Can anyone give me specifics about the Creighton method of NFP?

[sdeco]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been married about 5 and a half years and have used the STM method of NFP the whole time. During this time I’ve had 2 unplanned pregnancies. #1 is four years old and #2 is due in January. NFP did work well for almost 4 years to avoid pregnancy when we had serious reasons to do so, and we will probably have more children eventually, but we really need a more reliable method of NFP for spacing our kids. I don’t want any more surprises.

I am thinking about switching to the Creighton method. I go to an NFP-only Dr. who recommended it. I have PCOS, which results in very long, very irregular cycles. Before I started getting treated for it, my cycles would range from about 45 days to about 90 days. I’ve been on metformin for PCOS for the past 2 years. Since then my cycles have been slightly shorter and more consistently between 40 and 50 days. Since my body often tries to ovulate and can’t, this results in confusing mucus. So I’ve had a lot of frustration with NFP and a lot of difficulty determining when I’m fertile. Unlike most people with PCOS, I do ovulate (though irregularly) and have had no infertility problems, at least not yet. I am also not overweight like most people with PCOS. I also have an erosion on my cervix which makes my mucus confusing. The Dr. is going to treat the erosion after I have this baby. I may also go on a higher dose of metformin to try to make my cycles shorter and more regular. Right now I’m on 1500 mg a day.

Anyway, I’ve heard the Creighton is better for people like me with long and/or irregular cycles and/or confusing mucus. However, I don’t really want to pay for a Creighton class if it’s not going to help me. I’m kind of skeptical that it will be much easier than the STM method. I’ve just had so much trouble with NFP. I’m wondering, can anyone who uses Creighton give me *specifics *about how it works? I know it’s mucus-only, but how does the technique of observing mucus differ from the STM technique? I can’t find any specifics about it on the internet – all the info is pretty vague. I’m just not sure if I should take a Creighton class or just try fixing the cervical erosion and going on a higher metformin dose to attempt to make my cycles more regular, and keep using STM.

Also, is there anyone here with PCOS who managed to get regular cycles with treatment? If you take metformin, what dose resulted in regular cycles? Thanks.

 

[agapewolf]

I had PCOS, been on metformin use Creighton, had the aversion (not erosion).

The treatment of the aversion was WONDERFUL! It stopped most of the confusing muccous, but it helped tremendously. I was finally able to see true ovulation. After that, it became a cinch to tell the difference. The treatment (I had a cryo), was just a tiny bit uncomfortable, but not bad at all.

Creighton is muccous only (external only), however, its very detailed observations. 3 different observations of muccous are attained each time. (sensation, appearance, and finger test) Changing from STM might be confusing at first because some of the same terms are used for different consistencies. NFP-only docs like Creighton because they can more easily evaluate for medical purposes.

I like Creighton because it is not done on a scale (conservative days, etc). You either are or are not avoiding pregnancy and each day is either yes or no. There are no “iffy” days.

I’m on 1500 mg (extended release). it helped the cycles immediately. my doc says that atkins type diets assist in the medication working.

 

[Lil_M]

I wrote a post and it seems to have disappeared. Sdeco, if you have any specific questions feel free to PM. I have a lot of similar symptoms as you and find this method better suited for dealing with them than STM.

Agape, I am curious about this cervical erosion/aversion. What do they mean/what’s the difference? I have continuous mucus (use yellow stamps) and my dr. said I had some sort of inflammation of my cervix and she will fix it with some type of electrical treatment. Does this sound familiar at all? I am a little worried about getting zapped!

 

[agapewolf]

I’ve never heard of “erosion”. The “aversion” name is in the creighton book. Perhaps the OP is mistaken. Aversion was explained to me that it is something like scar tissue. I don’t know what causes it or anything. I don’t know if its a condition that can cause something serious or not.

From what I understand there are 2 treatments:

They sound harsh but they aren’t really. Burn or freeze.

I had the “cryo” which was freezing. It only was a little uncomfortable, and only had a little bit of cramps after, otherwise I was fine.

I don’t know why either is chosen over the other…perhaps instruments, expertise? I don’t know.

 

[Lil_M]

Thanks Agape. My doctor (who is great) made it sound very routine, but then when I looked it up it seemed to be a little less of a walk in the park So I have been unsure whether I should get it done or not. Guess I’ll have to wait till my next appt.

 

[1ke]

Creighton standardizes the mucus observation and terminology. I found STM to be very subjective in the mucus observation. Not so in Creighton.

It is very clear what is or isn’t fertile mucus. The 3 step method of sensation, observation, finger-test (SOFT) is highly standardized and easy to do.

You observe mucus more regularly/systematically too.

It’s worth the money, IMHO. And, they will do sliding scale.