A study due to be released in October will detail research on a new, natural contraceptive method more effective than a diaphragm or condoms—and all it consists of, essentially, is a clever, thorough—and rather pretty—way of marking time.

CycleBeads, developed in conjunction with Georgetown University, show a woman’s 12-day “fertile window” in a 32-day cycle, reports UPI, “taking into account the life span of an egg, 24 hours, and the viable life of sperm, about five days.” There are red, brown and glow-in-the-dark white beads—beads 8-19—that represent a woman’s fertile days. Starting with the red bead, which represents the first day of her period/cycle, the user would move a rubber ring up one bead a day. The Georgetown University Medical Center for Reproductive Health study included 1,659 women from three countries who were tracked for three years. An earlier study found the beads to be 95 percent effective when used correctly.

The three-year study results will be published next month in the Journal of Family Planning & Reproductive Health Care.