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Jim Shelton's Pearls August 30, 2004Ongoing Monitoring of Cycle with SDM
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) |
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OK, I see now how to make the initial screening for 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 2 cycles out of the 26-32-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.
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