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Mum on pill gives birth, to triplets!
A Hampshire woman has beaten odds of over 200 million to one to become pregnant with triplets, rendering her contraceptive pill completely useless.
She gave birth to identical triplets who had to be kept in hospital incubators until they'd gained some strength. The kids' dad, no doubt amazed at the potency of his super-soldiers, said: "They're tiny and amazing. We weren't even trying for children and Kirsty was on the Pill. But we're so excited. It's an instant family."
Must've been a shock to the system though! A Hampshire woman has beaten odds of over 200 million to one to become pregnant with triplets, rendering her contraceptive pill comple... more -
Does the Pill make it harder for women to sniff out good mates?
Birth control pills could screw up a woman's ability to sniff out a compatible mate, a new study finds.
While several factors can send a woman swooning, including big brains and brawn, body odor can be critical in the final decision, the researchers say. That's because beneath a woman's flowery fragrance or a guy's musk the body sends out aromatic molecules that indicate genetic compatibility.
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are involved in immune response and other functions, and the best mates are those that have different MHC smells than you. The new study reveals, however, that when women are on the pill they prefer guys with matching MHC odors.
MHC genes churn out substances that tell the body whether a cell is a native or an invader. When individuals with different MHC genes mate, their offspring's immune systems can recognize a broader range of foreign cells, making them more fit.
Past studies have suggested couples with dissimilar MHC genes are more satisfied and more likely to be faithful to a mate. And the opposite is also true with matchng-MHC couples showing less satisfaction and more wandering eyes.
"Not only could MHC-similarity in couples lead to fertility problems," said lead researcher Stewart Craig Roberts, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of Newcastle in England, "but it could ultimately lead to the breakdown of relationships when women stop using the contraceptive pill, as odor perception plays a significant role in maintaining attraction to partners."
Sexy scents
The study involved about 100 women, aged 18 to 35, who chose which of six male body-odor samples they preferred. They were tested at the start of the study when none of the participants were taking contraceptive pills and three months later after 40 of the women had started taking the pill more than two months prior.
For the non-pill users, results didn't show a significant preference for similar or dissimilar MHC odors. When women started taking birth control, their odor preferences changed. These women were much more likely than non-pill users to prefer MHC-similar odors.
"The results showed that the preferences of women who began using the contraceptive pill shifted towards men with genetically similar odors," Roberts said.
Pregnant state
Based on the work by Claus Wedekind, a University of Lausanne researcher who preformed similar studies in the 1990s, Roberts suggests a likely reason for the pill's effect on a woman's odor preferences. The pill puts a woman's body into a hormonally pregnant state (the reason she doesn’t ovulate), and during that time there would be no reason to seek out a mate.
"When women are pregnant there's no selection pressure, evolutionarily speaking, for having a preference for genetically dissimilar odors," Roberts said. "And if there is any pressure at all it would be towards relatives, who would be more genetically similar, because the relatives would help those individuals rear the baby."
So the pill puts a woman's body into a post-mating state, even though she might be still in the game.
”The pill is in effect mirroring a natural shift but at an inappropriate time,” Roberts told LiveScience. Birth control pills could screw up a woman's ability to sniff out a compatible mate, a new study finds. ... more -
The pill 'makes women pick bad mates'
Birth-control pills could screw up a woman's ability to sniff out a compatible mate, a new study finds.
While several factors can send a woman swooning, including big brains and brawn, body odor can be critical in the final decision, the researchers say. That's because beneath a woman's flowery fragrance or a guy's musk the body sends out aromatic molecules that indicate genetic compatibility.
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are involved in immune response and other functions, and the best mates are those that have different MHC smells than you. The new study reveals, however, that when women are on the pill they prefer guys with matching MHC odors.
MHC genes churn out substances that tell the body whether a cell is a native or an invader. When individuals with different MHC genes mate, their offspring's immune systems can recognize a broader range of foreign cells, making them more fit.
Past studies have suggested couples with dissimilar MHC genes are more satisfied and more likely to be faithful to a mate. And the opposite is also true with matchng-MHC couples showing less satisfaction and more wandering eyes.
"Not only could MHC-similarity in couples lead to fertility problems," said lead researcher Stewart Craig Roberts, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of Newcastle in England, "but it could ultimately lead to the breakdown of relationships when women stop using the contraceptive pill, as odor perception plays a significant role in maintaining attraction to partners."
Sexy scents
The study involved about 100 women, aged 18 to 35, who chose which of six male body-odor samples they preferred. They were tested at the start of the study when none of the participants were taking contraceptive pills and three months later after 40 of the women had started taking the pill more than two months prior.
For the non-pill users, results didn't show a significant preference for similar or dissimilar MHC odors. When women started taking birth control, their odor preferences changed. These women were much more likely than non-pill users to prefer MHC-similar odors.
"The results showed that the preferences of women who began using the contraceptive pill shifted towards men with genetically similar odors," Roberts said. Birth-control pills could screw up a woman's ability to sniff out a compatible mate, a new study finds. ... more -
Five reasons women get pregnant while on the pill
From the article:
1. Alcohol: Since spirits lodge themselves in your liver, just like the pill, binge-drinking affects the way the medication is metabolized there.
2. Time Warp: You must take the pill at the same time everyday, otherwise it takes your estrogen levels on a rollercoaster ride. [Ruh-roh.—Editor] It’s the control of those levels that stop you from becoming a mommy.
3. Skippity-Doo-Da: If you forget to take the pill one day, make sure you double up the next. If there’s any random bleeding involved, be sure to still use a condom.
4. Mixing Meds: While most pills are like Liz Claiborne’s collection (mix-and-match!) antibiotics and seizure meds actually render the pill powerless. Beware! If you’re still feeling frisky when you’re sickly, use a condom.
5. Cheapin’ Out: Generic pills often contain lower doses than their full-price counterparts. Shell out, or have your insurance shell out, for the good stuff. Isn’t it unfair how guys get away easy by just buying dinner? This is why birth control should maybe be a shared expense.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,366741,00.html From the article: ... more -
HHS moves to define contraception as abortion
In a spectacular act of complicity with the religious right, the Department of Health and Human Services Monday released a proposal that allows any federal grant recipient to obstruct a woman's access to contraception. In order to do this, the Department is attempting to redefine many forms of contraception, the birth control 40% of Americans use, as abortion. In a spectacular act of complicity with the religious right, the Department of Health and Human Services Monday released a proposal th... more
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McCain against Roe v. Wade & Comprehensive Sex-ed
John McCain has a 0% rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund because he has consistently voted against women's reproductive rights.
Once again it becomes clear that John McCain's policies are identical to Bush's.
He is opposed to Roe v. Wade and has said that he would like to see it overturned.
He's against Comprehensive Sexual Education and only supports "abstinence-only" education which has been proven to be ineffective and is often tied to bringing religion, and misinformation about sex into the classroom.
He's against making birth control affordable by means of requiring insurance companies to cover it.
Do Americans know enough about John McCain's extreme positions on this critical issues?
Is McCain any different from Bush on reproductive health or a disrespect for the Constitution and the right to privacy?
Take the Bush-McCain challenge and quiz by watching this video and decide for yourself if McCain is really the "maverick" he's cracked up to be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Z4dxjRv4g
What do you think? John McCain has a 0% rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund because he has consistently voted against women's reproductiv... more -
Birth control pill now available online
Women can now get the Pill directly off the internet, with no doctor's appointment needed. The move, part of a new online service, is to be offered to women already popping pregnancy prevention pills, but could be offered to all women pretty soon.
According to a spokesman for the DrThom company, patients will have to complete a health questionnaire and then maybe have to answer follow up questions from a doctor via email. Women can now get the Pill directly off the internet, with no doctor's appointment needed. The move, part of a new online service... more -
The pill 'substantially' cuts ovarian cancer risk
"The contraceptive pill substantially reduces women's risk of ovarian cancer and continues to protect them for at least 30 years after they stop taking it, according to a big scientific analysis published today.
The research, by Oxford University epidemiologists, suggests that the risk of ovarian cancer is cut by 20% for every five years that a woman has been on the pill. Those who take it for 15 years cut their risk by half. Ovarian cancer is hard to detect and kills two-thirds of those who get it."
If there was ever a reason to make the pill available over the counter... "The contraceptive pill substantially reduces women's risk of ovarian cancer and continues to protect them for at least 30 y... more -
British Women To Get The Pill Without A Prescription
Chemists could be given the power to hand out the Pill without prescription under plans unveiled by the Government yesterday. Women and girls under 16 would be able to obtain the contraceptive after one interview with a qualified pharmacist. It would put the Pill on the same footing as the morning-after pill, which is already available without direct authorisation from a doctor.
I think this is fantastic news. I know that it always brings criticisms about whether this promotes sex at a younger age. I would argue that it doesn't promote sex. It's not going to make girls have more sex. It's just going to provide those girls who are doing it anyways to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Chemists could be given the power to hand out the Pill without prescription under plans unveiled by the Government yesterday. Women an... more -
Who's Resposible for the Contraception-Man or Woman?
Many women still rely on a man to wear a condom and many men rely on a woman to be on the pill. Read this article so that you can rely on yourself. Many women still rely on a man to wear a condom and many men rely on a woman to be on the pill. Read this article so that you can rely... more
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The Pill
