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WOOMB International 27 Alexandra Parade, North Fitzroy 3068, Australia Telephone: +61 3 9481 1722 Fax: +61 3 9482 4208 email: thebillingsmethod@woomb.org Website: www.woomb.org 5th April, 2007 Mr Tony Eastley
Thank you for informing the public on the ABC AM show on Tuesday, 3rd April, 2007 of the recent death of Dr John Billings. I was pleased to participate on this show and give some insights into the work of this incredible doctor, scientist and compassionate human being. Thank you for this opportunity. It was however a disservice to this great man that the announcement of his death was sullied by extraneous and erroneous information. The comment that the Billings Ovulation Method was “far from fool proof and because of the odds on falling pregnant it was nicknamed ”Vatican roulette” was unfortunate, misinformed and outdated. This statement was insulting to the memory of this great man whose discovery of the significance of cervical mucus to fertility was revolutionary. The Billings Ovulation Method is not based on guessing when fertility might be as was the Rhythm Method. The Billings Ovulation Method is a unique, scientifically validated method which gives the couple accurate knowledge of the times of infertility, the beginning of fertility and the time of ovulation. There is no “luck” involved. It involves knowledge and decision making. The fact that some couples might choose to have intercourse over a time of known fertility is their choice and it would not be surprising or “unlucky” if conception occurs as a result of having intercourse over this time. In fact that is one of the advantages of the Billings Ovulation Method. Not only does it give couples accurate information when not to have intercourse if their desire is to avoid pregnancy, but also gives them accurate information as to the time of optimum fertility when they wish to conceive. An Australian study on the Efficacy of the Billings Ovulation Method in the Achievement of Pregnancy is being prepared for publication. The result of this study where the outcome is known for 355 participants a pregnancy rate of 78.3% was achieved. 207 of these participants had been classified sub-fertile or infertile before entry. The Billings Ovulation Method is known worldwide as a scientifically validated, effective, simple to use, cost-effective method of achieving or avoiding pregnancy which is compatible
To have Dr Mukesh Haikerwal who is obviously ill-informed and has given questionable statistical figures as the other person interviewed for this report on the death of a prominent Victorian/Australian who has contributed significantly to the reproductive health of the global community was disappointing. We have written separately to Dr Haikerwal asking for the references to his figures. A copy of this letter is attached. Sadly, your report on the ABC AM show has been transmitted throughout the world and the quotes of Dr Haikerwal are appearing in obituaries to this great man in such esteemed publications as the New York Times and the Washington Post. John Billings strove during his life to bring the realisation of the significance of cervical mucus to fertility to the world. This discovery was revolutionary. It eliminated the guesswork and made the old methods of natural family planning which were quoted obsolete. It has been proved beyond doubt by the worldwide scientific community that his discovery is accurate and he will go down in history as having made a valuable contribution to our understanding of the complexities of reproduction and fertility. It is a disservice to this great man that the announcement of his death was sullied by extraneous and erroneous information. These inaccuracies need clarification by the ABC, especially on your ABC on-line which appears to be where most obituary writers have gained their information. Your superficial investigative journalism reflects poorly on the ABC particularly now that this inaccurate information has been disseminated to the world. We have received international feedback indicating amazement at the standard of this reporting. We would be interested in your response. Sincerely, Marian Corkill WOOMB International 5th April, 2007 Mr Michael Vincent
Thank you for the opportunity to be involved in your report on the ABC AM program on Tuesday, 3rd April following the death of Dr John Billings. I was pleased to participate and give some insights into the work of this incredible doctor, scientist and compassionate human being. It was however a disservice to this great man that the announcement of his death was sullied by extraneous and erroneous information. Your comment that the Billings Ovulation Method was “far from fool proof and because of the odds on falling pregnant it was nicknamed ”Vatican roulette” was unfortunate, misinformed and outdated. This statement was insulting to the memory of this great man whose discovery of the significance of cervical mucus to fertility was revolutionary. The Billings Ovulation Method is not based on guessing when fertility might be as was the Rhythm Method. The Billings Ovulation Method is a unique, scientifically validated method which gives the couple accurate knowledge of the times of infertility, the beginning of fertility and the time of ovulation. There is no “luck” involved. It involves knowledge and decision making. The fact that some couples might choose to have intercourse over a time of known fertility is their choice and it would not be surprising or “unlucky” if conception occurs as a result of having intercourse over this time. In fact that is one of the advantages of the Billings Ovulation Method. Not only does it give couples accurate information when not to have intercourse if their desire is to avoid pregnancy, but also gives them accurate information as to the time of optimum fertility when they wish to conceive. Unfortunately your report did not allude to its success in this area. An Australian study on the Efficacy of the Billings Ovulation Method in the Achievement of Pregnancy is being prepared for publication. The result of this study for 355 participants reveals a pregnancy rate of 78.3% was achieved. 207 of these participants had been classified sub-fertile or infertile before entry.
To have Dr Mukesh Haikerwal who is obviously ill-informed and has given questionable statistical figures as the other person interviewed for this report on the death of a prominent Victorian/Australian who has contributed significantly to the reproductive health of the global community was disappointing. We have written separately to Dr Haikerwal asking for the references to his figures. A copy of this letter is attached. Sadly, your report on the ABC AM show has been transmitted throughout the world and the quotes of Dr Haikerwal are appearing in obituaries to this great man in such esteemed publications as the New York Times and the Washington Post. John Billings strove during his life to bring the realisation of the significance of cervical mucus to fertility to the world. This discovery was revolutionary. It eliminated the guesswork and made the old methods of natural family planning which were quoted obsolete. It has been proved beyond doubt by the world-wide scientific community that his discovery is accurate and he will go down in history as having made a valuable contribution to our understanding of the complexities of reproduction and fertility. It is a disservice to this great man that the announcement of his death was sullied by extraneous and erroneous information. Your superficial investigative journalism reflects poorly on the ABC particularly now that this inaccurate information has been disseminated to the world. The bias in your interview in which you appeared to have difficulty in separating John Billings Catholic faith from his internationally renowned scientific discovery means you have missed an opportunity to adequately honour the passing of a great Australian. We have received international feedback indicating amazement at the standard of this reporting. We would be interested in your response. Sincerely, Marian Corkill WOOMB International 5th April, 2007 Dear Dr Mukesh Haikerwal,
While you did acknowledge that Dr Billings made a contribution to our understanding of fertility, this has been overshadowed by your comments about the effectiveness of the Billings Ovulation Method in avoiding pregnancy and your quote of figures for other contraceptive methods. We are particularly interested in your quote: “If you look at other methods, at other failures, the condoms are at one in 100, the Pill’s about 1 in 1,000, the implantable device is better than one in 10,000. This was significantly less successful than the condom.” Please give us your references for these figures. We query your figures because the statement on the WHO website: Unfortunately the figures in the WHO table for natural methods are all classified under one section and includes periodic abstinence, Calendar, Ovulation method, Sympto-Thermal and Post-ovulation. It does not classify specifically the Billings Ovulation Method – a name recommended by WHO to the Drs Billings in the 1970s because of the confusion with other methods not following the guidelines developed by the Billings. It only gives a typical use for periodic abstinence of 25% and a perfect use of 9% with 51% continuing after one year. These figures are not surprising as it would include all those couples who are abstaining by counting days in their cycle without the knowledge of the signs of their fertility. It is unjust that these figures are all classified as one and should not be used when discussing the Billings Ovulation Method, a specific method based on a scientifically validated understanding of the accurate signs of fertility and infertility. However, even if the WHO figure quoted of 2% perfect use of the Ovulation Method is used, this is a much better result than 5% as quoted for the condom. The most recent trial, conducted in China, of the Billings Ovulation Method as taught by the Drs Billings, has shown a method pregnancy rate of 0.0% and a user related pregnancy rate of 0.5%. What is also significant is that in this country where only effective methods of family planning are approved, the continuation rate after one year reported in
An Indian trial conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research showed a method pregnancy rate of 0.85%. http://www.woomb.org/bom/trials/index.html. As the President of the AMA you would be interested to know that the Ovulation Method Research and Reference Centre of Australia Ltd, founded by Drs John and Lyn Billings is an Accredited Provider for the RACGP QA&CPD program. As such it presents ALMs to GPs as part of their continuing education program. The results of these activities (reported in the RACGP QA&CPD Provider News June 2006) indicate that in the pre-session evaluations doctors have inadequate knowledge of the signs of fertility which improves greatly during the course of the activity. 96% of doctors attending these activities indicated that the knowledge gained is useful in diagnosis and 100% agreed they met their learning objectives and they would recommend attendance to peers. After more than 50 years development of the Billings Ovulation Method, extensive scientific research and numerous trials, Dr John Billings died believing that the medical community was indeed searching for the truth and beginning to realize the importance of his discovery. John Billings strove during his life to bring to the world the realisation of the significance of cervical mucus to fertility. This discovery was revolutionary. It eliminated the guesswork and made the old methods of natural family planning which you have quoted obsolete. It has been proved beyond doubt by the world-wide scientific community that his discovery is accurate and he will go down in history as having made a valuable contribution to our understanding of the complexities of reproduction and fertility. It is a disservice to this great man that the announcement of his death was sullied by extraneous and erroneous information. Sadly, the quotes in your report to the ABC AM show have been transmitted throughout the world and are appearing in obituaries to this great man in such esteemed publications as the New York Times and the Washington Post. We would like to offer you an invitation to attend the Sunday morning of our forthcoming Conference (attached). We believe you would be interested in hearing the papers of Dr Mary Martin, an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist practicing in Oklahoma USA, Dr Mark Whitty a GP from Dublin and Marie Marshell, the team leader of a Study on the Efficacy of the Billings Ovulation Method in achieving pregnancy. We look forward to seeing the references you claim. Sincerely, Marian Corkill
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