How do you use CycleBeads?

CycleBeads^®, a color-coded string of beads, facilitates use of the Standard Days Method^® (SDM) by helping women track their menstrual cycle and identify their fertile days. As described below, each bead represents a day of a woman’s menstrual cycle.

	On the first day of your period, move the BLACK RING to the RED bead.
	Mark the first day of your period on your calendar. You need to know this day if you forget to move the ring.
	Each day, move the ring in the direction of the arrow on the cylinder.
	Continue to move the ring one bead each day, even on days when you have your period.
	The day your next period starts, move the ring to the RED bead again. Skip over any remaining brown beads.
	When the ring is on a WHITE bead, you ARE likely to get pregnant if you have unprotected sex.
	When the ring is on any of the BROWN beads, you are not likely to get pregnant if you have unprotected sex.

Additional Resources:

• View a video animation and slideshow about how to use CycleBeads. More instructional videos and testimonies that detail the experience of using SDM with CycleBeads are found on IRH's YouTube channel here.
• Click here for a sampling of instructional inserts used worldwide.

Ordering Information:

For information on how individuals and programs can order CycleBeads, click here. A toolkit to help programs estimate CycleBeads^® demand is also found on this page.