HOW BILLINGS METHOD WORKS

Billings Method is based on a woman's ability to recognise in her body one sign, That is the Mucus sign.
To grasp the meaning of the word 'mucus' we can relate to the fact saliva is the mucus that occurs in the mouth. BM deals with the mucus that occurs in the vagina. Everyday many women see some kind of mucus, but as for the ovulation mucus its only appears a few days in every cycle.
The mucus sign can be seen(stretching) and felt(slipperiness). Every woman who ovulates notices the slippery sensation while wiping in the normal way. A woman on contraceptive pills doesn't notice any regular slipperiness because the pills interfere with her ovulation. Even blind women can use BM because its most important is feeling the slippery sensation of the mucus; there is no need to see it.
The Stretch Test: it's done after every urination, everyday along the cycle even during the menses. Charting is done once a day at night before retiring. Only the most fertile sign seen during the day is charted.
After every urination, the woman wipes the outside of her vagina from front to back and notices any slippery mucus, non-slippery mucus or nothing at all. Fingers should not be inserted in the vagina because it may alter the result. After wiping, she does the stretch test with her other hand. If there is any mucus she will see whether it stretches and remains stretched like an 'egg white' or it breaks automatically.
Dryness is the Infertile sign for most women. There are usually Early Dry Days occurring before the Peak and Late Dry days occurring after the Peak.
There are two kinds of fertile mucus: Early Pap and Egg white.

• Early Pap is the first indication of the approaching ovulation. The name Pap is given it because it feels and look like the baby food known as pap; it mat be thick or thin. Pap is not slippery when you feel it and sometimes it is even sticky. When you stretch Pap between your fingers, it breaks. Pap is very cloudy.
• Egg white feels, stretches and even look like the 'white' of a raw egg. The only difference is egg white is always clear as Ovulation egg white can be either clear or cloudy. Once the mucus is definitely slippery, it is egg white no matter what it looks like.

To help her husband, a wife can show him a little bit of mucus so he can feel it himself and learn to recognize it as well.

The Peak is the last day of egg white, last day of any slipperiness even if there is little or no obvious stretching. The number of egg white days varies from cycle to cycle. The Peak day is identifies when there is no egg white the next day. Although a woman can not know the moment of her ovulation, she can discern signs that her ovulation has already taken place.

The three Red Zero Days : those are the three days following the peak. Many women recognize their first zero day by a distinct change in mucus rather than its complete disappearance. It important to avoid intercourse during these days to avoid pregnancy. the fourth day is safe.

The Genital contact rule If a couple wishes to avoid pregnancy, they should have no genital contact on fertile days, early pap days, egg white days, peak.

Sensations (what you feel):

• Dry: nothing is felt in particular.
• Wet: feels like some water or milk and it is not slippery
• Sticky: feels like thick pap or cornflour. Doesn't feel slippery
• Slippery: feels like oil or the white of a raw egg.

Signs in the chart:

1. Menses vertical red line
2. Early Dry days vertical blue or black line
3. Early Pap(before Peak) two red lines across
4. Late Pap(after Peak) two black or blue lines across
5. Egg white Red X
6. Peak Double red X
7. Sexual intercourse A black or blue Dot
8. Zero days Red Zero

BEGINNING

To get the most out of this method, cooperation is required of both the husband and the wife.
The lbour of careful study is worth the peace and happiness it can bring for many years to come. Studying the method together makes it much easier to keep the rules.
The egg-release occurs on only one day every few weeks, it takes months of observation to grasp it properly. This is the reason why beginners need to read the method principles repeatedly. A firm resolution to keep all the rules from the beginning is essential.
There is no need to add to the rules. Success in avoiding pregnancy will be greater if the couple avail of the 'safe' days with relaxation.
The BM( Billings Method) uses a chart to record the most fertile sign observed during the day by the woman. Even tough many often object that charting removes the spontaneity from sex, in practice many couples who formely used artificials methods breathe a sigh of relief when they can abandon pills, coil, condom, etc... Some advantages of charting:

1. Its enables both partners to observe rules more readily.
2. The chart enables a husband to play his role more completely in family planning.
3. When a conscious risk is taken and pregnancy occurs, the chart proves than Billings Method works.
4. The woman is no longer the sole responsible to know when she is safe. She enjoys her partner looking at the chart himself.

On a later note, "One way a wife can show her love to her husband is by Keeping her chart and sharing it with him" and the husband can demonstrate his love for her by Abstaining patiently when needed.

What is Billings Ovulation Method?

BM is an entirely new method of Family Planning. It does not make use of a thermometer or calendar and is not the same as the Rhythm Method or the old safe Period method.
BM does not involve the use of a pill, coil, condom or withdrawal.

How does BM works then? BM teaches a woman to recognize in her body one sign which tells her clearly and without doubt her ovulation is coming soon. This is called the mucus sign.
The mucus sign is the only sign used in BM. The woman learns to recognize that sign in order to achieve or avoid pregnancy. Once a woman can discern the time of her ovulation and master its significance, she is able to control her fertility.

INTRODUCTION TO BILLINGS METHODS

Thousands of men and women everywhere are indebted to Dr John Billings for his remarable work on this new, natural way of regulating birth, the Ovulation Method.
The billings Method or Ovulation method promotes happy marriages in many ways:

1. Helps the mates to understand thier fertily through a dialogue that brings them together with ever increasing peace, unity and love.
2. Helps the childless achieve pregnancy
3. Helps limit the size of the family as the parents wish.
4. Others,....

To succeed, both mate mus be involved. The greatest success ocurs when he studies the method with his wife. A period of 3 to 4 months may suffice for the couple to master the method. This long period is neceessary for the couple to observe a few ovulations.