Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The INFO Project

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Dr. Jim Shelton's Pearls "Pearl" for the week of December 2, 2005

Obtaining CycleBeads for Standard Days Method

We have had good experience with the Standard Days Method of natural family planning and are interested in obtaining additional CycleBeads so we can expand our efforts. Is there a central source we can order from?

Yes. Cycle Technologies has agreed to make them available at $0.99 per set plus shipping in increments of 500 if your program is affiliated with USAID. The CycleBeads are made in Hong Kong, but USAID has obtained an applicable source origin waiver. In addition to the beads you get (1) an extra “O” ring, (2) an instructional insert and multi-year calendar insert in English, French, or Spanish, and (3) a clear plastic bag that holds all of the items.

Alternatively, you can order the beads alone at a unit cost of $0.87. Should you choose this option, while you will receive an extra ring and a plastic bag, it will be your program’s responsibility to develop locally appropriate instructional inserts and calendars using an electronic file of the instructions that will be provided to you.

Programs not affiliated with USAID may also be eligible to obtain favorable bulk prices and can contact Cycle Technologies for further information.

An additional option is producing CycleBeads locally, but this option is rarely cost-effective and experience has found that significant management time is required to ensure a satisfactory product is made available on a timely basis and in accordance with intellectual property laws. A CycleBeads procurement and production guide is available from irhinfo@georgetown.edu.

Cycle Technologies can be reached at the contacts given below.

Email: info@cyclebeads.com
Telephone number: +1 (202) 237-0662
Address: Cycle Technologies Inc.
5505 Connecticut Avenue NW, #237
Washington DC, 20015, USA
Website: www.CycleBeads.com

Additional resources:
1. Global Health Technical Brief, No. 3. Standard Days Method: A Simple, Effective Natural Method.
2. E-learning course on SDM at www.globalhealthlearning.org
3. Additional information can be found at www.irh.org

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.