Creating Educational Materials to Teach the Sympto-Thermal Method to Newcomers

The sympto-thermal method (STM) helps prevent unplanned pregnancy by increasing a woman’s awareness of when she is most fertile. It uses body observations such as cervical mucus and body temperature. The STM can help women who do not use other birth control methods. For example, those with specific religious or cultural beliefs. This is more likely in newcomers to BC. Other methods of fertility awareness, such as detection strips, are expensive. Past research has shown that the STM is an effective option with no side effects. However, the main problem is that people do not get enough STM education from trained instructors. In BC, STM instruction is provided by the Catholic church, which limits the availability of this knowledge. Our project aims to address this by translating the STM research evidence into education for BC newcomers. This includes newcomer women and gender-diverse people assigned female at birth and their partners. We will partner with a community organization and people with lived experience. This will ensure the free education is relevant, accessible and respectful of different cultures and backgrounds. When people have access to evidence-based birth control options, they can make informed pregnancy decisions.