A system for monitoring a cement that undergoes polymerization during curing such as most bone and dental cements by passing an electrical signal through the cement to determine the swelling phase, the initiation of polymerization of the cement and the effective working phase. The system further can control the swelling phase to reduce the time from the mixing of the cement to the initiation of the polymerization by using a ultrasonic signal or by heating the cement and can control the effective working phase after the polymerization has been initiated in order to prolong the working phase bycooling the cement.