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MoonBeads™ – A Natural Family Planning Device – Launched by AFFORD Project, Uganda

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On Friday, Oct. 6, the AFFORD project launched a new, completely natural family planning device in Uganda. Called MoonBeads, the new product offers Ugandan women and couples an effective, reliable, and inexpensive tool for family planning.

MoonBeads is the latest product to be marketed and distributed via AFFORD, a $39 million initiative funded by USAID and implemented by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communications Programs and Constella Futures, as well as three Ugandan implementing partners. AFFORD's objective is to market and distribute high quality health products and services at affordable prices to the Ugandan population. Current products include Protector® condoms, Pilplan® oral contraceptives, and Injectaplan® three-month injectable contraceptives. This latest introduction of MoonBeads will offer women increased choice for their reproductive health.

MoonBeads is a color-coded string of beads that help women track when they are most fertile. It is based on the Standard Days Method of family planning developed by Georgetown University's Institute for Reproductive Health, a method most suitable for women whose menstrual cycles regularly last between 26 and 32 days.

The First Lady of the Republic of Uganda and Member of Parliament (MP) for Ruhama County, Hon. Mrs. Janet Museveni, unveiled MoonBeads at the Hotel Africana in Kampala, Uganda's capital city. She was accompanied by Minister of State for Health, Dr. Richard Nduhura, and the Deputy Chief of the US Mission in Uganda, Andrew Chritton.

At the launch, Mrs. Museveni commended the AFFORD project for educating women about their menstrual cycles and issues affecting their reproductive health. This education process empowers couples to plan their family sizes and to appropriately space their children. Allowing significant time between consecutive pregnancies (between 18 and 24 months) ensures optimal growth and development of the child, and reduces risk of medical complications for the mother.

"MoonBeads are safe, effective, and easy to use - an appropriate approach to expanding access to family planning in Uganda," commented Dr. Victoria Jennings, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Georgetown University Medical Center's Institute for Reproductive Health. "As one of the developers of the Standard Days Method, on which MoonBeads are based, I congratulate the AFFORD Project on it successful launch. Based on my experience in other countries, I am confident that this method will contribute significantly to addressing the unmet need for family planning in Uganda."

The Standard Days Method has been endorsed by the Ugandan Ministry of Health. Research has shown that women who use the approved Standard Days Method of family planning correctly and consistently are able to avoid pregnancies more than 95 percent of the time (Georgetown University Medical Center). This efficacy level is comparable to, and in some cases better than, a number of other widely used methods of family planning, including condoms and diaphragm.

"Many women in Uganda would like to use a family planning method that is reliable and does not conflict with their religious beliefs. MoonBeads, being a natural and effective method of family planning, is a valuable addition for couples who want to have control over the number and spacing of their children," explained Romano Fernandes, Senior Marketing & Distribution Advisor at AFFORD. "Offering this simple-to-use and inexpensive family planning device through the AFFORD project means that women are more aware of their own menstrual cycles. It also encourages communication between couples and partners about family size and child spacing."

The first round of MoonBeads distribution partners includes the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, the Muslim Supreme Council, the Catholic Secretariat, the Anglican Secretariat, and the Uganda Private Midwives Association.

How Do MoonBeads Work?
MoonBeads, a string of 32 color-coded beads, is designed to help a woman with regular cycles between 26 and 32 days to keep track of the days of her cycle so she knows when she is most likely to conceive. Each bead represents a day of a woman's menstrual cycle, with the first day represented by the first bead, which is red. The strings also have a black rubber ring that the woman moves daily during her cycle, from one bead to the next, in the direction of an arrow visible on the string. On the days represented by the dark beads, a woman is likely not to conceive. On the days represented by the white beads, a woman may be fertile and could become pregnant.

MoonBeads do not protect against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.