Plan or Prevent Pregnancy with Cyclebeads
How Do I Use CycleBeads? The day you start your period, move the black rubber ring onto the red bead. Mark this day on the calander provided. Each day you move the ring over one bead, always in the direction the arrow points. When the ring is on the red bead or a brown bead, there is low likelihood of getting pregnant. You can have intercourse on these days without getting pregnant. When the ring is on a white bead there is a high likelihood of getting pregnant if you have unprotected intercourse.
The Standard Days Method is a method of natural family planning developed by the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University. It is based on research that found that a woman’s fertile phase starts five days before ovulation and lasts through the day of ovulation. This fertile phase is related to the life span of sperm. Sperm can remain alive in a woman’s reproductive tract for five days, and the egg can be fertilized for up to 24 hours after being released from the ovary.
Researchers wanted to know the days a woman is most likely to get pregnant. They found that in a 26-32 day cycle, days 8-19 are a woman’s most fertile days. To achieve pregnancy, she should have intercouse on these days.
The probability of pregnancy increases from 4% five days before ovulation to almost 30% just before ovulation, and decreases again to 8% on the day of ovulation. The probability of pregnancy is then virtually zero for the rest of the cycle.
How do I know if my cycle length is between 26 and 32 days?
You do not need a record of your previous cycles, just answer a few questions.
- Do my periods usually come about when I expect them?
- When did my last period start?
- When do I think my next period will start?
- How many days are there between the day my last period
started and the day I think my next period will start?
If you can tell by answering these questions that your cycles are likely to be between 26 and 32 days long, you can use CycleBeads. If you are still not sure, it would be a good idea for you to use the CycleBeads or a calendar for two or three cycles just to keep track of your cycle lengths. But you should not rely on this as a way to prevent pregnancy until you are sure your cycles are usually between 26 and 32 days long.
