Dear Ms. Lee ...

(Note: I sent this e-mail to a reporter at KOMU and received no reply. I sent her a follow-up and still haven't heard from her. My next step was to contact the news director, who did respond to my concerns. I'll post my e-mail to him and his response sometime in the near future.)

Dear Ms. Lee,

I watched with great interest your report on fertility treatments and want to thank you for giving attention to the struggle that many couples face in attempting to welcome children into their relationships. I was disappointed, however, that your report made no mention of a third option, and one that has proven much more successful than IVF.

The Creighton Model of Natural Family Planning, is based on a scientific understanding of the woman's reproductive system, including the discharge that her body creates during different periods of the reproductive cycle. Many women who previously had difficulty conceiving are finding great success by turning to this model. As I mentioned, the success fate for the Creighton model is much greater than with IVF, but the cost for learning this method is pennies compared to the thousands requred for IVF.

In addition, there are none of the health risks found in other fertility treatments as no drugs are introduced into the body. Actually, because of the intimate knowledge of her own body that a woman learns through NFP (especially the Creighton Model), disorders in the body can be identified and treated very early, providing the side-effect of greater potential health for the mother.

Lastly, there are some serious moral debates about IVF because of the number of embryos that must be created in order to achieve that one successful pregnancy, yet this problem does not exist with the Creighton Model (and other similar methods).

I hope that, as a follow-up to your report, you might consider a supplimental report on NFP. Not only do its benefits prove superior to some other forms of fertility treatments (without much of the risk), but it also provides a safe and more effective alternative to contraception for couples who want to limit the size of their families. Please let me know if I can provide you with more information or put you in touch with local medical specialists in the area of NFP.

Again, thank you for your nice report, and I hope I can count on you to get the word out about a much-ignored alternative to help couples who so desperately want to welcome life into their relationships.

-Spencer Allen