A data base for biometrics research on changes in basal body temperature in the menstrual cycle

Abstract

In the Department of Statistical Sciences of the University of Padua a data base for EDP has been created on data made available from the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council of London. This paper describes, first of all, the origin of the material, collected through consulting work on natural family planning. Clarifications are then provided about the selection of data to be preserved among those received and on the structure of the data base. Finally, size and characteristics of the sample and of some of its subsets are presented. The purpose of the paper is to give brief but complete information on a data base which for size and some associated features is unique. To it reference will be made in series of papers illustrating conclusions reached in various exercises of already performed, or ongoing, or planned hypotheses testing.