Jen’ll Tell Ya Featuring

Jen Redpath & Jessica Terezakis

Ovulation!

Hey Salty,

Why do most folks with ovaries want to have sex during ovulation? Because the sex is eggceptional!

All jokes aside, we get pretty eggcited (last one) about the human body. There are so many amazing facts about ovulation that we would love to share.

Ovulation is the release of an egg from an ovary and into the uterine (aka fallopian) tube - and by release we mean egg-splosion (sorry couldn’t help ourselves!) Once someone goes through puberty and starts menstruating, they will lose approximately 1000 immature eggs each month, which is a small dent considering people with ovaries are born with their entire life quota of eggsapproximately 1-2 million oocytes (eggs)!

The menstruation cycle, including ovulation, is a series of hormonal changes that can affect all parts of our body, from the lining of the uterus to our brains, including our level of arousal! Ovulation typically happens mid-way through the menstruation cycle - about 13-15 days before the start of each period.

Studies have shown that for folks with ovaries, their sex drive increases during ovulation. This is why if you aren’t planning on pregnancy, it is important to make sure you use protection as you might just be subconsciously hornier because you are at the most fertile point in your cycle.

Conception (getting pregnant) actually occurs in the uterine tubes and implantation takes place in the uterine lining 6-12 days later. Implantation can be accompanied by a bit of spotting blood/ tissues and sometimes this can be mistaken for a period.

Contraception works in a few ways: preventing ovulation (hormonal birth control) or acting as a barrier between the sperm and the egg (think condom or abstinence.) The Morning After pill, also known as Plan-B, does not impact a fertilized egg - it works by suppressing ovulation, not by causing an abortion.

For people who choose not to continue a pregnancy, there are a few options available for all Canadians. If you have questions please check out optbc.org or give us a call at the clinic (250) 537-8786.

For those trying to get pregnant, it can be helpful to have unprotected sex before you ovulate and not after. Even though sperm can live a pretty long time (up to 5 days!), an egg must be fertilized within the first 12 to 24 hours after it is released.

Ovulation is a pretty amazing phenomenon! If you want to learn more about sexual health check out Optbc.org Or give the Sex Sense line a call at 1-800-739-7367.

Stay Sexy Salty!

Options for Sexual Health is open on Tuesdays from 4:30-6:30 pm. For appointments, please call (250)537-8786 or email opt.ssi@gmail.com

Online Auction

How to Identify and Get Support for Workplace Sexual Harassment

Incredible progress has been made over the last few years in terms of workplace health and safety standards. And yet, online surveys across the country have shown that 30% of Canadians have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. Of those, 94% were women. Prevention, awareness, and response begin with employees and employers having a clear understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment.

Workplace sexual harassment is defined as any unwelcomed behaviour that is sexual or gender-based in nature and harmful to an individual and/or work environment. It can be an isolated incident or ongoing and it is not limited to just the workplace.

It can include:

• unwanted and/or inappropriate touching

• sexual jokes, comments, or rumours that intend to demean, humiliate, intimidate, or threat

• inappropriate comments or jokes about someone’s gender or sexual orientation

• unsolicited sexual images, messages, or emails

• persistent, unwanted requests for dating or sexual favours

• any other behaviours known to be unwanted and harmful

Sexual Harassment Advice Response and Prevention (SHARP) Workplaces (sharpworkplaces.org) provides employers and employees with free support.

For Employers:

SHARP Workplaces provides free support about how to effectively prevent and address sexual harassment in the workplace. They have templates for creating policy and procedures around sexual harassment and toolkits for human resources and management regarding responding to disclosures of sexual assault harassment.

For Employees:

SHARP Workplaces provides legal support and resources for people who have experienced sexual assault, as well as ongoing public education and community engagement.

Some forms of sexual harassment constitute criminal offences, including sexual assault, voyeurism, uttering threats, and criminal harassment. In Canada, the Criminal Code defines sexual assault as: “any unwanted sexual act done by one person to another or sexual activity without one person’s consent or voluntary agreement” (Department of Justice, 2010).

Consent is a physical, verbal, and emotional agreement between people to engage in sexual activity. It’s mutual, ongoing, specific to the sexual act, and reversible. Consent can be shown both through words and body language. Silence is not consent. It cannot be given through violence, threats, manipulation, coercion, or by someone who is unconscious or incapacitated.

On Salt Spring Island, IWAV’s Sexual Assault Response Program includes free ongoing support for sexual assault survivors, including a 24/7 crisis line for recent sexual assaults (within 7 days). Check out iwav.org/sexual-assault-response-program or call local 250931-7712 (Ext. 2) or toll-free at 1-833-946-1706

Referenced study: https://www.canada.ca/en/employmentsocial-development/services/health-safety/reports/workplaceharassment-sexual-violence.html

The Circle Education is hosting its 2nd online purse, satchel and handbag auction Purses with Purpose this spring. Over 60 new or gentle-used, high-quality purses, satchels, and handbags are auctioned off between Thursday, April 13th and Sunday, April 16th.

There is a broad collection of designer bags, around-town bags, backpacks, evening purses and even some celebrity bags. MP Elizabeth May has donated one of her purses for the auction and Canadian shoe designer John Fluevlog contributed the fabulous Fluevog shoe purse!

Why Purses with Purpose? When working with youth, we talk a lot about identity, and the type of bag we carry is a perfect metaphor! Both the outside and the inside reveal a whole lot about who we are.

The Circle Salt Spring Education Society is a small but mighty organization that works hard to build youth in our community up with confidence and healthy relationship skills so that they can be sent out to navigate our complex world with empathy, respect and compassion.

This online purse auction will help The Circe Education raise funds so they can continue to offer in- and afterschool programs free of charge. You can find a link to Purses with Purpose via www.thecircleeducation.org/news/

New Contemporary Art Exhibition opens at ArtSpring: Little Pockets of Defiant Beauty

April 1-10, 2023 (entry is free)

Opening Event: Saturday, April 1, 5-7 pm

Location: ArtSpring, 100 Jackson Ave, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2V8

“Little Pockets of Defiant Beauty” is a mixed-media exhibition of contemporary fine-art photography, digital art and paintings. Seven local artists interpret the theme in different artistic styles. The common thread of these art works is the defiant strength of beauty in various scenarios – from ordinary household items to cinematographic scenes, unusual spaces and social relationships. The show challenges the way we define beauty and offers unexpected experiences.

The exhibiting artists are Seth Berkowitz, Stefanie Denz, April Mackey, Ella MacQueen-Denz, Robert Moss, Anette Schrage and Michela Sorrentino.

For more information about the artist and a sneak look at some of the show’s art work visit our website www.defiantbeauty.ca

Stone Blind

by Natalie Haynes