title: Fertility awareness as a component of sexuality education. Preliminary research findings with adolescents.
abstract: Fertility awareness refers to the observation and interpretation of cervical mucus, often called vaginal discharge. A woman's cervical-mucus pattern indicates the time of ovulation and differentiates the fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual cycle from each other. Fertility awareness enables a woman to know when pregnancy can and cannot occur on a daily basis during each menstrual cycle. There has been, to date, almost no exploration of the appropriateness of fertility-awareness instruction for adolescents. A review of the literature on adolescent cognitive development, sexual activity, knowledge of fertility and contraceptive risk-taking behavior is presented. Based on the literature review, a theoretical rationale for fertility-awareness instruction as a unique sex-education curriculum for adolescents is proposed. The content and teaching techniques of a fertility-awareness presentation for teenagers is described. Directions for future research in fertility-awareness instruction for teenagers, and the need for long-term follow-up to assess the effects of such education on teenagers' sexual activity and contraceptive use are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Community Health Center, Meriden, Conn.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002582:Cervix Mucus / Q000502:physiology*; D003267:Contraception; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology*; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012736:Sex Education; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D014481:United States