A Summary of the Fairfield Study by Frank J. Rice, Claude A. Lanctot, and Consuelo Garcia-Devesa (1977)

A Summary of the Fairfield Study by Frank J. Rice, Claude A. Lanctot, and Consuelo Garcia-Devesa in International Review of Natural Family Planning, Volume I, Number 4, Winter 1977

The primary objective of this study was the statistical evaluation of the effectiveness of the sympto-thermal method; therefore, motivated and in­formed participants were recruited. 

Couples living in five countries, Canada, Colombia, France, Mauritius, and the United States, were selected as participants in this study. The eligibility criteria for selection were as follows: (i) the wife had to be between the ages of 19 and 44 years; (ii) the wife had to be of proven fertility as shown by having carried a fetus for at least 28 weeks; (iii) the couple must have submitted one satisfactory temperature graph before being accepted; (iv) the couple must have expressed a willingness to submit temperature graphs for 24 months. There were 1,022 couples who met these criteria and were included in the study. 

A report of this international study was presented 23 June 1977 at the scientific congress held in conjunction with the First General Assembly of the International Federation for Family Life Promotion (IFFLP) in Cali, Colombia, June 22-29, 1977. It will be published in full in the IFFLP Proceedings. Dr. Rice and Dr. Garcia-Devesa are professors of biology at Fairfield University, Connecticut, and Dr. Lanctot is executive director of IFFLP.

international-review-nfp-Rice-et-al-Fairfield-study-summary.pdf