Viagra for men – and the similar drugs that followed after – is a huge, huge money maker for big pharmaceuticals. You have to give them credit. They found a need and they filled it; they rose to the challenge (pun intended ).
But now, the target is women. Women do experience sexual dysfunction. Many women would love to have satisfying sex lives but don’t because of various issues. While some researchers are actively working on medications to help women with their sexual desire, some discover a treatment by accident, as did researchers from the University of North Carolina …read more

What does a woman’s fidelity have to do with her unborn child’s health? A lot, if the news reports of a study from New Zealand are right. The results of the study were published in the most recent issue of Journal of Reproductive Immunology.

Actually, if you really read the study, it’s not the faithfulness that was the issue, it was how much the woman was exposed to the father’s semen. You know how I caution people to read studies carefully and not take news at face value? Here is yet another case. The news that came out of this study …read more

If you thought Botox (Clostridium botulinum toxin type A) was going away, you were wrong. Doctors are trying to find new ways to use this “wonder” product and some plastic surgeons think they’ve got the new best thing: breast enhancement via Botox.
According to news reports out of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) annual meeting, injecting Botox into the pectoralis minor muscle in the chest, causes the back muscles to lift the breast, giving the appearance of a breast lift. It only works, however, on small-small breasts (A or B cups).
The technique also helps fight against slouching, say doctors …read more

Penelope Trunk, a controversial blogger, has raised a firestorm of a debate: she tweeted about her miscarriage during a meeting and she was happy about it. It meant that she didn’t have to wait for an abortion.
Ms Trunk’s tweet about her miscarriage raised a lot of eyebrows and considerable uproar. Surprisingly, much of the uproar was from women who felt that Ms Trunk was not feeling the “right” way after having had a miscarriage. That she should be mourning the loss instead of being happy about it. This despite the fact that she was about to abort the fetus anyway.
I …read more

Infertility – it’s something that has affected millions of people around the world.
And the National Infertility Association and Fertility LifeLines™, a free patient resource provided by EMD Serono, want to hear their stories. They are  holding the first-ever In The Know Short Film Competition.
Have you got a story to tell about dealing with infertility?
Anyone touched by infertility can enter the In The Know Short Film competition by  submitting a creative, inspirational short film about their path to parenthood (or the journey of someone close to them).
These films will be reviewed by a panel of judges. Competition finalists will have their …read more

Spring and summer might not be the best time for women in the United States to conceive according to a new study published in the April edition of the Acta Pædiatrica journal. Seems that the study, which analysed the 30.1 million births in the U.S. between 1996 and 2002, found that there was an increased number of birth defects in the children born of women who last menstruated in April, May, June, or July.

This is the time of the year when there are increased levels of pesticides, such as atrazine (which is banned in Europe but still permitted in the …read more

Got a few minutes to spare? Then check out this National Geographic Channel quiz which challenges you to compare twinned photos to find 10 differences in each, and learn facts about identical twins, particularly how they may not actually be fully identical.
Sure hope you do better than me…

The National Geographic Channel created this quiz as part of their In the Womb series.
By the way, the next episode of In the Womb screens this Saturday 28th February on National Geographic Channel.

Did you know that in the United States alone, there are 19 million new sexually transmitted disease (STD) cases diagnosed each year?
Scary numbers.
But most people will look at those numbers and say, ‘yeah, but that won’t happen to me. I’m safe. My behavior is not risky.”
Unfortunately, it could easily happen to you. All it really takes to get a sexually transmitted disease is one instance of unprotected sex.
Which is why I suggest that anyone who is sexually active or intending to become sexually active read Seductive Delusions: How Everyday People Catch STD’s by Jill Grimes MD.
It’s an easy to read …read more

It’s something that we all know is possible. It’s also something that we all think won’t happen to us. So here’s a cautionary tale from a University of Alabama student to remind us that although developing a blood clot is a rare side effect of taking birth control, it is one that can occur.
Birth Control Has Side Effects: I Should Know
by
Caitlin from the University of Alabama
As college students, we pretty much think of ourselves as invincible, I know I certainly have. Until recently that is. I’ve been in car accidents, including one where my car hydroplaned off a cliff. I’ve drank …read more

‘no one knows what goes on behind closed doors’.
- Behind Closed Doors, Charlie Rich, 1973
Okay, so it’s not something that we freely admit but let’s face it, we all have a little bit of curiosity as to what goes on in other people’s bedrooms. After all, we live in a world that seems to be obsessed with sex. But when it comes to talking about the intimate details of one’s sex life, it’s something that seldom happens, especially among women.
Writer and editor Paula Derrow thinks this is because of fear…
‘fear of being exposed as inadequate, or worse, of being boring. …read more