identify her Peak Day, which can happen if she experiences a lot of cervical mucus. The inability to confidently identify a Peak day will delay the important step of obtaining a peri-ovulatory estradiol panel and post-Peak estradiol and progesterone panels, which are necessary in order to allow us to progress through the NaPro diagnostic evaluation process and form an individualized treatment plan. 

Most often, your FCP will be able to teach you a CrMS technique called the "Essential Sameness Question" (ESQ), and apply the use of "yellow stamps" (YS), which will almost always solve this problem. 

However, on very rare occasions a woman will continue to have difficulty identifying her Peak-day. If this occurs, I will offer you an option to have serial progesterone levels drawn for a few months to to help you build confidence in your charting. NaPro research has demonstrated the following: 

 Progesterone Levels to help interpret Peak day: 

• 0-1 = you have either not ovulated or you are within 24 hours of starting your period
•  1.1-2.3 = you are in the midst of ovulating; repeat lab in 48 hours to clarify the situation.
• 2.3-3.0 = you have almost for certain ovulated; repeat lab in 48 hours to clarify the situation.
• >3.0 = you can be confident that have passed your Peak day. 

Most often, after a few months of doing serial lab draws, the woman will then be able to confidently identify her Peak day simply by using the ESQ criteria and YS. 

Dr. Sri brilliantly summarizes JPII's encyclical "Love and Responsibility" and his subsequent teachings from "Theology of the Body" to explain to couples the difference between "authentic love" (a deep and sacrificial love directed towards the whole person) and a more superficial love limited to physical expression. During the CrMS program through SPICE, couples are taught to recognize the difference between actions that  express  "authentic  love" (ie: sexual contact) from actions that express physical love (ie: genital contact).  Click on the image of the book to be routed to Amazon where it may be purchased if you are interested. 

Make an Appointment with Sharon Best, PA-C

at MyCatholicDoctor call 314-888-5233 ext 1111 or book online here.