Scientists have hypothesized that very early exposures to environmental chemicals (including disinfection by-products (DBP) and bis-phenol-A (BPA)) may have both short-term and long-term health effects on growth and development. Previous studies have been limited by a couple’s inability to recall exposure to chemicals at the time of conception and during pregnancy. By identifying the date that pregnancy started, scientists can help determine when testing should occur during pregnancy in order to match important developmental milestones. Methods exist to determine the most fertile day using lab tests, but they are expensive and not practical for long-term use. The Home Observation of Periconceptional Exposures (HOPE) Study will use a novel and simple method for determining ovulation/conception near the time that it occurs, known as the Peak Day method.

If you are a couple (women 18-35 years and men 18-40 years) planning to conceive with no history of infertility or medical conditions likely to cause sub-fertility and live within an hour’s drive from the study center (University of Utah), you may be eligible to participate in the HOPE Study. Participants will be provided with materials to learn a simple method for fertility tracking and receive compensation for their time. There are no blood draws or clinic visits.

Visit us at http://medicine.utah.edu/dfpm/OCRH/HOPE/ for more information!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Waking (Basal Body) Temperature


Hello HOPE participants! We wanted to share some information about waking (basal body) temperature.  

What is waking (basal body) temperature?

Waking (basal body) temperature is an easily observable fertility sign. Most women experience a rise in their waking temperature of at least 0.3oF a day or two after ovulation. A woman’s preovulatory waking temperature typically ranges from 97.0 to 97.7 oF, but some women can be lower. Postovulatory temperatures typically rise to about 97.8 oF and higher. After ovulation, temperatures will stay elevated until the woman’s next period, about 12 to 16 days later. When interpreting temperatures, it is important to look for a pattern of highs and lows. You will find that before ovulation your temperatures will go up and down in a low range and that after ovulation your temperatures will go up and down in a high range. The trick is to see the whole, and not focus on the day-to-day changes. Use the chart below as an example.



How to take your waking (basal body) temperature

Take your daily temperature first thing upon awakening, before any other activity including drinking water or getting up to use the bathroom. You should take your temperature about the same time every morning, give or take about an hour. Take your temperature orally, under the tongue. Try to maintain as much consistency as possible, including recording your temperature about the same time and getting at least three consecutive hours of sleep before doing so. Do not take your temperature multiple times as the longer you are awake, the more variable your temperature will be. In summary, take your temperature first thing after wakening and record that first reading. 

For more information about this or other topics refer to "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Monday, May 21, 2012

Get to know the HOPE Study staff!

Get to know our staff!
Ever wonder who is on the other end of those emails or phone calls? Here we are!!!



Christy Porucznik, Principal Investigator
Christy Porucznik, PhD, MSPH is an Assistant Professor in the Public Health Program at the University of Utah. She is the Epidemiologist for the Utah Sports Research Network and also serves on its board of directors. Before joining the faculty, Christy worked at the Utah Department of Health as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was a lieutenant commander in the United States Public Health Service. She completed graduate training in epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health working with the Epidemiology and Biomarkers Branch of the United States Environmental Protection Agency to complete her research. During graduate school, she taught environmental epidemiology at Duke University and assisted with many courses at UNC. Christy discovered epidemiology as a career after completing a bachelor's degree in chemistry at Ohio State University and working in environmental remediation at Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio. 

Her research interests have always revolved around the environment (broadly defined) and health. As an EIS Officer, Christy worked on projects as varied as drug overdose deaths, outbreak investigations, and public health emergency response. Her current work includes a study of shoulder injury among volleyball athletes (USRN project) an continued research into the problem of drug use and overdose in Utah.  


Joseph Stanford, Co-Investigator
A native of Utah, Dr. Stanford graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1988. He completed a Family Medicine Residency and an academic fellowship at the University of Missouri, in Columbia, Missouri. He joined the University of Utah faculty in 1993 and is a professor in the Division of Public Health and Director of the Office of Cooperative Reproductive Health. He also holds adjunct appointments in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics. Dr. Stanford teaches and serves as a research mentor for public health students, medical students, and residents and fellows. He currently holds the George D. and Esther S. Gross Endowed Professorship in DFPM. 

Dr. Stanford is board-certified in Family Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is also certified as a FertilityCare Medical Consultant through the American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals. He provides clinical care in maternal and child health, with particular focus on treating infertile couples with natural procreative technology  ("NaPro Technology"), and treating gynecologic problems in ways to restore or support reproductive function (i.e., treatment alternatives to birth control pills and artificial hormones). 
Dr. Stanford is the principal investigator or co-investigator on several large clinical and epidemiological studies related to fertility, infertility treatment and human development. He is a co-investigator for the University of Utah Vanguard Site of the National Children's Study. Past work has focused on day-specific probabilities of conception, the clinical and demographic implications of fertility awareness and natural family planning, and improving the understanding and measurement of pregnancy intendedness. He has served on national scientific advisory committees for the NICHD (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Dr. Stanford is the recipient of many honors, including the Generalist Physician Faculty Scholar Award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 



Kyley Joell Cox, Study Coordinator
Kyley grew up in Star Valley, Wyoming and moved to Utah in 2007 to pursue her education at the University of Utah. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and Education in 2010 and graduated with a Master of Public Health degree in 2012. She has worked with Dr. Christy Porucznik on the Peak Day, Peak Day Plus, and HOPE Studies starting in 2011. She hopes to attend medical school in the future and practice medicine while researching infectious disease and women's health. She enjoys camping, riding dirt bikes, and boating with her husband. 



Becky Crockett, Research Analyst
Becky received her B.S. degree from Purdue University.  She is a Research Analyst in the Public Health Program, and has been involved in many research studies while at the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine.  Her work has included being a study coordinator and database developer.  She loves Utah’s landscape, and is an avid runner, biker, hiker, and camper




Lindsey Schmidt, Participant Coordinator
Lindsey has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Utah in Human Development and Family Studies. She is currently working on her MPH at the University of Utah. She is interested in researching women’s health. She enjoys skiing, playing water polo and watching movies.





Thursday, March 1, 2012

News and totes



Totes are here!
HOPE Study is up and running! Our tote bags have arrived and are stuffed full of biospecimen collection materials. Like our HOPE Facebook page and be entered to win a free tote bag! These are made of recycled materials and would be great to take to the gym or the grocery store.

HOPE in the news!!
Our principal investigator, Dr. Christy Porucznik, was on Channel 2 News recently talking about the study. Check her out in this video:  KUTV :: News - Guest Segments - Concerns About BPA Exposure

Check out our website, www.medicine.utah.edu/dfpm/ocrh/hope for more info, links to our screening questionnaires and more.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

HOPE Study Up and Running

We received IRB approval to begin recruiting couples for the HOPE study on December 18th, 2011 and our  website went live yesterday. We already have two couples who have joined. If you are hoping to become pregnant soon and wish to learn a simple method of fertility tracking, visit our HOPE website to find out more and to be directed to our eligibility questionnaires. There are no clinic visits or blood draws and participants will receive compensation for their time. Two couples have already enrolled. We hope to enroll 298 more!