Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The INFO Project

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Dr. Jim Shelton's Pearls "Pearl" for the week of August 31, 2004

Ongoing Monitoring of Cycle with SDM

OK, I see now how to make the initial screening for Standard Days Method (SDM) practical. But once a woman starts SDM is it important for her to monitor her cycles on an ongoing basis to assess regularity and duration of her cycles?

Yes. The recommendation is that if a woman has two cycles out of the 26 to 32 day range within a year, she should not continue to use the method. This turns out to be about a quarter of women. The Cyclebeads are constructed to help women determine if a particular cycle falls outside the range.

The "Pearls" offer answers to commonly asked questions about family planning. These "Pearls" are prepared by Dr. James D. Shelton, Senior Medical Scientist, Office of Population, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Disclaimer: The information provided on this web site is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Government or The Johns Hopkins University.