Gorecki, Elizabeth2012-02-142012-02-142012-02-14https://hdl.handle.net/11299/120640Today, fertility management is an issue impacting 99% of the adult population in the USA. Nearly all sexually experienced American women have used some method of contraception to manage their fertility: 99% in 2006–2008. [34] Oral contraceptives are the most popular method but often produce side effects. The Creighton Model Fertility Care System (CrMS) is an alternative with no side effects and is comparatively effective. The CrMS has method and use effectiveness rates comparable to those of oral contraceptives (99.78%-99.66%, 97%-92% respectively for OCs and 99.5%, 96.8% respectively for CrMS). [31,22] It is intriguing that the CrMS has only one fifth to one third the discontinuation rate after one year that oral contraceptives do (11.3%[22] for CrMS compared to 54.1%[31] or 30% [34] for OCs). The conclusions of this study suggest that patients appreciate learning about their biology and are satisfied and confident using this biology to manage their fertility through FABMs such as the CrMS. This may be a fertility management method with a wider appeal for patients looking with any of the following characteristics which were appreciated by the participants of this study: strengthening of communication and relationship with their partner because of shared fertility management responsibility, the natural basis of the method, the relief of problems experienced with hormonal birth control, the alignment with religious and moral values, the versatility of the method to both achieve and avoid pregnancy, and increased diagnostic power for women‟s health and infertility issues, and the method‟s low monetary cost, effectiveness, and simplicity. Each of these areas of appreciation may contribute to the lower discontinuation rates of CrMS users compared to hormonal birth control users. The CrMS could be an effective fertility management method for hormonal birth control users who are dissatisfied with their use of hormonal birth control as a fertility management method.en-USSumma Cum LaudePhysiologyCollege of Liberal ArtsThesis or Dissertation