Knowledge of a woman's cycle and its irregularities deepens a man's understanding of her and her reactions. Knowing that she is capable of emotional highs and lows adds excitement to living with her. Boring male hormonal consistency and dependability is complemented by the flush and flight of a temperament that both sings and weeps. When people reject natural family planning because of the abstinence involved, it puzzles how they manage in all the many times of abstinence that occur in any case. Abstinence in the flowering relationship is an expression of love and respect, a conquering of oneself in order to mature one's own gift of love in other ways than sexual intimacy, to demonstrate that fidelity is more than sexual.
Abstinence is essential to our nature.
This chart was made by a couple who have been teaching the Billings Ovulation Method for many years. The woman uses as a symbol a red flower for menstruation, a dry twig for a dry day, a twig with green leaves when the mucus begins, and a beautiful flower to mark the Peak day which is the most fertile day of the cycle and means to these people a child. The green leaves continuing for three days after the Peak indicate continuing fertility.