I had a dear friend who thought she had reoccurring yeast infections and douched weekly – it was simple midcycle mucus. She was 23! Another thought any mucus was disgusting and a hygiene issue. Why girls have not been told this stuff boggles the mind.

Thanks, Toni!

Surprise, surprise, This is Toni Weschler. Thank you for your stimulating discussion of my book. If you only knew the spirited and at times fairly contentious debates that ensued with others when the book was just an outline in my head. Talk about a political hot potato!

As you can imagine, Cycle Savvy was incredibly tricky to write, because the issue of whether or not to include the actual rules for avoiding pregnancy was a HUGE one. In the end, I chose not to for the following reasons:

It is completely inappropriate for teenage girls to use FAM as a method of birth control. They are generally not serious or mature enough to consistently follow the rules, they are generally not involved in long-term relationships [nor should they be, at that age], and with the threat of AIDS and other STDs, it would simply be irresponsible to condone unprotected intercourse. [the issue is not about preaching abstinence. . . of course they may have sex . . . but teaching them how to responsibly protect themselves with the most effective method of pregnancy and STD avoidance FOR THEIR AGE.]

2) This method is not even appropriate for the majority of MATURE ADULTS, let alone teenagers, since it requires a lot of discipline to both chart and follow the rules. By definition, a teen’s lifestyle is so erratic and busy that it would be really unlikely that she would have the consistency to be able to properly chart.

3) Any teenager using this method would have to trust her male partner to respect her fertility status on any given day. Uh, how likely is that going to happen with teenage boys!

4) If a teenager truly is mature and in a stable relationship and desires FAM as a method of birth control, she can always buy the first book.

5) If this book were perceived in any way as controversial, it would undeniably sabotage my efforts to make this book the mainstream book that all institutions (including schools, teen health centers, parents etc. etc.) automatically give their girls when they turn 14 or so.

I hope this has given you a little insight into my thinking when trying to balance the need to educate our teen girls with the need to keep them safe, as well.

My best to all of you!

Toni Weschler