Billings vs Symptothermal methods
Jun 22 '00 (Updated Jun 23 '00)
What do you call a couple that uses the "Rhythm method"?
Parents!
That old joke used to be true. Ask my mom. She discovered ecological breastfeeding was far more effective (more on that later).
Modern systematic natural family planning is NOT your parents "Rhythm method." That method depended on using the length of previous cycles to predict fertility during the current cycle. That's rather like using historical evidence to predict the weather -- it's OK for major markers like spring and summer, but you won't know whether or not it's going to rain today.
There are two major methods of fertility awareness. Either can be used for systematic natural family planning - avoiding or achieving pregnancy. When you first begin reading about NFP (natural family planning), the rules seem intimidating. To be honest, if my initial introduction to NFP hadn't been for the purpose of achieving pregnancy, I'd probably have given up right away. The truth is, things aren't as complicated as they appear. It's possible to learn either of the major methods in a month or two. It really helps to have an experienced person to call on for help if something out of the ordinary happens, but it's possible to muddle through on your own. The most important thing to keep in mind with NFP is that you are ALWAYS either trying to get pregnant or trying to avoid pregnancy. There's no "just this once" or "it's in the bathroom, wait a minute" -- all or nothing.
The Symptothermal Method
This method incorporates all the fertility markers. You learn about your body faster, because you have checks and double-checks. This is the method taught by the Couple to Couple League (CCLI). You can locate a class through most Catholic parishes & hospitals, or you can order their home study course on their web site at www.ccli.org
I've used the symptothermal method both for avoiding and achieving pregnancy. I haven't seen the CCLI's course, but I know people who swear by it. Most of them have 5 or 6 kids, but they'll tell you that all of them were planned -- or at least not surprises, if you know what I mean.
I got a crash course from the nun who was director of Maternal-Child Health at the hospital where I work. I'd just had my second miscarriage and she dropped into my hospital room to offer me hope. She explained that by timing things so that sperm and egg are at their freshest, you maximize the chances of a healthy pregnancy. I think she was as excited as I was when I took in my chart for her to confirm that I was almost certainly pregnant. I called my doctor the next day for positive proof. Rob is 19. Was it NFP that improved my chances? I'll never know for sure.
When we decided to use NFP to avoid pregnancy, I picked up The Fertility Awareness Handbook by Barbara Kass-Annese, RN and Hal C. Dancer, MD. The book gives a good review of the basics of fertility (male and female) and fertility awareness. It covers the three major symptoms used in fertility awareness: basal body temperature, mucus changes, and cervical changes. Examples of charting are given and the authors tell how to use the charts to predict fertility so pregnancy can be achieved or avoided. There is a chart on the inside of the back cover to photocopy for personal use.
The Billings Ovulation Method
In contrast to the symptothermal method, the Billings method is far simpler. There is only ONE marker to chart -- mucus changes. The rules are a little different if you wish to avoid pregnancy, and there is no temperature chart to confirm pregnancy if that is your objective.
You can get the entire set of rules for the Billings method on a web site - at http://www.billings-centre.ab.ca/ in English, French, Spanish, German, Turkish, Italian, or Swahili.
After several years of using the symptothermal method, I bit through my glass thermometer and switched to a digital model. That was a while back, and I didn't find one specifically designed for basal body temperature use, so my temperature charts got even more whacko than they'd been just from my irregular schedule (I work 2 nights/week). By then, I was trying to get pregnant and had already been through 2 doctors and moved on to a third. I needed a temperature chart for doctor #2 - a reproductive endocrinologist, but doctor #3 was less picky about it. I discovered the billings-centre web site and was delighted to be able to simplify my life. It would be nice if I could say that the Billings method was responsible for the pregnancy, but that would leave out the Clomid and the diabetic diet which were doubtless equally important.
You can download a chart from the Billings web site in excel format, or email them for a Claris format chart if you have a Mac. I keep a chart, but I don't do it quite their way. We have a walk-in closet in our bedroom and there's a calendar hanging on the back of the door. I put my little stickers on the calendar. It's easier for my husband to understand which sticker refers to today than on their chart, and I'm not reporting to any doctors these days.
Advantages of NFP
1. No side effects - no allergies, no breakthrough bleeding, no bloating, no strokes, no hormonal impact on libido. Nothing.
2. Cost - almost nothing. You can buy books - mine was $11.95 less my 10% discount at Waldenbooks; or courses - $59.95 on the CCLI web site; you may need a thermometer - $5 for glass, a little more for digital; and charting materials - varies, depending on how you do it.
3. Communication - you simply have to communicate well with your spouse for this method to work.
4. Reversible - need I say more?
5. Morally acceptable to most (if not all) religious groups.
6. Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder. Especially if you use your imagination.
7. If you're going to see a doctor for infertility, s/he is going to make you keep one of these charts anyway. Might as well save some $$ and do it on your own first.
8. No impact on breastfeeding - no risk to baby.
9. Educational - you learn about your fertility.
10. Can be used with irregular cycles or during premenopause
11. If used properly, is as effective as most other methods for avoiding pregnancy - and can overcome many infertility difficulties. This has been documented in several large scientific studies. See either the Billings web site or the CCLI site for details.
Disadvantages
1. Abstinence isn't always easy.
2. This method is really only suitable for committed couples - it requires full cooperation of both partners and offers no protection from sexually transmitted diseases.
3. Takes more time to learn how to use than other methods of pregnancy avoidance.
Ecological Breastfeeding
Ecological breastfeeding is the use of breastfeeding to space pregnancies. On the average, births will occur about 2 years apart without any other fertility awareness or systematic natural family planning effort. That's the average. It worked for my mom -- but I have friends who can't count on it. Some women experience a delay in fertility for up to 2 years while breastfeeding. Some who are breastfeeding exclusively find that their fertility returns a month or so after birth. 3 out of 3 times, even with the addition of solid foods, bottles while I worked, and extra fluids (juice, water), I got an 8 month break.
True ecological breastfeeding means no pacifiers, no bottles, nursing on demand - not a schedule. In Western countries where many moms work and especially in the US where it's uncommon to breastfeed past 6 months, it isn't nearly as reliable for child spacing as in some other cultures. In short, if you need to avoid pregnancy for medical reasons, some other method of fertility awareness is essential.
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