About.com Rating

Updated June 08, 2015.

The Bottom Line

CycleBeads are a great way to help increase your chances of getting pregnant when you'd like to by easily following your cycle using beads as a visual reminder of where you are in your cycle.



Pros

• Inexpensive.
• Reusable.

Cons

• Only for women with cycles between 26 and 32 days long.

Description

• The CycleBeads have no side effects or chemicals.
• They are very inexpensive and can be used for multiple cycles, as in years.

• It provides you with an easy visual cue to your menstrual cycle.

Guide Review - CycleBeads

CycleBeads seem a bit too good to believe. As long as you have a menstrual cycle between 26-32 days in length, it should be able to help you identify your most fertile period. While it is also 95% effective at preventing pregnancy using Natural Family Planning (NFP), many women also use these beads to aid them in conceiving by helping them pinpoint ovulation. By knowing when a woman ovulates, she can increase her chances of getting pregnant.

To do this you start with the black ring around the first bead and simply move it forward each day. When the ring is in the white bead range, you are likely to get pregnant if you are having unprotected sex. The brown beads indicate the days that you are not likely to get pregnant. There is a dark brown bead that indicates if your period starts before you get to this bead, your periods are under 26 days.

The beads can be kept by your bedside, in your bathroom or any where it is convenient for you.

Cycles beads can be used as non-hormonal forms of birth control, with a 95% effective rate when used correctly, even in some breastfeeding women. (See site for their quiz.) CycleBeads cannot tell you exactly when you ovulate, therefore they are not the best method for women who are experiencing infertility or other fertility issues.