so today was the first day of my community placement, which was in Fitzroy North, at the Billings Ovulation and Research Centre. At this place, people who are either wanting to conceive or avoid a pregnancy come to learn how to go about it the 'natural' way.
Now, Billings' idea of Family Planning is totally different from that of contraception. Where contraception, aims to avoid conception at ALL costs with the aid of chemical ( the 'pill') or mechanical intervention, Natural Family planning is about the woman understanding the physiological changes, as a result of the hormonal changes in the body and the way it is expresed physically. With this understanding, the woman is able to 'read' the FERTILE and infertile periods during her menstrual cycle, and thus plan her days of intercourse to coincide with days of Maximum or Minimum fertility. THIS MUST NOT BE CONFUSED WITH THE RHYTHM METHOD. Amazingly enough, the success rate for avoiding pregnancy is 98-99% whilst that for conception is 78%, which is much better that IVF or AI. This also happens to be the no.1 choice of natural family planning in the Baby Booming Capital of the World, China.
Another interesting fact, which I personally have some doubts with. It seems, that if a couple had a good understanding of the Billings Method, and the woman knowing the physiological changes taking place inside her well enough, she can actually plan which day to have intercourse, so as to determine the child's gender, with 95% sucess. Although it's only the first day, it seems like I have another Health Promotion task on my hands already. Nonetheless, the Billing's Method, will be a very useful life skill to have, especially since I will be a doctor in the not so distant future.
So Ladies, in time I shall be more well versed with YOUR BODIES than YOURSELVES. Beware, the Jman is in the midst of revival.
No comments:
Post a Comment