Healing Fertility Naturally
In the 1960s the popular use of the hormonal birth control pill prompted the Catholic Church to respond with the encyclical of Humanae Vitae. It explained the moral stance and alternatives for family planning. Over 60 years later, couples and families are faced with the moral question about IVF and fertility treatments. Considering recent government initiatives, many Catholic couples are asking what IVF means for families longing for children. So, it is no surprise that in October 2025, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a response about the Church teaching on IVF. To delve further into this topic, we spoke with Dr. Holly Smith, a Catholic family physician whose practice is devoted in large part to Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM). Approximately 40% of her work focuses on identifying and treating the root causes of infertility.
CCL: What are your thoughts about the USCCB’s statement on IVF in response to government initiatives?
Dr. Holly:
Both articles acknowledge the suffering experienced by couples experiencing infertility and that their desire to have children is admirable and good. However, the push for IVF and other artificial reproductive technologies is not the right answer. It bypasses the natural design of the human body.
“The push for IVF is not the right answer.
Dr. Holly Smith
It bypasses the natural design of the human body.”
CCL: Can you explain the risks or concerns associated with IVF?
Dr. Holly:
The IVF process often destroys more human lives than it successfully brings to term as a healthy baby. If babies are not lost or destroyed, they are often frozen in suspended animation indefinitely. Most are abandoned by their biological parents for various reasons.
Sexual intercourse was built into our design as the natural and ordered way of bringing about new human life. Removing procreation from the human body and moving it to a test tube in a lab with the interference of other human beings is inherently disordered in that it is not consistent with how we are intended to function.
The IVF process is a commercialization, commodification, and manufacturing of human beings. This violates human dignity and is often a form of eugenics when tiny humans are tested for possible genetic disorders or even selected or destroyed based on preferential characteristics such as sex or eye color.
CCL: Are there health risks in IVF for mothers or babies?
Dr. Holly:
There are significant risks to the IVF process for both mother and baby. Risks for the mother include ovarian hyperstimulation, bleeding or organ perforation during egg retrieval, and injury during embryo transfer. Maternal pregnancy complication rates are much higher, including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, preterm birth, and preeclampsia. Risks to babies include low birth weight, congenital malformations, neurodevelopmental delay and disorders, and even neonatal death.
CCL: Does IVF address underlying infertility issues?
Dr. Holly:
The IVF process rarely identifies or appropriately treats the underlying health problems that are contributing to trouble conceiving naturally. As a Restorative Reproductive Medicine trained physician, I frequently encounter women and couples who desire children but have not found success through traditional healthcare approaches, including visits with OBGYNs, family physicians, and even reproductive endocrinologists who may have performed IUI or IVF. What I find very frequently is that they have had grossly inadequate evaluation for the reasons behind their trouble conceiving.
CCL: Can you share examples from your practice?
Dr. Holly:
One of my patients with a history of severely painful periods had never even been asked to discuss her pain with her IVF doctor. When she inquired about the possibility of endometriosis, she was told that it didn’t matter if she had it because she would just need IVF anyway. That patient was referred to a local NaProTechnology trained gynecologic surgeon. They removed her endometriosis, followed by my balancing of her hormones, and she conceived within two cycles. She had suffered nearly eight years of infertility. She has also since conceived again naturally on her own. Obviously grateful for her children, she also expressed immense gratitude at her health being taken seriously. Uncovering answers brought additional closure to their years of suffering.
Another patient had been trying to conceive for over four years and had failed several attempts at IUI. Through comprehensive evaluation, she was found to have PCOS, insulin resistance, mild thyroid disorder, and ovulation dysfunction. We treated these conditions, and she was able to conceive and have a healthy baby. This is a very common situation that I encounter. A relatively simple medical management or balancing of hormones is all that is needed to restore health to the woman (or man, or both) and allow for natural conception!
CCL: Even when IVF is successful, are there emotional or moral considerations?
Dr. Holly:
Even if couples are able to conceive and have healthy children through IVF, they often experience ongoing mental and emotional traumas. These might include unsatisfactory answers as to why they couldn’t conceive naturally, moral guilt, traumas from the difficulty of the process, loss of babies through the process, etc.
CCL: How does Restorative Reproductive Medicine provide an alternative?
Dr. Holly:
Restorative reproductive medicine comprises about 40% of my practice. We focus on understanding and treating the root causes of infertility. This respects the natural design of the human body and of sexual intimacy. Couples are supported, not bypassed. Their fertility is restored when possible, and the act of marital intimacy retains its full meaning.
Closing Reflection
The expansion of IVF access has sparked national conversation. The USCCB has reiterated the Church’s commitment to defending human life and upholding the dignity of marriage. Dr. Holly’s experience offers a complementary reminder: behind every policy debate are real couples seeking hope.
Restorative Reproductive Medicine does not promise instant results. It offers the possibility of healing, the safeguarding of human dignity, and the preservation of the full meaning of marital love. For couples longing for a child, that distinction matters.
Dr. Holly Smith lives in Indianapolis with her husband, Eric, and 6 children (and a dog!). She is a proud Hoosier, graduating from Indiana University School of Medicine. As she practiced family medicine her love for families grew and specific passions developed for women’s health and Natural Family Planning, and fertility/infertility. Along with women’s health issues, Dr. Smith has a strong interest and training in the treatment of addiction. Dr. Smith founded Fiat Family Medicine, determined to bring back the importance of patient-doctor relationships to improve the overall health of the patient.
Why is NFP so important? Take the Natural Plan course for a quick intro. Learn Natural Family Planning – as an engaged couple or as a married couple.
Original article can be found in Family Foundations magazine, a quarterly benefit to our benefactors and supporters.