Current Method: Billings Ovulation Method
Previous Method: Sensiplan
👩🏾🤝👨🏽🥼✨🌡👌🏻 💊
- Tell us a little about yourself.Interested in health sciences + research. BSc+ nursing diploma. Outdoorsy, active.
- What effects has fertility awareness had on your relationship?No effect really. Used copper IUD for years before. Use condoms sometimes during FW if using nonsafe days, but overall not a huge change. Husband understands general concepts, the science of why it works, probably couldn't interpret a chart in detail.
- First Method: Sensiplan - How did you find your instructor?Self taught/used manuals only
- Describe your daily charting routine.Charted for around 1.5 years with Sensiplan. Found their books sufficient to self teach BUT I have a heavy biological sciences background and have done professional research. Also in regular cycles which makes it easier. Charted bbt (Tempdrop), mucus and cervix. Overall found it a very positive experience. Transitioning back to using condoms instead of copper IUD was kind of a pain but acclimated now.
- What made you choose this method?Resources in celcius. Good materials (handbook/workbook combo in my opinion one of the better self teaching resources available). Secular, it was important to me not to fund methods that are associated with the Catholic Church as much as possible for personal reasons. High efficacy. Downside is lack of accessible instructors in North America (none in Canada that I'm aware of)
- Did you stop using this method? If so, why?I transitioned to a Billings inspired mucus charting along with bbt to develop mucus knowledge further
- Second Method: Billings Ovulation Method - How did you find your instructor?Knew the instructor previous to her certifying with BOMA. Was one of her practicum clients.
- Describe your daily charting routine.Still charting bbt with Tempdrop. I no longer chart CP and chart almost exclusively sensation based cm, using the Billings style stamps in RYB in addition to continuing the Sensiplan temping protocol.
- What made you choose this method?Works well for those frequently outdoors, backpacking, canoe camping, wilderness trips etc. Low tech, low environmental impact. Billings has the most research on cervical mucus and I wanted to increase my competence around mucus observation. Also wanted to support my instructor as she is somewhat a personal friend.
- Has charting helped you to understand your overall health?Behavioural/energy level changes throughout the cycle. Try to schedule things to coincide with higher follicular and/or lower luteal energy as applicable.
- Did you switch to this method from another one? If so, why?I found the transition easy because I had already been charting a long time and have very easy cycles to chart. I do appreciate the immense value of instructor follow up and feedback also.
