Answered by Dr. Jessica Farnsworth, MD: Nebraska

In our struggle to conceive and our desire to do it in a God-honoring way and also in a logical way, we have been pursuing the Creighton Model and I highly recommend it. I believe many couples have medical issues behind their fertility problems and sometimes they are subtle. For example, maybe the man has a slightly low sperm count and the woman has low progesterone. Those two issues combined could reduce the chance for conception. There are multiple medical problems that can be helped in an ethical way. 

The Creighton Model (www.creightonmodel.com) is a system of natural family planning that would require you and your wife to learn during sessions with a teacher. This system has been developed and studied extensively by Dr. Hilgers, a devout Catholic, in Omaha, Nebraska at Creighton University. He has, through years of studies, shown how the charting of cycles can assist in discovering fertility problems. The system can also be used to avoid pregnancy. I would recommend you look for a teacher in your area (www.fertilitycare.org) and ask them if they are connected with a physician who could help you with your desire for children.