The Ovulation Method (OM) 
of 
Natural Family Planning (NFP)

UNDERSTAND YOUR FERTILE & INFERTILE DAYS

NOTE: This website does not provide enough information to effectively practice the Ovulation Method. This is ONLY an OVERVIEW. In order to successfully learn and practice the Ovulation Method, you will need to purchase the book, LOVE & FERTILITY, which is also available for download (English version only).

The Ovulation Method: 


It is important to realize that a woman is only fertile approximately 100 hours per cycle during her reproductive years, whereas a man is potentially fertile every day from puberty onward.
 

THE OVULATION METHOD

To POSTPONE Pregnancy
Use the Infertile Days

To ACHIEVE Pregnancy
Use the Fertile Days

The Ovulation Method is not the old "rhythm method" or the temperature method. It is a new scientifically proven method, researched by Dr. John Billings with the scientific research confirmed by the famous endocrinologist James B. Brown. This method is based on the simple recognition of natural signs of fertility that appear for a few days during the woman's menstrual cycle. Family of the Americas (FAF) was instrumental in simplifying the teaching and charting system of the Ovulation Method that made it applicable for universal use.

By keeping accurate records, a woman can now confidently identify the fertile and infertile phases of her cycle. Women with long or irregular cycles, breast-feeding mothers, and even those going through pre-menopause or discontinuing artificial methods of family planning may use the Ovulation Method safely and effectively. 

Irregularity of Cycles Does Not Interfere with 
The Practice of the Ovulation Method

The time between the Peak and the beginning of menstruation is normally about two weeks. For a cycle to be considered long or short, it is the number of days between the end of menstruation and the Peak that will vary. There may be no dry days before the mucus begins, or the dry days may go on for longer than usual...even for weeks. The number of days of menstruation and of mucus may also vary. 

SCIENTIFIC VERIFICATION OF THE OVULATION METHOD

Hormonal Levels & Corresponding Stamp Chart
During a Normal Menstrual Cycle

Research in 1962 by leading Australian and New Zealand scientists, Dr. John Billings and Dr. James Brown, first verified the Ovulation Method for the scientific community.

Dr. Brown (the originator of hormonal measurements in women), conducted hormonal studies to correlate the accuracy of women's observations of the cervical mucus patterns with the ovarian hormonal patterns associated with ovulation. 

After thousands of women's cycles in all reproductive categories were tested, research showed that the development of the mucus symptom coordinated with the estrogen levels in the follicular phase of the cycle much better than any other symptom accompanying ovulation. 

The relationship between estrogen and progesterone, the cervical mucus changes and ovulation was also established. 

natural vs. artificial

THE OVULATION METHOD

  1. The Ovulation Method is completely safe with no harmful side effects. 
  2. The Ovulation Method is simple to learn and to use. It does not distort the sexual act nor involve distasteful procedures. The spouses do nothing to their bodies but simply plan their relations according to the fertile and infertile days of the woman's cycle. 
  3. When used to avoid pregnancy, the Ovulation Method is at least as effective (98-99%) as any contraceptive but without the physical and psychological side effects. 
  4. The Ovulation Method costs nothing more than the modest price of simple learning materials. 
  5. With the Ovulation Method, the woman is able to know herself, to learn, and to appreciate the processes of her own body. 
  6. Using the Ovulation Method enables the woman to accept, control, and respect her fertility from the beginning to the end of her reproductive years. 
  7. The Ovulation Method fosters communication and mutual respect between husband and wife. The two cooperate in planning their family, taking into account each month of the woman's cycle. 
  8. When the couple must postpone a pregnancy, the very abstinence that the Ovulation Method requires can help strengthen the marriage. The sacrifice involved is proof of the respect that the husband has for his wife. She in turn appreciates his willingness to sacrifice for her good and the good of the marriage, and her love for him increases. 
  9. The love of the couple is renewed after a period of abstinence with the Ovulation Method. Interest is kept high, as well as appreciation for each other. 
  10. The attitude of spouses who use the Ovulation Method is: "Our fertility is a natural gift and a normal function of the human body." This helps to bring peace and greater intimacy to their relationship. 
  11. The Ovulation Method can be used to achieve as well as to postpone a pregnancy. It is immediately reversible when the couple changes their decision to achieve or postpone pregnancy. 
  12. The Ovulation Method is acceptable to people of all cultures, educational and social levels and religions. The couple can use it with a clear conscience. This method, when used generously and not for selfish or materialistic reasons, respects life and the privilege of transmitting life. 
 

CONTRACEPTION 

  1. Every contraceptive method involves medical risk. 
  2. Contraception involves ingesting dangerous drugs or using intrusive devices
  3. The more effective the artificial method, the more dangerous it is, e.g., the Pill and the IUD. 
  4. Contraceptives involve a continual expense. 
  5. Often contraceptives are used blindly without the woman knowing how they are affecting her body. 
  6. The use of contraception suppresses the normal, healthy function of the human reproductive system. 
  7. The use of contraception often encourages spouses to never communicate with one another about something as important as family planning. Many women are not even aware of when they are fertile or infertile. 
  8. Very often contraception frees the man from any responsibility when it comes to family planning. Most if not all of the burden of artificial birth control is placed on the woman. 
  9. Contraception places a barrier between husband and wife and limits the most intense physical expression of human love. When the couple is never required to make the sacrifice of abstaining (as is the case while contracepting), sexual relations can lose their deeper meaning. It is easy for a husband and wife to use each other. When couples are required to abstain from marital relations for a few days each month (if they need to postpone pregnancy), they find other ways to love each other, communication grows very strong, they appreciate the gift of sexuality and experience a new honeymoon each month. 
  10. Prolonged use of contraception sometimes results in infertility. 
  11. The level of discontent and the discontinuation rate of many contraceptives are extremely high in many countries, especially in the Third World. Contraceptive use is unacceptable to many religious and cultural traditions because it involves a direct attack on the capacity to transmit life. In addition, certain contraceptives such as the IUD and at times the Pill do not prevent the fertilization of the ovum, but instead produce a very early abortion a few days later by preventing the newly conceived human being from implanting in the womb.

ACHIEVING PREGNANCY

If you have had trouble conceiving a child, or for couples who have already used Clomid or any other fertility treatment, you still have hope for conception.

Often when women are struggling with apparent infertility it is because they are only fertile for a short period in their cycle--possibly only a few hours. 

  1. The Ovulation Method can be used to help couples achieve pregnancy by assisting them to identify their days of maximum fertility in each cycle.

  2. Cervical Mucus is vital if conception is to take place. This remarkable substance nourishes and protects the sperm and also becomes a pathway for them into the uterus where they find their way into the Fallopian tubes to fertilize the egg.

  3. Most couples are unaware of the significance of the cervical mucus secretion in achieving pregnancy. Once a woman has learned to identify her fertile days, a couple of normal fertility can usually achieve pregnancy within three cycles.

  4. A few women experience the fertile characteristics of the mucus for only a few hours. 

SOME FACTORS WHICH AFFECT FERTILITY ARE:

Frequently Asked Questions by Women Who Have Trouble Conceiving 

(Q). Can the Ovulation Method help us achieve pregnancy?

(A). Since the Ovulation Method teaches couples to recognize when the woman is fertile in each cycle, it can help them to maximize their chances of conceiving. In fact, couples of normal fertility are usually able to conceive within three cycles when using the Ovulation Method. A study by Dr. Allen Wilcox and his colleagues at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences made news late in 1995 by concluding that a woman's "window of fertility" is six days per cycle, the actual day of ovulation and the five days preceding it. As early as 1972, Ovulation Method researchers published reports that women participating in their studies could recognize approaching ovulation 6.2 days before it occurred by using the Ovulation Method. Additional research found that women who had been taught the Ovulation Method were aware that they were potentially fertile 5.2 and 5.9 days before ovulation. The World Health Organization reported that 93 percent of participants in a WHO study of the Ovulation Method were able to interpret their pattern of fertility in the first teaching cycle. The naturally-occurring secretion upon which the Ovulation Method is based not only nourishes the sperm, keeping them viable for three to five days, it also provides channels to aid swimming sperm in their efforts to reach the egg on the day of ovulation. 

(Q). Is there any way we can increase our chances of having a boy (or girl)?

(A). There are several theories regarding the sex pre-selection, none of which have been scientifically proven. The one we will summarize here deals with timing intercourse.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

(Q). Can the Ovulation Method be used by women who are breast-feeding or women who have irregular cycles?

(A). Yes, the Ovulation Method can be successfully used by women in all reproductive circumstances, including those who are breast-feeding, discontinuing artificial contraceptives, or premenopausal. The Ovulation Method does not depend on regularity of cycles since each woman learns to interpret a naturally-occurring sign of fertility whenever it appears in her cycle. Women with average, short or long cycles are able to interpret this sign in order to determine the fertile and infertile phases of the cycle. The Ovulation Method can be used to either achieve or avoid pregnancy. 

(Q). Is the Ovulation Method the same as the Temperature Method or the Rhythm Method?

(A). Absolutely not. The old Calendar Rhythm Method was only effective for women whose cycles were extremely regular. Based on the average length of previous cycles, this method did not allow for variations that are experienced by most women over the course of a year. For this reason, many unplanned pregnancies occurred. 

The Temperature Method uses calculations of a woman's Basal Body Temperature to determine when ovulation has taken place. Because it is difficult to use in determining infertile days prior to ovulation, it can unnecessarily limit marital relations for some couples in the early part of the cycle if pregnancy is to be avoided, and cannot, by itself, alert couples to the days of potential fertility if their goal is to achieve pregnancy. In addition, women with infants or toddlers may find it troublesome to comply with guidelines for measuring the Basal Body Temperature. 

Numerous laboratory and clinical trials have determined that the cervical mucus secretion on which the Ovulation Method is based, correlates with the fertile days more closely than any other marker of fertility, including complicated hormonal assays. For this reason, and for its simplicity--a woman need only observe for this secretion during the course of her normal daily activities--the Ovulation Method is the easiest natural method to learn and practice, as well as the most reliable. 

(Q). Is internal examination of the cervix part of the Ovulation Method?

(A). No. Internal examination is not necessary and is discouraged. The cervical mucus can be checked when the vaginal opening is wiped with a tissue. When internal examinations are done there is the possibility that harmful microorganisms could be introduced into the vagina. 

(Q). How long does it usually take for a woman to learn the Ovulation Method?

(A). Most women can be taught to use the Ovulation Method in about one hour. Once they actually begin charting, the majority of women report that they are confident of their ability to distinguish between the fertile and infertile days after one cycle of charting. 

(Q). Is it possible for pregnancy to result from sexual relations during the menstrual period?

(A). While most women experience a few infertile days between the end of menstruation and the beginning of the fertile phase, it is possible, in a short cycle, for mucus production to begin before the bleeding has ceased. Because the blood may mask the appearance of mucus, it is recommended that the couple abstain from sexual relations during menstruation if pregnancy is to be avoided. 

(Q). How long do the egg and the sperm live?

(A). Once the egg has been released from the ovary, it remains viable for approximately 24 hours. Once the egg disintegrates, conception is no longer possible. In a hostile environment, sperm die within hours. However, in the presence of fertile cervical mucus, sperm can survive for 3 to 5 days, making it possible for conception to result from an act of intercourse early in the fertile phase. 

(Q). Will the use of artificial contraceptives cause me to have difficulties conceiving?

(A). Many women experience residual infertility for several months following discontinuation of artificial contraceptives. It is generally recommended that couples wait about six months following discontinuation of artificial contraceptives, or until they have experiences three normal cycles, before attempting to conceive. 

(Q). Can barrier methods, such as condoms, be used during the fertile phase to eliminate the need for abstinence?

(A). The use of barrier methods during the fertile phase (called bafting) is strongly discouraged and is never acceptable as part of the Ovulation Method. Barriers can fail and failure during the fertile phase will very likely result in pregnancy. When this happens it is not the Ovulation Method that fails--the Ovulation Method did correctly recognize the fertile phase. When this happens, it is the barrier method that failed. 

(Q). Can the Ovulation Method be used to predict when ovulation will occur?

(A). Because cycle length can very from month to month, there is no way to know in advance when ovulation will occur. However, by careful monitoring of each cycle, a woman can learn to interpret her individual pattern, and thus know whether she is fertile or infertile at any given time in her cycle.