title: Fertility awareness in the 1990s--the Billings Ovulation Method of natural family planning, its scientific basis, practical application and effectiveness.
abstract: Early methods of natural family planning (calendar rhythm, basal body temperature, and symptothermal) are briefly mentioned and dismissed as unsatisfactory for fertility regulation at our present state of knowledge of female reproductive physiology. Cervical mucus patterns, which reflect ovarian hormone levels, are shown to be accurate markers of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. Interpretation of these patterns forms the basis of the Billings Ovulation Method of natural family planning. Extensive laboratory and clinical studies have shown this method to be on a sound scientific footing, that it is applicable to all phases of a woman's reproductive life, and that women readily understand and are able to teach other women the meaning of these patterns as experienced by changing sensations at the vulva and changing characteristics of any visible mucus. The simple rules which have been formulated for postponing and achieving pregnancy are given. Field trials of this non-invasive method for fertility regulation in both developing and developed countries show that the rules are readily understood by participants. In the most recent trials, it has been shown that the method-related pregnancy rate is less than 1 per 100 woman years, which compares more than favorably with other contraceptive techniques.
authors.affiliation: World Organization of the Ovulation Method (Billings), Billings Family Life Center, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hume
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006801:Humans; D010060:Ovulation