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- Read an explanation of the four commonsense Rules.
- Find an accredited Billings teacher near you.
- Buy, or take out of the library the latest copy of, The Billings Method by E. Billings MD
- Browse the official BOM website by clicking on the WOOMB logo
What does the Billings Method require you to do?
You are not asked to do anything except pay attention to what you may, or may not, notice
just as you go about your normal daily activities and to keep a simple daily record. You are probably
already aware of the mucus but do not realise the significance of it. The accredited teacher can help you to
interpret your own individual pattern from the record or chart and to apply four commonsense guidelines.
The three Early Day rules apply to the days leading up to ovulation and are necessary because these
days vary in length and fluids associated with sexual activity mask the beginning of possible fertile
phase whenever it might happen. Ovulation, followed by menstruation two weeks later, can occur as early
as day 5 or 6 or may be delayed for months due to emotional and physical stress, breast-feeding,
pre-menopause or coming off contraceptive medication). The Peak day rule applies to the days after ovulation.
Rules of the Billings Method
For the achievement of pregnancy
Apply the Early Day Rules (below) so that the change to the fertile developing pattern of mucus can be
recognized. Then postpone intercourse until slippery mucus occurs. The next few days are the most fertile.
Therefore intercourse should occur while slippery mucus is obvious and for one or two days past the Peak.
For postponement of pregnancy
Early Day Rules
- Avoid intercourse on days of heavy bleeding during menstruation
- Alternate evenings are available for intercourse when these days have been recognized as infertile
(Basic Infertile Pattern).
- Avoid intercourse on any days of discharge or bleeding which interrupts the Basic Infertile Pattern.
Allow 3 days of Basic Infertile Pattern afterwards before intercourse is resumed on the fourth evening.
Rule 2 continues
When the Peak is identified following a change from the BIP, the Peak Rule is applied. From the beginning
of the fourth day following the Peak until the end of the cycle, intercourse is available every day at any time.
BIOLOGICAL FACTS
- Ovulation occurs on only one day in each cycle
- The egg lives only 12-24 hours if not fertilized.
- Sperm need mucus with fertile characteristics to survive, otherwise they will die within a short time.
- Pregnancy can result from genital contact on days of mucus with fertile signs without penetration or
ejaculation - Intimate genital contact on days of possible fertility may cause conception even when contraceptive
devices are used. Such practices are not part of the Billings Method.
Further suggestions that may help you to achieve pregnancy.
As you go about your normal daily activities, as a woman you know what it feels like when you start your
menstruation. A quick check in the bathroom verifies your observations. About two weeks before menstruation
have you ever noticed a similar sensation occurring but when you check you see that it is not the menstrual
flow, nor is it seminal or arousal fluids?
You may feel a sticky secretion that develops over the next few days into one that is stringy, looks a little like
raw egg white, and gives you a lubricative/swelling sensation at the vulva. The last day of this sensation is
called Peak Day and is the day of your maximum fertility. You ovulate on the Peak day and there is an abrupt
change in sensation to dryness or stickiness on day 1, recorded in hindsight. Rarely ovulation is delayed to the
second day after the Peak which means you could be still fertile on the third day past the Peak because the egg
lives for about 12 hours.
Your best chance of conceiving is to have intercourse during days of mucus secretion with these fertile
characteristics, even if there is some spotting, because sperm die without this good satisfactory cervical mucus
within a very short time. Mucus will keep sperm alive for about 3 days, rarely up to 5 days.
You may notice that you do not have fertile days in every cycle and that you may only have a few hours of the
characteristic lubricative sensation at the vulva in a year. Well, you must call your husband home on that
very day in order to conceive.
This information has helped many couples conceive sometimes after years of trying. An accredited teacher will
show you how to keep the simple record and you will enjoy seeing a pattern develop that is uniquely your own.
She will give you some helpful hints on how to assess stress, which may delay ovulation. She will underline the
importance of your emotional relationship with your husband for the achievement of conception.
When you learn what is normal, because there are some infertile cycles interspersed with fertile ones in the
" Continuum" of fertility, you will learn to recognise what is not normal and this is reflected in your
chart which will prove to be a good diagnostic tool for your doctor. Pituitary tumors, early cancer, STDs,
diabetes 2, hyper and hypo-thyroidism have been given early treatment in this way.
Professor James Brown's booklet, The Continuum, is available through the WOOMB website or visiting publications.
The teacher will encourage you to return after the birth of your baby, to learn a few commonsense guidelines
necessary in order to space your next pregnancy. You will learn about the hormonal see-saw effects of prolactin
and estrogen during breastfeeding. Navigating the attempts at ovulation in order to avoid unnecessary
abstinence, requires the use of the three Early Day rules applied to these pre-ovulatory days. If you are coming
off contraceptive medication she will explain that you may conceive in the first cycle but it may take up to two
years, or even longer, for conception to occur. Sometimes there is a miscarriage if conception occurs too soon
after coming off contraceptive medication. Your chart will indicate your gradual return to fertility. Keep
observing and following the guidelines, while concentrating on improving the conjugal relationship.
Once conception has occurred you may observe some implantation bleeding a few days later. You can count
266 days (plus or minus 6 days) ahead from the day of the Peak, which is very close to ovulation and this will
give you the date when you can expect the birth of your baby.
Be sure to read Dr. Evelyn Billings' best seller, The Billings Method which enlightens women all over the
world about how their cycles work. It is available in many libraries and has been printed in 22 languages
including Mandarin.
Remember to return for refresher follow-up appointments after your baby is born in order to go over the
three Early Day rules and one Peak Day rule required in order to understand the return of fertility
during such an irregular time as breast-feeding.
A recent study in Australia has demonstrated that 78% of women having difficulty in conceiving did conceive
when taught the Billings Method in an accredited centre.
The Sims-Huhner Test, a valuable test which makes sperm counts unnecessary, and the use of hormonal
tests such as Prof. James Brown's ovarian monitor, belong in the secondary treatment of infertility.
