Staying organized is an important part for many areas of life; it helps you get to appointments on time, find things you’re looking for in your room or house, and reduce stress which can promote a healthier lifestyle.
These benefits also apply when you’re organized with regards to your sexual health. By adding systems or maintaining organizational habits in your sexual health you can understand your menstrual cycle better, reduce the stress of an unplanned pregnancy, and/or reduce or eliminate the possibility of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s).
Charting your menstrual cycle
Ways tracking and charting your cycle can help:
- Learn to navigate shifting moods and energy levels
- Helps with both preventing and planning pregnancy
- Stops you from being surprised by the start of your period and caught without the necessary products
- Know when your period should have started so you know if you should take a pregnancy test
- Irregular cycles or a change in cycle can be an indicator of other health issues
The easiest way to keep track of your cycle is with an app. You input the dates your period starts and ends and after a couple months the app will predict when your next period will be. Search “free period tracker” on your phone’s app store.
Taking birth control on time
Taking birth control pills at the same time every day or changing your patch/ring on the correct day is integral to the effectiveness of the birth control in preventing pregnancy.
When the pill is taken at the same time everyday it is 99% effective, if a pill is missed or taken outside of the “optimal window” it can lower the effectiveness to as low as 91%.1 *The only 100% effective way of preventing pregnancy is to not have sex.
Set up a system to help you remember:
- Set a reminder or alarm on your phone
- Write the date that you need to change your patch or ring on your calendar
- Take the pill with a meal
- Set the package next to something you look at every day such as a phone charger or your toothbrush
Keep track of your partners for STI contact
If you are choosing to be sexually active there are more risks than just getting pregnant. It is recommended that you get an STI test after each new partner. This will help catch and treat STI’s before they spread and cause more severe health problems.
If you develop an STI (sexually transmitted infection) you will want to tell any partner you’ve recently had any level of sexual activity with so that they can also be treated and prevent further spreading of the infection.
The simplest way to keep track of partners is to limit the number of people you are being sexually active with and/or to only have sex with people you know so that it is easy to get in contact with them.
How can Kingston Pregnancy Care Centre help you
We are happy to meet with you to talk further about ways you can stay organized with your sexual health. We offer free, confidential and non-judgemental support.
Book an appointment with one of our Peer Support Workers online HERE
By: Melissa - Executive Assistant
References
1. SexandU. (2018, September). How Effective is My Birth Control. Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC). Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://www.sexandu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Failure-Rate-2018.pdf