This week the Gal Pals talk about Period/Cycle Tracking. *Disclaimer*: This is for educational purposes only, please seek a medical professional if you have concerns. We do our best to provide up to date information backed by evidence based medicine. “We do the research, so you don’t have to” Resources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5432133/ ACOG committee opinion and recommendations: https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2015/12/menstruation-in-girls-and-adolescents-using-the-menstrual-cycle-as-a-vital-sign

This week the Gal Pals talk about Pap Smears.  *Disclaimer*: This is for educational purposes only, please seek a medical professional if you have concerns. We do our best to provide up to date information backed by evidence based medicine. “We do the research, so you don’t have to”   Resources: Ontario Screening Pathway: https://www.cancercareontario.ca/en/system/files_force/derivative/OCSPScreeningGuidelines.pdf

This week the Gal Pals talk about Fertility Awareness Based Methods (aka. Natural Family Planning). *Disclaimer*: This is for educational purposes only, please seek a medical professional if you have concerns. We do our best to provide up to date information backed by evidence based medicine. “We do the research, so you don’t have to”  Resources:  https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/familiarizing-yourself-fertility-awareness-birth-control-option https://www.naturalcycles.com https://fertilityfriday.com https://femmhealth.org https://www.fertilitycare.ca https://www.vitaefertility.com https://woomb.ca https://ccli.org  https://billings.life/en/  https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/rhythm-method/about/pac-20390918 Frank-Herrmann P., Heil J., Gnoth C., et al. “The effectiveness of a fertility awareness based method to avoid pregnancy in relation to a couple’s sexual behaviour during the fertile time: a prospective longitudinal study.” Human Reproduction 22 (2007): 1310-1319.

This week the Gal Pals talk about Non-Hormonal Birth Control. *Disclaimer*: This is for educational purposes only, please seek a medical professional if you have concerns. We do our best to provide up to date information backed by evidence based medicine. “We do the research, so you don’t have to”  Resources:  https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/hw237864  https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control

This week the Gal Pals talk about Hormonal Birth Control. *Disclaimer*: This is for educational purposes only, please seek a medical professional if you have concerns. We do our best to provide up to date information backed by evidence based medicine. “We do the research, so you don’t have to” Resources: https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/birth-control https://www.optionsforsexualhealth.org/facts/birth-control https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/tw9513

This week the Gal Pals discus What is Sex Education. *Disclaimer*: This is for educational purposes only, please seek a medical professional if you have concerns. We do our best to provide up to date information backed by evidence based medicine. “We do the research, so you don’t have to” Resources: Global review on comprehensive sexual education (2015) https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000243106 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6406865/ https://www.ontario.ca/document/health-and-physical-education-grades-1-8/human-development-and-sexual-health-education-grade

This week the Gal Pals Talk about losing Tampons and TSS Myths. *Disclaimer*: This is for educational purposes only, please seek a medical professional if you have concerns. We do our best to provide up to date information backed by evidence based medicine. “We do the research, so you don’t have to” Resources: Types of Hymen: https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/conditions/hymen-variants TSS: https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/tss.html

This week the Gal Pals Talk about Swimming when Menstruating Myths. *Disclaimer*: This is for educational purposes only, please seek a medical professional if you have concerns. We do our best to provide up to date information backed by evidence based medicine. “We do the research, so you don’t have to” Resources: More on Myths Debunked: https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/womens-health/2016/june/swimming-and-your-period-5-myths-debunked Exercising on your period (summarizes studies): https://www.evidentlycochrane.net/exercise-for-period-pain/ Shark Info: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/reduce-risk/menstruation/#:~:text=A%20shark's%20sense%20of%20smell,a%20factor%20in%20shark%20attacks. https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/sharks

This week the Gal Pals Talk about Scented Feminine Hygiene Product Myths. *Please bear with us, we had some audio issues this episode and are working to fix them :)  *Disclaimer*: This is for educational purposes only, please seek a medical professional if you have concerns. We do our best to provide up to date information backed by evidence based medicine. “We do the research, so you don’t have to” Resources: Office on Women’s Health (US): https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/douching Cleveland Clinic on scented products: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/are-scented-tampons-and-pads-bad-for-you/ Vaginal Douching Literature review: Cottrell BH. Vaginal douching. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2003 Jan-Feb;32(1):12-8. doi: 10.1177/0884217502239796. PMID: 12570177.

This week the Gal Pals Talk about UTI Myths. *Disclaimer*: This is for educational purposes only, please seek a medical professional if you have concerns. We do our best to provide up to date information backed by evidence based medicine. “We do the research, so you don’t have to” Resources: Christina M. Coleman, Kimberly M. Auker, K. Brian Killday, Parastoo Azadi, Ian Black, and Daneel Ferreira. (Mar 2019). Arabinoxyloglucan Oligosaccharides May Contribute to the Antiadhesive Properties of Porcine Urine after Cranberry Consumption. Journal of Natural Products 2019 82 (3), 589-605. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.8b01043 Juthani-Mehta M, Van Ness PH, Bianco L, Rink A, Rubeck S, Ginter S, Argraves S, Charpentier P, Acampora D, Trentalange M, Quagliarello V, Peduzzi P. Effect of Cranberry Capsules on Bacteriuria Plus Pyuria Among Older Women in Nursing Homes: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2016, 316:1879-1887.