These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: [The Billings method].
    Author: Delangue AF.
    Journal: Soins Gynecol Obstet Pueric Pediatr; 1993 Feb; (141):15-6. PubMed ID: 8278884.
    Abstract:
    The Billings method, or cervical mucus method, is a natural family planning method developed during the 1970s by the Australian physicians John and Evelyn Billings. The method requires periodic abstinence during the periods recognized as fertile according to the characteristics of the mucus. The method can be used to avoid pregnancy or to favor it through identification of the day of maximum fecundity. The method does not alter the natural rhythms of the body or entail unpleasant side effects. At the beginning of the menstrual cycle, the cervix is closed by a mucus plug and the sperm survive less than two hours in the acidic environment of the vagina. Several days before ovulation, the cervix begins to secrete mucus that will protect the sperm from the acidity of the vagina and permit their passage to the uterus. Thus protected, the sperm can survive up to four days. Mucus at this stage has an elastic quality. After ovulation, the mucus thickens and becomes increasingly impenetrable to sperm. It feels sticky and gelatinous. The Billings method requires observation of the sensation of wetness or dryness and the characteristics of the mucus. Each evening the woman should note that day's observations on a chart. The "peak day" is the last day of elastic mucus that gives a sensation of wetness. The peak day is the most visible sign of ovulation and can be recognized only on the next day. The three days following the peak day are considered fertile, because ovulation can occur up to 48 hours after the peak and the ovum can survive up to 24 hours. If the Billings method is used to avoid pregnancy, intercourse should be avoided during menstruation as the appearance of mucus may be masked in a short cycle. Intercourse is permissible in the evening of every second day until the appearance of the mucus.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]