Serena-alberta.ca
Volume 7, Issue 2 June 2014 Serena Alberta Bulletin New studies show variations in hormonal patterns of the menstrual cycle Two recent studies from a European Natural Family Planning (NFP) dataset have shed light on variations from the usual "textbook" profiles for hormones of the menstrual cycle. In the first study, Direito et al. (2013) demonstrated that luteinizing hormone (LH) surges do not always follow typical profile of a single LH surge preceding ovulation. Occasionally these LH Inside this issue: surges have a double peak or a broader peak, and occasionally ovulation occurred during the LH rise, rather than at the peak itself. The authors suggest that when smaller follicles are devel- oped in the follicular phase, there is less estrogen secreted, and consequently a "weaker" feed-back signal to the hypothalamus. This weaker signal might lead to lower LH peaks and possibly Coordinators Mes- a second LH peak when there are these smaller vs larger follicles. Secondly, a prolonged or broader LH peak is related to delayed luteinization. This may be related to luteal insufficiency in which there is not enough progesterone to lead to the negative feedback which stops the hypo-thalamus from secreting the LH hormone. The implications for the Serena method are that regardless of the pattern of the LH peak, tem-perature measurement which is a surrogate for progesterone, is a robust way to know that ovu-lation has occurred, and that the LH peak has passed - whether it had more than one peak or a broader peak. In the second study, Ecochard et al. (2014) showed that there are variations in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) profiles which also depart from the typical profiles. FSH typical y Serena Canada is on Facebook has a higher baseline early in the follicular phase, decreases prior to ovulation, then increases around the day of ovulation (the FSH peak is often closer to ovulation than the LH peak); after ovulation, the FSH baseline then decreases further. In analyzing individual variants, it was shown that this typical profile occurred in less than half of the cycles, and in the other cycles, there was variability in FSH levels and changes in baseline levels that were correlated with strenuous physical activity, elevated BMI, and poor sleep. The departures from the typical pat- Check out the Serena Alberta tern were associated with delayed ovulation, shorter luteal phases, and lower progesterone lev- Blog - www.blog.serena- The clinical implications of this study are that FSH is sensitive to factors that are known to affect fertility. Excessive (high level) physical activity (e.g. sport-related amenorrhea), high BMI (e.g. Teacher Couple Training Week- relating to PCOS) and poor sleep all affected FSH, and these are known factors that impact fer- end Invitation on Page 2! tility. When teaching couples who are trying to achieve pregnancy, healthy lifestyle choices and encouraging regular sleep can be helpful in improving fertility. References: Direito, A., Bailly, S., Mariani, A., & Ecochard, R. (2013). Relationships between the luteinizing hormone surge and other characteristics of the menstrual cycle in normally ovulating women. Fertility and Sterility, 99(1), 279–285. Ecochard, R., Guillerm, A., Leiva, R., Bouchard, T., Direito, A., & Boehringer, H. (2014). Characterization of follicle stimulating hormone profiles in normal ovulating women. Fertility and Sterility. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.03.034
Teacher Couple Training Weekend
Coming in Fall of 2014
The weekend will include:
Opportunity to learn from 4 experienced Certified Teacher
Opportunity to become a Certified Teacher Couple upon completion
To Register or for more informa-
The Training weekend will
tion please contact:
Join the Serena
Cyndi Hofmann, Serena Alberta
Alberta Team
Coordinator at [email protected] or 780-488-5221
now! Attend the
Red Deer, Alberta
Teacher Couple
David & Cathy Bouchard, Presi-
dent Couple at [email protected]
Registration fee: $50.00
Only serious registrants please.
The weekend will begin at 7 pm Friday night.
Volume 7, Issue 2
The CLEARPLAN EASY FERTILITY MONITOR
QUESTION from a Teacher-Couple
Have you heard of the ClearPlan Easy Fertility Monitor? A couple we taught is considering adding the ClearPlan
to the STM charts. I just wanted an opinion from you if possible. I suggested they use it in conjunction with the
charts rather than in lieu of.
ANSWER
The CLEARPLAN EASY OVULATION TEST (Clearplan in Italy, Clearblue easy in United States and Canada1)
measures the levels of LH and estrogen in the urine. For many years LH tests have been available. LH is a hor-
mone secreted by the pituitary 2 24 to 36 hours before ovulation. TOO LATE TO COVER SPERM SUR-
VIVAL! It is the slow increase of estrogens level, spread over one week or
more, that can announce ovulation early enough to cover sperm survival. It is this increase in estrogens that those
devices are trying to monitor. We, NFP users, know that the cervical mucus, present at the vulva by that time, is
our sign of that increase of estrogen.
The CLEARBLUE EASY FERTILITY MONITOR costs about CD$200 and the test sticks (#20) CD$50
(women use an average of 10 sticks per cycle). There is another very similar ovulation detection kit, PER-
SONA3, for sale in Europe that is presented as a contraception method because it takes into account the lifetime
of sperm to avoid pregnancy; it is not the case for Clearblue however. Even thought, both FERTILITY MONI-
TORS measure the rising estrogens plus the LH level every morning when you dip the stick in your urine and
then place it in the device for measurement, "Clearblue indicates the narrowest interval during which you are
most likely to become pregnant. If you're interested in conception, this is exactly what you want; however, if
you're interested in pregnancy protection, the
narrow interval leaves you vulnerable4." Moreover, both the system and the price are not intended for people
wanting to avoid pregnancy cycle after cycle. Persona is considered a birth control method. Clearblue easy is a
fertility monitor that maximizes the chances of getting pregnant.
This information is to help to avoid false hopes and useless expenses.
As the T-C well said it, at least "in conjunction with" is better than "in lieu of".
1 http://www.clearblue.com 2 You will find an illustration of the relationships of the pituitary and the hypothalamus with the ovaries and of the feedback mechanism involved on page 14 of THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE published by SERENA. 3 http://www.persona.org.uk/ 4 http://thewelltimedperiod.blogspot.com/2004/12/persona-vs-clearblue.html
Coordinators Message
Hello everyone! Wishing you all a fun & safe summer.
Thank you so much Dr. Thomas Bouchard for the front page article "New Studies Show Variations in Hormo-
nal Patterns of the Menstrual Cycle"! We appreciate your contribution!
Serena Alberta is looking for some committed couples that are interested in becoming Teacher Couples and
Board Members. For Serena Alberta to continue to grow, we will need new ideas and enthusiasm. Please con-
sider becoming a Teacher Couple or Board Member for Serena Alberta.
We are very excited to offer a Teacher Training Weekend in the fall! If you have any interest in becoming a
Teacher Couple please attend the weekend!
A lot of time and effort is put into these training weekends, so if you are interested in becoming a teacher cou-
ple, please be committed to attend the training weekend.
Just a reminder that there is an online charting tool that can be locatedlick on the "Online Chart" button to the right of on the home page. Please spread the
news about this new tool available from Serena! Serena Canada is also on Facebook - please check them out &
"Like" the page!
Cyndi Hofmann
Serena Alberta Coordinator
Serena Alberta Bulletin
131 Twin Brooks Cove NW Edmonton AB, T6J 6T1 780-488-5221 1-866-488-5221 [email protected] www.serena-alberta.ca
Serena (service for the regulation of natality) is a Canadian volun-
teer organization. It is an international leader in research and in-
struction of the Sympto-Thermal method of natural family planning.
Our volunteer teachers are nationally accredited couples that are
effectively and efficiently following the Sympto-Thermal method.
They teach and assist with chart interpretation and follow-up.
Serena is dedicated to the promotion of married love and the en-
richment of family life, and it values life from conception.
Spreading the S-T Message - Get Involved
There are many couples throughout Alberta who have yet to hear about Serena but who are in search of what we promote. We are committed to
increasing the number of couples who know about and use NFP, but we need your help!
There are many ways to promote and foster Serena and NFP in Alberta:
Promote NFP in your community (doctor's office, health food store, church), to friends and family - we have brochures as well as various
other materials available.
Become a certified Teacher-Couple.
Join the Serena Alberta
Support Serena with time and/or funds.
Team now! Attend the
Teacher Couple Training
Join the Serena Alberta Board.
Serena will only grow and develop through the cumulative efforts of many volunteers.
If you are interested in contributing in any way to Serena Alberta, please contact us:
Serena Alberta, c/o Cyndi Hofmann, RR 4 Rimbey AB, T0C 2J0, phone: 780-488-5221 or email us at [email protected]. Thank you for
your consideration.
Volume 7, Issue 2
Source: http://serena-alberta.ca/wp-content/uploads/Summer-2014.pdf
chiropteres-morbihan.n2000.fr
Impact des pratiques agricoles sur la sélection alimentaire des Chiroptères Éléments de réflexion à la conservationd'une colonie de Grand Rhinolopheen système de polyculture élevage.Colonie du Pin, Montournais (85) Introduction . 2 Les coléoptères coprophages . 3 • Les différentes sous-familles de coléoptères coprophages
Temario
Versión Preliminar COMISION de SELECCIÓN y MANTENIMIENTO del DONANTE de ÓRGANOS Página 1 de 1 Versión Preliminar " MUERTE HUMANA" "La muerte es la pérdida de la percepción y justamente por esto, una forma de no ser " EPICUREO Es una tendencia inherente a las ciencias (y en lo que nos atañe a la Ciencia Médica) intentar definir los distintos conceptos, fenómenos, procesos y parámetros que utiliza. Con frecuencia esta tendencia confronta con la imposibilidad de definir conceptos de tipo universal, los cuales por sus características no pueden ser definidos siguiendo la lógica clásica (una definición describe el campo en el que el concepto se halla inserto). No obstante la Ciencia Médica utiliza y aún mensura muchos de estos conceptos (ej. "tiempo", "energía") sin ser posible obtener una definición lógica de los mismos. Esto puede ser aplicado a dos conceptos en el tema que nos atañe: "vida" y "muerte", ambos son tratados, y mensurados sin reparar en la definición de los mismos (ej. tasas de natalidad y mortalidad). A tal respecto, las generalmente declamadas "definiciones", no lo son realmente desde el punto de vista conceptual, sino una enunciación de criterios o condiciones para declarar que tales eventos han ocurrido; podría reservarse el término "definición operativa" a tales efectos