Fertility Awareness

A recent survey has shown that the majority of women lack knowledge about their own fertility and reproductive potential. (Wise Report, Unipath 1993).

• Fertility Awareness is an essential basic education for understanding fertility, human sexuality and reproductive health.

• Fertility Awareness helps women and couples to appreciate that fertility can be easily damaged by infections, especially sexually transmitted diseases which may lead to fertility problems.

  This knowledge can help individuals and couples to avoid risk-taking behaviour.

• Fertility Awareness enables couples to understand the action of different methods of contraception, to make informed choices and to appreciate the return of fertility if a method is used inconsistently.

• Fertility Awareness forms the basis for using a natural method of family planning.

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is defined as a method for planning or preventing pregnancy by observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual cycle. (WHO Definition)

CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE ON:

• Fertility Awareness

• Reproductive anatomy and physiology - male and female

• Methodology - The sympto-thermal method (multiple indicator method of NFP) -

• First indicator - Temperature

• Second indicator - Cervical mucus

• Third indicator - Cervix

• Calendar calculation

• Minor indicators of fertility

• Factors affecting the menstrual cycle

• Planning pregnancy

• Pre-conceptual care / Optimising chances of conception

Avoiding pregnancy

• Effectiveness of natural methods of family planning

• Research studies UK, Europe and International

• Comparison with other methods of contraception

• Fertility monitoring devices - e.g. Persona

• Post-natal and lactating women including Lactational Amenorrhoea Method (LAM)

• Return of fertility during breast-feeding and weaning

• Return of fertility after using hormonal contraception

• Declining fertility during the pre-menopausal years

• Infertility and subfertility - Optimising the timing of fertility investigations

• Contraception and potential effects on fertility

• Vaginal infections and sexually transmitted diseases

• Teaching skills and adaptation of teaching protocol / use of resources

• Counselling approach to family planning

• Medico-legal, and ethical issues

1. CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT - Teaching skills and practical application
Assignments to be completed between study days, submitted and discussed with tutors.

2. FINAL ASSESSMENT - Theory

Participants will demonstrate successful completion of learning outcomes by completing a 2.5 hour theory paper on:

• the scientific basis for natural methods of family planning including a knowledge of male and female anatomy and the hormonal control of the menstrual cycle.

• the subjective assessment of women’s ability to recognise the symptoms defining the fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual cycle.

Participants will need to demonstrate the depth and breadth of knowledge related to physiological methods by successful completion of a series of unseen fertility charts.

A critical evaluation should be made of the impact on the phases of fertility and infertility by:

• common disturbances, stress, disease or drugs etc.

• the after-effects of hormonal contraception.

• the changing phases of a woman’s fertile life from normal fertility through post-natal and breast-feeding to the pre-menopause.

• OHP’s

• Slides

• Video

• Brainstorming / role play / Discussion groups

• Small group workshops - with tutors / facilitators and set workbooks for chart interpretation

• Each student records own fertility charts and minimum of three ‘practice clients’ during the course

Book - ‘Fertility’, Clubb and Knight- Students are recommended this book as their main resource.

Video - Each student is recommended to purchase a teaching video
(Playing time - 2 hours 30 min).

• Recommended reading list

• List of relevant scientific research papers

• Books and journals on display / loan copies available.

• Internet site will be used as a means of providing information to students / teachers and access to other appropriate sites on the net.

On successful completion of the course, participants will be accredited by FertilityUK as competent to teach sympto-thermal method of NFP.