Billings Method
The Billings Method is a natural family planning (NFP) method . It goes back to the Australian neurologist John Billings (1918-2007). He recognized the mucus at that cervix short changed before ovulation and thus to determine the fertile phase of the cycle can be used. With this method, the cervical mucus is observed every day and its composition is noted in a table. Since the condition changes before and around the rupture of the follicle , one can infer an impending ovulation by evaluating the recordings .
During the sterile phase, the cervical mucus is lumpy or thick and forms a plug in the cervix. If the mucus is very tough, it cannot be seen from the outside at all and the vagina appears “dry”. The closer to ovulation, the more fluid and clear the mucus becomes. In the highly fertile phase it becomes “spinnable”, that is, it can be pulled into threads between two layers of toilet paper or between the fingers. Once ovulation has occurred, the mucus becomes thick again or disappears completely. Due to fluctuations in the hormone level, which in turn influences the production of mucus, there can be repeated, “fertile” mucus appearing without ovulation. Such individual attacks can lead to the assumption that ovulation has already taken place and thus reduce the reliability of the method.
Common abbreviations according to NFP
The following abbreviations have become established for listing according to the NFP:
| Feel | Appearance of the mucus | abbreviation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| dry; rough feeling | and | no slime to be seen | t |
| no moisture | and | no slime to be seen | O |
| wet | but | no slime to be seen | f |
| nothing felt or damp | and | creamy, lumpy, plump, whitish, yellowish, not tough | s |
| nothing felt or damp | and | glassy (translucent), similar to raw egg white, stretchable or spinnable, liquid, stringy, red-brown | S + |
| wet, slippery, as if oiled, soft | and or | glassy (translucent), similar to raw egg white, stretchable or spinnable, liquid, stringy, red-brown | S + |
| Cervical mucus peak: as with S + , but can only be determined afterwards when the mucus quality deteriorates again | S + H | ||
safety
If you only use this method of contraception , there is a risk that the exact time of ovulation cannot be determined. In addition, the sperm can live in the woman's fallopian tubes for several days and remain capable of fertilization. The probability of getting pregnant is comparatively high: on the Pearl Index , the Billings Method is around 15. This means that out of 100 women who use it for one year (twelve cycles), around 15 will become pregnant.
The combination of the Billings and the temperature method , however, minimizes this risk: the symptothermal method resulting from the combination is - if used properly - with a Pearl index of 0.26, as safe as the birth control pill.
The NFP methods are also suitable for couples who want to have children , in order to recognize the fertile time.
Individual evidence
- ↑ NFP working group: Natural & Safe. The practice book . TRIAS-Verlag, 2011, p. 43ff
- ↑ Hum Reprod. 2007 May; 22 (5): 1310-9. Epub 2007 Feb 20. Frank-Herrmann P, Heil J, Gnoth C, Toledo E, Baur S, Pyper C, Jenetzky E, Strowitzki T, Freundl G. The effectiveness of a fertility awareness based method to avoid pregnancy in relation to a couple's sexual behavior during the fertile time: a prospective longitudinal study. The study evaluated 900 women with a total of 17,638 cycles.
