Billings Method vs. others

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DJRBsmile:
Hi TreeHugger,

I’m a new member here, but I wanted to put in my $0.02 about NFP.🙂

My husband and I took a local Catholic Charities class on CM-BBT (cervical mucus-basal body temperature) over 10 years ago and it was one of the best decisions we ever made. The fee was nominal, and it was a wonderful start to learning about NFP.

However, I came across a book shortly after taking the CC class that has proved to be invaluable. In fact, after reading the book, I would not have had to take the CC class. The name of the book is Your Fertility Signals by Merryl Winstein. It is the most succinct book on NFP that I have found. Its format is simple, easy to understand, and covers mucus, temperature, and cervical positioning completely. In addition, the book covers topics like breastfeeding (and how it impacts your fertility signals) and infertility self-help. It also shows you a way to naturally determine pregnancy even before a store-bought pregnancy test can tell you (it works, too–it successfully confirmed my pregnancies with my 2 children before it even registered on the ept test!). The book also provides a helpful list of teachers if you still feel that you need one, plus a list of sources for further reading. It is only 160 pages and is chock full of useful information. I refer back to it many times. I highly recommend it!
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I HAVE THAT BOOK TOO! I HAVE BEEN USING IT FOR THREE YEARS NOW! I LIKE IT A LOT
 
Jennifer J:
I think that the CCL book says that if you even get 1 hour of sleep before you take your temp, then you should get a fairly accurate reading. I’ll have to look that up to be sure!
Jennifer
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Regarding the Temps…Generally, one needs to get six hours of sleep or “at rest” behaviour. There are some sleep disorders that effect REM sleep, but do not effect the temps for NFP purposes. We had twins nearly 6 years ago, and my breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months. She did not really get any more than 4 hours of continuous sleep for nearly 2 years, if you count the late pregnancy. In that entire time, her temps remained unaffected by her sleep cycle. She didn’t return to fertility until the twins were, I think, 9 months old, but the temps were just as reliable at that point as they ever were.

Dr. Joseph Retzer recommends at least 6 hours, and to take the temp before 8:00 am.

Regardless of some experiences shared here, it is the most reliable of fertility signs, for it is the same for nearly every woman. After she ovulates, her temperature rises. No temp rise, no ovulation…it is that simple.
 
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Princess_Abby:
We usually abstain about 11 days.
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11 days? That seems like so many. We’ve been using our “own” NFP - never read a book or anything… I figure it’s a no - go about 3 days prior to ovulation which I know to be around day 16 since I run like a clock. So that’s 3 days prior & then 3 days after so it’s basically about a week of abstinance. Is that to few? Yikes… it seemed right… am I way off here? (uh-oh!)
 
carol marie said:
11 days? That seems like so many. We’ve been using our “own” NFP - never read a book or anything… I figure it’s a no - go about 3 days prior to ovulation which I know to be around day 16 since I run like a clock. So that’s 3 days prior & then 3 days after so it’s basically about a week of abstinance. Is that to few? Yikes… it seemed right… am I way off here? (uh-oh!)
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Wow, you are basically using the rhythm method. That method is why NFP gets such a bad wrap for effectiveness.

3 days before and 3 days after is dangerous because depending on mucus level sperm can live 5 or more days. So if you have a lot of mucus and have sex 3 days before ovulation then you will get pregnant.

I highly encourage learning one of the newer methods of NFP, unless you are planning on getting pregnant. Just because you are running like a clock now, doesn’t mean you always will. All you need is one cycle to be a day or two longer and you will be having a little blessing. Cycles can vary by a couple days for numerous reasons, diet, stress, age, etc.

Unless you are using this method because you don’t really care if you get pregnant or not, take a class.
 
carol marie said:
11 days? That seems like so many. We’ve been using our “own” NFP - never read a book or anything… I figure it’s a no - go about 3 days prior to ovulation which I know to be around day 16 since I run like a clock. So that’s 3 days prior & then 3 days after so it’s basically about a week of abstinance. Is that to few? Yikes… it seemed right… am I way off here? (uh-oh!)
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For me, 10-11 seems right, somewhere between a week and two weeks. But I guess it depends on the “rules” you are following and how conservative they are. If you have very regular cycles, you can usually trim the edges a little more. 🙂
 
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Princess_Abby:
Hi Matthew,

Thanks for you suggestion… does anyone know the symptoms of low thyroid? I guess I could google it…

Thanks, Abby
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What Matt is refering to is called hypothyroidism.
From endocrineweb.com

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (can’t tolerate the cold like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

I’ve experienced both hypo & hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone) during brief problems with both and have seen the effects that proper medication had on both my father and sister after they were diagnosed. I can definately say that correcting this problem if you have it can bring huge improvements.
 
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Marauder:
Wow, you are basically using the rhythm method. That method is why NFP gets such a bad wrap for effectiveness.

3 days before and 3 days after is dangerous because depending on mucus level sperm can live 5 or more days. So if you have a lot of mucus and have sex 3 days before ovulation then you will get pregnant.

I highly encourage learning one of the newer methods of NFP, unless you are planning on getting pregnant. Just because you are running like a clock now, doesn’t mean you always will. All you need is one cycle to be a day or two longer and you will be having a little blessing. Cycles can vary by a couple days for numerous reasons, diet, stress, age, etc.

Unless you are using this method because you don’t really care if you get pregnant or not, take a class.
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Are you serious? Sperm can live for FIVE days? What… just hanging out waiting for an egg? Yikes! I had no idea ! I have four children and when people jokingly say, “Don’t you know what causes that yet?!” Apparently I didn’t ?! :nope:
 
carol marie:
Are you serious? Sperm can live for FIVE days? What… just hanging out waiting for an egg? Yikes! I had no idea ! I have four children and when people jokingly say, “Don’t you know what causes that yet?!” Apparently I didn’t ?! :nope:
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Another thing you may wanna check out is saliva ferning. You lick a slide first thing in the morning. After it dries, check under a microscope for ferning(most fertile). They say that too is an effective method. I do that…What i have noticed is I didnt get any ferning for a long time. I went to the doctor and she did an estrogen test. Of course it was low!
 
Hi Carol,

We usually start abstaining on day 7 (the evening of day 6), as I usually have just the tiniest trace of mucus by the following afternoon. We continue abstaining until Day 16 or 17, though it has been a day or two shorter and longer, depending. By that point, there is no mucus internally or externally. We do not use temperatures, but I do check my cervical signs and by that time, my cervix is all-but completely closed. I can usually tell which day is peak day by the amount of mucus, then count down from there–if i’m wrong, I’ll know immediately because the mucus quanity should significantly decrease after ovulation and continually disappear. We do not stop abstaining until the evening of the third day, post-ovulation.

Abby
 
p.s. the whole reason we avoid when there is any sign of mucus is because the mucus is what nurtures the sperm and keeps them alive, waiting for an egg. 🙂
 
Hey Carol,

I think these posts can give you a general idea of how to use these different methods, but in the end, your best bet is to take a course. Some people only get mucous the few days before they ovulate, some people secrete mucuous all the time (which looks different than the other mucuous), and so on. I just went to an info session on Billings, and it made all this mucuos talk a lot clearer to me.
 
carol marie said:
11 days? That seems like so many. We’ve been using our “own” NFP - never read a book or anything… I figure it’s a no - go about 3 days prior to ovulation which I know to be around day 16 since I run like a clock. So that’s 3 days prior & then 3 days after so it’s basically about a week of abstinance. Is that to few? Yikes… it seemed right… am I way off here? (uh-oh!)
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Carol,

Someone mentioned factors that can throw off your cycle. I’m a good example for that this month. Normally I have textbook 27-day cycles, with ovulation on day 14. This month, I’m on day 16 and have not yet ovulated, thanks to an illness that my immune system was fighting last week. I would not know this if I weren’t temping and checking cervical signs. It’s not an problem for us since we’re hoping to get pregnant, but if we were trying to postpone a pregnancy and were using “rhythm” rather than checking for fertility, we might end up with a “surprise”.
 
Hi,

My husband and I are a teacher couple with Serena Canada, a non-profit organization in CANADA with teaches NFP. The only cost is for the materials ($35) because teacher couples are volunteers. We have been married 10 months and have found the method easy to follow. It has enhanced our communication and been a blessing to our marriage. I hope this information helps. 🙂

Here is some information pulled from the Serena Canada website: www.serena.ca

Serena is a Canadian organization of people who use and promote the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM) of Natural Family Planning. [Serena Philosophy]

Volunteer teacher couples are found all across Canada. They are trained by Serena and are experienced with using and teaching the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM). [Contact Us] The Sympto-Thermal Method can be used to avoid conception or enhance the likelihood of pregnancy. By observing and recording natural signs that occur in the woman’s body, a couple using the STM can learn to identify the fertile and the infertile phases of the menstrual cycle. This information empowers to couple to freely choose to engage in or abstain from intercourse during the fertile time, depending on their desire to achieve or avoid conception
 
carol marie said:
11 days? That seems like so many. We’ve been using our “own” NFP - never read a book or anything… I figure it’s a no - go about 3 days prior to ovulation which I know to be around day 16 since I run like a clock. So that’s 3 days prior & then 3 days after so it’s basically about a week of abstinance. Is that to few? Yikes… it seemed right… am I way off here? (uh-oh!)
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Well, since sperm can last up to five days in good mucus and there is a possiblity of double ovulation and the “ovulation window” (since NFP does not p(name removed by moderator)oint the time of ovulation) 7 days may be short. However, without knowing what type of cycle and what kind of rules you are using and symptoms it is hard to tell. Also, don’t go by the clock. The body clock has been known to shift in terms of day of ovulation.

Matt
 
$850???

I learned it for the cost of the book I bought and I can assure you, it didn’t cost $850.
 
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