Purpose

• To improve public understanding of infertility, reproductive health conditions, and women’s natural cycles by adding education on restorative reproductive medicine, fertility awareness-based methods, and body literacy to Minnesota’s public health programs and materials.
• To ensure public health programs cover root causes of infertility and relevant reproductive health topics, and to encourage collaboration with Title X-funded facilities.

Main Provisions

• Mandates the state’s Commissioner of Health to integrate information about root causes of infertility and reproductive health conditions into existing public health programs, including:
  • Family planning
  • Maternal and child health programs
  • Women’s health initiatives
• Requires existing health education materials to be updated to include information on restorative reproductive medicine.
• Requires the Commissioner to work with Title X-funded facilities to integrate restorative reproductive medicine, fertility awareness-based methods, and body literacy education into these programs within 12 months after the Act takes effect.
• Requires the department to provide guidance and support to facilities, including:
  • Training for health care providers on restorative reproductive medicine, fertility awareness-based methods, and body literacy education
  • Development of patient education materials on these topics

Definitions (Key Terms Used in the Section)

• Fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs): Modern, evidence-based ways of tracking the menstrual cycle using signs like body temperature, cervical fluid, and hormone production (including luteinizing hormone and estrogen). Examples listed include:
  • Symptothermal method
  • Creighton model fertility care system
  • Billings ovulation method
• Fertility education and medical management: A program developed with the Reproductive Health Research Institute to train health professionals and educate women about hormonal health and related medical support.
• Infertility: The inability to conceive after a certain period when conception should be possible:
  • 12 months of regular sexual intercourse without contraception for women under 35
  • 6 months for women 35 and older
• Natural procreative technology (NaProTECHNOLOGY): An approach to health care that monitors and maintains a woman’s reproductive health, including certain surgical procedures to treat reproductive conditions.
• Reproductive health condition: A health condition that makes conceiving harder or impossible when it should be possible (examples listed include endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, uterine fibroids, blocked fallopian tubes, hormone imbalances, thyroid conditions, ovulation dysfunctions, male-factor infertility, and related lifestyle/environmental factors).
• Restorative reproductive health and restorative reproductive medicine: A scientific approach to reproductive medicine that aims to cooperate with or restore normal physiology and anatomy of the reproductive system, using methods such as body literacy programs, teacher-led education, FABMs, NaProTECHNOLOGY, and related medical management. Treatments can include ultrasounds, blood tests, hormone panels, laparoscopic surgery, and consideration of environmental endocrine disruptors, among others.

Implementation and Timeline

• Within 12 months of the Act’s effective date, the state must implement these integrations with Title X-funded facilities.
• The Department of Health must provide guidance, provider training, and creation of patient educational materials to support implementation.

Potential Effects and Changes to Law

• Establishes a formal requirement to teach and promote restorative reproductive medicine and FABMs within state public health programs.
• Creates widely used definitions for infertility, reproductive health conditions, and related medical approaches (including NaProTECHNOLOGY).
• Expands the scope of reproductive health education and information available to the public and health professionals.
• Encourages collaboration between state health programs and Title X-funded facilities to deliver these services and information.

Relevant Terms - restorative reproductive medicine - fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) - body literacy education - fertility education and medical management - NaProTECHNOLOGY (natural procreative technology) - infertility - reproductive health condition - endometriosis - adenomyosis - polycystic ovary disease (PCOS) - uterine fibroids - blocked fallopian tubes - hormone imbalances - hyperprolactinemia - thyroid conditions - ovulation dysfunctions - reproductive health education - Title X funded facilities - family planning - maternal and child health programs - women’s health initiatives