The Basic Idea of Ovulation Methods
Ovulation methods are based on carefully tracking external cervical mucus throughout the day. Generally speaking, days of no mucus or of non-fertile mucus are considered infertile. Days where any fertile mucus is seen are considered fertile. There are usually days of dry/non-fertile mucus following menstruation and then a cycle of fertile mucus. Immediately following the last day of fertile mucus (peak day), there are typically about 3 days that are still considered to be fertile. If no fertile mucus is apparent after peak day, infertility is assumed until the next cycle.
Benefits of Ovulation Methods
- There are no internal cervical exams (can be a benefit or a challenge- especially if a woman was previously using a sympto-thermal method)
- The system can help detect cervical issues based on certain mucus types and/or patterns.
- No temping is required. This makes these methods easier to implement for people who travel a lot or have irregular sleep patterns (mothers of babies, those who work night shifts, etc.). The lack of temping also means that illness/fever won’t throw off you chart, nor will a few (or more) alcoholic drinks from the previous night.
Challenges
- Learning ovulation methods from instructors can be more expensive (but you get one on one attention- which, for most, is a definite benefit!)
- Initially, many women have trouble getting into the mucus observation routine
- There are no internal cervical exams (can be a benefit or a challenge- especially if a woman was previously using a sympto-thermal method)
Supplies Needed
You typically need a chart and stamps to record observations when using ovulation methods. For couples who have learned the Billings Method, they currently have an online chart available.
Where to Learn
Upcoming Post: I will talk about what makes the Creighton FertilityCare System unique!
Disclaimer: This post provides only a general overview of the method. It is strongly recommended that methods are learned directly from an instructor, particularly when being used with the intention of avoiding pregnancy.
Fertility & Natural Family Planning 
March 16, 2011 at 9:07 pm
I love these posts! It is so interesting to me to be reminded of how differently different people view various NFP methods. Your bias seems rather clear, and that is a *good* thing since it reminds me of how others experience the world, and thus all things fertility, differently.
March 16, 2011 at 11:33 pm
Thanks, Rae! As someone who chose to pursue Creighton certification, I guess I am biased! But honestly, I think that different methods are better for different people depending on their needs, which could be another separate post, I guess? Even though I chart Creighton, and think that it can provides an excellent foundation for identifying and treating many issues, I still like to chart my temperature separately- mostly because I like graphs, but also because it can provide another source of information. All the information I can get, please! 🙂
March 31, 2011 at 3:16 pm
I think Creighton would be a great method for me to learn, especially given that I have PCOS and a wildly unreliable sleep schedule (college student). Since I do have PCOS, my CM varies quite a bit, some months I’ll have a lot and other months I have skint. To identify which CM is fertile would be vastly helpful.
June 28, 2011 at 8:51 am
This is a good post. It succinctly summarizes the pros/ cons. I would only add the Families of the Americas model as well, which is especially great for Spanish Speaking learners (although not limited to them).
June 30, 2011 at 8:57 pm
You are right, FAF should be included! Thank you for the addition 🙂