03/12/2026
Among the remarkable physicians who have come to Omaha to train at the Saint Paul VI Institute is Dr. Oyoung Kim, an obstetrician-gynecologist from South Korea with ten years of experience practicing medicine at a Catholic university hospital. Dr. Kim is part of a delegation of eleven professionals — five physicians, five practitioner interns, and one educator — who traveled together from Korea to deepen their understanding of the CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare™ System and NaProTECHNOLOGY.
Dr. Kim’s path to natural fertility care is rooted in both her Catholic faith and her clinical experience. Working within a Catholic institution that does not perform assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as IVF, she has long sought effective, ethical alternatives for her patients struggling with infertility. What moved her most deeply, she shared, was witnessing the toll that conventional fertility treatments take on women — the grueling hormone regimens, the invasive procedures, and in some cases, serious complications like ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome requiring repeated abdominal drainage. These experiences made the need for a safer, more holistic approach undeniable.
South Korea’s fertility landscape presents a distinctive set of challenges. The country is grappling with one of the lowest birth rates in the world, driven in part by women increasingly delaying marriage and family as career opportunities expand. While the Korean government subsidizes IVF procedures, no comparable support exists for natural methods or the type of consultation and charting instruction central to NaProTECHNOLOGY. Dr. Kim sees this gap as both a challenge and an opportunity.
Her hospital, Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital — part of the Catholic Medical Center with seven branches across the country — already operates one NaProTECHNOLOGY center, largely due to the pioneering work of Educator Intern Mijin Cho, who trained at the Institute a decade ago to become a Practitioner. Dr. Kim and her colleagues are now working to expand that presence, with plans to establish additional NaPro centers throughout Korea.
In her own words, Dr. Kim describes her motivation with characteristic warmth and precision: “I want to become a FertilityCare provider because I believe women deserve a better option — one that respects their dignity, supports their health, and offers real solutions.” She is particularly drawn to NaProTECHNOLOGY’s capacity to identify and treat the underlying causes of infertility, rather than bypassing them. Conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and uterine fibroids are increasingly common among her patients in Korea, and she sees this approach as well suited to addressing them at their root.
Beyond the clinical, Dr. Kim speaks of a deeper recognition she has found in her training — an appreciation for the way the human body is naturally designed, and the profound meaning in working with that design rather than against it. As a Catholic physician, this alignment of science and faith is central to her vision of care.
The patients who find their way to Dr. Kim’s clinic often arrive exhausted — having endured multiple failed IVF cycles, physically depleted, and emotionally worn down. She hopes that what she is learning here will allow her to offer them something different: a path that honors their bodies, addresses the true causes of their struggles, and gives them renewed hope.
Dr. Oyoung Kim represents exactly the kind of physician the Saint Paul VI Institute exists to support: scientifically rigorous, compassionate, and deeply committed to a vision of women’s health grounded in respect for the natural order. We are grateful she made the journey to Omaha, and we look forward to hearing of the lives she and her colleagues will touch when they bring this work home.
