Standard Days Method

The standard days method is the newest approach to natural family planning. It is appropriate for women who have menstrual cycles between 26 and 32 days long. Cou­ples avoid unprotected intercourse on days 8 through 19 of each menstrual cycle. This "fertile window" is 12 days long to take into account both the days around ovulation and the possible variations in timing of ovulation from one cycle to another. The stan­dard days method has been clinically tested and shows the highest rate of effectiveness for natural family planning methods (Arevalo et al., 2002). A woman can keep track on a calendar or use the CycleBeads shown in 1 Figure 10.9 to help track the days.

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I Figure 10.9 CycleBeads, based on the standard days method, help a woman track her menstrual cycle and know when she can and cannot get pregnant. To use the CycleBeads, a woman moves a black ring each day onto the next of 32 color-coded beads, which represent fertile and low-fertility days.