Having taught Natural Family Planning for years, it’s a great pity that a peer reviewed article suggests that timing intercourse is unhelpful 'because this often causes undue stress'(1). The alternative recommendation made has an obvious futility in that trying to conceive every three days throughout the cycle, when as we all know ovulation occurs only at one point each cycle. Naprotec relies identifying fertile signs and timing intercourse appropriately; the study of 1234 couples being treated for infertility, (mean age 35.6 years and the mean number of years of trying to conceive was 5.6), the gross live birth rate at twelve months of treatment was 27.6% and at twenty-four months 33.9%. When the couples who withdrew prematurely were taken out of the analysis, the 7 rates were 45% at twelve months and 56% at twenty-four months of treatment [2] . Couples should be able to make the decision themselves whether they find timing intercourse with signs of ovulation preferable to 'trying every two to three days'.
For most couples conception is likely to occur with the presence of fertile mucous which emanates from the cervix. Practice shows that for some women there is only a small window of opportunity. Some women may choose to use ovulation kits to determine the LH surge, instead of, or in addition to mucous signs. There are also financial and practical implications to be considered. Day 21 progesterone blood tests estimation can unreliable in women with prolonged irregular cycles and may need to be taken later, e.g. day 28, and repeated weekly thereafter until the next menstrual cycle starts. If a working woman can identify her mucous signs and attend for the progesterone blood test a week later, she will save a lot of time and effort, and at least £15 for the lab hormone assay alone. In addition, the cost of assisted conception is saved if couples conceive by timed intercourse.
1 Prepregnancy care : Srividya Seshadri, Pippa Oakeshott, Catherine Nelson-Piercy, Lucy C Chappell BMJ 9 June 2012 pp 34-39.
2. J. B. Stanford, T. A. Parnell and P. C. Boyle, “Outcomes from treatment of infertility with natural procreative technology in an Irish general practice,” Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine 21 (2008): 375-384.
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Re: Prepregnancy care
What is the best way to get pregnant?
Having taught Natural Family Planning for years, it’s a great pity that a peer reviewed article suggests that timing intercourse is unhelpful 'because this often causes undue stress'(1). The alternative recommendation made has an obvious futility in that trying to conceive every three days throughout the cycle, when as we all know ovulation occurs only at one point each cycle. Naprotec relies identifying fertile signs and timing intercourse appropriately; the study of 1234 couples being treated for infertility, (mean age 35.6 years and the mean number of years of trying to conceive was 5.6), the gross live birth rate at twelve months of treatment was 27.6% and at twenty-four months 33.9%. When the couples who withdrew prematurely were taken out of the analysis, the 7 rates were 45% at twelve months and 56% at twenty-four months of treatment [2] . Couples should be able to make the decision themselves whether they find timing intercourse with signs of ovulation preferable to 'trying every two to three days'.
For most couples conception is likely to occur with the presence of fertile mucous which emanates from the cervix. Practice shows that for some women there is only a small window of opportunity. Some women may choose to use ovulation kits to determine the LH surge, instead of, or in addition to mucous signs. There are also financial and practical implications to be considered. Day 21 progesterone blood tests estimation can unreliable in women with prolonged irregular cycles and may need to be taken later, e.g. day 28, and repeated weekly thereafter until the next menstrual cycle starts. If a working woman can identify her mucous signs and attend for the progesterone blood test a week later, she will save a lot of time and effort, and at least £15 for the lab hormone assay alone. In addition, the cost of assisted conception is saved if couples conceive by timed intercourse.
1 Prepregnancy care : Srividya Seshadri, Pippa Oakeshott, Catherine Nelson-Piercy, Lucy C Chappell BMJ 9 June 2012 pp 34-39.
2. J. B. Stanford, T. A. Parnell and P. C. Boyle, “Outcomes from treatment of infertility with natural procreative technology in an Irish general practice,” Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine 21 (2008): 375-384.
Competing interests: No competing interests