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Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden (Book Review)

18/5/2015

True periods rather than the withdrawal bleeds you get on the pill can be a mixed blessing.

If all goes well, they can be reassuring. A great indicator of overall health and fertility, and a handy way to confirm that we’re not pregnant.

However some women do have problems with their periods and with their cycle in general.

Acne, breast pain, PCOS, painful periods, heavy periods, irregular bleeding, endometriosis, fibroids... It’s not exactly the stuff to fill

Miscontraceptions: what a beautiful film!

18/5/2015

Funny, clear and wonderfully well made, this film has a freshness and honesty that makes it compelling viewing whether you’re new to fertility awareness as contraception or you've been using it for years.

The tone is steady, measured and not overly evangelical, which I found a relief. I love fertility awareness but I don't want anyone to feel like they don't have options.

Those interviewed talk briefly about how profit affects healthcare but this doesn’t overwhelm the main messages, and the film is sympathetic to healthcare providers wanting to do the right thing by their patients.

That said, there’s a few things it's worth knowing:

Stay in bed to take your waking temperature!! The film shows the director standing up with a thermometer in her mouth. I'm sure there were reasons for this but can almost hear fertility awareness/natural family planning users crying “Nooo!!” when they see this. Your temperature changes once you get up and about. One of the advantage of fertility awareness is it means you have an official reason to stay in bed for a few more minutes. And you don't have to use a BBT thermometer. Here's more about taking your temperature.
Be wary of the “infertile – fertile – infertile” graphic. It’s nice and clear (and very commonly used) but I’d rather see one with “low fertility – fertile – infertile”. Basically the first bit of the cycle can be safe, but it’s easier to identify the later infertile part of your cycle - there's more about this here.
Not all fertility awareness folk use almonds or felt vulva cushions. All power to those that do (great for body literacy etc) but this is not standard, at least not in the UK. When I’m working with someone/a couple I mainly answer lots of questions and point at things in this book and this leaflet.

Even so, this is a brilliant film and beautifully done. I'd be delighted if I'd made something half as good. Massive congratulations to everyone in the team.

Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden (Book Review)

Miscontraceptions: what a beautiful film!

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