When there is a problem, the natural response is to find or create a solution. This holds true for doctors, including Dr. Paul Day and Dr. Jason Mattingly. Both specialize in natural methods for family planning and addressing fertility issues at Mercy Health.

Dr. Day’s interest arose in this field after shadowing Dr. Mattingly. “That clinical experience inspired me to learn more about women’s health and how to best approach this in light of the Church’s wisdom and knowledge of the human person,” said Dr. Day.

For Dr. Mattingly, his wife was the inspiration. When she began learning the Creighton Model for natural family planning (NFP), he accompanied her and also learned how to apply NFP principles to assist women in managing pregnancies and diagnosing reproductive and gynecologic issues. In 2000, he became a Creighton Medical Consultant.

In their practice, both doctors specialize in Natural Procreative Technology, more commonly known as NaProTechnology.

“The term NaProTechnology was coined by Dr Thomas Hilgers, who, with the help of his own wife, an RN, and several other amazing RN’s, created the Creighton Model FertilityCare system and founded the Saint Paul VI Institute in Omaha, NE,” said Dr. Mattingly. “He meant [the term] to mean that we would seek to diagnose and treat reproductive problems in a way that respects the dignity of the patient, does not supplant or circumvent the natural fertility process, keeps with the ethical directives of the Church as put forth in Donum Vitae and Humana Vitae and achieves results that rival or exceed that of the ‘usual care’ a woman might otherwise receive from her doctor. For my part, I truly believe that the principles of NaProTechnology are exactly the same as what we seek to do in medicine generally: find the problem, fix the problem, help restore healthy function to the patient.”

“The underlying value system of NaProTechnology is based on core principles from Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae and [Pope Saint] John Paul II’s Theology of the Body that work cooperatively with our God-given physiology to restore and maintain health,” added Dr. Day.

Dr. Day also shared how NaProTechnology is helping more than couples. This approach to women’s health extends to unmarried young women, such as those experiencing cycle irregularities, to pinpoint potential causes. It also aids couples with Fertility Awareness Based Methods (FABMs); with hopes of restoring regular cycles to bolster their trust in divine guidance for their marital journey.

Both doctors feel their faith has been strengthened by working in this field.

“Walking with women and couples who have struggled with infertility, pregnancy loss and other health challenges has truly been a blessing to me,” said Dr. Day. “Recognizing the courage, fortitude and submission to God’s will that this can require [of people] while [they go] through medical workup and treatment as a patient continues to inspire me.”

“When Dr. Day and I work with women and couples who have reproductive problems, I think we try to apply this science and achieve three goals,” said Dr. Mattingly. “To identify the causes and find treatments consistent with everything mentioned above, to help them feel heard and understood, knowing that fertility problems can be incredibly painful physically, emotionally and spiritually—hitting at the essence of how women see themselves—as mothers and ‘fruit- bearers’ for their family. Also to extend the healing ministry of Christ and his Church to patients, to feel God’s love and realize His promise of fruitfulness— even as it comes to us in ways we might not have expected or even imagined previously.”

This article appeared in the April 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.