News/Blog

CycleBeads® and the Standard Days Method® on which it is based are included as a contraceptive option that can help address worldwide family planning needs in a special series on Impatient Optimists, a blog created by The Gates Foundation. The series, called “What’s Your Method?” looks at different family planning technologies and asks experts to write articles explaining these technologies, their benefits, and the challenges with making them available to women globally.

The article, "Keeping An Open Mind: What the Evidence Tells Us About the Standard Days Method" by Victoria Jennings, PhD, and Elaine Murphy, PhD. looks at research which shows that this highly effective fertility awareness-based method attracts new users to family planning and is especially attractive to women and couples who normally wish to avoid hormonal and surgical methods. The Standard Days Method has brought significant numbers of new users to family planning in developing countries and has addressed a number of associated issues in a positive way. 

As stated on the Impatient Optimist blog, “Not every method is right for every woman. A variety of [family planning] options must be available for each woman to find the best fit for her and her family.”

We couldn’t agree more!

Posted in: International Family Planning, Birth Control Options, Contraceptive Options, Womens Health

CycleBeads are now available through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to international NGO's This natural family planning tool is included in the AccessRH Catalog and can be ordered along with other health supplies in an efficient, low cost manner. The AccessRH Catalog is designed to offer a huge range of reproductive health and related products to NGO's around the world. The catalog contains everything from condoms to hormonal contraceptives and includes only those products and manufacturers that have been fully vetted for quality and price.  CycleBeads is the only fertility awareness-based family planning method that can be ordered through this procurement system. More information is available at www.myaccessrh.org

Posted in: CycleBeads, International Family Planning

You are likely familiar with CycleBeads® as a tool for using the Standard Days Method® of family planning and as an aid for health care providers and health educators to teach about fertility awareness.  But CycleBeads also plays an important role as a product for social impact.  In a series of case studies, researchers at the Stanford Graduate School of Business included CycleBeads among the solutions they examined to find out what it takes to commercialize a health-innovation product in the global market place.

Posted in: International Family Planning, Research, Womens Health

CycleBeads are included as a part of the Global Health Innovation Insight Series.  The Global Health Innovation Project at Stanford University series is intended to develop tools and materials that innovators can use to increase their effectiveness in tackling common business-related issues in low resource settings.  The Insight Series looks at companies and products who have navigated these situations and are willing to share their learnings with others.

A number of the issues that we have faced with introducing CycleBeads over the past 10 years, and that are relevant to other innovative health products, are described in these articles. These issues include:

Posted in: CycleBeads, International Family Planning, Womens Health, Education

CycleBeads®, a natural birth control tool, is now available through Maternova, a one-stop shop for products that help save the lives of mothers and newborns. CycleBeads enables a woman to plan or prevent pregnancy by tracking her cycles and identifying her potentially fertile days. It is based on the Standard Days Method®, a highly effective natural family planning method.

Says Maternova Vice President, Allyson Cote, “As the first global Maternal Health marketplace and cutting-edge online community, Maternova is delighted to include CycleBeads in our robust portfolio of leading innovations. Maternova is dedicated to improving the lives of mothers and newborns, along with improving patient outcomes in low-resource settings. CycleBeads is a true innovation that provides a highly effective method of natural family planning.”

Posted in: International Family Planning, CycleBeads, Birth Control Cost, Birth Control Effectiveness, Birth Control Options, Womens Health

1. It is based on sound understanding of reproductive biology,
2. It follows a precise protocol for correct use, and
3. It has been tested in an appropriately designed study to assess efficacy under various conditions.

Posted in: CycleBeads, International Family Planning

CycleBeads are available from Benin to Belgium, from East Timor to Ecuador, and from Uganda to the United States. Women in over 50 countries use this natural family planning option to plan or prevent pregnancy. 

How do they get them? CycleBeads are available throughout much of the world through healthcare providers, educators, retailers, NGO’s, Ministries of Health and of course... online! 

Posted in: Natural Birth Control, CycleBeads, International Family Planning

In a recent TEDTalk, Melinda Gates eloquently outlined why contraception should not be considered a "controversial" topic and the importance of giving people everywhere access to a full range of family planning options.  Thank you Ms. Gates, for your willingness to lend your voice to this important issue... And of course, we were thrilled that CycleBeads were included among the full range of family planning options!

Posted in: Contraceptive Options, CycleBeads, International Family Planning, Womens Health, Education

While unplanned pregnancies among teens in the U.S. is at the lowest rate in years, American teenagers are still getting pregnant at a much higher rate than their counterparts in other countries – 3x more often than teens in Germany and France, and 4x more often than teens in the Netherlands. In 2010, unplanned pregnancies among U.S. teens dropped to 34.3 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 according to the most recent health statistics. That’s great news, but it’s still the highest teen pregnancy rate among developed nations.

Posted in: Birth Control Effectiveness, Birth Control Options, Contraceptive Options, International Family Planning, Womens Health

As mentioned in a previous article on family planning in the Philippines, birth control and sex education in this Catholic country can be difficult to come by. To combat this problem, one city started requiring family planning courses for all couples planning to get married. In Marakina City engaged couples attend courses on responsible parenting and go to a health center to discuss their birth control options. There they are offered a full range of family planning options from hormonal methods to natural methods such as the Standard Days Method™ using CycleBeads®. The couples receive their preferred contraceptive option free of charge from the city through donations from the United Nations Population Fund, the Department of Health, and other donors. After the couples are married, Family Health volunteers visit their homes to answer questions and provide support.

The following are just a couple of their stories…

Posted in: Birth Control Options, CycleBeads, International Family Planning, Natural Birth Control, Womens Health