Dear friend,
At a recent Olivia Rodrigo concert in Missouri, the singer partnered with abortion groups to hand out condoms and emergency contraception to young fans. But this past week, the Gen-Z popstar’s team announced they would cease handing out Plan B at her concerts, presumably due to backlash from fans, politicians, and some media outlets. Intensely popular with tweens and teens, Rodrigo and her full-throated support of contraceptives reminds us that we still have so much to do to truly empower young women to love, understand, and care for their uniquely female bodies.
This week, we’re discussing why long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) use is on the rise in teens, which includes an exhortation to parents to not “pass the buck” on having age-appropriate, respectful conversations with their kids about sex. We also have a piece on premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in teens, and why popular treatments (like birth control) entirely miss the mark. Our third and final article focuses on how charting can help teens identify prediabetes—and how the mindfulness they learn from fertility awareness may even help them reverse prediabetes.
Action call: Last Wednesday our CEO, Gerard Migeon, shared how NW could only fulfill four wishes I have with YOUR help! Read his letter here. Please help us pursue our mission with a gift this week!
It’s been a whirlwind of a week as we launched our brand-new website, and we’re so grateful for the enthusiastic feedback we’ve received on it so far. For those who haven’t seen it yet, please be sure to check out this week’s three new articles to get a feel for the website’s new look. And if you missed the webcast where Gerard and I walked viewers through the new website, you can watch the recording of it here, on our YouTube channel.
Best,
Grace
Grace Emily Stark
Editor-in-Chief and Public Relations
Natural Womanhood
| Why are more teens using LARCs than ever before? Why are teens using long-acting reversible contraceptives (IUDs and the arm implant Nexplanon) more than ever before? What are the risks of IUDs and the implant in teens? Click here to read the full article. |
| How common are PMS and PMDD in teens?Do teens experience PMS and PMDD more often than adult women? And why might hormonal birth control or antidepressants be risky treatments? Click here to read the full article. |
| How cycle charting can help your teen reverse prediabetesBlood sugar levels (and insulin needs) change over the course of the menstrual cycle. Here’s how cycle charting can help prediabetic teen girls manage their blood sugar and make healthy lifestyle choices. . Click here to read the full article. |
| NW Podcast S3 Ep. 1: Miscarriages, a Vasectomy, and a Reversal: Emily & Kirk’s StoryJoin us for the first episode of season 3 of The Natural Womanhood Podcast, where we hear one couple’s journey from being certain that a vasectomy was the only way to guard their hearts against the pain of a future miscarriage, to their (successful) vasectomy reversal one year later. . Listen on the Natural Womanhood website. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts! |