The Catholic Church and other pro-life advocates oppose IVF due to its dehumanizing and destructive nature. IVF consists of fertilizing the woman’s eggs with sperm in a laboratory before implantation.

This process is not pro-life because it undermines the sanctity of marriage by separating procreation from the marital act, it destroys the many embryos that are not implanted, and it treats human life as a commodity.

Many doctors have been offering an alternative to women for decades that still maintains the sanctity of life. This alternative is called Natural Procreative Technology (NaPro). This process seeks to find the underlying cause of the infertility then works to counteract that in order to allow a child to be naturally conceived.

In the Tampa Bay area, St. Gianna’s Center for Women’s Health and FertilityCare has been operating as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit since 2009 and focuses on a pro-life approach to gynecological, obstetric, and infertility issues.

“St Gianna’s Center’s mission is to provide professional education, support, and training for the promotion of good reproductive health using the Creighton Model (CrMS) of FertilityCare™, which respects all human life and the self-worth of participants,” explained Becky Moultrie, Executive Director of St. Gianna’s Center.  “We refer for NaPro consultation those women who are struggling with gynecologic and reproductive health.”

In addition to assisting women with these different issues, they are also the only accredited Creighton Education Program in the state of Florida.

“NaPro helps a doctor diagnose the root cause of a couple’s infertility. IVF is not a treatment for infertility. The couple is still just as infertile after IVF as they were before.  They don’t have any answers on why they couldn’t naturally have a baby and there is often no diagnosis. With NaPro, we help a couple understand why, and very often, how to create a solution, so they can answer God’s call to have a baby,” said Moultrie.

“That’s what makes our method different.  We appreciate the gift of marriage, the bodies God has given us, and the sanctity of the marital act,” said Moultrie.

The CDC estimates that approximately 1 in 5 couples struggle with infertility. NaPro provides treatment that supports the couple to assist them in conceiving naturally.

While studies show that NaPro is highly effective, not all women will conceive. That is where St. Gianna’s Center adds an additional level of assistance to all who walk through the door. Being a Catholic center, they pray for all the women they serve and support them in carrying the cross of infertility.

“St. Gianna’s Center serves women and couples of West and Southwest Florida and beyond, thanks to the internet, Zoom and Skype.  The Center has long-standing tradition of making services available for everyone, even those unable to pay the fees in full.  This is thanks in part through a Community Impact Grant from the Diocese of St Petersburg, Share the Mission from the Diocese of Venice, and many generous donors,” Moultrie said.

For more information or to contact St. Gianna’s Center about an appointment, please visit www.stgiannacenter.com