Topic: fertility

Singapore Government Reminds Women To Have Babies ASAP Via Obnoxious Fairytales

Singapore Government Reminds Women To Have Babies ASAP Via Obnoxious Fairytales

When it comes to being childless, whether by choice or not, women are frequently criticized while men face little to no repercussions. From well-intentioned remarks to snide comments from family, friends or strangers, women are often told that motherhood is somehow our duty, and by deciding not to participate means we’re incomplete. Now, shaming those females who have opted out of parenthood is apparently an actual government duty — via fairytale. More »

Men Who Watch Too Much TV Have Fewer Sperm (But Don’t Worry, Fertility Is Still A Women’s Issue)

Men Who Watch Too Much TV Have Fewer Sperm (But Don't Worry, Fertility Is Still A Women's Issue)

A couple of news stories about reproduction are floating around the internets this week: One about how watching too much TV might lower male fertility, and another about how the economy will tank if women don’t pop out more babies, stat. One is based on a health study; the other is the opinions of Jonathan V. Last, a journalist who just wrote a book about politics, fertility, and demographics called “What to Expect When No One’s Expecting.” Neither story necessarily commands readers to take action or address the issue at hand as an emergency, but they do follow a frustrating trend in stories about reproduction and fertility: That it’s a woman’s job to worry about making babies. More »

Putrescine Fertility Water Could Keep Aging Eggs In Good Shape

Putrescine Fertility Water Could Keep Aging Eggs In Good Shape

It seems a little bit too fantastical, but Canadian researcher Johné Liu may just have discovered the fountain of fertility, so to speak. The main reason women over 35 have reduced fertility, more miscarriages and more babies born with birth defects is that they produce more egg cells with the incorrect number of chromosomes. But according to Liu, drinking water or taking a pill laced with natural compound putrescine could boost fertility and seriously reduce the number of abnormal eggs produced by women older but pre-menopausal women. More »

Gotham Chopra Talks Bunnies And 8-Foot Phalluses

Gotham Chopra Talks Bunnies And 8-Foot Phalluses

What do bunnies and bachelorette parties have in common? They’re both rife with references to fertility, according to Gotham Chopra, whose new Holy Facts video is all about symbols and celebrations of fertility in various cultures. Gotham’s explorations are interesting, but the real star of the video is probably the eight-foot phallus carried around the Honen Matsuri festival, where attendees have come to increase their chance of fertility (and bountiful harvest and prosperity) for hundreds of years. More »

Smoking, Drinking, Being Obese Don’t Actually Hurt Sperm (But Still Aren’t Great For Men)

Smoking, Drinking, Being Obese Don't Actually Hurt Sperm (But Still Aren't Great For Men)

For a long time, fertility doctors have told men that, for optimal sperm viability and healthy, they should consider making lifestyle changes, like quitting smoking, reducing their consumption of alcohol, and losing weight. But new research out of the UK indicates that those kinds of changes may not actually have the impact on male fertility that scientists initially thought. Which doesn’t make cutting back on smokes, booze, and burgers bad advice–it just might not help a dude’s little swimmers perform any better. More »

Why I’m An Egg Donor

Why Iâm An Egg Donor

Like a lot of young women in college, Wendie Wilson‘s eyes began lingering over lucrative egg donation advertisements with mere curiosity. A lump sum of money for some eggs she had no intention of using for some time was appealing. But it wasn’t until a short time later when she moved to Southern California at the age of 23 that she found herself finally calling the owner of an egg donation program — a woman with twins born via a donated egg. The mother shared what one donation ultimately meant to both she and her family, her gratitude affirming for Wendie the “fantastic” gift of egg donation.

She would become an egg donor five times in the next decade. More »

8 Things That Can Boost Or Wreck Your Fertility…Now Or Later

8 Things That Can Boost Or Wreck Your Fertility...Now Or Later

Whether you’re currently trying to get pregnant or don’t want a baby for at least another decade, the habits you cultivate now could affect how easily you conceive. Infertility, of course, has many causes, most of which are out of our control (or at least irreversible, like age). But personal habits, environmental exposures and other “lifestyle factors” also play a role. Check out the following 8 fertility factors that can boost or wreck you chances of getting pregnant. More »

Fertility Stock Photos: Test Tube Babies And Hourglasses Galore

Fertility Stock Photos: Test Tube Babies And Hourglasses Galore

When I say the word “fertility” to you, what comes to mind? I’ll give you a few moments …. Okay. So you thought of dead shrubs, toy babies in test tubes, women clutching alarm clocks to their vaginas and syringes full of baby bibs, right? No? Oh, then clearly, you are not someone who dreams up concepts for stock photos. Because in searching “fertility” in stock photo databases for a post last week, that is exactly the kind of images I came across in abundance. Want to see these—and more!—absolutely icky conceptions of what fertility means to the the stock photo lords? Well, you’re in luck …. More »

Stem Cells Inside Us Could Grow New Eggs, Preserve Fertility Forever

Stem Cells Inside Us Could Grow New Eggs, Preserve Fertility Forever

You’ve probably heard before that your supply of eggs is finite—we’re born with all the eggs we’ll ever have, and left with a dwindling number as we age.  That’s been the prevailing wisdom for about 60 years. But Harvard researchers are now saying that young women’s ovaries contain very rare stem cells that are capable of producing new eggs—a crazy finding which could potentially change the whole fertility timeline drastically. More »

Kirsten Dunst Fears Not Finding A Baby Daddy In Her 30s

Kirsten Dunst Fears Not Finding A Baby Daddy In Her 30s

If you like Kirsten Dunst (and I do), then this quirky Lucky magazine profile of the 29-year-old actress is the kind of thing that will only make you like her all the more (if you find her brand of manic pixie everygirl irritating—well, don’t read the article). She name-drops Roberta’s, the rooftop-gardening Bushwick, BK pizza joint, as her favorite restaurant; gets really super excited about spray tanning; and thinks her ex-boyfriend convinced her to cut her hair short because she looked uglier that way. She also admits that she’s afraid of “not finding someone to have kids with” in her 30s. More »

What Are Your Chances Of Getting Pregnant In Your 30s And 40s? Less Than You Think.

What Are Your Chances Of Getting Pregnant In Your 30s And 40s? Less Than You Think.

Not to rush you, ladies, but your biological clock is probably ticking louder than you think it is. According to a new survey, most of us know that age is a major factor in infertility, but most women don’t know exactly how much. In other words, we underestimate how easy it will be to get pregnant and long it will take–especially as we get past our 20s. More »