The cervical mucus method is a natural method of contraception that identifies the fertile period by analyzing the consistency of the mucus that is produced under the stimulation of estrogen hormones. During ovulation, the mucus changes; it becomes more liquid and slippery, somewhat resembling the consistency of an egg white. This transformation is the body’s tactic for facilitating the path of the sperm through the cervical canal towards the uterus. The last day that the mucus portrays these liquid and slippery characteristics is called “peak day,” and corresponds to the period of maximum fertility. The risk period is considered to be the time span between the beginning of mucus secretion and the 4 days following “peak day.”
This is also called the Billings method, taken from the surname of Australian neurologist John Billings who, together with his wife Evelin, and simultaneously, the Austrian doctor Josef Rötzer, was one of the first scientists to develop the method in the 60s.
The method, which is quite challenging, requires accurate observation of the cervical mucus several times a day, with the help of strict standardized rules, and the construction of a graph that allows for the identification, each month, of ovulation and the fertility period. The effectiveness of the method is considered to be medium-low.
