Creighton Model Effectiveness, Intentions and Behaviors Assessment (CEIBA)

Sponsor

University of Utah (Other)

Overall Status

Completed

CT.gov ID

NCT01012596

Collaborator

Department of Health and Human Services (U.S. Fed)

624

Enrollment

Locations

Duration (Months)

34.7

Patients Per Site

0.8

Patients Per Site Per Month

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

The Creighton Model (CrM) FertilityCare System is a natural family planning method that teaches couples to recognize and chart the signs of fertility and infertility in the woman's cycle and to use that knowledge to either achieve or avoid a pregnancy. The method is natural, safe and effective, and it helps the couple understand their fertility. Trained practitioners at FertilityCare Centers teach the Creighton Model across the country, internationally and long distance.

Several FertilityCare Centers and the University of Utah are conducting a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Creighton Model (CrM) for new and return users wanting to avoid pregnancy. While past studies have shown that the Creighton Model is a highly effective method, this study will use new ways to measure how well it works. This is important because the knowledge gained will improve comparisons between the Creighton Model and other family planning methods. The study will also explore intentions and behaviors of couples to avoid or achieve a pregnancy.

The investigators hypothesize that for the CrM the pregnancy rate during perfect use to avoid pregnancy will be about 1% and the behaviorally determined avoiding-related pregnancy rate for the CrM will be about 6%. The investigators will also evaluate the pregnancy rate during "typical use" without a previously stated intention to conceive (in CrM terms, a mixture of avoiding and achieving-related behavior).

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Pregnancy Fertility	Behavioral: Creighton Model System of Natural Family Planning

Detailed Description

There are a variety of natural family planning (NFP) methods available today that differ in algorithm and biomarkers used to identify women's fertile window. This study will directly evaluate the NFP system known as the Creighton Model FertilityCare System (CrM). The Creighton Model System is a well-established educational system about fertility which involves no devices. The CrM teaches women a standardized way of observing and describing their vaginal discharge each day during routine use of the bathroom, and interpreting the changes in vaginal discharge to determine whether they are likely to be fertile that day or not. Vaginal discharge changes as tracked by the CrM are an accurate indicator of the changes in secretions from the uterine cervix that relate to the approach of ovulation.

This study will also examine the relationship between a couple's stated intentions to achieve or avoid a pregnancy during each menstrual cycle with their sexual behavior during the same cycle. There is growing consensus among researchers that current measures of pregnancy intention are simplistic at best, and at worst can be very misleading. One of the purposes of the study is to explore the multiple dimensions of pregnancy motivations, intentions, and behaviors by newer detailed measures.

This study will enroll couples who are new or returning CrM users and who are trying to avoid a pregnancy at the time they begin use of the CrM. The participants will be recruited from CrM FertilityCare Centers. The design is a prospective cohort study, which is the optimal study design to assess different measures of effectiveness and intendedness simultaneously in a group of NFP users. Several of the key measures of intention and behavior required for this study must be assessed prior to the outcome of actual use of CrM over time and the outcome of pregnancy, to avoid recall bias. Outcomes for this study require relatively precise assessment of the timing of both intentions and behaviors, which is simply unavailable from recall. We plan to enroll at least 300 and up to 400 couples in the study. This represents 60% (300/497) of the estimated available and eligible couples learning the CrM for use to avoid pregnancy in one year at the participating FertilityCare Centers.

Study Design

Study Type:

Observational

Actual Enrollment :

624 participants

Observational Model:

Cohort

Time Perspective:

Prospective

Official Title:

Effectiveness, Intention, and Behavior in Creighton Model NFP Use

Study Start Date :

Oct 1, 2009

Actual Primary Completion Date :

Oct 1, 2012

Actual Study Completion Date :

May 1, 2013

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/Treatment
Creighton Model New and return users of the Creighton Model FertilityCare System, a method of Natural Family Planning.	Behavioral: Creighton Model System of Natural Family Planning Participants will learn the Creighton Model, a standardized method of natural family planning, from FertilityCare Practitioners from established FertilityCare Centers. The learning can be done in-person or long distance. Other Names: Natural Family Planning Ovulation Method Fertility Awareness

Arm

Intervention/Treatment

Creighton Model

New and return users of the Creighton Model FertilityCare System, a method of Natural Family Planning.

Behavioral: Creighton Model System of Natural Family Planning

Participants will learn the Creighton Model, a standardized method of natural family planning, from FertilityCare Practitioners from established FertilityCare Centers. The learning can be done in-person or long distance.

Other Names:

Natural Family Planning

Ovulation Method

Fertility Awareness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

Pregnancy rates during perfect and typical use of the Creighton Model FertilityCare System (CrM) to avoid pregnancy in a way directly comparable to the approach used in recent family planning effectiveness studies [1 year]

Secondary Outcome Measures

The intention status of all pregnancies according to standard measures of intended, mistimed and unwanted pregnancy while recognizing the significant limitations of these measures [1 year]

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years to 40 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Yes

Inclusion Criteria:

Being a new or return user of the Creighton Model with the stated intention of avoiding pregnancy
Sexually active or planning to be sexually active within 6 months of the enrollment date (relevant to some engaged couples who learn CrM)
The woman is between the ages of 18 to 40
The man is age 18 or older
The woman has had at least 2 menstrual flows in the past 3 months or at least one menstrual flow since stopping hormonal birth control
The woman is able to complete questionnaires in English

Exclusion Criteria:

History of infertility
Confirmed pelvic inflammatory disease, surgically confirmed untreated endometriosis, chemotherapy (either man or woman), or radiation to the reproductive tract (either man or woman)
Hysterectomy, oophorectomy (ovary removed), tubal ligation, fallopian tube surgery, surgery for ectopic pregnancy, removal of a testicle (orchiectomy) or vasectomy
Depo-Provera injection any time in the past 2 years
Totally breastfeeding an infant, without any supplements

Contacts and Locations

Locations

	Site	City	State	Country	Postal Code
1	Sacramento Diocese FertilityCare Services	Sacramento	California	United States	95825
2	Northland Family Programs: A FertilityCare Center	Duluth	Minnesota	United States	55102
3	Twin Cities FertilityCare Center	Saint Paul	Minnesota	United States	55102
4	FertilityCare Center of Kansas City	Blue Springs	Missouri	United States	64014
5	St. John's Mercy Medical Center, Department of FertilityCare Services	Saint Louis	Missouri	United States	63141
6	FertilityCare Center, Diocese of Lincoln	Lincoln	Nebraska	United States	68501
7	FertilityCare Center of Omaha	Omaha	Nebraska	United States	68106
8	FertilityCare Services St. Joseph Hospital	Nashua	New Hampshire	United States	03060
9	St. Joseph FertilityCare Center	Albuquerque	New Mexico	United States	87120
10	Caritas FertilityCare Center	Pataskala	Ohio	United States	43062
11	Center for Women's Health, Spirit FertilityCare Services	Camp Hill	Pennsylvania	United States	17011
12	FertilityCare Services: Diocese of Charleston, SC	Greer	South Carolina	United States	29650
13	FertilityCare Center of North Texas	Fort Worth	Texas	United States	76137
14	Women's FertilityCare Services of Houston	Houston	Texas	United States	88018
15	Intermountain FertilityCare Center	Salt Lake City	Utah	United States	84106
16	If you don't find a center near you, contact us for Long Distance Learning	Salt Lake City	Utah	United States	84112
17	FertilityCare Center of the Upper Ohio Valley	Weirton	West Virginia	United States	26062
18	Marguerite Bourgeoys FertilityCare Programme	Toronto	Ontario	Canada	M4C 3B7