Incidence of irregular cycles among Mayan women who reported having regular cycles: implications for fertility awareness methods

Abstract

Despite the low contraceptive prevalence among the Mayan population of Guatemala, past research has found interest in natural methods. A calendar rhythm method with a simple blanket rule would appear to be preferable to more complicated methods. Under a blanket rule, the number of days of abstinence is predetermined and all couples are instructed to abstain during the same interval of the menstrual cycle. However, regular menstrual cycles may be key to successful practice of a calendar method. A database of 880 cycles of 301 women of the Guatemalan highlands was analyzed to determine the length and regularity of menstrual cycles in this population.