by Sue Johanson

May 16, 2004 Weight Gain During Pregnancy Not Necessarily Healthy Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas report that fat gained during a pregnancy will not benefit the newborn's birth-weight; it was lean body mass - in other words, muscle - that influenced the size of the infant. Excess fat stayed with the mother post partum. The best thing is to get in shape before a pregnancy and then keep active throughout it.

May 2, 2004 U.S. Air Force Fights Chlamydia After a two-year study, the US Air Force has recommended routine testing of females - and males - for Chlamydia. They believe the infection is more serious for women. Although 75% of the infected men had symptoms of Chlamydia, only 25% of the women showed any signs. However, it is obvious that unless both sexes are treated for the disease, they will simply reinfect each other.

April 18, 2004 Females Fade as Pfizer Fizzles Pfizer, the manufacturer of Viagra, has been unable to prove the efficacy of its drug as a treatment for "female sexual desire disorder", also known as low sex drive. The researchers found that lack of female arousal is far more complex than male erectile dysfunction. The surprising thing is that it took them 8 years to figure this out!

April 4, 2004 No to 'Just Say No' Research has found that if 10 students had taken the purity pledge of 'abstinence only', 9 had broken that pledge within 2 years. Although they had fewer partners, they were less likely to use condoms to practise SAFER SEX and they had the same rate of Sexually transmitted infections as other students. The study was conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and the Centers for Disease Control on 12,000 students. Maybe we should consider teaching sexuality as a health issue rather than a moral one, ya think?

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March 28, 2004 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome & Safer Sex Fetal Alcohol Spectum Disorder or FASD is a permanent physical and mental disability suffered by the fetus when a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy. It is entirely preventable. In the most extreme cases, lower IQ's and distinctive facial features are present; however, the majority of cases are less obvious and go undiagnosed. This is known as Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) and these cases have a devastating effect on society: 95% will have mental health problems; 68% will have "disrupted school experience"; 68% will experience trouble with the law; 55% will be confined in prison, drug or alcohol treatment centre or mental institution; 52% will exhibit inappropriate sexual behavior 70% will have problems with employment Since 38% of pregnancies are unplanned, it is essential that fertile women either don't drink, or else use an effective method of birth control. (Stats - FASworld.com)

March 21, 2004 Ovarian Cysts Linked to Tubal Ligation A new study has shown that women who opt for a tubal ligation for permanent sterilization are 70% more likely to develop ovarian cysts. Researchers suspect that severing the Fallopian tubes may affect the flow of blood to the ovaries. That may promote the development of cysts. Since tubal ligation is one of the most popular forms of birth control in North America, further studies are required before any conclusions can be drawn. Generally, if a couple desires permanent sterilization, it is much easier and safer for a male to have a vasectomy.

March 7, 2004 Study Links Obesity and Cervical Cancer The chances of a woman developing cancer of the cervix are twice as high if she is obese and has been on the Birth Control Pill for more than 10 years. Research conducted by Dr. James Lacey from the Univ. of Maryland School of Medicine found that higher levels of estrogen found in obese women may encourage normal cells to become malignant. It has previously been known that obesity can also contribute to cancer of the uterus. Now the reasons to slim down are more compelling than ever.

February 29, 2004 Is 'The Jock' on His Way Out? Here is the latest word in our vocabulary: METROSEXUAL. It defines an urban, self-absorbed male, a guy who is not afraid to allow his feminine side to be obvious to everyone - basically a straight guy with a gay aesthetic. In olden days, he would have been called a "dandy". His clothing, his manner, his style are definitely not macho, and it is interesting, females appreciate his non-aggressive, gentle, sensitive personality. I wonder if jocks are an endangered species? And here's another one for you - HETEROFLEXIBLE. This is a straight male or female who is not above the occasional same-sex fling.