title: Cervical mucus monitoring prevalence and associated fecundability in women trying to conceive.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the use of cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) in women trying to conceive and determine whether monitoring is associated with increased cycle-specific probability of conception (fecundability).
  
  
  METHODS
  Time-to-pregnancy cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred thirty-one women trying to conceive, ages 30 to 44 years, without known infertility.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  CMM prevalence and fecundability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the first cycle of the study, CMM was performed consistently (checked on >66% of pertinent cycle days) by 20 women (6%), inconsistently (34% to 66% of days) by 60 women (18%), infrequently (≤33% of days) by 73 women (22%), and not performed by 178 women (54%). Cycles in which CMM was consistently performed were statistically significantly more likely to result in conception after adjusting for age, race, previous pregnancy, body mass index, intercourse frequency, and urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) monitoring. Fecundability also increased with increasing consistency of CMM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among women trying to conceive, CMM is uncommon, but our study suggests that CMM-a free, self-directed method to determine the fertile window-is associated with increased fecundability independent of intercourse frequency or use of urinary LH monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Electronic address: evanshoe@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Evans-Hoeker
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Pritchard
authors.forename: D Leann
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Amy H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Herring
authors.forename: Joseph B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Stanford
authors.forename: Anne Z
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Steiner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002582:Cervix Mucus / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005306:Fertilization; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010061:Ovulation Detection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D061685:Time-to-Pregnancy
keywords: Cervical mucus monitoring; conception; fecundability; fertile window