Male Infertility Research on Verge of Breakthrough

The experiment marks the first time that stem cells have been used to produce mature sperm in the laboratory setting. Infertility problems plague an estimated one-sixth of couples worldwide, with nearly half of those cases related to male infertility. Researchers believe that the experiment could lead to treatments in which healthy sperm cells are produced out of stem cells... more

I am remembering today the first time that I came in contact with an actual female that had been pregnant and close to my age. I was in 8th grade and although I want to say that it was in Health class, I really think that it was in Home Ec class. These moms were invited to talk to us students about teen pregnancy. I don't remember any of the lessons leading up to the discussion. I do remember what one of them told us.

The girl was petite and very pretty. She came into class with a group of others and a teacher from the alternative school where they were offered child care for their baby. Towards the end of the class time we were all laughing and talking about life after having... more

"Womankind: Is Seasonale® Reasonable?"

Elaine Stillerman, LMT, wrote the above article for Massage Today, a publication that I receive. She is upset with the marketing of Seasonale®, and wonders if other women feel the same way.

Is there anyone else feeling disgusted and outraged at the latest assault on women by the pharmaceutical industry? Are women so gullible that we believe these mega-billion dollar giants have our best interests in mind when they claim that... more

Shiatsu and Labor Induction

I just finished reading the above article in Massage Magazine. They are reporting about a study done in England in 2000.

The subjects attended a hospital consultant clinic appointment at 40 weeks gestation and were taught the massage techniques by a midwife who had completed a six-day shiatsu course. The control group consisted of 76 women who attended similar clinics but were not taught the shiatsu techniques.

Three... more

I frequently read an alternative blog that I really enjoy. I never thought that I would be able to share something that I found on that site that would be appropriate for this one, but I came across this activity this week and had a lot of fun doing it. I have already shared this with some of my other online friends, and thought that maybe you all would appreciate it as well. It also kind of ties into the post that I did recently about body image.

The above pic is one that I created in anime style through abi-station.... more

Fridays are always busy work days for me. Not that you can call actually being at the office for 3 hours busy, but it is the most time that I spend there at once. Anyway, as I was working today I was thinking about another benefit for me that comes with working outside of the house, bragging!

I never thought that I would be one of those women who goes on and on about her kids, but as I look back on my life, I can't think of a reason why I thought that. When my nephews were small, I talked about them nonstop. Before them, it was my much younger brother... more

Continuing with the grief list and my personal story with miscarriage, I will be addressing this issue today:

to be unable to do what other women seem easily able to do as a 'natural part of life' and our jealousy and anger of that

My miscarriage was my first experience with troubled pregnancies. In my family history there were many stories about pregnancy and baby loss, but none in my generation. I am the oldest of six kids and out of the first three, I was the last to try to have kids. My brother and... more

From the list of Grief Issues I posted yesterday, I'm going to explore the loss of innocence for future pregnancies.

I didn't understand that this issue would be a problem for me until I got pregnant again and again after my first miscarriage. The starry-eyed wonder and excitement from first finding out that I was pregnant was first replaced with hope, and then in the last pregnancy, extreme fear. The first time that I became pregnant, I couldn't wait to take the pregnancy test. I told myself that I was going to wait until my period was just a few days late. Well, that didn't work out. I got myself into such a frenzy one morning that I drove to the drugstore and came home with... more

I just can't seem to stay away from the New Zealand site, Miscarriage Support Aukland Inc. I have written about it before, in my post Miscarriage at Home. Again, here is the link, miscarriage support.

In their grief section, they offer a lot of issues that are related to miscarriage. I hadn't seen such a comprehensive list as this and will reprint it here:

the loss of the festivities of a joyous birth and perhaps future ones the loss of our dreams for this child and the future our family would have had together - we had made plans for life the loss of being able to call ourselves... more

One of my friends sent me this link to write about for this blog. I think that one of the best qualities you need besides patience while experiencing infertility is to keep your sense of humor. Or to develop your sense of humor as the case may be. This link is laugh out loud funny. And thought provoking. What the heck is going on with those pictures?

MK Carroll created the patern for this uterus doll. And took the accompanying photos.

Human anatomy is pretty amazing, but not always pretty. My interest in anatomy coupled... more