Back to school season! In March 2025, the Orchid research team visited Langley Park School for Girls, a secondary school in South London, to introduce Year 12 and 13 students and teachers to Orchid as part of our pilot study. We ran three sessions at the school. During the first, the students used Orchid guided by various scenarios. In the second, we gathered student Training for Health Care Professionals The pilot study of Orchid, the new digital tool to support reproductive life planning, is in full swing in three NHS healthcare settings: a GP practice in South London, a sexual health clinic in Hackney and a Women’s Health Hub in Tower Hamlets. Each site received training from a GP in our team prior to the launch, along with a Orchid Consent Form Orchid Privacy Policy Orchid Information Sheet Pilot implementation of the Orchid app to support pregnancy planning, preparation, and prevention. In the UK, nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned, which can be a source of significant stress and uncertainty for individuals and couples; navigating unplanned pregnancies can be a complex and emotionally demanding experience. Our research and work to date indicates a clear and unaddressed need amongst individuals of reproductive age for support in developing and achieving their reproductive Pregnancy Preparation Among Women and Their Partners in the UK: How Common Is It and What Do People Do? Being prepared for pregnancy has been linked to better outcomes for both mothers and their babies (1,2). This preparation can involve optimising existing medical conditions, modifying behaviour like smoking, and taking vitamins such as folic acid. Currently, 90% of women of reproductive age in the UK have at least one risk factor that could be targeted before pregnancy (3). Despite Public Engagement in Research On Saturday the 16th of September Dr Hall attended a public engagement in research event for the local Bangladeshi community in North London. Dr Hall spoke to attendees about whether they would like any (more) children and depending on what they said provided information on the range of contraception available, or how to plan and prepare for pregnancy. Visitors were ‘What’s your plan?’ video shortlisted for award As part of the dissemination of the P3 Study findings, we created a short, animated video titled “What’s your plan?”. We developed this video to raise awareness amongst the general public of the benefits of pregnancy planning; whether that is to avoid unwanted pregnancies, or to plan and prepare for pregnancies that are desired. Our PPI group informed the decision Women’s Reproductive Health Survey The UK government has officially launched the Women’s Reproductive Health Survey. This survey aims to gather women’s views across England on issues such as periods, contraception, fertility, pregnancy and the menopause. This survey is being run by the Department of Health and Social Care and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It forms part of the Women’s Health Posts navigation Older posts