Billings method
| Billings Ovulation Method | |
|---|---|
| Background | |
| Type | Behavioral |
| First use | developed in 1950's |
| Failure rates (first year) | |
| Perfect use | 0-2.9% |
| Typical use | 1-22.3% |
| Usage | |
| Reversibility | immediate |
| User reminders | Accurate teaching and daily charting are essential. |
| Advantages and disadvantages | |
| STI protection | No |
| Period advantages | Prediction |
| Weight gain | No |
| Benefits | Low cost, no prerequisites for use, no side effects, can aid pregnancy achievement |
| Risks | Nil |
The Billings Ovulation Method is a method which women use to monitor their fertility, by identifying when they are fertile and when they are infertile during each ovarian/menstrual cycle. Users pay attention to the sensation at their vulva, and the appearance of any vaginal discharge. The Billings Ovulation Method does not rely on the presence of ovulation, rather it identifies patterns of potential fertility and obvious infertility within the cycle, whatever its length. This information can be used to achieve or avoid pregnancy during regular or irregular cycles throughout all stages of reproductive life, including breastfeeding, and peri-menopause. The Billings Ovulation Method is registered by WOOMB International Ltd and is successfully used by couples throughout the world as a method of fertility regulation.
The Billings Ovulation Method or The Billings Method as it became known, became well-known globally with the publication of the book written by Dr Evelyn Billings and Dr Ann Westmore, first published in 1980. This book has undergone numerous revisions and reprints with the latest new edition published in 2011. Over one million copies have been sold in 22 languages.
In trials, method related pregnancy rates have ranged between 0% to 2.9%. In a major trial in China 992 couples using the Billings Ovulation Method were compared to 662 couples using the IUD. The method-related pregnancy rate amongst Billings users was zero and the total pregnancy rate was 0.5%. In studies up to the 1980s teaching related pregnancies ranged between 0% to 6%. Total pregnancy rates vary between 1 and 22.3%. Reasons for a higher total pregnancy rate include; conscious departure from the rules:15.4/hwy; inaccurate application of instructions: 3.5/hwy; method failure: 2.8/hwy; inadequate teaching: 0.4/hwy; and uncertain: 0.5/hwy.
The lead scientist of the Chinese trials, Professor Shao-Zhen Qian of the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, speaking there at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2005 said: "The method is highly efficient only when a series of precautions and regulations are strictly followed. Inappropriate use would result in failure rates, as in the preliminary trials in China in 1989 and some other places. Drawing a lesson from the earlier work, we always stick to the authenticated Billings teaching materials. In China only these materials, with Chinese translations approved by WOOMB are used and nobody is permitted to rewrite, revise or modify them. .... We pay much attention to the teacher-training courses .... as well as an adequate guidance system with regular follow-up visits with the couples."
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Wikipedia