Internet-based Study of Fertility and Early Pregnancy (PEEPS)

There is a dearth of knowledge regarding the role that preconception health plays in
fertility and early pregnancy loss. Classical methods of conducting prospective pregnancy
studies with preconception enrollment to answer these questions are time-consuming in terms
of recruitment efforts and expensive to carry out. The purpose of this project is to assess
the feasibility of conducting an Internet-based prospective pregnancy study with
preconception enrollment in the United States using the gold standard data collection
approach of daily diaries during the trying to conceive period. We will accomplish this by
enrolling 200 females of reproductive age who attempting to conceive and following them for
up to 12 months and through pregnancy for those who become pregnant. Feasibility will be
assessed by measuring: the number of women who screen eligible, the number of women who
enroll, and compliance with journal use over time. We will also estimate the incidence of
infertility, pregnancy and pregnancy loss as well as compare the demographics of women who
enroll to the demographics of women who participate in community-based prospective pregnancy
studies with preconception enrollment. The data from this project will be used to assess the
feasibility of launching a larger prospective pregnancy study that is appropriately powered
to examine the impact of preconceptional lifestyle factors on the incidence of infertility
and early pregnancy loss.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Women

- Ages 18-44

- In a stable relationship

- Sexually active with a male partner

- Reliable daily access to the Internet

Exclusion Criteria:

- Woman or her partner has a known fertility problem

- Trying to conceive for three or more months.