Research-to-Practice
– The TwoDay Method
The TwoDay Method is a new Fertility Awareness-Based
method of family planning that uses cervical secretions
as the indicator of fertility. More than 96% effective
when used correctly, this method instructs women
to monitor daily the presence of secretions to
know when pregnancy is most likely. If a woman
notices any secretions today or yesterday, she
considers herself fertile today.
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| A user of the Twoday
Methods asks herself two questions every day:
- Did I note any secretions today?
- Did I note any secretions yesterday?
If she noticed any secretions today
OR yesterday, she is potentially
fertile today and should avoid unprotected intercourse
today to prevent pregnancy. If she did not notice
any secretions today and
yesterday (two consecutive dry days), pregnancy
is very unlikely today. |
TwoDay
Method Algorithm
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Efficacy
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An efficacy trial found that the TDM was more
than 96% effective with correct use and more than
86% with typical use among women. These effectiveness
rates are similar to those of a number of other
user-dependent methods.
Click here to read more about the TDM
Efficacy Study. |
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Contraceptive
Failure of User-Directed Methods*
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Correct
Use |
Typical
Use |
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No
Method |
85 |
85 |
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Spermicides |
18 |
29 |
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Diaphragm |
6 |
16 |
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Condom |
2 |
15 |
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OC |
.3 |
8 |
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Standard
Days Method |
5 |
12 |
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TwoDay
Method |
4 |
14 |
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*% of women who
became pregnant during 1st year of use
Source: adapted
from Contraceptive Technology,
18th edition, 2004 |
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Scientific Basis
Secretions are a reliable indicator and factor of fertility.
Cervical secretions are necessary for the woman to be
fertile. If there are no cervical secretions, she can
not be fertile and thus can not become pregnant.
Secretions have several key functions:
-
The sperm can live 5 days in woman’s body
– but only if the secretions are present.
If there are no secretions, the acid environment
of the vagina will deteriorate the sperm in minutes.
- When cervical secretions are very fluid (more water,
around the day of ovulation), they serve as a medium,
which the sperm can navigate very efficiently to go
into the uterus. This fluidity allows them to flow
down the vaginal walls making them easily noticeable
at the opening of the vagina or vulva.
- When secretions have little water content (infertile
days), they form a sticky plug at the opening of the
cervix, which is impenetrable to sperm. With less
water content, secretions do not flow down and are
not noticeable.
If secretions are present, she is very likely fertile;
and if there are no secretions, pregnancy is unlikely.
Fertile Window
There are 6 days during the menstrual cycle when it
is possible for a woman to become pregnant. This is
because of the life span of the sperm, which remain
viable in the woman’s reproductive tract for up
to five days, and the fact that the ovum can be fertilized
for up to 24 hours following ovulation. This “window”
of fertility will move backwards or forwards, depending
on when ovulation actually occurs. Secretions will follow
the fertile window wherever it goes, because they are
actually part of what generates the window. This leads
to higher efficacy of the TwoDay Method because if ovulation
happens earlier or later, the woman will be able to
notice secretions earlier or later.
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