You're likely familiar with a wide range of birth control options from oral contraceptives to intrauterine systems. But have you heard of Fertility Awareness Methods (FAM) like the Justisse Method of Fertility Management. According to experts, the method is over 99% effective when used correctly, and not only preserves your health and fertility but enhances it by pointing you towards your own health needs and providing a means of monitoring improvement.

I had the opportunity to chat with the Rent Tent Sisters about reproductive health awareness and the Justisse method to learn more about their work and this health-focused approach to birth control. Check out the interview below and if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below.

What inspired you to create awareness around fertility and reproductive health?

Amy: My work is inspired by my own health journey. As a teenager I had very, very heavy periods and irregular cycles. I had terrible...

Continued from Part 1 here...

3. How is Justisse different than the old school rhythm method?

Amy: The Rhythm Method came about due to research in the 1930s that showed that ovulation, on average, occurred about two weeks before menstruation. So using a single biomarker – date of last period – calculations were created to estimate when a person would be fertile. Unfortunately, because cycles are responsive to stress, illness, travel, and diet, this method had a high failure rate because it was based on calculations that presumed regular 25-35 day cycles. In this way, the Rhythm Method is what we call a retrospective or prospective method – it tries to anticipate future cycles based on past cycles. Almost all modern FAM methods, including the Justisse Method, use multiple biomarkers (as above) to account for irregularities in the menstrual cycle.

 By tracking mucus and BBT we can anticipate cycles with delayed ovulation and achieve effective contraception...

By Arena Thomson

Women are undergoing below-the-belt cosmetic surgery at a growing rate in a quest for “perfect” genitalia. Labiaplasty consists of reducing the amount of tissue in either the labia majora or labia minora through surgery. Many women are turning to labiaplasty as an answer to their feelings of insecurity about their vulvas, some of whom have very little knowledge about the risks associated with the procedure.

This disturbing trend points to the larger issue of our patriarchal society’s tendency to police women’s bodies, and to instill unease in them over any divergence from the norm. Plastic surgeons who choose to perform labiaplasty often do nothing to assuage these women’s anxieties about their bodies, treating natural variations in vulvas as aberrations that can be “fixed”.

In spite of a small number of labiaplasty surgeries executed to alleviate physical discomfort, the prevailing reason for this surgery is far more...

The updated topic of Human Development and Sexual Health (part of the Healthy Living strand of Ontario's Health and Physical Education curriculum) has generated a heated debate about sex education and what students should learn in classrooms across the province. Parents have pulled their children out of classes in protest and many people are concerned about whether topics are age-appropriate for classroom-based learning.

I have commented on the new curriculum and attempted to dispel much of the misinformation regarding its content on GlobalTV, CHCH and YouTube. I encourage you to read through the curriculum and compare it to the old version from the 90s by clicking here for the full document and/or reading through the comparison chart (copy and pasted from the Ministry documents) below.

What better way to seduce your partner than to guilt and shame them into having sex with you?

This was ostensibly the logic behind one man's decision to create a spreadsheet detailing every instance of his wife's refusal to have sex in the past month. The record is complete with verbatim explanations from his wife, which he charmingly terms "excuses".

Ugh.

There is so much wrong with this, I don't even know where to begin. The fact alone that someone devoted time and energy to making their life partner feel bad is bewildering and saddening. The tone of the document is little better than its already remarkably offensive over-arching message, and his little addendums ("Friends re-run"; "didn't shower until next morning") are dripping with snark and condescension. The husband's entitlement to his wife's body and sexuality speaks volumes about the expectations society places on women and girls, and the tendency to archaically view sex and "pleasing one's husband" as a requisite of...

Have you had casual sex in the past week? Month? Year? How did it compare to the sex you've had with a long-term partner? Chances are, it wasn't quite as good. But what classifies as a "good" or "successful" casual encounter?

A recent article published in the Globe and Mail reports new research findings indicating that women are less likely to orgasm during casual sex than in intercourse during a serious relationship. My question is: Is this news? The answer: Not exactly.

As the article states, "Like generations before them, many young women […] are finding that casual sex does not bring the physical pleasure men more often experience." What is news, however, is the way in which women are embracing casual sex. Despite both their statistical misfortune with regards to "the big O" and the relentless one-sided gender, women seem to be opening their minds to the idea of a casual hookup now more than ever. This in no way means women are more "slutty" than ever. Research simply...

It seems hard to believe, but recent research suggests that a considerable number of people in Japan have little interest in sex or dating. Sex may be a primal urge, but circumstantial and cultural conditions can impact even our most basic drives. If the statistics below are accurate, this creates an interesting opening for research to better understand cultural, environmental, political and practical factors that impact sexuality. One commenter on the Guardian's site suggests that the data is culturally flawed due to a disconnect between true desires and one's ability to express these honestly (even as a participant in a research study). In other words, it is possible that desire for sex remains fairly consistent across the globe, but our willingness to express this desire is mediated by culture. See the comment/note below on Honne and Tatemae. Have you lost interest in sex and dating or could you see yourself putting these interests on hold? We'd love to hear from you, so please...

Dr. Jess was recently interviewed by Scott Thompson of CHML Radio about the latest dating trend, LABT: Living Apart But Together. According to research, the number of couples opting to live apart while remaining committed is on the rise and they say they're having their cake and eating it too. But what do you think? We'd love to hear from you!

via GIPHY

Here is what a few of our Facebook friends had to say:

Charmaine (age 42) can't imagine living apart from her husband.

"I have been with my partner for close to 19 years, all but 6 months living in the same home. We are raising 2 children under the age of 6, 1 with special needs. My favourite part of the day is when we fall to bed, after everything has been done and the kids are gone to bed, holding hands and planning our next big adventure. I can see why some couples work better apart, for me, I need him there everyday to help keep me going."

Jenny (age 33) appreciates nights away.

"We got married 6 months ago and we lived...

Absolutely.

According to The Toronto Star, police are looking for four women in their 30s who allegedly sexually assaulted a 19 year-old man downtown yesterday morning. When I came across this article this morning, I feared that reposting it without commentary would garner a host of sarcastic and sexist responses veiled in supposed-humour, so I thought I'd offer a few thoughts:

• The fact is that sexual assault is about power. Though this type of assault is more commonly perpetrated by men, it is important that all victims feel safe and supported coming forward to report an assault.

• Every one of us has a right to maintain personal boundaries with regard to our bodies regardless of gender.

• For those commenters who feel it is appropriate to comment on the alleged perpetrators' weight, quit your fat-shaming. The negative impact of assault is not mitigated by weight, age or beauty.

• I hope that my readers, friends and followers will think twice before using sexist "humour" to...