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'Fertility Awareness-Based Methods' and subfertility: a systematic review.

A Thijssen¹, A Meier², K Panis²

¹Genk Institute for Fertility Technology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Schiepse Bos 6, 3600 Genk, Belgium. ; Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium.

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Summary

Fertility awareness based methods, like cervical mucus monitoring (CMM), can help identify fertile days. However, its effectiveness in subfertile couples requires further investigation through more studies.

Keywords:

Billings method Creighton model cervical mucus conception fertility awareness infertility natural family planning subfertility symptothermal method

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Area of Science:

Reproductive Endocrinology
Gynecology
Infertility Research

Background:

Fertility awareness based methods (FABMs) are used to manage conception likelihood.
Cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) is a key FABM assessing fertile windows.
Subfertility presents unique challenges for accurately identifying peak fertility.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the relationship between cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) and day-specific pregnancy rates in subfertile individuals.
To synthesize existing literature on the efficacy of CMM in subfertile populations.
To identify gaps in research regarding CMM for subfertility.

Main Methods:

A comprehensive literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, identifying 3331 articles.
Studies were screened for relevance, with 10 selected for final analysis.
The focus was on research linking CMM to pregnancy rates in subfertile couples.

Main Results:

Cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) can identify high-fertility days in normally fertile individuals.
The correlation between cervical mucus quality and pregnancy probability is less consistent in subfertile couples.
Existing studies show varied effectiveness of CMM in subfertile populations.

Conclusions:

Cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) shows potential for identifying fertile days but with less certainty in subfertile couples.
There is a significant need for more high-quality prospective randomized trials and prospective cohort studies.
Further research is crucial to establish the effectiveness of CMM in subfertile populations.