The Identification of Postovulation Infertility with the Measurement of Early Luteal Phase (Peak Day +3) Progesterone Production.

Unlabelled: This study reports on 632 cycles from 105 women who were using the CREIGHTON MODEL Fertility™ System to avoid pregnancy and had either a serious reason to avoid pregnancy or some degree of a lack of confidence. A progesterone level was drawn on the third day after the Peak Day as they were charting, and if the progesterone level was 2.3 ng/mL or greater, then ovulation was determined to have passed.

A Quantitative Self-Assessment of Seminarians' Response to a Curriculum Addition on Marriage, Sexuality, Fertility, and Naprotechnology: The Kenrick-Glennon Experience (2006-2015).

Unlabelled: A special course on Marriage, the Family and Human Sexuality was established at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis so as to assist the seminarians in their better understanding of the Church's teaching relative to natural methods of family planning and women's health care. This article compares the response at the beginning of this three-credit semester course to the same seven-item questionnaire given at the conclusion of the course.

Hormonal Contraception and the Informed Consent.

Unlabelled: Since the 1960s, hormonal contraceptives have become the most commonly used method of pregnancy prevention in the United States and the world. Oral contraceptives are used by a large percentage of women, including Christian women. There are known health risks to women demonstrated in research published since Pope Paul VI's prophetic encyclical in 1968.

Intratubal pressure before and after transcervical catheterization of the fallopian tubes.

Objective: To assess the intratubal pressure (ITP) and patency status of the fallopian tubes before and after transcervical catheterization of the fallopian tubes (TCFT).

Design: Prospective procedural assessment.

Setting: Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction.

Creighton Model NaProEducation Technology for avoiding pregnancy. Use effectiveness.

Objective: To evaluate the use effectiveness of Creighton Model (CrM) NaProEducation Technology for avoiding pregnancy.

Study Design: CrM is a medical model of natural procreation education that is a fully standardized modification of the Billings ovulation method. This system has been used as a means to avoid pregnancy and has been prospectively evaluated in five use effectiveness studies.

Cumulative pregnancy rates in patients with apparently normal fertility and fertility-focused intercourse.

Fifty consecutive clients achieved pregnancy using a standardization modification of the Billings ovulation method (the Creighton Model Natural Family Planning System). Of 50 clients followed, 38 (76%) achieved pregnancy in the first cycle of fertility-focused intercourse, 45 of 50 (90%) achieved pregnancy by the third cycle and 49 of 50 achieved pregnancy by the sixth cycle (98%).

A simple, safe technique for placement of the veress needle and trocar in laparoscopy.

A simple technique of placing two Kocher clamps on the anterior rectus fascia for the elevation of the anterior abdominal wall during the insertion of the veress needle and the laparoscopic trocar is described in 243 consecutive patients. There were no failed insufflations during this study and no cases of preperitoneal emphysema. The technique is simple to use and adds safety to a basically blind procedure.

Assessment of the empty follicle syndrome by transvaginal sonography.

The empty follicle syndrome was assessed using transvaginal ultrasonography in a group of 152 consecutive women with unmedicated menstrual cycles being studied because of primary or secondary infertility or repetitive miscarriage. The overall frequency of the empty follicle syndrome was found to be 43.4%.

Sonographic definition of the empty follicle syndrome.

The sonographic definition of the empty follicle syndrome is presented in a group of 89 consecutive, unmedicated menstrual cycles in women with primary or secondary infertility. The incidence of the empty follicle syndrome was found to be 50%. The incidence increased with age and was independent of gravidity or the type of follicular rupture (or lack of rupture).

Safety of intraperitoneal 32% dextran 70 as an antiadhesion adjuvant.

The records of 139 consecutive patients who underwent major gynecologic abdominal surgery in which 32% dextran 70 was used as an antiadhesion adjuvant were carefully reviewed for the presence or absence of dextran-related complications. Eleven patients (8.0%) were thought to have dextran-related complications, including postoperative ileus (2.

Evidence for the involvement of beta-endorphin in the human menstrual cycle.

The possibility that beta-endorphin, an endogenous opiate, is involved in the regulation of the menstrual cycle was examined. Daily serum beta-endorphin levels, in conjunction with luteinizing hormone, progesterone, and 17 beta-estradiol were measured during 26 hormonally normal menstrual cycles. Twenty-one cycles showed a preovulatory peak and postovulatory trough of beta-endorphin, 2 cycles had a postovulatory peak, and 3 had a postovulatory peak with sustained elevation.

Natural family planning IV. The identification of postovulatory infertility.

The estimated time of ovulation (ETO) was correlated with the day of defined postovulatory infertility in 66 hormonally normal menstrual cycles from 24 subjects for each of 15 different natural family planning methodologies. Inherent weaknesses were identified in methods based upon calendar calculations or basal body temperature only. These weaknesses could be removed for the basal body temperature-only methods if symptoms, especially the peak mucus symptom, were added to the temperature records.

Natural family planning III. Intermenstrual symptoms and estimated time of ovulation.

Several periovulatory symptoms sometimes used in natural family planning are correlated with the estimated time of ovulation in 23 subjects and 64 hormonally normal menstrual cycles. The data suggest that intermenstrual pain may not be due to 1 specific cause but rather to several related factors. As a symptom of ovulation, intermenstrual pain was more specific than lower backache, abdominal bloating, and intermenstrual bleeding nonetheless, intermenstrual pain has a broad periovulatory association.

NFP programs provide consumer choice, benefit hospital.

Now that principles of NFP have been established specific programs are necessary to disperse information and to teach techniques. The hospital-based NFP program offers the community a needed service and benefits the hospital.

Natural family planning. II. Basal body temperature and estimated time of ovulation.

Four points on the basal body temperatures (BBT) curve have been correlated with the estimated time of ovulation (ETO), as determined by indirect hormonal parameters, in 74 menstrual cycles from 24 subjects. Only 10 of 66 hormonally normal cycles exhibited a BBT dip (D), and the ETO ranged from D - 2 through D + 3. In 63 of 66 hormonally normal cycles, a BBT nadir (N), first day of BBT rise (F), and BBT coverline endpoint (C) were identified.

Natural family planning. I. The peak symptom and estimated time of ovulation.

The observation of the "Peak" mucus symptom in women using the ovulation method of natural family planning has been correlated with the estimated time of ovulation, as evaluated by indirect hormonal parameters. In 65 cycles of the 73 studied in 24 patients, there was hormonal confirmation of ovulation; in eight cycles, anovulation or luteal dysfunction was suspected. In the 65 normal cycles, 64 exhibited a Peak symptom.