Online Quiz: How Well Do You “Know Your Bod?” A test of fertility awareness knowledge

WASHINGTON (Jan. 21, 2016) – “You live with your body everyday, but do you really know it?”

That’s the first question from a new online quiz: “KnowYourBod.org.”

The 10 true or false question digital quiz, produced by the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) at Georgetown University Medical Center, probes the user’s understanding of fertility awareness.

The global fertility awareness quiz will be introduced at the fourth International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Nusa Dua, Indonesia, on Wednesday, Jan. 27, during a “Marketplace of Ideas” session from 2:30-2:45 pm (Unveiling the mysteries: Confronting our misconceptions about menstruation, fertility, sex and family planning).

“Accurate understanding and awareness about human fertility is surprisingly low around the world, regardless of age, sex or education level,” says Victoria Jennings, PhD, director of the IRH. “If we could lift the taboos and improve fertility awareness, would people be informed and empowered to make better sexual and reproductive health decisions? At IRH, we believe the answer to this question is ‘yes’.”

The quiz includes basic information about: the menstrual cycle, when and how pregnancy occurs, the likelihood of pregnancy from unprotected intercourse at different times during the cycle and at different life stages, the role of male fertility, and more.

After each question is answered (correctly or not), the quiz provides a brief easy-to-understand educational summary.

While fertility is the physiological ability for a girl or woman to become pregnant, fertility awareness is much more, Jennings says.

“Fertility Awareness is actionable information about fertility throughout the life cycle and the ability to use this information to care for one’s own sexual and reproductive health and that of others,” she adds.

The development of the global fertility awareness quiz is a part of the IRH’s FACT Project supported by USAID. To learn more about other IRH research being presented at ICFP, click here.

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About the Institute for Reproductive Health
The Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University Medical Center has more than 25 years of experience in designing and implementing evidence-based programs that address critical needs in sexual and reproductive health. The Institute’s areas of research and program implementation include family planning, adolescents, gender equality, fertility awareness, and mobilizing technology for reproductive health. The Institute is highly respected for its focus on the introduction and scale-up of sustainable approaches to family planning and fertility awareness around the world. For more information, visit www.irh.org.

About Georgetown University Medical Center

Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC’s mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis — or “care of the whole person.” The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally ranked; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization, which accounts for the majority of externally funded research at GUMC including a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health.