RE: I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

[Guest guest]

Dear NFP professionals,

thank you very much for your helpful comments. I am really grateful for the

opportunity to share my doubts and knowledge with you. I feel like a beginner.

))

Thank you once more.

Karel Skocovsky, Czech Republic

[Guest guest]

I actually signed up to Billingsmentor for one month just to see what it was all about and if I would recommend it to clients. I found the data entry quite time consuming and confusing. The program actually messed up my computer quite badly, which is why I deleted it from my system. If I was dealing with a couple who was already experiencing a lot of anxiety about NFP, I would not recommend this program. I think it would add to their stress. I think they would be best served by the personalized support of a sympathetic and patient instructor. For online charting, I recommend nfpcharting.com because there are no prompts. The explanations are left to the instructor, who will have some understanding of the couple's communication style and history. Just my 2 cents. a Van UdenBillings Ovulation Method Instructorwww.billingsnaturalfamilyplanning.orgwww.nfpcharting.comBillings Lethbridge Facebook GroupTo: nfpprofessionals From: boma-usa@...Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2010 11:48:55 -0500Subject: Re: I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

She might try using www.billingsmentor.org which is getting rave reviews from Dr. . The women add their observations and the software tells them which rules to apply and even identifies

a Basic Infertile Pattern for them if there is one. Working with a teacher is ideal.

We ask women to start charting at 3 weeks postpartum or as soon as the lochia clears, whichever comes first.

That way they are tuning into what the hormones are doing and can apply the 4 Rules of the Billings Method

according to the hormonal patterns. We have a teacher who identified Peak Day at 6 weeks postpartum with

each baby and was fully breastfeeding. The Billings Method rules worked beautifully for her.

Sue Ek

Billings Ovulation Method Association - USAwww.boma-usa.org

www.billingslife.org

www.woomb.org

I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

Dear NFP professionals,I desperately need your competent advice about this extremely difficult situation of a couple I know very well.First of all: I absolutely agree with the Catholic Church teaching about contraception as intrinsically evil act. I am a seminarian with PhD. in psychology (dissertation on psychology of NFP), certified instructor of the STM of NFP (German method), deeply interested in moral theology and theology of the body.Situation, I am absolutely unable to resolve is this:A young Catholic married couple, deeply commited to Church`s teaching on contraception. First pregnancy unplanned, very early after wedding, with no NFP experience. Second pregnancy unplanned and very difficult to accept, because the wife conceived on 50th day (sic!) after delivery of the first child during FULL (EXCLUSIVE) BREASTFEEDING. Third pregnacy unplanned, during the 13th cycle of STM NFP observation. It was a perfect-use pregnancy, as I personally checked. The woman had very soon return of fertility after childbirth despite of full, exclusive, intensive breastfeeding. So, she has 3 children during 4 years now, she is exhausted, with absolutely no confidence in NFP. They did everything they were able to do. Their relationship is now in crisis, because of fear of further pregnancy. Total sexual abstinence is for them unacceptable. They dont want to try NFP once more. Both of them seems to doubt the teaching on immorality of contraception now. They see it as "contra-intuitive". However, the wife told me she is dreading of God`s punishment if they eventually use a barrier contraception. They are totally perplexed.I never met such a situation. I see no moral solution for it. I am inclined to think that the only "solution" is to accept their use of barrier contraceptives with hope for God`s mercy. I it possible they will be able to slowly accept the NFP once more later, but surely not now.What do you think of it?Thank youKarel SkocovskyP.S.: I am little bit angry because we NFP-fans sometimes underestimate difficulties married couples have to face to. I NEVER read anythink about what to do as a priest in such a difficult situation. I am very well aware of almost everything doctrinally orthodox written in English... What about "law of graduality"? I asked E. May on it and he was unable to explain me what it really means in practice... In last month, I met about 2-3 other perplexed couples using contraception with no real hope for change... We frequently present NFP as powerful marriage building tool. But we very often do not speak about long periods of abstinence during non-typical return of fertility after childbirth...

[Guest guest]

Dear List Members,

I am very familiar with billingsMentor.

If a woman or couple have convenient access to good instruction, this is the advisable way for them to obtain assistance. billingsMentor is helping women who do not have this opportunity or choose, for a variety of reasons, not to use the face to face way of learning.

billingsMentor represents a major step forward in e-learning for NFP (in this case the Billings Method). Of course the various methods of NFP have their different instructions for observations and have their own rules. We should be very clear about this.

billingsMentor aims to teach a beginner how to observe and record her fertility symptoms. So it is not surprising that an experienced teacher would find data entry time consuming. There are novice and advanced levels which allow more streamlined data entry.

If the woman observes and records properly then the system performs the other NFP tasks of charting (including stamp selection, Peak and BIP recognition) and rule interpretation for her.

billingsMentor can be used as a learning system or for decision support by a person who is uncertain about the rules.

billingsMentor can be used for teaching when both teacher and client have the software installed. The documents are transferred by email attachment.

We believe that billingsMentor will prove very helpful for post adolescent teenagers who can now learn fertility awareness just by following the guidance in the privacy of their own PC or laptop. In future it is intended to release versions for the new portable devices.

In response to a’s comment “The program actually messed up my computer quite badly“, I have spoken to the developer of billingsMentor who tells me billingsMentor is implemented using industry standard tools for Microsoft Windows. It is extremely unlikely that billingsMentor could cause a problem with a computer.

billingsMentor can be downloaded at www.billingsmentor.org

There is a free trial period of 35 days without obligation. A licence costs $20 one-off payment per computer.

Audrey

I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

Dear NFP professionals,I desperately need your competent advice about this extremely difficult situation of a couple I know very well.First of all: I absolutely agree with the Catholic Church teaching about contraception as intrinsically evil act. I am a seminarian with PhD. in psychology (dissertation on psychology of NFP), certified instructor of the STM of NFP (German method), deeply interested in moral theology and theology of the body.Situation, I am absolutely unable to resolve is this:A young Catholic married couple, deeply commited to Church`s teaching on contraception. First pregnancy unplanned, very early after wedding, with no NFP experience. Second pregnancy unplanned and very difficult to accept, because the wife conceived on 50th day (sic!) after delivery of the first child during FULL (EXCLUSIVE) BREASTFEEDING. Third pregnacy unplanned, during the 13th cycle of STM NFP observation. It was a perfect-use pregnancy, as I personally checked. The woman had very soon return of fertility after childbirth despite of full, exclusive, intensive breastfeeding. So, she has 3 children during 4 years now, she is exhausted, with absolutely no confidence in NFP. They did everything they were able to do. Their relationship is now in crisis, because of fear of further pregnancy. Total sexual abstinence is for them unacceptable. They dont want to try NFP once more. Both of them seems to doubt the teaching on immorality of contraception now. They see it as "contra-intuitive". However, the wife told me she is dreading of God`s punishment if they eventually use a barrier contraception. They are totally perplexed.I never met such a situation. I see no moral solution for it. I am inclined to think that the only "solution" is to accept their use of barrier contraceptives with hope for God`s mercy. I it possible they will be able to slowly accept the NFP once more later, but surely not now.What do you think of it?Thank youKarel SkocovskyP.S.: I am little bit angry because we NFP-fans sometimes underestimate difficulties married couples have to face to. I NEVER read anythink about what to do as a priest in such a difficult situation. I am very well aware of almost everything doctrinally orthodox written in English... What about "law of graduality"? I asked E. May on it and he was unable to explain me what it really means in practice... In last month, I met about 2-3 other perplexed couples using contraception with no real hope for change... We frequently present NFP as powerful marriage building tool. But we very often do not speak about long periods of abstinence during non-typical return of fertility after childbirth...

[Guest guest]

Dear List Members,

I am very familiar with billingsMentor.

If a woman or couple have convenient access to good instruction, this is the advisable way for them to obtain assistance. billingsMentor is helping women who do not have this opportunity or choose, for a variety of reasons, not to use the face to face way of learning.

billingsMentor represents a major step forward in e-learning for NFP (in this case the Billings Method). Of course the various methods of NFP have their different instructions for observations and have their own rules. We should be very clear about this.

billingsMentor aims to teach a beginner how to observe and record her fertility symptoms. So it is not surprising that an experienced teacher would find data entry time consuming. There are novice and advanced levels which allow more streamlined data entry.

If the woman observes and records properly then the system performs the other NFP tasks of charting (including stamp selection, Peak and BIP recognition) and rule interpretation for her.

billingsMentor can be used as a learning system or for decision support by a person who is uncertain about the rules.

billingsMentor can be used for teaching when both teacher and client have the software installed. The documents are transferred by email attachment.

We believe that billingsMentor will prove very helpful for post adolescent teenagers who can now learn fertility awareness just by following the guidance in the privacy of their own PC or laptop. In future it is intended to release versions for the new portable devices.

In response to a’s comment “The program actually messed up my computer quite badly“, I have spoken to the developer of billingsMentor who tells me billingsMentor is implemented using industry standard tools for Microsoft Windows. It is extremely unlikely that billingsMentor could cause a problem with a computer.

billingsMentor can be downloaded at www.billingsmentor.org

There is a free trial period of 35 days without obligation. A licence costs $20 one-off payment per computer.

Audrey

[Guest guest]

I'm sorry if my post offended you. I do think billingsmentor can be a very helpful tool, but I do not think it is an adequate substitute for the personalized support of a teacher - especially for clients feeling distressed about NFP. No software or program would be, it cannot communicate with the client about their misunderstandings or concerns. Any sort of tool like this used in conjunction with the personalized support of a teacher can be very useful! Used apart from personalized support, I have concerns. "If the woman observes and records properly then the system performs the other NFP tasks of charting." This is precisely what concerns me. What if she's confused about what she's observing or what to record? What if she creates phony observations to try to make the software perform a charting task? Perhaps she is ignoring her actual observations and putting in what she thinks she should be observing at a particular time? Clients do this on their paper charts all the time when they are unsure. This is the sort of thing instructors watch for and discuss during follow-ups, whether they are face to face or by phone or by email. If the observation itself isn't done accurately, using the right stamp or applying the right rule will be irrelevant. I've instructed many long distance clients by email (not ideal, but do-able). It's been my experience that most clients simply want to be able to check in with a real person when they have questions or when they are anxious - even if that contact is by phone or email. I don't think the developers of billingsmentor should ignore that need, but find ways to work with it. This is what the developer of nfpcharting.com has done. The nfpcharting.com client charts are very accessible to instructors. We simply log in to our account, click on the client's chart in our Student List, and there it is! We can be on the phone together, the client makes the corrections as we discuss them, I hit "refresh" - and there is the updated chart on my screen. No transferring of attachments back and forth. It's instant and it's simple. The objective isn't to do the charting for them, but to empower them to do the charting for themselves with confidence. It's to empower them with the understanding of what their observations mean and why the different rules are applied at different times. Maybe we should be discussing how to provide more online instructors for those who don't have one locally? My concern is that a computer program, by itself, may not be the best solution. I hope you will not take offense at my perspective. I would love to have access to more tools which keep NFP simple for my clients - they are my first priority. I have misgivings about the overall helpfulness of this particular program and hope those concerns might be considered if the developers are open to ongoing improvement of it. a Van UdenBillings Ovulation Method Instructorwww.billingsnaturalfamilyplanning.orgwww.nfpcharting.comBillings Lethbridge Facebook GroupTo: nfpprofessionals From: audrey.smith@...Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:10:56 +1000Subject: Re: I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

Dear List Members,

I am very familiar with billingsMentor.

If a woman or couple have convenient access to good instruction, this is the advisable way for them to obtain assistance. billingsMentor is helping women who do not have this opportunity or choose, for a variety of reasons, not to use the face to face way of learning.

billingsMentor represents a major step forward in e-learning for NFP (in this case the Billings Method). Of course the various methods of NFP have their different instructions for observations and have their own rules. We should be very clear about this.

billingsMentor aims to teach a beginner how to observe and record her fertility symptoms. So it is not surprising that an experienced teacher would find data entry time consuming. There are novice and advanced levels which allow more streamlined data entry.

If the woman observes and records properly then the system performs the other NFP tasks of charting (including stamp selection, Peak and BIP recognition) and rule interpretation for her.

billingsMentor can be used as a learning system or for decision support by a person who is uncertain about the rules.

billingsMentor can be used for teaching when both teacher and client have the software installed. The documents are transferred by email attachment.

We believe that billingsMentor will prove very helpful for post adolescent teenagers who can now learn fertility awareness just by following the guidance in the privacy of their own PC or laptop. In future it is intended to release versions for the new portable devices.

In response to a’s comment “The program actually messed up my computer quite badly“, I have spoken to the developer of billingsMentor who tells me billingsMentor is implemented using industry standard tools for Microsoft Windows. It is extremely unlikely that billingsMentor could cause a problem with a computer.

billingsMentor can be downloaded at www.billingsmentor.org

There is a free trial period of 35 days without obligation. A licence costs $20 one-off payment per computer.

Audrey

[Guest guest]

Dear List Members

In response to a’s comments on billingsMentor. (www.billingsMentor.org)

a Van Uden wrote: I do think billingsmentor can be a very helpful tool, but I do not think it is an adequate substitute for the personalized support of a teacher - especially for clients feeling distressed about NFP. No software or program would be, it cannot communicate with the client about their misunderstandings or concerns. Any sort of tool like this used in conjunction with the personalized support of a teacher can be very useful! Used apart from personalized support, I have concerns.

Reply: There are approximately 1.5 billion fertile women in the world. How many NFP teachers are there?

a Van Uden wrote: "If the woman observes and records properly then the system performs the other NFP tasks of charting." This is precisely what concerns me. What if she's confused about what she's observing or what to record?

Reply: billingsMentor is a learning tool. It always leads the woman to guidance, for both observing and recording. In teaching situations the woman can remain confused for days or weeks before she makes contact with a teacher. If the woman enters a daily record into billingsMentor it is examined in context and feed back is given immediately.

a Van Uden wrote: What if she creates phony observations to try to make the software perform a charting task? Perhaps she is ignoring her actual observations and putting in what she thinks she should be observing at a particular time?

Reply: That sort of behaviour is treated on its merits in billingsMentor and can be the basis for learning. If a woman wants to experiment with different charting situations that are not her own, she is able to do this to her benefit. This is the classic tutorial method used in most learning environments.

a Van Uden wrote: Clients do this on their paper charts all the time when they are unsure. This is the sort of thing instructors watch for and discuss during follow-ups, whether they are face to face or by phone or by email.

Reply: billingsMentor is an interactive system and gives the user feedback in real time.

a Van Uden wrote: If the observation itself isn't done accurately, using the right stamp or applying the right rule will be irrelevant. I've instructed many long distance clients by email (not ideal, but do-able). It's been my experience that most clients simply want to be able to check in with a real person when they have questions or when they are anxious - even if that contact is by phone or email.

Reply: The first aim of billingsMentor is to ensure that observation and recording are done well. Clients do not contact a teacher every time an uncertainty arises, that is typical human behaviour. billingsMentor detects when the descriptions of the symptoms are not yielding an interpretable pattern and advises the user to contact our teaching staff.

a Van Uden wrote: I don't think the developers of billingsmentor should ignore that need, but find ways to work with it. This is what the developer of nfpcharting.com has done. The nfpcharting.com client charts are very accessible to instructors. We simply log in to our account, click on the client's chart in our Student List, and there it is! We can be on the phone together, the client makes the corrections as we discuss them, I hit "refresh" - and there is the updated chart on my screen. No transferring of attachments back and forth. It's instant and it's simple.

Reply: The developer of billingsMentor pioneered that type of facility in the 1990’s. It has been available on www.woomb.org for the last eight years and more than a thousand women have been taught successfully that way. However the vast majority of people who visit the service do not proceed. Reasons are fears about privacy, payment for service (people are looking for free information on the internet) and the accepted learning paradigm for the internet which is self education.

a Van Uden wrote: The objective isn't to do the charting for them, but to empower them to do the charting for themselves with confidence. It's to empower them with the understanding of what their observations mean and why the different rules are applied at different times. Maybe we should be discussing how to provide more online instructors for those who don't have one locally? My concern is that a computer program, by itself, may not be the best solution.

Reply: The problem of remote location of a teacher has been answered by the internet. Because a system can make a decision on behalf of the woman does not mean it does not provide a learning opportunity. As already stated the woman is free to experiment with all sorts of patterns as a learning method.

One of the main impacts of billingsMentor will be for post adolescent teenagers who can now learn fertility awareness in the privacy of their own PC or laptop or in the future on a portable device.

Audrey

Re: I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

Dear List Members,

I am very familiar with billingsMentor.

If a woman or couple have convenient access to good instruction, this is the advisable way for them to obtain assistance. billingsMentor is helping women who do not have this opportunity or choose, for a variety of reasons, not to use the face to face way of learning.

billingsMentor represents a major step forward in e-learning for NFP (in this case the Billings Method). Of course the various methods of NFP have their different instructions for observations and have their own rules. We should be very clear about this.

billingsMentor aims to teach a beginner how to observe and record her fertility symptoms. So it is not surprising that an experienced teacher would find data entry time consuming. There are novice and advanced levels which allow more streamlined data entry.

If the woman observes and records properly then the system performs the other NFP tasks of charting (including stamp selection, Peak and BIP recognition) and rule interpretation for her.

billingsMentor can be used as a learning system or for decision support by a person who is uncertain about the rules.

billingsMentor can be used for teaching when both teacher and client have the software installed. The documents are transferred by email attachment.

We believe that billingsMentor will prove very helpful for post adolescent teenagers who can now learn fertility awareness just by following the guidance in the privacy of their own PC or laptop. In future it is intended to release versions for the new portable devices.

In response to a’s comment “The program actually messed up my computer quite badly“, I have spoken to the developer of billingsMentor who tells me billingsMentor is implemented using industry standard tools for Microsoft Windows. It is extremely unlikely that billingsMentor could cause a problem with a computer.

billingsMentor can be downloaded at www.billingsmentor.org

There is a free trial period of 35 days without obligation. A licence costs $20 one-off payment per computer.

Audrey

[Guest guest]

Thank you. I think that we need both the extremely simple (2 day rule) AND the very complex (monitors, urine sticks, charts and computers) to reach all the folks who need to be reached. Let us work together towards that goal. The 2 day method is very frustrating to a couple experiencing constant discharge. The standard days method requires much more abstinence than an individually based method. The monitors are cost prohibitive for many, and charting can be a hassle for the semi-literate. But there is a method of NFP for just about every circumstance, let us work to make that available and known to all.alicia huntley cnm Re: I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

Dear Dominic,

Re: NFP charts

It is important that we be clear about what is necessary and sufficient for the practice of NFP.

It is not necessary for the billingsMentor user to know how to chart or how to read a chart. The purpose of the chart is for those who wish to attain fertility awareness.

The only thing a woman must do for the practice of NFP is to observe and report her fertility symptoms adequately.

billingsMentor interprets the symptoms and gives advice for avoiding or achieving a pregnancy on a daily basis.

The chart is a visualization of fertility that is used primarily for review. It may not be the best form of visualization. An auralization may be a better presentation for many

users.

All such presentations could be generated by billingsMentor to serve e-learning.

billingsMentor generates a chart because it is an accepted part of the Billings Method today.

It remains that it is sufficient for the user to observe and record adequately.

Audrey

Re: I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

Dear List Members,

I am very familiar with billingsMentor.

If a woman or couple have convenient access to good instruction, this is the advisable way for them to obtain assistance. billingsMentor is helping women who

do not have this opportunity or choose, for a variety of reasons, not to use the face to face way of learning.

billingsMentor represents a major step forward in e-learning for NFP (in this case the Billings Method).

Of course the various methods of NFP have their different instructions for observations and have their own rules. We should be very clear about this.

billingsMentor aims to teach a beginner how to observe and record her fertility symptoms. So it is not surprising that an experienced teacher would find data

entry time consuming. There are novice and advanced levels which allow more streamlined data entry.

If the woman observes and records properly then the system performs the other NFP tasks of charting (including stamp selection, Peak and BIP recognition) and

rule interpretation for her.

billingsMentor can be used as a learning system or for decision support by a person who is uncertain about the rules.

billingsMentor can be used for teaching when both teacher and client have the software installed. The documents are transferred by email attachment.

We believe that billingsMentor will prove very helpful for post adolescent teenagers who can now learn fertility awareness just by following the guidance in

the privacy of their own PC or laptop. In future it is intended to release versions for the new portable devices.

In response to a’s comment “The program actually messed up my computer quite badly“, I have spoken to the developer of billingsMentor who tells me billingsMentor

is implemented using industry standard tools for Microsoft Windows. It is extremely unlikely that billingsMentor could cause a problem with a computer.

billingsMentor can be downloaded at

www.billingsmentor.org

There is a free trial period of 35 days without obligation. A licence costs $20 one-off payment per computer.

Audrey

ahuntley@...

http://fructusventris.stblogs.org

[Guest guest]

Steve,As a Marquette Method instructor, I introduce my clients to the Clearblue fertility monitor. One physician that I instructed asked me several months later why I taught the other symptoms of fertility because after four children, she found it so reliable she abandoned the other signs, other than keeping a "back up" eye on her mucus sign. At first I thought that the price was prohibitive, but virtually all my clients return to the second class with a monitor (which can be purchased second hand on eBay and reset). Many young people today have other expensive technology already AND they are very comfortable with it. One even located a website that allows you to chart a wide array of methods by computer. I often teach couples who've used other methods for several years and when they are ready to limit their family size, they come to me for a refresher. We review all the traditional signs taught by their previous method and then I tell them what I know about the monitor. They, too, often opt for the technology. While it isn't something you'll find in the streets of Calcutta anytime soon, it is very easy for anyone to learn.God bless, RoskoTo: nfpprofessionals From: stephenusala@...Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:02:04 -0500Subject: Re: I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

:I agree with both you and Dominic.Technology for NFP/ovulation prediction-timing is available and should be aggressively pursued, but more needs to be done.

We need more accurate and powerful technology to signal the potential period of fertility and the transition to the luteal phase. There is still skepticism of available NFP techniques by the majority of the medical profession and the public. Sadly, we do need a 'stand-alone' device that is as simple as an iPod App to signal 'green' and 'red'. Until then - the Persona, CycleBeads, OM, STM, Creighton, etc.

Steve J. Usala, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P.Private Practice, Endocrinology & Diabetes, Amarillo Medical SpecialistsClinical Associate Professor, Dept of Med, TTU HSC, Amarillo, TX

Adjunct Associate Professor, Dept of Chemical Engineering, Lubbock, TXVice President, AMS Rheology & Reproductioncell: fax: ofc:

email: stephenusala@...On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 10:12 AM, Fehring, wrote:

Dominic:

There already exists – high and low technology that can and do replace charting.

There is the Persona hormonal monitor available in Europe – made by Swiss Precisions Diagnostics and other electronic devices.

There are the CycleBeads – which are a form of low technology. I guess you could consider the beads a chart?

I am not sure what you envision – when you say technology to replace charting. One of the concepts going around the contraceptive/family planning world is

“forgettable contraception” – as an ideal, i.e., the IUD, sterilization, long term injection. I doubt if you mean something like that. From a health standpoint it is better and healthier for the woman to chart her cycles and fertility in some simple way.

It is even recommended by the American Pediatric Association for teens.

Marquette University

From: nfpprofessionals [mailto:nfpprofessionals ]

On Behalf Of Dominic

Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2010 8:56 AM

To: nfpprofessionals

Subject: Re: I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

Yes agreed but that has nothing to do with what I wrote, which is to call for the eventual technology that can supplant and replace charting completely; obviously

the mentor is not that technology.

Sincerely yours,

Dominic M. Pedulla MD, FACC, CNFPMC, ABVM, ACPh

Interventional Cardiologist, Endovascular Diplomate, Varicose Vein Specialist, Noncontraceptive Family Planning Consultant, Family Planning Researcher

Medical Director, The Oklahoma Vein and Endovascular Center (www.noveinok.com, veininfo@...)

Executive Director, The Edith Stein Foundation (www.theedithsteinfoundation.com)

(office)

(cell)

(FAX)

pedullad@...

"And he departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here."

- St. Augustine

Re: I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

Dear Dominic,

Re: NFP charts

It is important that we be clear about what is necessary and sufficient for the practice of NFP.

It is not necessary for the billingsMentor user to know how to chart or how to read a chart. The purpose of the chart is for those who wish to attain fertility awareness.

The only thing a woman must do for the practice of NFP is to observe and report her fertility symptoms adequately.

billingsMentor interprets the symptoms and gives advice for avoiding or achieving a pregnancy on a daily basis.

The chart is a visualization of fertility that is used primarily for review. It may not be the best form of visualization. An auralization may be a better presentation for many

users.

All such presentations could be generated by billingsMentor to serve e-learning.

billingsMentor generates a chart because it is an accepted part of the Billings Method today.

It remains that it is sufficient for the user to observe and record adequately.

Audrey

Re: I need your help: extremely difficult pastoral situation

Dear List Members,

I am very familiar with billingsMentor.

If a woman or couple have convenient access to good instruction, this is the advisable way for them to obtain assistance. billingsMentor is helping women who

do not have this opportunity or choose, for a variety of reasons, not to use the face to face way of learning.

billingsMentor represents a major step forward in e-learning for NFP (in this case the Billings Method).

Of course the various methods of NFP have their different instructions for observations and have their own rules. We should be very clear about this.

billingsMentor aims to teach a beginner how to observe and record her fertility symptoms. So it is not surprising that an experienced teacher would find data

entry time consuming. There are novice and advanced levels which allow more streamlined data entry.

If the woman observes and records properly then the system performs the other NFP tasks of charting (including stamp selection, Peak and BIP recognition) and

rule interpretation for her.

billingsMentor can be used as a learning system or for decision support by a person who is uncertain about the rules.

billingsMentor can be used for teaching when both teacher and client have the software installed. The documents are transferred by email attachment.

We believe that billingsMentor will prove very helpful for post adolescent teenagers who can now learn fertility awareness just by following the guidance in

the privacy of their own PC or laptop. In future it is intended to release versions for the new portable devices.

In response to a’s comment “The program actually messed up my computer quite badly“, I have spoken to the developer of billingsMentor who tells me billingsMentor

is implemented using industry standard tools for Microsoft Windows. It is extremely unlikely that billingsMentor could cause a problem with a computer.

billingsMentor can be downloaded at

www.billingsmentor.org

There is a free trial period of 35 days without obligation. A licence costs $20 one-off payment per computer.

Audrey