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Table 4 Themes and subthemes

From: Understanding the perspective of women who use the Billings Ovulation Method®: a focus group study

Category

Examples

Reasons for choosing FABM

- Religious beliefs discouraging the use of contraceptives

- Wanting a "natural" method

- Concerns about side effects of hormonal birth control

- Desire to learn more about their bodies

Reasons for selecting the Billings Method specifically

- Easy to understand and simple to use

- Affordable

- Backed by science and effectiveness

- "Word of mouth."

Learning the Billings Method—Positive experiences

- A new way to think about themself

- Feels more "natural."

- No need to do internal investigationsa or take a daily basal body temperature

- Having an experienced and patient instructor

Using the Billings Method- Positive experiences

- Achieving pregnancy is easy

- To postpone a pregnancy, one needs to use the four rules of the Billings Method correctly

- Partner support

Learning and using the Billings Method- Challenges and negative experiences

- Learning curve

- Charting every day on paper

- Getting pregnant

- More religious messaging than necessary; instructors teaching using their religious perspective

- Charting with PCOS and during breastfeeding

  1. aInternal investigations refer to introducing the fingers in the vagina to touch and feel the mucus