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Core and peripheral body temperatures are affected by changes in reproductive hormones during the menstrual cycle. Women worldwide use the basal body temperature (BBT) method to aid and prevent conception. However, prior research suggests that taking one's daily temperature can prove inconvenient and subject to environmental factors. We investigate whether a more automatic, non-invasive temperature measurement system can detect changes in temperature across the menstrual cycle. We examined how wrist skin temperature (WST), measured with wearable sensors, correlates with urinary tests of ovulation and may serve as a new method of fertility tracking. One hundred and thirty-six eumenorrheic, non-pregnant women participated in an observational study. Participants wore WST biosensors during sleep and reported their daily activities. An at-home luteinizing hormone (LH) test was used to confirm ovulation. WST was recorded across 437 cycles (mean cycles/participant = 3.21, S.D. = 2.25). We tested the relationship between the fertile window and WST temperature shifts, using the BBT three-over-six rule. A sustained 3-day temperature shift was observed in 357/437 cycles (82%), with the lowest cycle temperature occurring in the fertile window 41% of the time. Most temporal shifts (307/357, 86%) occurred on ovulation day (OV) or later. The average early-luteal phase temperature was 0.33°C higher than in the fertile window. Menstrual cycle changes in WST were impervious to lifestyle factors, like having sex, alcohol, or eating prior to bed, that, in prior work, have been shown to obfuscate BBT readings. Although currently costlier than BBT, the present study suggests that WST could be a promising, convenient parameter for future multiparameter fertility awareness methods., (© 2018 The Author(s).)

Objective: To assess the sensitivity and specificity of the self-identified fertile window., Design: Observational study., Setting: Not applicable., Patient(s): A total of 107 women., Intervention(s): Women recorded cervical mucus observation and basal body temperature daily while undergoing daily ovarian ultrasound., Main Outcome Measure(s): The biological fertile window, defined as the 6 days up to and including the day of ovulation; and the 2-day ovulation window, defined as the day before and the day of ovulation., Result(s): The self-identification of the biological fertile window by the observation of any type of cervical mucus provides 100% sensitivity but poor specificity, yielding a clinical fertile window of 11 days. However, the identification of the biological fertile window by peak mucus (defined as clear, slippery, or stretchy mucus related to estrogen) yielded 96% sensitivity and improved specificity. The appearance of the peak mucus preceded the biological fertile window in less than 10% of the cycles. Likewise, this type of mucus identified the ovulation window with 88% sensitivity., Conclusion(s): These results suggest that, when perceived accurately, more accurate clinical self-detection of the fertile window can be obtained by identification of peak mucus. This may improve efforts to focus intercourse in the fertile phase for couples with fertility concerns., (Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Smartphone-based fertility awareness methods with home-based urinary hormonal testing are gaining popularity for fertility tracking. In our university-affiliated family practice, we integrated a previously developed ovulation tracking application into a protocol for monitoring urinary sex hormones and cervical secretions. Serum progesterone was used to confirm the luteal phase, with levels ≥ 15.9 nmol/L ensuring confirmation. Data from 110 women seen for infertility treatment (n = 95) or family planning advice (n = 15) and using our ovulation prediction protocol showed that most opted for a combination of cervical mucus and luteinizing hormone testing (n = 86). Among those using it for family planning, the median usage among women spanned 56 cycles, and 13 cycles per woman required progesterone testing for confirmation. Thirteen patients are still using the method without unintended pregnancies. No unintended pregnancies occurred. Confidence in tests based on serum progesterone was high (93%). For infertility, the method helped in the identification of anovulation, evaluating treatment response, and in diagnosing subfertility causes. This proof-of-concept retrospective descriptive case series suggests the potential for smartphone-based monitoring in fertility management, urging further studies for application enhancements and prospective validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: FABMs (fertility awareness-based methods) are methods that rely on the observation of clinical signs related to fertility found in women, the so-called fertility bioindicators. They can be a valuable tool for diagnosing monthly cycle disorders and infertility, for example, among patients with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). Until now, it has been difficult for women with PCOS to use FABM, due to the difficulty of describing fertility bioindicators and their disorders due to the biology of the syndrome. The new InVivo sympto-thermal method with standardized cervical mucus assessment may provide a valuable diagnostic and therapeutic tool for observing the monthly cycle in this group of women. (2) Methods: The monthly cycle was evaluated in a group of 32 women of reproductive age. A total of 108 monthly cycle observation cards were analyzed: 35 monthly cycle cards were collected from 18 women with PCOS, and 73 monthly cycle cards collected from 14 healthy women. In addition, 32 pairs of macroscopic and microscopic images were evaluated: 17 pairs from the study group (four subjects) and 15 pairs from women in the control group (six subjects). (3) Results: We showed that in the group of patients with PCOS, menstruation was longer (p = 0.000814), the number of mucus peaks was statistically higher (p = 0.040747), and the interquartile range (IQR) of the duration of the follicular phase (calculated according to the BBT) was significantly higher (8 days) compared to women in the control group. We also observed that among all the women studied, the microscopic image of cervical mucus correlated with the cycle phase described in the observation card, as determined by reference to the BBT chart, provided that it showed the correct features. (4) Conclusions: Systematic maintenance of monthly cycle observation charts using the InVivo method can be an important supplement to the medical history, as it allows for a thorough assessment of, among others, the timing of monthly bleeding, cervical mucus symptoms, BBT changes, and the duration of the follicular and luteal phases among both healthy and PCOS women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smartphone apps for monitoring bodily signs of ovulation are growing in popularity and becoming increasingly important tools for facilitating or preventing pregnancy. This article explores heterosexual women's experiences of using fertility apps in the context of trying to conceive. Specifically, it focuses on a feature of fertility apps that enables women to share information about fertility with a male partner. This feature is frequently lauded by apps as providing an opportunity for partners to be more actively involved in the work of trying to conceive. With this focus, the article makes two key contributions to the emerging literature on fertility apps. Firstly, it situates narratives in apps that promote the shared responsibility for conception as part of a pre-parenting culture that values a shared commitment to (future) parenthood. Secondly, drawing on interviews with women in the UK who had used fertility apps, it explores women's perspectives on involving their male partners in pregnancy planning. Rather than redistributing conceptive fertility work, women's experiences reveal how cultural assumptions about heterosexuality and 'natural conception' significantly curtail their ability to engage partners in fertility tracking. As a result, the gendered divisions of fertility work are reconfigured in the new sociotechnical context of fertility app use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To examine Serbian gynaecologists' attitudes and practices related to contraception and abortion, as the principal alternative to contraception. Methods A self-reported questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of gynaecologists attending educational meetings of a medical society from October 2012 to October 2013. The data gathered were assessed by means of univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Almost half of the respondents had ethical objections and would refuse to provide certain contraceptives to patients. Two thirds of the gynaecologists (63%) considered fertility awareness methods to be a poor option for most women. Twenty-three percent objected to abortion. Those who objected to contraceptives were less likely to object to abortions (OR: 0.422). This attitude was more prevalent in Southern and Eastern Serbia, where gynaecologists were more likely to object (OR: 4.892) and to refuse to prescribe contraceptives (OR: 4.161), but less likely to object to abortion (OR: 0.278) than in other regions. Conclusions A large proportion of Serbian gynaecologists objected to some contraceptive methods and were more in favour of abortions, especially in the least developed regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Home fertility assessment methods (FAMs) for natural family planning (NFP) have technically evolved with the objective metrics of urinary luteinizing hormone (LH), estrone-3-glucuronide (E3G) and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (PDG). Practical and reliable algorithms for timing the phase of cycle based upon E3G and PDG levels are mostly unpublished and still lacking. Materials and Methods: A novel formulation to signal the transition to the luteal phase was discovered, tested, and developed with a data set of daily E3G and PDG levels from 25 women, 78 cycles, indexed to putative ovulation (day after the urinary LH surge), Day 0. The algorithm is based upon a daily relative progressive change in the ratio, E3G-AUC/PDG-AUC, where E3G-AUC and PDG-AUC are the area under the curve for E3G and PDG, respectively. To improve accuracy the algorithm incorporated a three-fold cycle-specific increase of PDG. Results: An extended negative change in E3G-AUC/PDG-AUC of at least nine consecutive days provided a strong signal for timing the luteal phase. The algorithm correctly identified the luteal transition interval in 78/78 cycles and predicted the start day of the safe period as: Day + 2 in 10/78 cycles, Day + 3 in 21/78 cycles, Day + 4 in 28/78 cycles, Day + 5 in 15/78 cycles, and Day + 6 in 4/78 cycles. The mean number of safe luteal days with this algorithm was 10.3 ± 1.3 (SD). Conclusions: An algorithm based upon the ratio of the area under the curve for daily E3G and PDG levels along with a relative PDG increase offers another approach to time the phase of cycle. This may have applications for NFP/FAMs and clinical evaluation of ovarian function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]