Centro Studi e Ricerche per la Regolazione
Naturale della Fertilità - ISI
Centro ricerca e studi salute procreativa
Centro Pastorale

THE “BILLINGS REVOLUTION”
70 YEARS LATER:
from fertility knowledge
to personalized medicine

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS WOOMB
Catholic University of the Sacred Hearth
Auditorium - Largo Francesco Vito, 1ROME, 28th - 29th APRIL 2023
Scientific Committee
C. Giuliodori, M.L. Di Pietro, P. Pellicanò, M. Antonelli, G. Barker

Organizing Secretariat
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
Continuing Education, CME, congresses and events.
patrizia.delprincipe@unicatt.it
Secretariat Study and Research Centerfor the Natural Regulation of Fertility
Tel +39 06/30154954 - segreteria.regolnatfertil@unicatt.it
Nevena Grazia Montuori - Rossella D’Ambra

With the Contribution of:

PROG
FRIDAY, 28th APRIL 2023
8.00

Participants registration

9.00

Opening of the Congress
MARIA LUISA DI PIETRO

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy

BERNADETTE DAVIESWOOMB International, Australia

Greeting address
On. EUGENIA ROCCELLA

Minister for the Family, Birth Rate and Equal
Opportunities, Italy

Introductive interventions
CLAUDIO GIULIODORI

Ecclesiastical General Assistant, Università Cattolicadel Sacro Cuore, Italy

MASSIMO ANTONELLI

Director of University Centre of Bioethics and LifeSciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy

CLAUDIO CELLI

President of the International Scientific Institute
Paolo VI, Italy

ANTONIO GASBARRINIDean of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery,
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy

GIOVANNI SCAMBIA

Scientific Director of Foundation Policlinico
Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Italy

Inaugural Lecture
On. ALFREDO MANTOVANO

Sottosegretario di Stato alla Presidenzadel Consiglio dei Ministri, Italy

11.00 Later and later, less and less: the woman’s

age as a risk factor for fertility
ANTONIO LANZONE - ROSANNA APA, Italy
11.30 Break
12.00 The “continuum” of ovarian activity:
hormonal profiles in James Brown’s studies
GILLIAN BARKER, Australia
12.30 Cervical mucus, key to fertility: originality andwonder of Erik Odeblad’s discoveries
MICAELA MENARGUEZ, Spain

SESSION II
A revolution for procreative
health: diagnosis and prevention
Moderator: ORNELLA PAROLINI, Italy

15.00 Cervical mucus and the Billings Ovulation

Method: need for a re-evaluation in the eraof personalized medicineRITA BONFIGLIO - VALERIA VERSACE
ANNAMARIA MEROLA, Italy

15.45 Billings Ovulation Method and reproductive

health: building the health awareness
MARIJA CURLIN, Croatia

16.15 Cilinical impact of the Billings Ovulation

Method: Italian expericence
ELENA GIACCHI - AURORA SAPOROSI, Italy

16.45 Coffee break
17.15 Maternal microbiota and impact on fertility

SESSION I
A revolution for science:
history and development ofresearch

Moderator: NICOLETTA DI SIMONE, Italy

10.00 The “Billings Revolution” 70 years later:

an insight that changed history
John Billings Memorial Lecture
PAOLA PELLICANO, Italy
10.30 Preconceptional health in Italy:
knowledge, behavior and needs of womenof childbearing age
MARIA LUISA DI PIETRO - DRIEDA ZAÇE, Italyand pregnancy outcomes
GIANLUCA IANIRO, Italy

17.45 Male fertility: between pathology,

environment and lifestyles
ALFREDO PONTECORVIDOMENICO MILARDI, Italy

GRAM
SATURDAY 29th APRIL 2023
SESSION III
A revolution for culture:
anthropology, education, politics
9.00

Moderator: GABRIELLA GAMBINO, Italy
Fecundity, fertility, openness to life:
intercultural and interreligious debate.
Panel Discussion on experiences ofpromotion and teaching of Natural Fertility
Regulation in different contexts: Coptic andCatholic of various Rites of Egypt, Islam,Protestant, Catholic Latin Rite and Maronite
Rite, Eastern culture and China
Introduction: Father MARCO VIANELLI, Italy
Interventions:
MOUNIR FARAG
MARIE CLAIRE FARAG, Egypt
HEINZ HUERZELER
ANNE HUERZELER, Switzerland
AGATA KOWALSKA
SAMI AL BITAR NEHME, Poland - Lebanon
MARIE MARSHELL, Australia

10.30 Break
11.00 At the heart of human sexuality: theanthropological horizon of the NaturalRegulation of Fertility
H. E. Mons. CLAUDIO GIULIODORI, Italy
Conjugal love and the gift of life: educatingin beauty and truth
LUIS JENSEN - PILAR ESCUDERO, Chile
12.00 A Country without children is a Country
without a future. Dialogue between:
STEFANO ZAMAGNIMARIA LUISA DI PIETRO, Italy
12.40 Fertility preservation: knowledge andattitudes of women with oncologicalpathology
GIOVANNI SCAMBIAGIACOMO CORRADO, Italy

SESSION IV
The “Billings Revolution” aroundthe world
15.00 Presidents: BERNADETTE DAVIES and GILLIANBARKER, WOOMB International, Australia
Moderator: ALICIA PASTOR, Billings Europe,Spain
Interventions of: Representatives of Centres
for the Billings Ovulation Method, WOOMBInternational Affiliates, of different Continents

17.30 Coffee break
18.00 - 20.00

Artistic evening
The gift of love and the gift of life:
Harmonies of Beauty, in art andbeyond art
With the partecipation of:
ALMA MANERA, voice
LEISBERTH ANTONIO MORENO, piano
FLAVIA PASTINA, voice
CONCETTINA ANNA VALERIA SCOPELLITI,
violinAnd... Music from the world

Special guests of some participant Countries

SPEAKERS
SAMI AL BITAR NEHME, PhD, Research Scientist inMicrobiology, Libano

LUIS JENSEN, Membro Dicastero per i Laici, la Famiglia
e la Vita, Instituto de Familias de Schoenstatt, CileROSANNA APA Associato di Ginecologia e Ostetricia,
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italia

AGATA HELENA KOWALSKA, MBBS, Family medicine
resident, Polonia

GILLIAN BARKER, WOOMB International Director,
Australia

ANTONIO LANZONE, Ordinario di Ginecologia eOstetricia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italia

RITA BONFIGLIO, Ricercatore, Dipartimento di Medicina
Sperimentale, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Italia

MARIE MARSHELL, WOOMB International Director,Australia

GIACOMO CORRADO, Dirigente Medico UOC
Ginecologia oncologica, Fondazione Policlinico
Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Italia

MICAELA MENARGUEZ, Profesora de Bioética,
Universidad Catolica San Antonio, Spain

MARIJA ĆURLIN, PhD. Assistant Prof., Department ofHistology and Biology, Catholic University of Croatia,
School of Medicine, Croazia
BERNADETTE DAVIES, WOOMB International Director,Australia
NICOLETTA DE SIMONE, Ordinario di Ginecologia e
Ostetricia, Humanitas University, Italia
MARIA LUISA DI PIETRO, Direttore Centro Ricerca eStudio per la Salute Procreativa, Coordinatore CentroStudi e Ricerche per la Regolazione Naturale dellaFertilità, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italia
PILAR ESCUDERO, Membro Dicastero per i Laici, laFamiglia e la Vita, Instituto de Familias de Schoenstatt,
Cile
MOUNIR FARAG, Presidente Istituto San Giuseppe
per la Famiglia, Bioetica e Regolazione naturale dellafertilità, Egitto
MARIE CLAIRE FARAG, Istituto San Giuseppe per laFamiglia, Bioetica e Regolazione naturale della fertilità;
Coordinatore Metodo dell’Ovulazione Billings, Egitto
GABRIELLA GAMBINO, Sotto-Segretario Dicastero per iLaici, la Famiglia e la Vita, Italia
ELENA GIACCHI, già Dirigente Medico Centro Studie Ricerche per la Regolazione Naturale della Fertilità,
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore; Consultant ofWOOMB Directors, Italia

ANNAMARIA MEROLA, Dirigente Medico UOC
Ostetricia e Patologia ostetrica, Fondazione Policlinico
Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS; Centro Studi eRicerche per la Regolazione Naturale della Fertilità,
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italia
DOMENICO MILARDI, Dirigente Medico, Istituto
Scientifico Internazionale Paolo VI, Università Cattolicadel Sacro Cuore, ItaliaORNELLA PAROLINI, Ordinario di Biologia applicata,
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italia
ALICIA PASTOR, WOOMB Associated Director,
Founding member of Billings Europe, Spagna
PAOLA PELLICANÒ Dirigente Medico, Centro Studi eRicerche per la Regolazione Naturale della Fertilità,
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore; Coordinatore
Nazionale Metodo dell’Ovulazione Billings, Italia
ALFREDO PONTECORVI, Ordinario di Endocrinologia,
Direttore Istituto Scientifico Internazionale Paolo VI,
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italia
AURORA SAPOROSI Dirigente Medico, Centro Studie Ricerche per la Regolazione Naturale della Fertilità,
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore; Consultant ofWOOMB Directors, Italia
GIOVANNI SCAMBIA, Direttore Scientifico,Fondazione
Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Italia

CLAUDIO GIULIODORI, Assistente Ecclesiastico
Generale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italia

VALERIA VERSACE Medico UOC Ostetricia e Patologia
ostetrica, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario
Agostino Gemelli IRCCS; Centro Studi e Ricerche per laRegolazione Naturale della Fertilità, Università Cattolicadel Sacro Cuore, Italia

ANNE HUERZELER, Msc., member Swiss Coordination
Association of NFP-Methods, Svizzera

MARCO VIANELLI, Direttore Ufficio Famiglia della
Conferenza Episcopale Italiana, Italia

HEINZ HUERZELER, Msc., Board member Swiss
Coordination Association of NFP-Methods, Svizzera

DRIEDA ZAÇE, Phd Scienze biomediche e sanità
pubblica, Centro Ricerca e Studio per la Salute
Procreativa, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italia

GIANLUCA IANIRO, Ricercatore, Centro Malattie
Apparato Digerente, Fondazione Policlinico
Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Italia

STEFANO ZAMAGNI, Presidente della Pontificia
Accademia per le Scienze Sociali, Italia

NOTES
Registration
Mode of conducting the congress: in-person andonline
Congress registration fees, including lunches
and coffee breaks:- Euro 200, full fee- Euro 120, fee reserved for Teachers of natural
methods, students, Participants in one of thetraining courses that will follow the congress- Euro 100, online participation fee
To participate it will be necessary to register
online at the following link
https://fopecom-rm.unicatt.it/fopecomonline/
default_eng aspx?Edizione=1&IdEvento=9497
by april 10th 2023

From 30th April morning till 3rd May afternoon
it will be possible to attend, exclusively in person,
one of the Teacher Training Programs in
Billings Ovulation Method:

Official languages of the Congress are Italian andEnglish. Simultaneous translation service will beprovided.
A babysitting service will be available uponrequest (please, indicate it in notes section)

Extension Program for Senior Teachers(English-Italian):
https://fopecom-rm.unicatt.it/fopecomonline/default_eng.aspx?Edizione=1&IdEvento=10025

For those who wish:

Holy Masses
Friday , April 28th at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April
29th at 8 a.m. - Central Church of Sacred Heart
Catholic University
Tourist directions
Recommended sites in the St. Peter - Prati area:- Vatican Museums, free admission last Sundayof the month - it is recommended to arrive
very early (https://m.museivaticani.va/)- Castel Sant’Angelo Museum(http://castelsantangelo.beniculturali.it/)- Welcome to Rome, exhibition and film
screening Corso Vittorio Emanuele 203 - byreservation only (https://welcometo-rome.it/)- Fiera del gelato - Viale Angelico, 52(www.romagelato.it)

Course participation fee, including lunches:- Euro 200, full fee- Euro 140, for congress participants
Basic Training Program for new Teachers (Italian):
https://fopecom-rm.unicatt.it/fopecomonline/default.aspx?Edizione=1&IdEvento=10024
Basic Training Program for new Teachers (English):https://fopecom-rm.unicatt.it/fopecomonline/default_eng.aspx?Edizione=1&IdEvento=10029

Hotel(discounted rates for Congress participants,
subject to availability of rooms)
Hotel Excel - Via degli Scolopi, 31
info.hotelromamontemario@laminhotels.com+39 06/35058043
Hotel Desiderio - Via della Pineta Sacchetti, 225
amministrazione@hoteldesiderioroma.it+39 06/3010015
Casa Don Orione - Via della Camilluccia, 120
casaperferiegp2@gmail.com+39 06/35404767
Hotel Sisto V - Via Lardaria, 10
info@hotelsistov.it+39 06/35072185
Casa S. Emerenziana
Via del Forte Trionfale 2/G
direzione@ospitiaroma.it+39 06/35511314
Gemelli Hotel - Via della Pineta Sacchetti, 229F
info@gemellihotel.com+39 06/35500452
Hotel Pineta Palace - Via S. Lino papa, 35
info@hotelpinetapalace.com+39 06/3013800