The Creighton Model FertilityCare™ System (CrMS) is unique and cannot be simply purchased and practiced at home.
To use it correctly, women and couples require personal instruction provided by a highly trained CrMS practitioner in eight follow-up sessions. CrMS practitioners provide services to couples or single women on an individual basis because, while the patterns of fertility can be generalized, the clients’ situations are unique, and instruction needs to be personalized. The learning process begins with an Introductory Session, a presentation in a slide format that imparts the key CrMS concepts. These concepts include some remarkable perspectives about the human design and interconnections for maintaining procreative, gynecological, and societal health. The introductory sessions touch upon the deeper understandings about the significance and intricacies of the female cycle.
After the introductory session, couples meet with the CrMS practitioner on an individual basis. The first four follow-up appointments are typically offered at two-week intervals, as two months is usually sufficient for the uniqueness of the woman’s cycle to emerge and, in many cases, for two cycles to unfold. The first two cycles allow the clients to become familiar with observing and recording the cycle. The second two appointments allow clients to grow in confidence as they develop good habits for their observational routine and learn to read the vital signs uniquely rooted in their personal cycles.
After the first four follow ups, the appointments begin to spread out in time because the observational routine becomes a habit. The fifth follow-up is typically scheduled one month after the fourth, while extending the gap to three months for the next two follow-ups. Finally, the eighth follow-up is held six months after the seventh.
Although many CrMS clients provide positive feedback, a few examples are offered below to demonstrate the benefits of this program from their perspective. One client described the follow-up sessions as “very helpful,” noting the “human touch” of the practitioner: “The practitioner knows the patterns of fertility. I would be frustrated trying to match our fertility pattern to one in a book. But the practitioner offers more than a book! She recognizes the patterns but can accommodate our individual variations. She helps us clarify our signs of fertility or infertility and provides necessary support.” The client also noted that “The practitioner links aspects of psychological and physical well-being together. Since stress can affect fertility, she helps us to assess our own stress level. I find the integration of important aspects of our fertility unique [in this CrMS approach].” These comments reflect both the CrMS foundation in a holistic view of sexuality respecting the dignity of the woman and/or marriage and the practitioner’s expertise, given that extensive training and advanced skills are needed to incorporate the many aspects of this view in the clients’ instruction.
Indeed, all practitioners are educated at the college level and have completed a 13-month CrMS education program sponsored by the Creighton University School of Medicine and Saint Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction. The program includes instruction in 51 basic and advanced topic areas. During this program, the new practitioners build their clinical experience through a closely supervised practice. Upon its completion, practitioners are confident to lead couples in the learning process and are capable of personalizing the follow-up sessions to meet their unique needs.