News/Blog

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

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are changing people’s lifestyles at a rapid pace, including how they manage their health care.  Health care providers and patients are increasingly communicating via mobile technology and many doctors are actually prescribing health apps to their patients for everything from pill reminders to managing their diabetes to using a family planning method (hello CycleBeads!).The development and adoption of health apps has exploded in a short time, and continues to grow with thousands of medical apps available for mobile devices.  Experts forecast that mobile health (or mHealth as the industry is becoming known) is going to change how healthcare is delivered and managed over the next few years.

Posted in: mHealth, Technology, Birth Control Options, CycleBeads, Education

Great work is highlighted in the video "A Healthy Investment: Linking Family Planning and Microfinance" which looks at how a collaborative project in India is working to improve women's access to family planning by working with community health workers. CycleBeads® is included in the full range of family planning options that these health workers proactively discuss with women in their communities. The educators can then either give women their family planning choice or direct them to the appropriate health care facility.  The video was produced by FHI 360's PROGRESS Project in partnership with the Network of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (NEED). See the video here: http://youtu.be/JrvQznNBXX8

A recent survey of women who had purchased CycleBeads with the intention of planning a pregnancy, indicated interesting results:

-  80% of women using CycleBeads to achieve pregnancy, were pregnant within 6 months and most of these women were pregnant within the first 3 months.

-  Of the women who successfully achieved pregnancy, more than 40% achieved pregnancy in the first month of trying and 75% had achieved pregnancy within 3 months.

-  90% of respondents used CycleBeads as their only conception aid. They did not invest in thermometers or expensive ovulation kits.

Posted in: Pregnancy, Research, Fertility, Fertility Awareness

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

We have found through surveys and feedback from users of CycleBeads that approximately a quarter are using CycleBeads to try to conceive.  So how long does it take to become pregnant when using CycleBeads?  We would like to hear from women who have used or are using CycleBeads to determine their fertile time to achieve pregnancy.

Please take our quick, anonymous survey to share your experience!  

If you have used or are using CycleBeads to get pregnant, we would like to know more . . . 

Check back for survey results!

Posted in: Fertility, Fertility Awareness, Pregnancy

Two recent studies conducted by researchers at the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) at Georgetown University looked at integrating the Standard Days Method® using CycleBeads® into health programs. Results showed that offering this fertility awareness-based family planning method brought new users to family planning and increased overall contraceptive use in general.  It also helps programs fulfill their missions of offering a full range of family planning options by enabling them to offer a non-hormonal, effective option. However, the studies also highlight some of the challenges with introducing a new fertility awareness-based method.

Posted in: CycleBeads, Research, Interviews with Health Providers, Contraceptive Options

We were thrilled to see a review of the iCycleBeads Online service on the Monster Mummies blog by a woman named Michelle. As Michelle says, she and her husband are planning to get pregnant soon and so she has transitioned off of hormonal contraception to make sure her cycles are regular. They are using iCycleBeads Online to initially prevent pregnancy, but plan to start using it to get pregnant in the near future. Her favorite things about iCycleBeads Online?

• "it is actually really simple to understand when you see it."
• "I could log on anywhere (even at work!) to see where I was with my cycle."
• "emails let me know when there is a change in my cycle, very helpful for busy and forgetful people!"
• "it takes the worry and stress of remembering to record everything and gives you one place to record it all online."

Thanks Michelle! We appreciate your feedback.

Want to share your experience with us? Email us at customerservice@cyclebeads.com.

Posted in: mHealth, Technology

Posted in: Womens Health, Fertility Awareness, CycleBeads

It's all in the timing!  When trying to conceive, a couple needs to time intercourse during the woman's fertile days.  

In a recent survey, we learned that about one-fourth of women using CycleBeads or iCycleBeads were trying to conceive.  If you are someone using CycleBeads (or have used CycleBeads) to get pregnant, please take our quick two-question, anonymous survey!

Survey: Reasons for Choosing CycleBeads to PLAN a pregnancy.

Check back to see the survey results!

Posted in: Fertility, Pregnancy, CycleBeads