1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
The two-part Marie Claire Sexual Health Series consists of "The Savvy Girl's Guide to Contraception" and "The Big Bang". The series was conceived and edited by Ying Chu, reported and written by Sophia Banay Moura, and top-edited by Anne Fulenwider (Marie Claire Executive Editor) and Joanna Coles.
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Part one of our Sexual Health Series, "The Savvy Girl's Guide to Contraception," was published in the July, 2010 issue. Part two, "The Big Bang," was published in the August, 2010 issue.
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
On the 50th anniversary of the birth control Pill, Marie Claire's Sexual Health Series combines rigorous reporting with lush photography to bring readers vital information in a relatable, appealing manner. The Savvy Girl's Guide to Contraception condenses countless doctor interviews and academic reports into a comprehensive but fun-to-read guide to modern birth control, including: –Breakdown of the most common types of contraception along with changes in popularity; –An insider's chart of Pill brands along with the off-label benefits of each (e.g. which do you take to avoid acne, or pre-period bloat?); –Reproductive secrets exposed, including the real reason we won't see a male birth control Pill anytime soon (the chemical ingredients for one already exist, but companies have no clue how to market it to men), and why "ovary freezing" is a new, affordable way to prolong your child-bearing years. The Big Bang, part two of Marie Claire's Sexual Health Series, takes on female sexual pleasure in the wake of the controversy around Flibanserin, or "female Viagra," including: –How to use pelvic exercises, herbal sex aids, toys, and female-friendly porn to boost libido, no drugs necessary–plus, how to choose porn in a comfortable way for you; –A rundown of recent libido research, including a debunking of the G-spot, why there's no connection between foreplay and orgasm, and an explanation of how some women can orgasm just by thinking about it; –A look at Hollywood's shifting depiction of the female orgasm over time.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
In The Savvy Girl's Guide to Contraception, we used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect data about the prevalence of eight different kinds of birth control in the general population. A condom company, Trojan, provided statistics about female condom buyers. We used research reports from Planned Parenthood, the Guttmacher Institute, and universities like Scotland's St. Andrews University and Edinburgh University for information about women's fertility into mid-age, the impact of the economy on birth control use, and the Obama administration's approach to female reproductive health. For The Big Bang, we consulted Nielsen statistics on women and porn, a PRESIDE study on female sexual dysfunction published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, and clinical trial research data.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
We relied on a large network of doctors and fertility experts for The Savvy Girl's Guide to Contraception and The Big Bang, including OB/GYNs in private practice, internal medicine physicians specializing in women's health, researchers at the National Institutes of Health who focus on male contraception, doctors who are pioneering new ways to extend female fertility, clinicians researching sexual aids, sex therapists at North Carolina's Sinclair Institute, and physicians and professors from the Pelvic and Sexual Health Institute of Philadelphia, Indiana University's Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, Rutgers University, and King's College, London.
6. Results (if any).
Readers responded enthusiastically to our info-packed series. In the September issue, we reprinted this letter from a reader in LA: "Thanks for another great issue. My praises this month are in the details. The Savvy Girl's Guide to Contraception sailed me through the sea of Pill options while shedding light on the exciting new technology of ovary biopsy as an affordable, viable option for women facing fertility issues." And posting on Facebook, another reader wrote: "Loved the Savvy Girl's Guide to Contraception!.. This is why I subscribe to Marie Claire, my favorite mainstream mag."
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No follow-up or corrections have run and the accuracy of the articles has not been challenged.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Cultivating a large base of informed doctor and specialist sources, to whom we could return for new information and interviews over the four months it took to develop and write the package, was crucial. Also, reviewing similar women's magazine titles to confirm that no comprehensive guide like this already existed, and making sure that the tone of the articles wasn't off-putting and that the scientific information was presented in an appealing and non-intimidating way, were two other challenges.