Charts - The Visual Record
In charting the cervical mucus symptom of the Billings Method (see observations and rules), the use of a graphical record is particularly valuable because this provides a large amount of information which can be taken in at a glance, embodying perhaps the observations made over several months.
The graphical record is a bar chart.
The height of each bar shows the level of fertility:
- 4. Peak day
- 3. Possibly fertile day
- 2. Wait day:
- 1. Infertile day;
Five colours represent the types of observations recognised in the Billings Method.
Legend
Peak |
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X |
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possibly_fertile |
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wait |
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I ▲ |
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infertile |
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Symptom Description |
Bleeding |
Spotting |
Bleeding |
Spotting |
Dry |
BIP of unchanging discharge |
Wait day after intercourse (Rule 2) |
Change from the Basic Infertile Pattern |
I=Intercourse ▲ = Against rule |
The Peak of the mucus symptom |
Dry |
not Dry |
Menstruation |
Not menstruation: |
before Peak |
Rule 4 (from the fourth day after the Peak) |
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continued |
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Peak |
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possibly_fertile |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
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wait |
1 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
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infertile |
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Symptom Description |
Dry before peak |
BIP of unchanging discharge before Peak |
Dry for 3 days after Peak |
Changed mucus for 3 days after Peak No longer wet or slippery |
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Rule 3 (before Peak) |
Rule 3 (after Peak) |
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Example Chart - normal fertile cycle
day |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
1 |
Peak |
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X |
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possibly_fertile |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
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wait |
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infertile |
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Sensation |
wet |
wet |
wet |
dry |
dry |
dry |
dry |
dry |
dry |
damp |
wet |
wet |
slippery |
slippery |
slippery SV* |
dry |
sticky |
sticky |
dry |
dry |
sticky |
sticky |
moist |
moist |
dry |
dry |
dry |
dry |
wet |
wet |
Appearance |
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spotting |
spotting |
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sticky cloudy |
cloudy |
cloudy stringy |
clear stringy |
clear |
clear |
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opaque |
opaque |
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cloudy |
cloudy |
cloudy |
cloudy |
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SV = swollen vulva