Applying topical testosterone appears to raise the risk of cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, and stroke in older men with limited mobility, a study has found.
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Urology News | Permalink
Screening based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) dramatically reduced mortality from prostate cancer in a large 14-year randomized trial in Swedish men, researchers said.
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Urology News | Permalink
( European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology ) Scientists have discovered that when they transplant ovaries from young mice into aging female mice, not only does the procedure make the mice fertile again, but also it rejuvenates their behavior and increases their lifespan.
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Male Reproduction | Permalink
Mothers who drink alcohol while they are pregnant may be damaging the fertility of their future sons, according to new research to be presented at the 26th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Rome today (Tuesday 29 June).
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Male Reproduction | Permalink
Research presented this week at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Rome suggests that men whose mothers had several alcohol drinks per week during pregnancy may have lower quality sperm. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Aarhus in Denmark, studied 347 men born between 1984 [...]
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Male Reproduction | Permalink
The role pheromones play in the mating game may have more to do with repelling than attracting, a new study suggests. Pheromone – Shopping – Health – Reproduction and Sexuality – Aphrodisiacs
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Male Reproduction | Permalink
To breastfeed or not was touchy territory before Kathryn Blundell stepped into it. That is why she stepped in, to represent the side not heard from often: the group that decides not to even try to feed their newborn from anything but a bottle.
Already on explosive ground, she lit the match by using the adjective “creepy” to describe breastfeeding. And she did so in the July issue of the widely read British magazine Mother & Baby, of which she is the deputy editor.
Under the headline “I formula fed. So what?” she wrote:
I wanted my body back. (And some wine)… I also wanted to give my boobs at least a chance to stay on my chest rather than dangling around my stomach… They’re part of my sexuality, too – not just breasts, but fun bags. And when you have that attitude (and I admit I made no attempt to change it), seeing your teeny, tiny, innocent baby latching on where only a lover has been before feels, well, a little creepy.
She acknowledged studies that have found health benefits to mother and child from breast feeding, but said “even the convenience and supposed health benefits of breast milk couldn’t induce me to stick my nipple in a bawling baby’s mouth.”
She continued:
I don’t think I’m the only one, either – only 52 percent of mums still breastfeed after six weeks. Ask most of the quitters why they stopped and you’ll hear tales of agonizing three-hour feeding sessions and – the drama! – bloody nipples. But I often wonder whether many of these women, like me, just couldn’t be fagged or felt like getting tipsy once in a while.
(Translation: fagged is the Britishism for exhausted.)
The parenting blogosphere on both sides of the Atlantic (and all the way down to Australia) lit up when the piece was published last week. Critics were furious that a woman whose job it was to give advice to mothers was steering them wrong, and for what were seen as trivial reasons. Supporters praised her for saying what other mothers often think (how often, no one knows) but rarely say out loud.
Today Blundell responded. On the magazine’s Web site she wrote:
My motivation behind writing this feature was to give a voice to those many women who simply do not want to breastfeed, and as a result of this choice have felt guilty, alienated and distressed.
I also wrote with humor as I wanted to take a more relaxed approach to the topic, in a climate where unfortunately the type of milk a woman feeds her baby seems so open to serious judgment and criticism.
Having a baby leaves a mum in a very vulnerable position and I feel it’s important for all mums to feel confident and comfortable with themselves in order to do what’s best for their baby.
If that choice is to breastfeed, then of course this is really fantastic, as it is certainly the best food for a baby – as I stated in my feature. But, as I also made clear in my feature, breastfeeding just wasn’t for me, and I was happy to take the formula route.
As a supporter of all mums and mums-to-be, Mother & Baby magazine continues to promote breastfeeding as the norm and offers support and advice on feeding – which is just one part of successful parenting.
Women who drink during pregnancy may be damaging the future fertility of their sons, research suggests.
In a study of almost 350 young men, sperm levels were a third lower in those whose mothers had drunk more than four drinks a week during pregnancy compared with teetotallers.
The Danish researchers told a fertility conference these men may have a harder time getting their partner pregnant.
UK experts said alcohol may not be the issue, but a marker for other factors.
Current advice is to avoid alcohol during pregnancy, but those who do so are advised to have no more than one or two units of alcohol once or twice a week.
The study included men, now aged between 18 and 21, whose mothers had taken part in a large study on lifestyle while they were pregnant with them.
Researchers told the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference that they split the men into four groups – those whose mothers drank nothing, those who had one to one and a half drinks a week, two to four drinks a week, or more than four drinks a week.
One drink was classed as a beer, small glass of wine or one measure of spirits.
Four drinks in the study is equivalent to around six UK units.
When they looked at sperm counts in the men’s semen samples, they found those with the highest alcohol exposure in the womb had average concentrations of 25 million per millilitre compared with 40 million/ml in those whose mothers drank no alcohol.
After adjusting for factors which might influence sperm, such as smoking and medical history, they calculated that average sperm concentration was 32% lower in the highest alcohol group than the abstinence group.
The World Health Organization says that a normal range of sperm is 20 to 40 million/ml.
My colleague Taneya does a lot of genealogical research, and has been extremely helpful and generous with her time in tracking down a good chunk of my family tree. Some resources she showed me yesterday inspired me to do some looking myself, which resulted in my seeing photographs of the headstones for one line of my family from grandfather and grandmother all the way up to great great great grandparents! And they’re all in one cemetery in rural east Tennessee! (with the exception of my grandparents, who are in a different cemetery in the next county)
Here’s the headstone for my great great great grandfather (or “third great grandfather” – I’m not up on the correct lingo; 1826-1900), and the one for my great great great grandmother (1821-1916).
There is also a photo of a grave marker for the “infant twin daughters” of my great great grandparents (1913).
Taneya also has a post with photos and a bit more info here.
Filed under: Miscellaneous 
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Womens Health News | Permalink
I recently read a blog comment elsewhere* in a thread that was related to birth choices in its way. The comment said:
“VBAC’s are not allowed by the hospital here because they are so extremely dangerous.”
Now, “so extremely dangerous” is a subjective description, but here’s what the recent NIH VBAC Consensus Statement has to say: “the vaginal delivery rate after trial of labor has remained constant at approximately 74 percent.” So 74% of the time, an attempted VBAC successfully results in a vaginal delivery.
And with regard to the oft-cited fear of uterine rupture:
“The risk of uterine rupture for women who undergo trial of labor at term is 778 per 100,000. …There have been no reported maternal deaths due to uterine rupture…For term pregnancies, the reported risk of fetal death with uterine rupture is less than 3 percent.”
So according to this report^, the risk of uterine rupture with a trial of labor is less than 1%. Among that <1% with uterine ruptures, the risk of fetal death is less than 3%. According to the report, maternal mortality is actually lower with a trial of labor (regardless of whether it results in vaginal or cesarean birth) than with elective repeat cesarean.
And yet, the perception out there is that it's "so extremely dangerous." And that the “extreme danger” to women/babies is why hospitals don’t allow it, rather than healthcare provider/system concerns about legal liability.
Even if we do get more nuanced and less restrictive recommendations out of the major medical association on VBAC, we’re going to have a lot of work to do walking back that “extremely dangerous” perception that was promoted along with the VBAC bans.
*I am not linking to where the comment came from, because that is not the place to have this argument right now. If you decide to search for the phrase and find it, please do me – and the author of the site – the courtesy of not picking a VBAC fight in that comment thread. If you know the story you'll know why, and if you don't know the story you definitely shouldn't start something there.
^See the free full text of the statement for more details about incision type and other factors related to provision and safety of VBAC attempts.
Filed under: Access, Rights, & Choice, Birth, Ethics 
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Womens Health News | Permalink
ABERDEEN, Scotland, June 30 (UPI) — Women with more feminine faces and men with more masculine faces attract the gaze of those of the opposite sex more quickly, researchers in Scotland found. Scotland – Aberdeen City of – Travel and Tourism – Maps and Views – Travel Guides
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Male Reproduction | Permalink
According to new research a mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy can significantly affect the fertility of her unborn male offspring. The Danish study involved 347 young men aged 18 to 21 and found that those whose mothers had drunk more than four drinks a week during pregnancy had one third the sperm levels compared to those whose mothers were teetotalers.
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Male Reproduction | Permalink
At the beginning was a small world and at the end was a small world
and in between was an adventure that took us on flying elephants
past pirates until we were left, fairy-dusted and wish-drenched.
We went to Disney World last week. We saved
for two years and the final amount came from …
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Final week to participate in BlogHer’s 100 gift card
sweepstakes over here. All you need to do is click
over, read my blatherings, and then answer the question to be
entered.
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Every year tens of thousands of women donate their eggs to couples
trying to conceive. Here are the broad outlines of what you can
expect if you are thinking about becoming an egg donor.Would-be
mothers who have had to have their ovaries removed, who suffer
genetic abnormalities, or who suffer untreatable ovarian
abnormalities, as well …
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Want to look great dancing to Latin music? If so, the Rumba is for
you! This dance offers the basic steps for Latin dances, fits all
Latin music and it’s easy! Classes will be held at the
Liederkrantz 403 W. 1st Street. Wednesdays, July 7, 14, 21
28, 7-8 p.m., 37 per student. Instructors: …
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Researchers from Molecular Biometrics, Inc. presented new data this
week demonstrating that the company’s ViaMetrics-E procedure more
accurately predicts implantation rates in single embryo transfer
SET cycles for patients undergoing infertility treatment…
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Ensure your wedding day preparations pass without a hitch, by
following these beauty basics…..
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
If you’re thinking of joining the smartphone revolution, here’s a
simple guide to get you started…..
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
White vinegar not only enhances food taste, but you can use it to
clean cars, clothes, and even protect your pets…..
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
To bring a bit of variety into your diet and spice up your ordinary
meals, it is a good idea to try out new recipes occasionally. There
are a large number of recipe books available and you need to know
which ones are the best to choose…..
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
Yeah, so they slept basically through the night again though I
should clarify that “through the night” only means that they woke
at appropriate times for feedings and went right back to sleep,
rather than fussing on and off, etc.. It’s becoming really clear
that they and we sleep so much better all lumped together in the
same bed. However, I do have to admit that I’m still working out
the logistics of it, and that at times, I am worried about them,
even though we keep the soft bedding away from them and the pillows
out of their way, etc. Bad mom admits it here, but they have
NEVER slept on their back. I put them down on their back, and check
on them to find them on their side. I have never actually seen them
roll, so I’m not sure how they do it maybe they just get angry
enough to spaz themselves into whatever the preferred position
is…, but unless they are tightly swaddled and in a bouncy seat,
OR they are in bed with us, they very rarely lay flat on their
back. Not sure what to do about that.
Anyway, the co-sleeper thing arrived today. I’m not sure how it’s
going to work with twins but we’re going to try it out and see. If
it doesn’t work, we’ll just return it, I guess.
Ah. And now, it’s bath timefeed timesleep time for the
boys…
I’ll leave you with two pictures from our first shopping outing
today:
Jack screams his fool head off…
while Henry sleeps.
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
CJ came down the other night from putting Kyla to bed
and found Keifer at the table with a box of nilla wafers! She is
resourceful!
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
This summer, I signed up K1 for 3 summer
sessions at a nearby dance school. Because our girl loves to
shake her bootie and twirl away like there’s no tomorrow, I figured
she might like it. I was right! She adores it and especially adores
the outfit eye roll. We are contemplating signing her up for
future classes more regularly in the Fall, so for now, we’ll
continue with our baby ballroom classes that now Kyla has joined
and is soooo excited about, and think about the dance school as
well. I don’t want to over schedule our girl, but at the same time,
this is the girl that each time I pick her up at Elaine’s, she begs
me to do something other than go home! She is a mover and a
shaker!
Figuring out the ballet shoes
The first week,she refused adamantly to have me take
pictures of her!
NO PICTURES, MOM!
learning to jump with arms out
doing some stretches
Posted on June 30, 2010 | Filed under Fertility News | Permalink
