Roth B
Community Health Center, Meriden, Conn.
Nurse Pract. 1993 Mar;18(3):40, 43, 47-8 passim. doi: 10.1097/00006205-199303000-00012.
Fertility awareness refers to the observation and interpretation of cervical mucus, often called vaginal discharge. A woman's cervical-mucus pattern indicates the time of ovulation and differentiates the fertile and infertile phases of the menstrual cycle from each other. Fertility awareness enables a woman to know when pregnancy can and cannot occur on a daily basis during each menstrual cycle. There has been, to date, almost no exploration of the appropriateness of fertility-awareness instruction for adolescents. A review of the literature on adolescent cognitive development, sexual activity, knowledge of fertility and contraceptive risk-taking behavior is presented. Based on the literature review, a theoretical rationale for fertility-awareness instruction as a unique sex-education curriculum for adolescents is proposed. The content and teaching techniques of a fertility-awareness presentation for teenagers is described. Directions for future research in fertility-awareness instruction for teenagers, and the need for long-term follow-up to assess the effects of such education on teenagers' sexual activity and contraceptive use are discussed.
生育意识是指对宫颈黏液（通常称为阴道分泌物）的观察和解读。女性的宫颈黏液模式表明排卵时间，并区分月经周期的易孕期和不易孕期。生育意识使女性能够知道在每个月经周期的日常中何时可能怀孕以及何时不可能怀孕。迄今为止，几乎没有人探讨过针对青少年进行生育意识指导是否合适。本文对有关青少年认知发展、性活动、生育知识和避孕冒险行为的文献进行了综述。基于文献综述，提出了将生育意识指导作为青少年独特性教育课程的理论依据。描述了面向青少年的生育意识讲座的内容和教学技巧。讨论了青少年生育意识指导未来的研究方向，以及进行长期随访以评估此类教育对青少年性活动和避孕措施使用的影响的必要性。
