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Twenty pregnant women and 20 controls matched for age and IQ were tested on a range of cognitive functions at three time points: in the last month of pregnancy, 48 hours after delivery, and four weeks after delivery. Pregnant women obtained significantly lower scores on digit symbol and paced auditory serial addition tests 48 hours after delivery. There were no significant differences between the groups on logical memory, trail making or letter cancellation tasks. The degree of cognitive impairment was correlated with the severity of depression, and the differences between the pregnant and control groups in cognitive function became nonsignificant when the effect of depression was controlled. Cognitive functions related to fluid cognitive ability are impaired in the immediate post‐partum period and the severity of impairment is correlated with self‐reported depression.

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The results of a cervical mucus scoring system and of basal body temperature (BBT) chart interpretation were compared with those of a short-incubation radioimmunoassay for luteinizing hormone (LH) in 198 ovulatory menstrual cycles. The timing of the maximal cervical mucus score was similar to that of the LH peak in all but 7% of assessable cycles. In contrast, the timing of the nadir of the BBT differed widely from that of the LH peak in 45% of cycles with interpretable charts. These findings suggest that cervical mucus scoring might be useful for identifying the time of ovulation where LH assays are unavailable or where speed and economy are at a premium.

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Multivariate discriminant analysis has been used to determine the predictability of sub-normal penetrating capacity in cases of unexplained infertility. The product of this analysis was the identification of 7 discriminating variables, all of which described various aspects of the post-capacitation movement characteristics exhibited by the spermatozoa, omitting all reference to the conventional parameters of semen quality. On the basis of these discriminating variables, 90.9% of samples exhibiting penetration rates within the normal range were correctly predicted to be functionally competent. The same variables correctly identified only 60% of samples with impaired penetrating capacity, indicating that in the remaining 40%, defects are present in the spermatozoa which are not reflected in their motility patterns.