Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Comparison Of Two Hormonal Fertility Monitoring Systems For Ovulation Detection: A Pilot Study, Qiyan Mu, Richard J. Fehring

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background and Objectives: Accuracy in detecting ovulation and estimating the fertile window in the menstrual cycle is essential for women to avoid or achieve pregnancy. There has been a rapid growth in fertility apps and home ovulation testing kits in recent years. Nevertheless, there lacks information on how well these apps perform in helping users understand their fertility in the menstrual cycle. This pilot study aimed to evaluate and compare the beginning, peak, and length of the fertile window as determined by a new luteinizing hormone (LH) fertility tracking app with the Clearblue Fertility Monitor (CBFM).

Materials and Methods: A …

Multisite Effectiveness Study Of The Marquette Method Of Natural Family Planning Program, Qiyan Mu, Richard J. Fehring, Thomas Bouchard

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Women of reproductive age need reliable and effective family planning methods to manage their fertility. Natural family planning (NFP) methods or fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) have been increasingly used by women due to their health benefits. Nevertheless, effectiveness of these natural methods remains inconsistent, and these methods are difficult for healthcare providers to implement in their clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Marquette Model NFP system to avoid pregnancy for women at multiple teaching sites using twelve months of retrospectively collected teaching data. Survival analysis (Kaplan–Meier) was used to determine typical unintended …

Pilot Evaluation Of A New Urine Progesterone Test To Confirm Ovulation In Women Using A Fertility Monitor, Thomas Bouchard, Richard Fehring, Mary Schneider

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Progesterone rises ~24–36 h after ovulation. Past studies using ultrasound-confirmed ovulation have shown that three consecutive tests with a threshold of 5μg/mL of urine progesterone (pregnanediol-3-glucuronide, PDG), taken after the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge, confirmed ovulation with 100% specificity.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to a evaluate a new urine PDG self-test to retrospectively confirm ovulation in women who were monitoring ovulation using a hormonal fertility monitor.

Methods

Thirteen women of reproductive age were recruited to test urine PDG while using their home hormonal fertility monitor. The monitor measured the rise in estrogen (estrone-3-glucuronide, E3G) and LH …

Current Medical Research: Summer/Fall 2017, Richard Fehring, Mary Lee Barron

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This issue of Current Medical Research (CMR) includes studies that provide evidence that use of natural family planning (NFP) can be helpful for subfertile couples wishing to achieve a pregnancy, the effectiveness of a method of NFP during breastfeeding, and the effects of using NFP on marital relationships. This review also includes evidence on predicting the sex of a baby by timing intercourse, evidence that brain injuries can be reflected in changes in the menstrual cycle, and that women prefer methods of family planning that have no side effects. The issue ends with an in-depth review of new technologies that …

Current Medical Research Winter/Spring 2017, Richard Fehring, Kathleen Raviele

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Abstinence And Coital Frequency Between 2 Natural Methods Of Family Planning, Richard J. Fehring, Mary Schneider

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction

The length of periodic abstinence, due to overestimation of the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle, is often a cause for dissatisfaction, discontinuation, and user error with natural family planning (NFP) methods. The objective of this research was to compare the length of required abstinence (ie, estimated fertility) and coital frequency between 2 NFP methods.

Methods

This was an analysis of data from a 12-month prospective comparison study in which participants were randomized into either an electronic hormonal fertility monitor (EHFM) group or a cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) group—both of which included a fertility algorithm as a double check …

Cohort Efficacy Study Of Natural Family Planning Among Perimenopause Age Women, Richard Fehring, Qiyan Mu

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: To determine the efficacy of using natural family planning (NFP) methods to avoid unintended pregnancy among women of perimenopause age (i.e., age 40-55 years).

Design: A secondary analysis of subset data from two prospective observational cohort studies.

Setting: A university based in-person and online NFP service program.

Participants: One hundred and sixty couples who used either a website or an in-person NFP service to learn how to avoid pregnancy from January 2001 to November 2012.

Methods: A prospective 12-month effectiveness study among 160 women (between ages 40-55) who used NFP to avoid pregnancy. The …

Randomized Comparison Of Two Internet-Supported Fertility Awareness Based Methods Of Family Planning, Richard J. Fehring, Mary Schneider, Kathleen Raviele, Dana Rodriguez, Jessica E. Pruszynski

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background

The aim was to compare the efficacy and acceptability of two Internet-supported fertility-awareness-based methods of family planning.

Study design

Six hundred and sixty-seven women and their male partners were randomized into either an electronic hormonal fertility monitor (EHFM) group or a cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) group. Both groups utilized a Web site with instructions, charts and support. Acceptability was assessed online at 1, 3 and 6 months. Pregnancy rates were determined by survival analysis.

Results

The EHFM participants (N= 197) had a total pregnancy rate of 7 per 100 users over 12 months of use compared with …

Efficacy Of Cervical Mucus Observations Plus Electronic Hormonal Fertility Monitoring As A Method Of Natural Family Planning, Richard Fehring, Mary Schneider, Kathleen Raviele, Mary L. Barron

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of an electronic hormonal fertility monitor plus cervical mucus monitoring to avoid pregnancy. Design: A 12-month prospective clinical efficacy trial. Setting and Participants: One hundred ninety five (195) women (mean age 29.8 years) seeking to avoid pregnancy with a natural method at 5 clinical sites in 4 cities. Intervention: Each participant was taught to track fertility by self-observation of cervical mucus and an electronic monitor that measures urinary levels of estrone-3-glucuronide and luteinizing hormone. Main Outcome Measures: Correct-and typical-use unintended pregnancy rates. Results: There were a total of 26 unintended pregnancies, 3 with correct use. …