Family Planning Cycle beads:

     When I decided to get off of birth control pills, for various medical reasons (like ruling it out of my health issues and not wanting to put TONS of chemicals in my body), I looked into Natural Family Planning. I read lots of articles, and a book teaching all about. I read all the up to date info. about it that I could. It teaches you, "to take your temperature in the morning before you get out of bed and interpret the pattern of temperature rising which occurs at ovulation. You can also combine that symptom with a check if the cervix and/or the quality and quantity of mucus discharge from the vagina." I was super excited about doing it this way. I printed out and learned how to record everything on these super high tech calender-on-steroid pages. I was pumped. Then I thought about taking my temperature EVERY morning. Even the tired ones, and the rushed ones. Who wants to do that? I DO NOT. NOT AT ALL.

     I found a simpler solution. MUCH simpler. It is called Cycle Beads. Instead of being 99% effective (as Natural Family Planning claims to be) it is only 95%. I can handle 95%. I am ok with that. "Cycle Beads are being marketed as a way of practicing NFP (Natural Family Planning) however they are more akin to the old style Calendar Rhythm."

     Here is how they work, "Cycle Beads represent your menstrual cycle and function as a tactile ovulation calendar. Each bead stands for a single day. On the first day of your period, you simply place the rubber ring on the red bead (representing cycle day 1). On each following day, simply move the rubber ring ahead by one bead (an arrow reminds you which direction). As you move through your cycle days, when the ring is on a dark or red bead, fertility is low and your odds of conceiving are less. However, once the ring moves to a white bead - typically cycle day 8 through 19 - you know that you are nearing ovulation or perhaps already ovulating. While the ring is on a white cycle bead, you are at peak fertility and your chances of becoming pregnant are high!

     Cycle Beads offer an easy method to increase your odds of conceiving (as well as provide a natural, safe method of family planning). Proven effective, Cycle Beads provide an unambiguous visual method for tracking your ovulatory cycle and identifying the fertile days when conceiving is likely (as well as the infertile days when achieving pregnancy is less probable). Moreover, Cycle Beads are based on a natural family planning practice that has been shown to be over 95% effective!"

     These are great! ...and ugly, and $10. I decided to make my own. I have attached a picture of the ones that you can buy, and the ones that I made. I like mine better. Mine have a little tag that says, "Made with love." I think mine will look less "weird" on my nightstand too! ;-) Please tell me if you would like me to make you one. I will gladly make it for a nominal charge. :-)