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There are many factors to consider when looking at birth control options, and cost is an important one. If the cost is too high, a person is less likely to use a family planning method for a long time or use it consistently. This means that a woman is more likely to be at risk for an unplanned pregnancy.  Women are especially hard hit by this financial burden, since they are most often the ones responsible for making family planning decisions.  

We decided to look at average annual cost, because it is the fairest way of comparing the relative costs of different methods. A method that requires a one time purchase, like an IUD, may have a hefty price of about $700. However, it can be used for as long as 10 years, which makes it somewhat more economical on an annual basis than one might imagine at first - though we should note that the average length of use for an IUD is likely to be much shorter than the 10 years the manufacturer claims. Meanwhile, condoms are cheap individually at about $1.25 per unit on average; however, the annual cost for a year of coverage with condoms might be a higher than expected, given that they must be purchased for every act of intercourse.  

Posted in: Birth Control Cost, Contraceptive Options, Birth Control Options

Please join us for the How to Plan or Prevent Pregnancy Naturally Webinar on June 26, 2013 at 1pm EDT (10am PT). Registrations is here. 

This 30-minute webinar will look at fertility awareness-based family planning methods and in particular at the Standard Days Method® of family planning. If you are interested in using this family planning method or are already using it, but have questions, this webinar is for you. It will provide information on: 

Posted in: Fertility Awareness, Womens Health, CycleBeads

Please join us for the How to Plan or Prevent Pregnancy Naturally Webinar on May 30, 2013 1:00 PM Eastern Time by registering at: 

Posted in: Fertility Awareness, Womens Health

"If you tell someone you use a 'natural family planning' method they often have a different reaction than if you tell them you are using 'fertility awareness'" says Kate Abrams. Kate has been using the Standard Days Method® with CycleBeads® for years and told us that she always thought of the terms as interchangeable, but over time she has found that people often respond differently to the words she uses.

"When I told my doctor a few years ago that I was using a natural family planning method she asked if it was 'because of my faith'. I was surprised since my religion doesn't have anything to do with my decision to use a natural method." she says. "When I told a friend I was using 'fertility awareness' for birth control, she immediately understood that this was about knowledge and just understanding my body.

At first I thought it might just be those two individuals, but after talking to different people over the years I've definitely found there's a difference. 'Natural family planning' is often associated with religion while 'fertility awareness' seems to make people think of empowerment. But way more people understand the term 'natural family planning" than understand 'fertility awareness' so I often end up using both."

We've seen this difference in perception too, and while the terms "natural family planning" and "fertility awareness" generally mean the same thing, it's important to know that to some people they convey different meanings. 

Thanks for sharing your story Kate.

See an earlier article on this topic here: Natural Family Planning, NFP, Fertility Awareness - What Does it All Mean?

Posted in: Fertility Awareness, Natural Birth Control

Our latest video highlights that there are three distinct tools for using the Standard Days Method - CycleBeads Online, iCycleBeads smartphone apps, and of course...CycleBeads. Check it out!

Check out our new video which shows you how easy it is to get started using CycleBeads Online.

Interested in learning about ALL the features on CycleBeads Online? Check out this new video!

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

Recently we ran a series on the CycleBeads blog, called Top 10 Myths About CycleBeads. In case you missed it, here is the list translated into the Top 10 Facts About CycleBeads.  To see the original articles explaining  the myths and responding in detail, see the links below:

Fact #1:  CycleBeads is a Highly Effective method of birth control

Fact #2:  Women are Interested in using a natural method.

Fact #3:   CycleBeads is NOT the Rhythm Method

Fact #4:   Women primarily choose CycleBeads for Health Reasons and to Avoid Side Effects.

Fact #5:   CycleBeads accommodates a Range of Cycle Lengths from 26 to 32 days which means most women can use this method.

Fact #6:   Men are Interested in having their partner use CycleBeads and like being involved.

Fact #7:   Couples using CycleBeads Have Sex Just as Often as couples using other methods.

Fact #8:  CycleBeads takes into account the Variation in the Timing of Ovulation from month to month.

Fact #9:  Women generally have No Problem Remembering to move the CycleBeads marker daily.

Fact #10:  CycleBeads is Highly Effective and has been shown to expand Contraceptive Prevalence and bring New Users to family planning.

Posted in: CycleBeads, Birth Control Effectiveness, Birth Control Side Effects, Womens Health

Posted in: Birth Control Cost, Birth Control Effectiveness, Birth Control Options, Birth Control Side Effects, CycleBeads, Natural Birth Control