Products

Cycle Technologies is the manufacturer, distributor, and marketer of CycleBeads®, the fastest growing natural family planning option in the world. Since its launch in late 2002, CycleBeads has been used by more than 2 million women in over 50 countries. Cycle Technologies now manufactures more than 500,000 units per year to keep pace with worldwide demand.

Background

The Standard Days Method® of family planning on which CycleBeads is based, was developed by the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University to address the unmet need for an easy to use, effective, natural family planning option. Researchers at the Institute conducted extensive efficacy studies which showed CycleBeads to be more than 95% effective at preventing pregnancy and very easy to use.

Cycle Technologies and the Institute for Reproductive Health agreed to partner to commercialize CycleBeads and other products based on the Standard Days Method. In September 2002, Georgetown University licensed Cycle Technologies to manufacture, distribute, and market CycleBeads.

Results to date:

CycleBeads is the fastest growing natural family planning option in the world with more than 1 million women in more than 50 countries using this method since it began to be offered in late 2002.
CycleBeads is one of the only fertility awareness-based methods available through mainstream healthcare providers in the U.S. including Planned Parenthoods, state and local health departments, Title X clinics, and private practitioners.
CycleBeads is available in the U.S. through 100+ retailers including many Whole Foods and other natural product stores.
CycleBeads is available online directly to users in the U.S., Europe, and Australia at www.CycleBeads.com.
CycleBeads is provided in more than 40 developing countries through community- and clinic-based approaches as well as through a variety of social and commercial marketing strategies.
CycleBeads is included in numerous national procurement and logistics systems, and in national and institutional norms, protocols, and management information systems.
CycleBeads has been featured in professional publications such as Contraceptive Technology and Advance for Nurses, in mainstream media such as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Newsweek, and Self magazine, and in international technical guidance documents such as the World Health Organization’s Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use.

Related Activities:

Manufacturing

Cycle Technologies has established low-cost, high-quality, and high-volume manufacturing capabilities in Hong Kong, India, and Peru. Research has shown that CycleBeads is the most cost effective family planning option available in the U.S., and second only to the IUD internationally. This is in part due to our ability to manufacture a low cost product and deliver it to customers efficiently. All of our factories have instituted rigorous quality control measures to ensure a high-quality product. These measures are further supported by third-party quality control review. Our factories have the combined capacity to produce more than 2 million sets of CycleBeads per year ensuring that as demand grows, availability will too.

Distribution & Fulfillment

Cycle Technologies fulfills orders around the world. Our manufacturers provide "just in time" inventory that allows us to fulfill large orders directly from our factories, ensuring the most cost-effective materials for our customers. We work with numerous freight forwarders to guarantee that materials are delivered anywhere in the world they need to go. Additionally, we work closely with USAID's fulfillment contractor to provide low cost materials to USAID programs. Within the U.S., Cycle Technologies works with a full-service fulfillment house to fulfill all types of orders for healthcare providers, retailers, and individual users.

Marketing

Cycle Technologies has developed a comprehensive marketing strategy which includes advertising, PR, social network marketing, direct marketing, etc. to reach opinion leaders, healthcare providers, retailers, and end users. To the extent possible Cycle Technologies markets through low cost mediums for high impact results. Internationally, we, or our partner the Institute for Reproductive Health, work closely with local organizations to prepare appropriate materials and communication strategies.

Customer Service

Cycle Technologies oversees all aspects of customer service and we make great customer service a priority. We actively stay in communications with customers, manage customer relationships, know our customers' needs, and empower our staff to help customers with any issues they may have.

Giving Back

Cycle Technologies is proud to give back to our community. We donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of CycleBeads to support research to expand family planning options around the world and help people make informed choices about their reproductive health. Additionally we support programs that encourage empowerment and education of youth such as The Girls & Boys Project in New York City.

More About the Institute for Reproductive Health

The Institute for Reproductive Health is an internationally renowned, university-based research organization that has been working in reproductive health for more than 20 years. As part of Georgetown University's School of Medicine, the Institute conducts research to develop natural family planning methods and to test them in service delivery settings. Its research-to-practice model is instrumental in the increasing inclusion of the Standard Days Method and CycleBeads in policies, norms, and guidelines, and in their consequent availability and use.