These Cycle Charting Bracelets can help you to track your menstrual cycle and fertility, or can be used as a pretty piece of jewellery.
 
The Bracelets
 
The bracelets are made on "memory wire", which is a wire that stays in a looped form (it 'remembers' its looped shape). The bracelets are each slightly different lengths depending on the size of beads used, but are generally over 1 and a half loops, so that when they are worn, the bracelet overlaps and should not fall off in everyday use. The smallest measurement of the loop is 6cm across, and the bracelets should expand enough to be worn on the ankle if desired.
 

Shows a chain added to the bracelet
 
The optional addition of a chain allows the bracelet to be adjusted to a smaller loop - when worn, the loops will tighten if the ends are brought closer together. The size they can adjust down to will depend on the beads used in the bracelet (the bigger the beads, the longer the bracelet is), but could go down to as small as 4.5-5cm. This chain also gives the bracelet extra security. As the bracelet wraps around the wrist, it shouldn't fall off, but it may come off if pulled/caught in clothing etc. This chain will help keep it closed around the wrist. This is recommended when it is being worn on an ankle or larger wrist where there is little or no overlap.
 
If you do not wish to wear the bracelet, you could put it on the bedhead, on the strap of your handbag, on the door of the fridge or other place where you would be able to see it and move the charm daily. It is advisable to mark the first day of your period on a calendar, so that you will be able to count the beads to work out where in the cycle you are up to if you forget to move the charm or something happens to cause you to lose your place in the bracelet.
 

 
The Charting Aspect
 
The idea behind the cycle charting bracelet is that it uses a specific combination of beads, to show the days of the cycle and the typical high and low fertility days. See an image of a 28 day cycle broken into fertile/non fertile days here. Some women use this method of charting to work out the days where pregnancy is most likely to occur (when trying to conceive or when trying to avoid it), or to show the most fertile time of the woman's cycle for doing works of Magick that might work well then. It can also be useful to show you when your period is due, and to chart your own cycle related things, like cravings, tenderness, emotional patterns and so on (you may learn for example that you get certain aspects when on certain beads). Some women may simply like the look of the bracelets and use them as a representation and reminder of a woman's cycles.
 
There are other products on the market for charting cycles, such as these, my version simply makes this charting idea into an attractive bracelet (or keyring/strand), offering different colour combinations to make pieces of functional jewellery.
 
The bracelet comes with a charm on a clasp, that you move along each day to show where on the cycle you are (You move the charm to the space between the beads, so that the charm is after the bead for the day you are on).
 
The bracelets use spacer and other extending beads that do not form part of the charting system - and are there for decoration and to give the bracelet enough length to wrap around the wrist. The actual charting beads are marked in the image below
 

An example bracelet - Different bracelets use different coloured beads
but the sequence of sections and numbers of beads in each section remains the same
 

The bracelet charting system starts with one larger bead (often red) to mark the start of your period (the first bleeding day).
 
Then there are 6 of the one colour beads to mark the low fertile days. These are days were you are unlikely to fall pregnant. They are also the days you are menstruating, although some women will bleed for less than 6 days, and some may bleed for longer.
 
Then 12 of the one colour beads mark the high fertile days of the cycle (The time you are most likely to get pregnant). Ovulation typically occurs on day 14 of a 28 day cycle, however this can occur anywhere between days 10 and 19, as some women's cycles are longer or shorter than 28 days, and ovulation may not occur at exactly the same time each month. So you should ovulate somewhere in the middle of this sequence of beads.
 
The remaining 13 beads mark the low fertile days again, with a different bead marking day 26. On some bracelets these beads are all the one colour (except the day 26 bead), on others they are broken into 2 colours. However they all have the same meaning.
 
The removable charm is moved across each day to show where in the cycle you are (The charm sits after the bead of the day you are on.)

 
To use this fertility charting method your cycle needs to be 26-32 days long. If your cycle is shorter than 26 days (it comes before the different "day 26" bead), or your cycle is longer than 32 days (your period does not start the day after you have reached the final charting bead) - then this system may not work for tracking fertility for you as the sequence of beads may not reflect what is happening in your cycle.
 
A woman’s fertile phase is said to start five days before ovulation and lasts until 24 hours after ovulation. Sperm can remain viable in the woman’s reproductive tract for approx five days, so this should be taken into consideration when using a system like this for either contraception or trying to conceive. The probability of pregnancy apparently increases from 4% five days before ovulation to almost 30% just before ovulation, and decreases again to 8% on the day of ovulation. The colour coding on these cycle charting beads serves only as a guide to possible fertile and non-fertile days based on the average 28 day cycle, and should not be considered to be completely accurate for judging fertility, and should not be used as a method of contraception.
 

 
Care and Cleaning
 
To care for your charting bracelet, you should gently wipe with a damp cloth if needed. Wearing in water etc. is not recommended. While care is taken to choose durable beads, some beads may lose some of their finish over time. Those who are allergic to metals are advised to only use this product as a decorative item, by hanging it on a door handle/beadhead or other place rather than actually wearing it.
 

 
These charting products should not be used to replace contraceptives, as they cannot be guaranteed to be accurate. It is intended to represent the "average" cycle, and "possible" times of fertility, and to be used only as an item for visually representing an "average" 28 day cycle. Using these to help prevent or achieve pregnancy is not recommended, and done so at your own risk. Obsidian Star takes no responsibility for issues resulting in the use of this product.