What Is “The Talk?” Some call it the tale of the “birds and the bees;” others call it “the talk.” Regardless of the name, it is almost always associated with feelings of awkwardness, anxiety, and uneasiness. “The talk” consists of a discussion between parents and their child(ren) about sex and sexuality. Many young people are…
Tag: Pregnancy
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a temporary type of diabetes (different from type 1 and type 2) that occurs in pregnant women. Its onset tends to be around the 24th week of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes occurs when pregnant women, specifically those who have never had diabetes before, experience high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. This condition affects…
Breast Pumps
While there are many ways to provide food for a baby, breast pumping is a great way to generate breast milk on an individual’s own schedule. Breast pumps can be very helpful because they allow for people to pump breast milk at their convenience and then feed it to their child at a later time….
How to Increase the Chances of Pregnancy
Some couples are able to get pregnant effortlessly, while others experience varying degrees of difficulty. Many couples who are trying to conceive are anxious to do so. Although having intercourse within the “fertile window” is one of the best known ways to increase the probability of fertilization, there are several other ways that couples can…
Breastfeeding and the Workplace
In the United States, the number of working women increases yearly. As the number of working mothers increases, so does concern over how employers can best support them. After a certain point, most working parents must decide whether to continue breastfeeding or begin using formula. Well-respected institutions, health care professionals, and public health officials have begun to strongly…
Male Sterilization
Male Sterilization A vasectomy is a permanent method of birth control for males. It is a surgical procedure, typically involving local anesthesia, in which the vas deferens are cut, tied, or blocked off so that sperm cannot leave the scrotum. This procedure prevents the expulsion of sperm from the male’s body during ejaculation, thus eliminating…
Sex Determination and Differentiation
In humans, biological sex is determined by a specific set of chromosomes. Chromosomes are long, threadlike structures of DNA that encode for different traits in an organism. Humans have a total of 46 chromosomes. These include 22 pairs of autosomes, which are the chromosomes that are the same in males and females, and one pair…
Surgical Abortions
Surgical abortion—also commonly known as suction or vacuum aspiration—is a method that uses a vacuum aspiration machine to cleanse out the uterus, including the fetus. Surgical abortion is the most common method of first trimester abortions performed. Another option for abortion during the first trimester is a medically-induced abortion. Any abortion after the first trimester…
Internal Condom
The internal condom, like the external condom, is a barrier method of contraception. When worn during sex, the internal condom lines the entire interior of the vagina, preventing semen from entering the uterus and potentially fertilizing an egg. By shielding the walls of the vagina or anus from semen and other bodily fluids, the internal condom also helps…