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Standard Days Method™ CD-ROM
Introduces Fertility Awareness Method
(March 2003)
The Standard Days Method (El Método de Días Fijos) CD-ROM was developed by the JHPIEGO Corporation (www.jhpiego.org) and the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) at Georgetown University (www.irh.org) to introduce the Standard Days Method (SDM), a fertility awareness method, to reproductive healthcare providers. The CD-ROM, which is now available in English and Spanish includes audio narration, presentation graphics, self-checking quizzes, and resources (e.g., a reference guide for counseling clients and a frequently-asked questions handout) that can be printed out and used in a service delivery setting.
The SDM is a new, simple method of family planning that was developed by the IRH at Georgetown University. Using a computer model, based on data from the World Health Organization, the IRH determined that women who usually have menstrual cycles between 26 and 32 days in length are potentially fertile--or able to get pregnant--on days 8 through 19 of their cycles. The Standard Days Method identifies this fixed set of days in each menstrual cycle as the days when a woman can get pregnant if she has unprotected intercourse. If the woman does not want to get pregnant, she and her partner avoid unprotected intercourse on days 8 through 19 of her cycle. The Institute has tested the SDM in a clinical trial with about 500 women in 3 countries--Bolivia, Peru, and the Philippines. They found that women were able to use the method correctly, and when they did use it correctly, it was more than 95 percent effective (i.e., out of 100 women using the method for 1 year, fewer than 5 would get pregnant).
The CD-ROM can be ordered (for approximately $3/CD-ROM, plus shipping costs) by sending an e-mail to orders@jhpiego.net.