Why sexual and reproductive experiences? Why this topic? In a way, I felt like it was just bound to happen. The political climate was pushing me toward this topic. I was thinking about it every single day, and I wanted an outlet to think about it on a bigger scale. I wanted a way to engage with these conversations, both personally and professionally. I wanted to do it with people in my local community and also my own personal network. I had a lot of questions about what people imagine for the future of their sexual and reproductive experiences. I wondered if people felt really negatively or if they imagined positive futures for themselves and their community and for future generations. Was it possible to think positively with such upsetting news happening because of Roe v. Wade, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. I felt upset that my rights were getting taken away. And I wanted to find a community in that space to not find solutions to the problem, but to imagine new things, new ways of thinking about the topic.

So I have a personal connection to the topic. Around 2017, I started having reoccurring yeast infections, and that lasted for about three years. And I was on an antifungal off and on. And it really opened my eyes to what it's like to have a recurrent illness. It sounds dramatic to call it a disease, but it is incredibly painful and uncomfortable and hard to talk about. And I also struggled with advocating for myself within the healthcare system. I felt like I wasn't being listened to I wasn't being believed. And I was being offered the same solution over and over again. And so I had always been interested in this topic, I felt excited to talk about it in general. But having this recurrent yeast infection for three years got me very comfortable talking about it with everybody in my life, because it influenced a lot of my experiences. And it also made me realize how often women and individuals assigned female at birth are just completely disregarded when they are trying to advocate for themselves in terms of their sexual and reproductive health.

So we know that sexual and reproductive health research is very lacking for women, for individuals assigned female at birth. And knowing that, I was questioning what kind of research I could do—what could co design and design research bring to this gap of knowledge. A huge reflection from this research is that our sexual and reproductive experiences, that part of our lives, influences and touches every single piece of our life. It's huge. And it's something that a lot of people don't talk about regularly. It's very hidden. It's very mysterious, or even maybe taboo to talk about. And I felt like design could offer a way to make a safe space. Having co-design there as a way to talk about the topic safely, but with other people. To find a generative conversation, to learn about yourself within a conversation within the making process. To learn what you want to learn what you're looking for, as well as your fears and what you don't want to happen in your future.