Customer Reviews

The Billings Method: Controlling Fertility Without Drugs or Devices

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This under-rated book deserves far more exposure than it has received. Imagine a method of family planning that is natural, harmless, 99.9% effective, is beneficial to couple communication in a marriage, and in keeping with one's relationship with God. That's what the Billings Method offers.

Aside from a course in the method, this is an excellent primer on how the Method works. It is a method that will not harm a woman's future fertility (as oral contraceptives do), and will help a woman determine when she is fertile (great for couples having trouble conceiving).

It is a method which works - we've used it 100% effectively to both postpone and conceive. It has been the best thing we could have ever done for our marriage, our relationship with one another, and our relationship with God.

The Billings Method has been my primary method of birth control for the past 20 years, and I learned it from this book. As a young woman, I found it invaluable to have a simple, drug-free way to avoid pregnancy within a monogamous relationship, and the method again proved itself when I was able to quickly conceive in middle age. The Billings Method does require discipline and diligence, especially in the beginning, but eventually it becomes second nature. Yes, it really works, and no, I have never had to take my temperature to determine my fertility. I value tremendously knowing what is going on inside my body by being able to interpret the signs it gives me. I recommend this book not only to women seeking natural birth control, but to any woman who just wants to understand how her body works.

Three caveats I should add: (1) anyone at risk for sexually-transmitted disease should not use this method; they should use condoms. (2) Another reviewer of this book has reported that after diligently practicing the method, she became pregnant. While this method has worked beautifully for me, anyone with a strong need not to become pregnant should consider the risks of using this or any other fertility-awareness method as birth control. (3) I did not use the Billings Method while nursing; I found I was too preoccupied during those days to pay appropriate attention to my fertility pattern.

This book was exceptional for natural birth control methods. It provided an insite to the timing and control one must have to practice this method. I want to recommend this book to anyone interested in birth control.

This is a great resource for really getting to know your body and cycle. What I love is that it includes all the scientific research and studies it's based on, so you can objectively judge the evidence yourself.

My only issue is that it seems written more from the perspective of preventing pregnancy- if you are trying to conceive, it doesn't give any clues as to how things change if you DO conceive. All in all, great resource and a very easy method to follow. Only took about an hour to read the main portions too, so it's not like it takes intense studying and measuring.

I was interested in natural family planning before, but the birth control pill seemed like an easier method as a newlywed. Well, after an unplanned pregnancy (while on the pill) that ended in miscarriage, I could not bring myself to go back to using the pill. My husband and I wanted a birth control that would be safe and reliable for us. I started researching the Billings Method, saw that it was highly effective and totally natural, but didn't find much information on how to use the method. Then I purchased this book.
I learned so much about my own cycle--about reproductive health in general. The biggest thing I learned is that by simple everyday observations, a woman can know her own times of fertility, in order to either achieve or prevent pregnancy. Dr. Billings describes exactly how to use the Ovulation Method, and after reading the book I was confident about using this as our brith control. Everything was explained clearly, and I keep the book on hand if I have questions. So far, this has worked out well for us, and we are happy.
I recommend this book to anyone who has had trouble with other forms of birth control or is looking for a natural alternative.

I am so glad I read this book! It gave me a working understanding of my body and its functions. And also the control that I want WITHOUT DRUGS. This is a book for responsible couples. If you don't want to take responsibility for your sexual activities or relationships, then you will not like this book. If you want to create a future with a partner, you should get this book!

I had been on the pill for almost 15 years and my husband and I wanted to start trying for a baby this year. I wanted to give my body a break from the hormones before becoming pregnant, but I didn't want to use condoms during the time I was flushing out my system (personal reasons - I just don't like them). This book provides some wonderful information about a woman's cycle and the clues that our bodies give us during that cycle. I am lucky in that I have a textbook cycle and fertile symptoms, so it was easy for me to recognize the signs that the book had detailed. I was amazed to learn that some of the things that I had noticed about my body throughout my life were actually signs that I could use to my advantage. I think all women and girls should know the information in this book.


Using this information, I was able to prevent pregnancy, without using other means of birth control, until I was ready to start trying to conceive. And, once I was ready to conceive, I was aware of my fertile signs and I got pregnant on the first try!

The only negative thing I have to say about this book, is that it is repetitive. The same information could be condensed into a book half the size. Also, the verbiage in the book was a little hard to read. The order of the words in the sentences seemed to be backward. I believe this is because the author is Aussie and I am American. Just a difference in language structure. But overall it was a great book. I highly recommend it.

Dr. Billings' book is quite repetitive, which for some people may help them grasp the important concepts of the method (it is the most important concepts that are repeated over and over and over again). I found the question-and-answer format of one of the larger chapters made it difficult to locate the information relevant to my situation.

This book provides enough information to use the method, but I found Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler to be more comprehensive, easier to read and understand, and easier to refer back to.

This method is great! My husband and I have used it for a year! I wish more people knew about it. Very, very informative. I would suggest it to anyone looking for an alternative to drugs and invasive procedures.

I am a huge fan of Natural Family Planning as a method of birth control. I had taken the classes, but still after many months of being unsure if I was practicing the Billings Method correctly, I found this book. This book is great and really helped me understand the Billings Method more, so that I am much more confident in my cycle charting. If you plan on using NFP as a method of birth control, are unsure if you're charting correctly of if you would just like more information on NFP and the Billings Method, than I definitely recommend this book. A great resource and an easy read.