Introducing the Standard Days Method: Expanding Family Planning Options in Rwanda

Blair, Caroline; Sinaï, Irit; Mukabatsinda, Marie; Muramutsa, Félix

doi:10.2307/25549716

Cited by 15 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Of those 36, 10 reported having experienced two or more menstrual cycles that fell outside the 26–32-day range. This finding is consistent with studies of SDM efficacy in Bolivia, Peru and The Philippines,6 Rwanda12 and Istanbul 13. A stringent, ongoing menstrual cycle monitoring protocol must be followed until the woman has two cycles that fall outside the 26–32-day range within a 1-year timeframe.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…These studies suggest that the SDM tends to be perceived by couples as being an effective, easy, low/no cost and safe alternative family planning option for those dissatisfied with their previous family planning method(s) and those who are concerned about the side effects of other contraceptive methods. Contrary to the above findings, studies conducted in Rwanda,12 and in four of the study sites of the multisite operational research on the SDM (Benin, El Salvador, Honduras and India),10 demonstrated that the majority of the study participants had never used any contraceptive methods before adopting the SDM. In the present study only 20% of the study participants had not reported previous use of family planning methods.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 75%

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The Standard Days Method®: an addition to the arsenal of family planning method choice in Ethiopia

Bekele¹,

Fantahun

2011

J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care

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Background and methodology The Standard Days Method ® (SDM) is a fertility awareness-based method of family planning that helps users to identify the fertile days of the reproductive cycle . To prevent pregnancy users avoid unprotected sexual intercourse during these days. A cross-sectional communitybased study was conducted from December 2007 to June 2008 in four operational areas of Pathfi nder International Ethiopia. A total of 184 SDM users were included in the study. Quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used. The aim of the study was to examine the experience of introducing the SDM at community level in Ethiopia. Results Of the 184 participants, 80.4% were still using the SDM at the time of the survey, with 35% having used it for between 6 and 12 months, while 42% had used it for more than a year. The majority (83%) knew that a woman is most likely to conceive halfway through her menstrual cycle, and nearly 91% correctly said that the SDM does not confer protection from sexually transmitted infections/AIDS. A substantial majority (75%) had correctly identifi ed what each colourcoded bead represents in the CycleBeads ® , and an aggregate of 90.5% of women practised all the elements of correct use. Discussion and conclusions This study demonstrates the importance of the SDM in increasing the availability and accessibility of family planning, and the potential to improve family planning method choice and method mix by expanding use of the SDM.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 75%

The Standard Days Method®: an addition to the arsenal of family planning method choice in Ethiopia

Bekele¹,

Fantahun

2011

J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care

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“…Sinai says that we "ignored at least eight relevant articles" that oppose our views. Not one of the citations she provides opposes our findings, and six do not even contain information about effectiveness: four are studies already mentioned above [2][3][4][5]; two more by Lundgren et al do not measure effectiveness, one measures uptake of SDM in three sites [6], and one knowledge and attitudes [7]. One article [8] provides figures from intervention studies, not typical use (see also point 7 below).…”

mentioning

confidence: 70%

“…Hardee et al state "several studies show similar rates with typical use" but do not provide any evidence for this claim. Instead, they provide two irrelevant citations: Blair et al [2] report on a qualitative study; Kalaca et al [3] provide some information about pregnancies in their very small sample but do not report effectiveness, which the study was not designed to measure.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Response to Letters to the Editor from Irit Sinai “Standard Days Method Effectiveness: opinion disguised as scientific review” and Kelsey Wright, Karen Hardee, and John Townsend “The pitfalls of using selective data to represent the effectiveness, relevance and utility of the Standard Days Method of contraception”

Marston¹,

Church

2016

Contraception

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“…Some programmes may decide to offer the SDM because it brings new couples to family planning, and provides a bridge to other modern family planning methods 1213. Other programmes may be reluctant to offer the method if they perceive that it will be used only for a short time, and therefore integration may not be worth the effort.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continued use of the Standard Days Method®

Sinaï

Lundgren

Gribble

2011

J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care

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Objective To examine the long-term effectiveness and continuation of the Standard Days Method (SDM) ® , a fertility awarenessbased method of family planning that identifi es Days 8-19 (inclusive) of the cycle as the fertile window. On these days users avoid unprotected sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy. The method works best for women with cycles that are usually in the range of 26-32 days, which is an important reason for method discontinuation in the fi rst year of use. The authors determine if this continues to be an issue in the second and third years of method use. Methods Participants in an earlier effi cacy study (478 women in three countries) and method introduction studies (1181 women in four countries) were followed for 2 years beyond the original 1-year study period, to determine their continued use of the method, intended and unintended pregnancies, and reasons for discontinuation. Life-tables were used to approximate typical use pregnancy rates. Results The method continues to be effective in the second and third years of use, and compares favourably to other user-directed family planning methods. Women with no more than two cycles outside the 26-32-day range within a year are likely to continue having cycles within this range. Conclusions Women who complete the fi rst year of SDM use are likely to continue to be able to use the method successfully and effectively. The method presents a viable longer-term option for women who prefer this approach to family planning. IntroductionFor most family planning methods, studies of method effectiveness, acceptability and continuation focus on the first year of method use. The reason seems obvious. Women who use the method for a year clearly find the method acceptable. Side effects severe enough to cause discontinuation of method use usually occur in the first few months of use. Also, efficacy in the second and third year is likely to be better than in the first year because (1) women for whom the method is biologically less effective would tend to get pregnant earlier and (2) failure due to user error is more likely to occur in the first few months of method use while users learn to use the method correctly. These findings are confirmed in the studies that include efficacy or continuation figures for any family planning method beyond the first year of use, though these studies usually examine longer-acting methods, such as intrauterine devices and implants. 1-3The Standard Days Method (SDM) ® is a fertility awareness-based method of family planning. The method identifies Days 8-19 (inclusive) of the cycle as the fertile window for every user in every cycle. 4 To prevent pregnancy, users avoid unprotected sexual intercourse on these days. The method works best for women with cycles that usually range between 26 and 32 days. Users are advised that the method may not be effective for them if they have a second cycle out of this range in a year. A multisite clinical trial of the SDM that followed women for up to 13 cycles of method use showed it to ...

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Introducing the Standard Days Method: Expanding Family Planning Options in Rwanda

Cited by 15 publications

References 1 publication

The Standard Days Method®: an addition to the arsenal of family planning method choice in Ethiopia

The Standard Days Method®: an addition to the arsenal of family planning method choice in Ethiopia

Continued use of the Standard Days Method®

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