Infertility and Miscarriage

"It is estimated today that one out of six couples will experience infertility. The suffering of unanticipated childlessness is real. Spouses may feel they have somehow failed, that they are inadequate in a basic aspect of marital life. Their pain may even be aggravated by regret or guilt over past contraceptive use, sterilization, abortion, or other factors that can contribute to infertility. The sight of other couples' children may make them year for a child all the more and add to their distress. Infertility can affect a couple's sexual relationship and the stability of their marriage. It may even affect relationships with parents and in-laws who express disappointment at the absence of grandchildren. Catholic couples may feel this pain even more deeply as they hear the Church praise family life and teach that children are the 'supreme gift of marriage.'

In an age of advances in reproductive medicine, many solutions are offered to couples going through this distress. Some solutions offer real hope for restoring a couple's natural, healthy ability to have children. Others pose serious moral problems by failing to respect the dignity of the couple's marital relationship, of their sexuality, or of the child. The Church has compassion for couples suffering from infertility and wants to be of real help to them."

Share with and get to know other women carrying the cross of infertility at the "Hannah's Hope" support group meetings. "Hannah's Hope" meets in a private meeting space at the Sow's Ear Coffee Shop in Verona (125 S. Main Street, Verona, WI). The group is facilitated by three women--Sarah Ramthun, Audrey Klingele, and Emily Seyfert--each with their own story of infertility. Social events will be planned for couples, but the "Hannah's Hope" meetings are intended for women only. There is no cost or commitment of regular attendance--come when you can. No registration required. For more information, click here, or contact the NFP Coordinator at (608) 821-3134 or Vicki.Braun@madisondiocese.org.

NaProTECHNOLOGY uses the biomarkers of the Creighton Model FertilityCare System to recognize health and disease. These biomarkers are "an authentic language of a woman's health and fertility." NaProTECHNOLOGY identifies the problem, cooperates with the menstrual and fertility cycles, corrects the condition, maintains the human ecology, and sustains procreative potential. NaProTECHNOLOGY is equal to or of greater effectiveness than in vitro fertilization for helping infertile couples achieve pregnancy.

All NFP charting methods provide insight into a woman's fertility status.  In many cases, changes in diet & lifestyle may be enough to improve fertility cycles and chances for conceiving and sustaining a much desired pregnancy.  Contact Vicki Braun, NFP Coordinator at 608-495-6117 or nfp@straphael.org  for more information of diet/lifestyle changes.

The Miracle of Life Rosary Garden at St. Mary of Pline Bluff Catholic Church is a beautiful place to pray and a sacred burial place for babies who die before birth. Any loss of life, especially before birth, can result in an incredibly painful and confusing time for the families who experience it. The Rosary Garden, however, is not only a place of grieving, but also a place of profound hope and joy. We have the strong hope that all babies who lose their lives before birth are immediately welcomed into the Father's Heavenly Kingdom and become powerful intercessors for both their immediate families and their larger family, witnessed by the members of the Body of Christ.

For more information regarding the burial space for babies who died before birth, please contact Fr. Rick Heilman at St. Mary of Pine Bluff by e-mail at rheilman@yahoo.com or by phone at (608) 798-4664. For more information, click here and here.