I've also been sprucing up the blogroll. Family & Childraising has been changed to Fertility & Family, and I've added a number of new blogs that are definitely worth checking out, especially An Island Life (which has one of the most beautiful blog themes I've ever seen) and Stirrup Queens and Sperm Court Jesters, which is probably one of the more comprehensive infertility/pregnancy loss blogs I've come across.  If you're looking for a good mom site, be sure to check out 5 Minutes for Mom, which is an excellent portal into the world of motherhood and mommy-blogging.

As a result of my journey into the world of freelance writing, I've discovered a number of excellent blogs and sites, including The Anti 9-to-5 Guide, The Urban Muse, TheWritersBag, and of course, all of the sites that I mentioned in this post.

Happy reading, everyone, and don't forget to offer your suggestions for best blog posts!

I know that the RCL is not organized around a theme, but I do see a thread that ties these together.  In all of these, I see the idea of God planting a seed in us, in God's people.  It could be a seed of faith, a seed of love, a seed of trust, a seed of obedience.  It could be an idea for a dream, the kernel of a plan, or the essence of a vocation that is ready to take root and grow.

The gospel lesson is explicit in this imagery, with the story Jesus tells about the Son of Man sowing seed in the field while the Enemy sows weeds that try to choke out and kill the good seed.  The explanation of the parable that Jesus gives is his intended lesson, but experience has taught me that there is never any one interpretation that is the one and only right way to read the parable.  While the field can be the world and the good seeds be those of us who hear and obey God, the field can also be one person - my mind, your heart, the inner landscape of just one soul - so that the good seed is God's word sown within us, and the weeds are the words that the Enemy whispers to try to separate us from God's grace.

The imagery is similarly clear in the epistle reading, too.  It speaks of the time of waiting for God's kingdom - the gestation, the longing, the labor pains.  Rather than being a field of crops, the comparison here is to a pregnant woman.  But the waiting on fertility is similar regardless of whether we are waiting for the food to grow from the earth so that it can nourish us or waiting for a child to grow within a mother's body so that it can continue our life and nourish our hearts.

In the story from Genesis this week, we see God planting the seed within Jacob, and Jacob accepting it.  This story here is the seed of the Promised Land, the land to which Moses leads the Israelites through the desert out of Egypt.  This story is the seed of the nation of Israel, the seed of much of the conflict that has torn the Middle East for millennia.  And it is a seed of awe and wonder and joy and delight - gifts that God plants in Jacob's heart, gifts that will sustain him through the rest of his life.  The psalm describes this wonder and delight, some of the feelings that Jacob must have experienced after his amazing mystical experience.

So the question for us today is, what kind of seed is God planting in our hearts, in our minds?  What seeds are being sown in the fields within us?  What labor pains are we experiencing, and what are we giving birth to?  What are the dreams that God wants us to dream?

Before you begin to despair, because you haven't experienced a dream as clear as Jacob's dream, in which God speaks directly to you, please remember something.  God speaks to us at exactly the level we can hear.  If you can hear God's whispers in your heart, then God doesn't need to shout.  But if you can't hear the whispers, and you ignore the shouts, then God brings out the clue-by-four and whomps you upside the head with it.  We saw last week that Jacob wasn't the nicest of people growing up.  He took advantage of his twin brother's hunger to coerce his brother's birthright from him, and then when their father Isaac was blind and on his deathbed, Jacob conspired with his mother Rebekah to steal Isaac's dying blessing, the inheritance that rightfully belonged to the (very slightly) older Esau.  And yet, God gave Jacob the dream, and it is not a small one.  God promises Jacob a nation, millions of offspring who will bear Jacob's name.  And God promises Jacob God's unending presence, God's blessing, God's love - the gifts that will sustain Jacob as he groans with the labor pains of bringing to life the dream of a nation for God's chosen people.

The dreams God gives us are rarely small.  They may not have quite the impact of the dream God gave to Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.  But the dreams God plants in us can be enormous in their effect on us, and they can be enormous in their effect on the people around us.  If it had not been for the seed planted in Abram and Sarai - the dream that they would have a child together in their barren old age - then Isaac and Jacob would never have been born.  And yes, Sarai laughed.  She laughed bitterly at the utter ridiculousness of the seed of this dream, looking down at her tired, wrinkled body, placing a hand over her empty womb.  But God planted this dream.  Though it may seem a small thing for one woman to bear a child, I can assure you that this was no small gift for Sarah... and one never knows how one person will change the world.  I have known a woman who could not bear a child, despite years of trying, of undergoing painful and humiliating fertility treatments.  And though she bore this publicly with grace and dignity, I could see the anguish it brought her.  I promise you that the gift of a child in her womb would have been absolutely huge for her.

The seeds God plants in our hearts can be threatening and frightening to us, too.  Jesus brought a wonderful message of love and light and hope... and with that message, he was very threatening and frightening to those in power.  The words of the Magnificat sung by his mother Mary talk about the lowly being lifted up, and the mighty being removed from their thrones, about the hungry being fed and the rich being sent away empty.  These words are powerful for those who are lowly and hungry, but are powerfully threatening for those who are rich or mighty.  When we become comfortable with our place, with our life, that is when God's dreams can feel scary to us... and that is usually when we can expect God's dreams to shake our lives up, to invite us out of the place where we are comfortable and secure, out into the wilderness where we have to trust in our loving God to guide us.  Although the Israelites may not have all been happy in their bondage in Egypt, they did feel secure there.  They knew they would be fed and clothed and housed, and they knew what to expect.  I promise you that there were several who were threatened and frightened by the audacious dream of God, planted in the heart of Moses, that drew them out of that secure place and into the literal wilderness.  And God did guide them and feed them and help them, despite the whining and belligerence and outright disobedience of the Israelites.  God loved them and cared for them and brought them to the Promised Land, the very land that Sunday's Genesis reading describes.

So, my friends, what is God whispering into your heart?  What are God's dreams for you?  Where are the places you are most secure and comfortable?  Do you hear a voice calling you to step out of those places?  Where are the places that are wilderness to you - uncomfortable, scary, threatening?  Are you being drawn into the wilderness?

I promise you that God's dreams for you are huge and magnificent.  The rector at my parish once said in a sermon that God's dreams are never small.  And I'd bet that if you take a close look at the deepest dreams of your heart - the ones that you might be a little afraid or embarrassed to talk about - if you look at those dreams, you will find God.  God will be standing there, holding those bright and shining seeds in God's hands, smiling at you and saying, "Are you ready to get started?  Can we plant these now, so that they will take root in you and grow?"

My 4th month of trying naturally after my last surgery. My 4th month of trying with only one fallopian tube. My 4th month of trying with no scarring in my uterus and with the septum finally removed. My 2nd month of being the rebellious fertility patient. I think I'm going to have to end the rebellion though. Trying to conceive has gotten scary now that my biological clock is slamming away in my ears. I don't think I have the kind of time I did when I was 30 to be messing about here.

Firstly, this has been the longest its taken me to fall pregnant EVER. Four months of trying, and let me tell you, for those of you who haven't battled infertility, trying is hard. Trying stops being fun about 6 months into trying to conceive, I'm 6 years in, we've been trying for about 72 FREAKING months now, trying is no longer fun, its hard work that takes precise planning and excellent timing and its gotten harder.

Its gotten harder now that I only have one fallopian tube, its gotten harder now that we've discovered my hostile CM, something which still leaves me scratching my head, I mean did I always have it? And if I did always have HCM, then how come getting pregnant was so easy before? How come its gotten so difficult now? And if I didn't have it previously, what has caused me to have it now, because whatever it is, I will stop it right now so that I can have regular EWCM again! This HCM is a real mood killer, I mean, not only now do I have to make sure we have intercourse over my fertile days, but I have to time it down to the hour, because I have the added bonus of now having to douche exactly 3 hours before we have sex to ensure that my CM does not kill off the poor sperm trying to get to my egg. Its such fun! (note the sarcasm) Andits like I've developed some kind of mental block against it, I keep forgetting! Last night, while my husbandtried to ease his conscious me taking me out for dinner (I'll explain this in a later paragraph), I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to douche when I got home from work. This meant that the rest of the evening was ruined because all I could think about was getting home so that I could douche. Eventually managed to get it done at around 20h00 which meant that we would have to stay awake until 11h00 to have sex, did I mention I love to sleep? This was never going to happen, so instead we had to get up at the crack of dawn this morning to do the deed. Do you know how much fun that is? Your eyes haven't even opened yet, you both strain your necks in an attempt to not blow morning breath on each other while attempting to have sex in the pitch dark and with a dog sitting at the end of the bed staring at you? My Chyna, my baby that is incredibly protective of me, does not like it when she see's her daddy doing stuff like that to her mommy.

The other problem of course is, withbeing the fertility rebel, I've refused to go to my clinic for monitoring scans for the past 2 months, so we don't actually know when I ovulate, which means that its kind of a hit andmiss. There are a large number of websites that claim to assist with ovulation calendars. So now here in lies the problem. Each one of them varies slightly, my cycles also vary slighty, between 28 & 29 days. This means that, we started doing it every 24 hours since last week Friday andcan only stop tomorrow. This gets really exhausting, it also means that my husband and I have to be nice to each other constantly, for fear of pissing each other off and not being in the mood to have sex for one of the fertile days because then if no pregnancy results from this attempt I'm going to convince myself that its because we didn't do it on that one specific day. So, Monday night was a classic example of what NOT to do during your fertile period. W and I were play fighting over who was going to bring the dogs in and settle them for the night, I should mention now that we're a pretty childish couple, anyway, the playful pushing and shoving andslapping went a bit too far when my husband pretended like he was going to give me a back hand on the arm at the precise moment that I chose to bendforward to grab him around the waste. I landed up receiving the full force of his knuckled backhand on my nose. The shock of it almost caused me to wet myself, and then when I wiped my nose andsaw the blood pouring out of it I started to cry. My husband in turn also got all tearful at this point, but it instantly killed the "lets have sex" mood.

The long and the short of the story is that I don't think I'm a rebel, I was never designed to be a rebel and trying to be a rebel is turning out to be far too much work. I think my next cycle, I will quietly just reappear at my clinic and let them monitor me and do whatever else needs to be done so that we can try and avoid all this hard work.

It's kind of ironic that the by line for my blog is the ramblings of a tired infertile, because when I read back on this post I realized just how much rambling, obsessive, compulsive shit is going through my mind. :-)

That being said, the good ole Doc put me on Clomid this month to see if that would help me to ovulate, as he's assuming I'm still not by the fact that I'm still not pregnant.  I was nervous from the get go about Clomid.  Afraid of what it would do to my body and especially my mood.  I've heard awful stories about mood swings and uterine linings falling out, and I really would like to keep my uterus quite intact, at least until the birth of my first child at which time I can only imagine it falling from between my legs like that step-brother in Teeth's dick fell from . . . well, that was a gruesome image.  Moving on. Anywho, I was scared.  And really, I wanted Clomid to be the last possible option, which it is, and here we are.

I took the Clomid at the beginning of the month and on the first day I felt like I wanted to jump off a tall building into a crowd of people spewing blood and guts all over them. Ok, not really, but I kind of felt like ass.  The kids weren't home, I wasn't getting anything done, Frog was at work, and I was just lonely and anxious about taking it for the first time.  It wore off immediately.  For the five days I was taking it, I felt fine.  No problemo.

Then, I lost my appetite. Which, I tend to blame on the Glucophage still, for various reasons that I won't go into here because, you know what, I've already been gross enough this entry. Then, it sort of came back.  Then, day 12 came.  Day 12, cycle day 12 that is, I was to start testing my ovulation by peeing on a stick for 'at least five seconds'.  You know, I'm 28 years old and I don't know that I've ever properly been able to pee on a stick for 'at least five seconds'.  Maybe I'm the only one.  Maybe I have a pee problem, I don't know.  All I know is that I can't exactly aim and I don't have a giraffe neck, so there you go.

So, the test instructions (yes! I actually read them this time) tell me that most women test better after noon, and that between the hours of 12pm and 10pm are the best times to collect a sample, and that morning urine is preferred.  What?  Oh yes, they want you to do the 'four hour hold' until lunchtime and then let it all out.  But don't drink a lot in those four hours either.  Are you serious?  You want me to wake up after 8 hours of sleep (I know, I'm lucky, I actually get 8 hours of sleep and I should thank my lucky stars I get to sleep through the night right now, but . . . I'm not even going to go there) get ready for the day (shower, breakfast, kids, etc) and not urinate until lunchtime?  Are you fucking serious?  Yes, yes they are.

So I did.  And now, of course, I think I have a bladder infection.  I fucking can only wonder why.  Geesh.

In the meantime, I'd tested negative for ovulation the first 5 days, and then, miraculously, on day 6, VOILA! It's a positive.  For ovulation people. Don't just skim here.  Still not pregnant! But, I'm one step closer. And I'm good with that.  I didn't test positive today, which, eh, I don't know what that means, and though I'm still taking my temp (just not charting it) my temp hasn't gone up yet either.  So, we'll see.

There's just, always a silver lining right?  Bladder infection and feeling like you have to pee every 2 minutes but not really having to, but then, finding out you REALLY ovulated after like 2 years of trying to conceive. Well, yeah, I would call that a silver lining.  Unless of course the bladder infection caused my positive ovulation, but, we'll ignore that for now and bask in the glory of making another step forward:)

For my client Becky, it took a whole lot of high-tech effort to get pregnant the first time around. But once she was able to successfully birth a child, she assumed that she'd have less difficulty the second time around. Unfortunately, this has not turned out to be the case, and the emotional turmoil she's experiencing now only seems to be amplified by what she went through in the past.

For other women, pregnancy occurs easily the first time, and again, the assumption is made that other pregnancies should follow easily.

But unfortunately, for those 3 million people in America who struggle with Secondary Infertility, that's simply not true. Secondary Infertility is defined as "the inability to conceive a baby or carry a pregnancy to term afer the birth of one or more children..and it's actually more common than primary infertility." (www.conceivemagazine.com, Spring 2008).

My experience with women and couples who experience secondary infertility is that support is harder to come by. Many people who are dealing with primary infertility would do anything just to have one child, and as a result they find it more difficult to relate to the struggle someone who already has a child is having. Some clients have told me that when they have tried to get support by attending local infertility support groups, for example, there's a sense of not fitting in--that others there can't quite understand the depth of their struggle.

In thinking about this, I've come to understand that whether it's primary or secondary infertility, the grief about not being able to have the life, the family, you envisioned is still the same. As Becky so eloquently put it, "When I look at my daughter, and imagine that she may be alone and not have any of the joy and connection that siblings can bring, my heart just breaks for her.."

Maybe it's a case of having to walk in the other person's shoes in order to really understand what the experience is like.

Marina

"In fact, male infertility is quite common. At least 20% of infertility cases are due solely to male factors such as low sperm count, and in 40% to 50% of cases, male factors contribute. Many male fertility problems go undiagnosed and untreated, however -- either because attention focuses on their partner or because men are reluctant to get help or unable to find it when they seek it."

The article goes on to point out that men often tend to resist testing, and even those who are willing to be tested for fertility issues often don't have a primary care physician to turn to.

If you want to learn more, follow this link to read the full article; it raised many interesting points.

The foetus makes most of the testosterone itself. In males, it comes from the testes and adrenal glands; in females from the adrenals alone. Only a small amount will comes from the mother. In women this results in the ring finger and index finger being about the same length. However in men the index finger will usually be the shorter of the two digits.

"It has been known for some time that there is a direct correlation between finger lengths and the amount of the male sex hormone testosterone that a baby is exposed to in the womb.
In women, the two fingers are usually almost equal in length, as measured from the crease nearest the palm to the fingertip. A longer index finger is associated with higher levels of oestrogen and luteinising hormone, both of which are known to play critical roles in egg production. In men, the ring finger tends to be much longer than the index."¹

Elevated or high levels of testosterone in the womb have been linked to several brain-related phenomena, including aggression, fertility, left-handedness, autism, dyslexia and controversially male and female sexual orientation.

Aggression
The shorter the index finger of a man is compared to the ring finger, the more boisterous he is. This doesn't true for verbal aggression or hostile behaviours.² "No such connection was found in women."

However a different study found a correlation for women exposed to higher levels of testosterone in the womb, they had a more 'male' pattern of finger length. And they displayed more frustrated behaviour when answering challenging telephone calls than other women, to the point of smashing down the phone after the conversation.

Fertility
A long ring finger in men and symmetrical hands are an indication of fertility. Men with mirror-image hands are more likely to have a high sperm count than those with two asymmetrical hands. Twelve of the least fertile men in the study, who were producing almost no sperm, had the least symmetrical hands. Women are more likely to be fertile if they have a longer index finger.

Experimentation on mice found that the gene Hox affects digits as well as the ovaries and testes, although a similar genetic link in humans has yet to be found.³

Autism
Autistic children had extremely long ring fingers compared with their index fingers, whereas children with Asperger's also had abnormal index-to-ring finger ratios, though less so than full-blown autistics. It's possible that families with autistic children may have a genetic predisposed for the production of high levels of testosterone during early development, as even the unaffected siblings and parents of the autistic children had ratios that differed significantly from the normal controls.⁴

Sexual Orientation
The length of the fingers could also be an indication of sexual orientation, although the study is controversial.⁵ In both lesbian women and homosexual males with several older brothers (I don't do the tests) have a greater difference in length between their ring and index fingers than their straight counterparts.⁶

Other
Excess testosterone has also been implicated in the origins of migraine, stuttering, schizophrenia and depression.⁷

1. Finger length 'key to aggression'
2. Finger Length Predicts Aggression in Men
3. Fingers point to fertility levels
4. Finger Length Ratios
5. A finger on sexuality
6. Finger-length ratios and sexual orientation
7. Hidden significance of a man's ring finger

• Finger length heart attack clue
• Finger length helps predict SAT exam results, study shows
• Digit Ratio (Wikipedia)

technorati tags: nationalgeographic, bbc, university, study, finger, autism, migraine, stuttering, schizophrenia, depression, aggression, fertility, left-handedness, dyslexia, sexual, orientation, homosexuality

Now, with some help from my Darling Husband, we have the opportunity to FAMgelize to the world.

www.FAMnerd.com

Rather, these reports about a study on men's fertility in their late 30s or early 40s are pretty much misleading. Two things stood out for me: one - the study was done only in France, specifically in one French fertility clinic. Two - the study did not actually reveal the ethnic and physical characteristics of the 12,200 couples who have participated in the study. Especially if all the couples are only French and/or European people who just happened to live in Paris and goes to this one fertility clinic between 2002 and 2006?

Several questions come to mind: did some, if not most, couples smoked a lot? Did they drink a wide variety of alcoholic drinks during their times at the clinic between 2002 and 2006? Did they exercise regularly or not at all? What kind of foods they really ate daily? What are their races? Where are they from regionally? Did they used drugs in the past? Maybe American men are better with fertility than French men?

Really, the reporters should have ask more scrutinizing questions to the people behind the fertility study. Instead, they just took the words of the scientists at face value and published the study's findings without considering other different factors that might lead to men's infertility other than just stating men's DNA goes kaput when they reach 40.

My dad had me when he was 40. He delivered, even he smoked a lot and drank the good, hard stuff (moderately). I turned out to be alright now. My brother-in-law was 46 years old when his first son - my nephew - was born in the last decade and he turns out to be a great, healthy kid. He did it again in 2001 when his daughter was born, she turns out great and healthy. He delivered just fine.

What's disturbing about these news reports about the fertility of men in question is there a subtle message telling the public that men going 40 is not worth the time and effort for women of child-bearing ages.

Robrief no. 2: UK on look-out for "racist babies" who yucks to foreign foods?
Good Lord. Political correctism and nanny statism gone amok in the United Kingdom: babies who so much say "yuk" to foreign culinary other than the ones they are accustomed to are to be considered as "racist", according to the National Children's Bureau's nutty guideline. Common sense is obviously disappearing for good from U.K. :(

Robrief no. 3: 500 Million Years Old Stromatolite Discovered in Virginia
What a huge stromatolite! I'm sure it wasn't infertile in its primal time. Check out the picture. ;)

You can visit a colony of living stromatolites in Shark's Bay, Australia, the oldest living fossils in the world.

Robrief no. 4: The Dumbest Generation, a new book slamming young people in the age of the Internet
Mark Bauerlein has the right idea to publish his book, "The Dumbest Generation", based on his surveys and observations that young people's demand for instant gratification online, more interesting in American Idol than American politics and ignorant of important contexts of information, history and politics, whether off-line or online, are truly risking the United States' intellectual future. Lee Drutman has an ambivalent article under L.A. Times:

Bauerlein also frets about the nature of the Internet itself, where people "seek out what they already hope to find, and they want it fast and free, with a minimum of effort." In entering a world where nobody ever has to stick with anything that bores or challenges them, "going online habituates them to juvenile mental habits."

And all this feeds on itself. Increasingly disconnected from the "adult" world of tradition, culture, history, context and the ability to sit down for more than five minutes with a book, today's digital generation is becoming insulated in its own stultifying cocoon of bad spelling, civic illiteracy and endless postings that hopelessly confuse triviality with transcendence. Two-thirds of U.S. undergraduates now score above average on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, up 30% since 1982, he reports.

At fault is not just technology but also a newly indulgent attitude among parents, educators and other mentors, who, Bauerlein argues, lack the courage to risk "being labeled a curmudgeon and a reactionary."

Hey, you're skipping over the above contexts just because you're easily bored, unmoved and impatient? Too bad, you're dumb and impatient.

Just kidding.

The traditions related to St. Nicholas originated in France during the middle ages before spreading throughout Europe. Since then in Bavaria the running of the Buttnmandl and Krampus from door to door in the Berchtesgadener Land has been closely associated with 'St. Nick's' visit - in fact, in the Berchtesgaden area you'll never see one without the other.

Buttenmandl and Krampusse are costumes worn by young single men and consist of animal skins and fur masks with long red tongues adding to their frightening appearance. Attached to their backs are large cow-bells weighing up to 45 pounds used to make loud and frightening noises. They follow Saint Nicholas from house to house on December 5 and 6 each year to bring luck to the good and punish the idle. As they accompany Saint Nicholas, they will flick switches at the legs of young girls in a sign of fertility. Their mission is also to chase away evil spirits at the dark time of year (near the winter solstice) and to awaken Mother Nature slumbering deep under the hard frozen ground.

I love seeing this happen, and in class they have learned to bring a journal with them to log their experiences, since the information they get is so specific to their future life and soul purpose. They are logging the information so they can share it with their child in the future, especially to remind them of their true spirit and purpose they chose to live out on earth. Amazing work!

I am in the process of creating a national distance BabySpirit meditation class for both pregnant women/couples as well as preconception (especially IVF), so if anyone is interested in spreading the word, I would love your help. I would have them email me to put them on a list for when I announce the dates. Thanks! Blessings, Elisabeth Manning

consciousconception.net (for the Babyspirit Meditation information)

Yes. Because the world needs more women who are simultaneously menopausal and pregnant. As much as I love the elderly, hand me the 9mm now. Anyway, the LiveScience article covers a couple interesting developments that will supposedly be available to us in the next 30 years. Here are some of the more amusing predictions:

• Newborns and 100-year-olds alike could have children. Infertility will be eradicated.
• Fetuses will freely float in artificial placentas or uteruses of fluid, with umbilical cords attached to machines.
• "Genetic cassettes" will be inserted at the embryonic stage to correct diseases such as Huntington's.
• Since embryos will be grown in labs, mutations to embryos could be corrected and improvements could be engineered. Yet there will be no "designer babies " because no single gene is that predictive of a "perfect" child.
• In vitro fertilization (IVF) will become as cheap as $100 and available for women in developing countries and those who are socially shunned or harmed because they are infertile.

Okay, so basically this means we women will not have to carry a child. This could be a good or bad thing, depends on your take. Now the X-men loving side of me is amused at the thought of having a child with an awesome genetic mutation, but unless I, too, can have a superpower then all must be deprived of this blessing. I'm quite selfish.

I'm trying to be scared by this, because I'm Catholic and whatever, but I guess I really can't (that "socially shunned" part pulls a heartstring or two, gotta say). I guess it depends on what attitude we take with any of this technology. Personally, I'm looking at it from a purely fantastical/aesthetic standpoint. Perhaps some of you can make me more serious about it.

(Romantic places may count a lot too in igniting the flame, like Fort Ilocandia in Laoag City)

Are you the person who is fond of planning ways to engage your partner in an unforgettable night of love-making? Do you prepare for this kind of bedtime engagement? Is your partner aware what you are apt too and also is mood to sail on? Do you need and aphrodisiac to “make a stand?”

While use of food, herbs, drinks, potion, etc., has no sufficient biochemical basis for making you hot, the mere mention of the word potion may help plant the seed of sexual arousal in your brain. “The most important sex organ lies between the ears,” according to Dr. Ruth.  It pays to say the magic phrase, “we’re hot, ride on baby...”

Kumusta na kayo mga macho, kayo ba ay pinagbibigyan lagi ni misis ninyo para abutin ang langit? Mahalagang laging nasa mood si misis para masarap at unforgettable and inyong pagsisiping na dalawa. Granting na malakas pa ang tuhod ninyo at laging naka-pay attention si pareng Pedro at Manoy.

Kung medyo kinakapos ka na ng hanging kailangan nang mag-exercise ka (physical conditioning) at uminom ng mga bitamina at mineral upang maging ganap ang lakas at tapang mo sa kama. Hindi mo na kailangan pang manood ng kama sutra, basta nasa kama  na kayo ni mama… at si papa siyempre.

Listed below are things that you may use or avoid when igniting your partner’s mood for an unforgettable night of love-making. (Let’s Get It On: The Best Aphrodisiacs by Brie Cadman)

1. Rhino Horn

The logic behind the rhino horn as an aphrodisiac is quite literal: the horn is phallic and erect, so eating it is supposed to make one’s own phallus erect, as well as increase libido.(Though if a penis as pointy as a rhino’s horn came charging towards me, I would be anything but aroused.) However, there is no evidence that there’s anything in the horn of this almost extinct animal that would be make one’s penis point skyward. It does contain calcium and phosphorus, which, in nutrient deprived diets, could have resulted in better health—“better health” meaning more energy for the horizontal tango. It seems easier these days to just get our nutrients from spinach. Leave the rhino out of it.

2. Ginseng Root

Similar to the shape/function association of the rhino horn, ginseng is also thought of as an aphrodisiac because it’s thought to resemble a man’s unit. In fact, the word ginseng means “man root.” (Please, God, let me never, ever come across a man with a ginseng root-shaped penis.) The root does have mild stimulating properties, and has been used medicinally in China, Tibet, Korea, and India. According to the FDA, there have been some experiments showing a sexual response in animals, but there is no evidence that ginseng has an effect on human sexuality.

3. Oysters

Some say that oysters are an aphrodisiac because they come from the sea, just like the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. Some say that they gained their reputation because they have zinc, and this may have helped those with nutritionally deficient diets improve health, and thus, sex drive. I say they are used to woo because they look just like vaginas, though certainly not mine. Whatever the reason, oysters are associated with romance, special occasions, and are a fun delicacy. The placebo effect just might work.

4. Chocolate

Like oysters, we often think of chocolate as an indulgence, and eat it on special occasions. Though chocolate does have some feel good chemicals—theobromine and phenethylamine—they occur in such low quantities that it’s not going to make your date drop their pants. Yet, still ... there is something about chocolate melting in your mouth that is undeniably sensual.

5. Yohimbine

Yohimbe is a tall, evergreen tree found in West Africa; its bark contains yohimbine, a compound with a long history of aphrodisiac use and a fun to pronounce name (Yo!—HimBean!) It supposedly works by energizing the nerve centers in the spine. Although the FDA says there are some “encouraging” results from animal studies, its effectiveness in humans is anyone’s guess.

6. Alcohol

Suffice to say that the occurrence of one-night stands would be drastically reduced if it weren’t for alcohol’s lubricating effects. It decreases inhibitions and helps us relax; sometimes inhibitions hold us back from having sex and sometimes being uptight can prevent us from enjoying intercourse. It seems clear that alcohol is a type of aphrodisiac, at least in the sense that it can make your more open to the possibility of having sex. Of course, that possibility can be shattered if you have too much; not much stays erect, or you stay awake after a few too many Sex on the Beaches.

7. Spanish Fly

Spanish fly actually does have physiological effects, though not always desirable ones. Not really a fly, but dried beetle remains, Spanish fly works by irritating the urogential tract. With irritation comes a rush of blood to the private parts. While this may feel good for a bit, Spanish fly can also lead to infections, scarring of the urethra, and supposed death. Chocolate never sounded so good.

8. Erectile Stimulants

A man’s problems may have less to do with arousal and more to do with hardware malfunction. That’s why pharmaceuticals like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, which help men obtain and maintain erection, are used as sexual aids. These aren’t exactly aphrodisiacs, because they don’t increase sexual desire per se, but they do help seal the deal.

9. Porn …

… is one of the hottest industries in America. Even if you’re not down with it, chances are your partner is. Planting the not so subtle seed of sex via explicit pictures could be the most obvious aphrodisiac around.

10. A Little Romance

In her book, The Female Brain, Louann Brizendine writes, “For women, foreplay is everything that happens in the twenty-four hours preceding penile insertion. For men, it’s everything that happens three minutes before.” That’s right, getting people in the mood takes more work than just popping a pill or sprinkling some ginseng on their oysters. Women have to be in the mood in their head, meaning they can’t be pissed at their partners, annoyed at their lover, or uncomfortable and uptight. Cue Barry White, red wine, a hot tub, a vacation, and a good connection. Now that’s hot.

These are only suggestions of what people perceive as effective way to enhance your sexual arousal for a meaningful sex. This does not necessarily translate into success. The ultimate measure of performance still defends on you “ the sex machine,” not the oil or the gasoline.

There are a few common symptoms that let you know that you are pregnant.

They are:

*
Missed period - If you have a regular 28/29 day cycle, then being late or missing a period is a pretty good sign that you may be pregnant however there are other factors that can delay periods see Could I be pregnant? so its usually better to look for more than one sign of pregnancy than just delayed period. If you have a more irregular cycle, or have just come off the Pill or other hormonal contraception, then a late period may NOT be an indication that you are pregnant.

*
Nausea or morning sickness - can occur not just in the morning but all day long. It can be as severe as throwing up or just feeling off your food. Alot of women find that their sense of smell is heightened during pregnancy, and smelling food cooking can make you feel sick. You may also find that you are absolutely starving but the thought of actually eating food is revolting or alternatively finding something that you feel like eating is very difficult.

Nausea or morning sickness generally wears off at the 12 /13 week point. Not all women feel nauseous and different prganancies can produce different symptoms.

*
Frequent urination - the desire to pee frequently is a pretty good sign of pregnancy and can start very early.

*
Sore Breasts - are another sign of pregnancy but some women experience sore breasts before bleeding. Increase in breast size, soreness and the darkening of the nipple area are key.

*
Fatigue - it takes ALOT of energy to grow a baby, so you may feel really tired during pregnancy. Take it as a hint and rest up, cause once that beautiful baby arrives regular sleep can be a thing of the past for quite some time.

*
Mood Swings and raging hormones - the sudden changes in hormone activity as your body adjusts to its new pregnant state can cause emotionality and mood swings. Again this can be pre-menstrual, but if it continues and your period just doesn't come, then it could be a sign.

*
Spotting - A woman may spot (lightly bleed) 9-10 days after fertilisation. It is not a normal period and it is perfectly normal. However, once it is done and you are confident you are pregnant, you should not spot anymore. If you do bleed at all during pregnancy see your doctor.

So these are the most common signs of pregnancy, some of them can be confused with PMS so the more you have the better. If you think you may be pregnant, take a home pregnancy test or see your doctor and find out for sure. Then, take good care of yourself

Light therapy for PMS, depression and circadian related mood disorders

]]> http://fatalfanatic.wordpress.com/?p=20 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:59:50 +0000 fatalfanatic http://fatalfanatic.wordpress.com/?p=20 Obese men have poorer quality sperm, perhaps because too much fat around their testicles causes them to heat up, scientists have suggested.

University of Aberdeen researchers looked at the sperm of over 2,000 men in couples having problems conceiving.

The heaviest men had a higher proportion of abnormal sperm, as well as other problems.

The scientists told a European fertility conference losing weight probably boosted fertility.

Being obese is already known to affect women's chances of getting pregnant.

The men were divided into four groups, according to their BMI (body mass index).

Other factors which could affect fertility, such as smoking, high alcohol use and age, were taken into account by the researchers.

Men who had a healthy BMI of 20 to 25 were had higher levels of normal sperm than those who were heavier.

They also had higher semen volume, the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Barcelona was told.

But those with a higher BMI had lower volumes of seminal fluid, and a higher proportion of abnormal sperm.

There was no significant difference between the four groups in sperm concentration or activity.

Other studies have also linked obesity to DNA damage in the sperm.

Semen quality

Dr Ghiyath Shayeb, who led the research, said: "Our findings were quite independent of any other factors and seem to suggest that men who are trying for a baby with their partners, should first try to achieve an ideal body weight.

"This is in addition to the benefit of a healthy BMI for their general well being.

"Adopting a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, and regular exercise will, in the vast majority of cases, lead to a normal BMI.

"We are pleased to be able to add improved semen quality to the long list of benefits that we know are the result of an optimal body weight."

The researchers will now look at male BMI in fertile and infertile couples to see if the poorer semen quality is directly linked to poor fertility, and examine further how obesity can damage sperm.

Dr Shayeb said there were a number of possible explanations, including different hormone levels in obese men, overheating of the testicles caused by excessive fat in the area, or simply the lifestyle and diet that leads to obesity also causing poorer semen quality.

Dr Ian Campbell, chair of the charity Weight Concern, said it was known that overweight people had a tendency to have fewer children.

He said there had been a suspicion that was mainly due to lack of opportunity.

"But if weight actually has a detrimental effect on sperm quality, that's really interesting," he said

"It's one more reason for men to lose weight."

Courtesy:BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7494772.stm

What Really Happens Inside Your Body When Trying to Conceive a Baby: What Makes Making a Baby More Likely & What May Disrupt the Best Laid Plans.

Just what we all need - another diet!  But the diet I'm suggesting to you is one based upon scientific studies that have shown to drastically increase your chances when trying to conceive a baby.  It's a diet calculated to reduce stress, improve nutrition and hydration and rid your body of toxins that can interfere with conceiving your baby.  This means that you are going to have to start reading food labels (yep, it's that important!) and noting ingredients carefully, along with calories, caffeine and any additives the foods may contain.  And if you grow your own veggies and bake your own bread, you don't have to bother with reading the labels, right?

When you hear references to whole foods...or slow food...you should know that the reference is to locally-grown, organic food, food without additives, and, of course, grown without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.  When trying to conceive a baby paying attention to what we eat as well as how we eat means safer, healthier food for all of us.

The time to begin a healthy diet is approximately four months before trying to conceive. Eating a healthy diet before pregnancy means that the body has adequate stores of vitamins and minerals on hand to assist in the development of the embryo and fetus.

Take a look at caffeine, for example.  You already know that lots of people are cutting down on caffeine for reasons that have nothing to do with trying to get pregnant. Studies indicate that one and one-half to three cups is the daily maximum for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive.  So why is caffeine an undesirable?  Caffeine tends to restrict blood flow and increase anxiety - neither one good for a woman's health.  You'll find caffeine in instant and brewed coffee, brewed tea, energy drinks, cola drinks and hot chocolate.  Try to cut down or eliminate these over time.  After all, ginger ale is just as refreshing on a hot day as cola, and has no caffeine whatsoever.

And need we say more about the need to drink LOTS of water every day?  The startling fact is that most people go around slightly dehydrated much of the time.  I thought it was very strange that I had to keep reminding my husband to take a drink of water when we were on long trips...otherwise, he just didn't think about it! The one good thing about the bottled water craze is that it's got most of us thinking about putting more water into our bodies.  Since evidence has recently come to light that the clear, disposable water bottles have toxic substances that may affect the water inside, just carry an opaque sports bottle with iced water inside.  Make sure your loved ones have one, too.  Think about it...the inside of our bodies is filled with moving parts that all require water to work well.  And what woman isn't aware of the effect of lack of moisture on the skin?

During pregnancy and lactation, you will need to drink 8 to 12 eight-ounce glasses of liquids every day.  Here are a few reasons why water is so very important to us - it provides for transmission of nutrients to cells, balancing acids, holding salts and cushioning the body's organs.  Water contributes 55 - 65% of our adult body weight.  The fetus also requires an abundant supply of fluids to develop properly in its prenatal environment.

The amount of water required by the body can vary greatly from person to person. and environment to environment.  Pregnancy and lactation, exercise, heat, dry climates and high fiber diets are all factors that increase the body's hydration requirement.  Inadequate water consumption can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness,  and decreased mental alertness in pregnant women.  For the fetus, it can mean inadequate transportation of nutrients, ineffective removal of waste matter, an overly-warm uterine environment, and insufficient fluid in the amniotic sac.  As you can see, the effects of dehydration can jeopardize fetal growth and development.  In some severely-dehydrated women, premature labor and delivery can occur.  So...even though water bottles are being banned in some communities now, the national thirst for bottled water has made us all aware of the need for hydration.

Part 2 is on it's way ladies and gents! :)

Much Love!!

Michelle

"The robot brain, for want of a better word, was played lots of punk, reggae, disco and classical and over a period of time the robot has learned to recognise and appreciate the patterns of sound in punk music," he said.

The neural network understands the music in a similar way to a human brain, breaking down the sound into a series of frequency bands.

Programmer Jons Jones Morris said: "Breaking down the sound produces a map of the audio over time which is turned into an image. That image is submitted to one of the neural networks."

Punk fans can dance alongside the pogoing robots.

Using this "adaptive resonance theory", the neural networks begin to build up a history of different patterns relating to different sounds.

...The robot reacts to the level of "punk" in the song.

The more punk it believes the song is, the more it pogos in a "happy and frenzied way", said Professor McOwan.

But the last big broo-har that got everyone pogo-ing in a different way was one I personally witnessed over the reporting of research on TV. This happened when I was at the Australian Skeptics special convention at Wagga Wagga in April, where quite a few fellow attendees had some words to say to Dr Paul Willis about this televised report:

One of the changes sweeping through our society this century is that women are having fewer children, later in life. That may explain why the use of IVF to assist pregnancy is growing by up to 15% a year in Australia.

But experts say that science and technology has reached a plateau, and improvements in the success of these fertility treatments may only come from entirely different medical traditions – like acupuncture.

Mark Horstman travels to Beijing and Adelaide to find out.

You can read the transcript or watch the entire ep from the link. And if you're interested in what research has been done before on acupuncture, I wrote about it here.

Apparently it was the MOST complained-about ep of the popular Science show 'Catalyst' they ever got. And Willis had nothing to do with it, I assure you! In fact, the poor guy had to assure a lot of people at the convention, people kept coming up to grumble about the small sample they did, what the controls were, just how reputable the study was... and then, today, in BBC news:

There is no evidence acupuncture improves the success of IVF treatment, scientists say.

The complementary therapy has been used for centuries in China to aid female fertility and it is now available privately via some NHS clinics.

But the London-based researchers told a European fertility conference an analysis of 13 trials covering almost 2,500 women did not show any benefits.

...The experts from Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust carried out an extensive evaluation of the research carried out over the last 50 years.

Five of the trials analysed by the team looked at the effect of acupuncture at the time of egg retrieval, while the other eight examined the benefits of giving it at the time of embryo implantation.

There was some evidence patients undergoing egg retrieval did need less pain relief if they had acupuncture, they told the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Barcelona.

However, neither group of studies showed any difference in pregnancy rates between those given true acupuncture, those given a sham version and those given nothing.

Yes, more research gets done... But I hope Catalyst gets into this story too, in order to clear a few things up. Or at least stop people getting peeved at Dr Willis...

Vasectomies appear to be a trend among twenty-something men looking to prevent "accidental" pregnancies. However, when that urge finally arrives to settle down, expect a reversal process that is 80% successful - which declines the younger men obtain the procedure. But never fear, apparently China has a technique that guarantees reversible infertility. Sure, it would save a ton of headache for women and fatherless children, but imagine the future stats for STDs. Not to mention the goriness of a vasectomy alone is enough to make any non-MD cringe, pus and all, no?

Go Men's Lib?

"Birth-Control Extremists" by Richard Morgan (Details)

I think that it's more then fair, that before I start giving you tips for getting pregnant, you should know just a little about me...just enough to know that I do indeed know what the heck I'm talking about right?

OK...

My name is Michelle Dunn, I'm a 40 year old mother of 3 and very happily married to my dear husband Michael. Years back when my husband and I decided to have children, we NEVER imagined that it would be even half as difficult and heart breaking as it was. Our first child was by far our hardest to conceive, taking us nearly 2 and half years to get pregnant! We went through everything, tried just about everything, and even got to some really low points where the both of us were declared infertile by our doctors and told that conceiving a child naturally or even through other medical methods would be just about impossible.

Let me tell you this though...

I'm not one to do things out of spite...not at all actually...but proving the doctors and the nay Sayers wrong with that BFP (big fat positive) on the pregnancy test was true bliss!

So when it comes to trying to conceive I just might know a thing or two! ;)

Much Love!!

Michelle

2.  Male Biological Clock Ticks Too:  The BBC is obsessed with reporting on fertility lately.  I don't have a particular interest in it, but maybe there's a reason why fertility is so popular.  Further reading: Accupuncture 'no help for IVF,'  Coffee 'worsens poor fertility', Cancer patients' fertility hope

3. Six Burned Bodies in Mexico:  Three Mexican drug lords are fighting for prime smuggling routes to the US.  This leads to increased fighting and is an example as to why I think marijuana should be legalized.

4.  G8 to move against Mugabe allies:  I didn't know the G8 (+5) existed until I started reading the news regularly this year.  The idea of 8 powerful nations forming a club that takes turn hosting/setting the agenda is pretty interesting.  This articles talks about how they are planning to aide Zimbabwe.  Further reading: G8 urged to do more for climate, G8 urged to act over oil prices. 

5.  More time to quiz murder suspect:  It's always interesting to see what murder cases become mainstream media, though, I'm not sure if papers outside of the UK and France are reporting on this case regularly.  The case:  two students were stabbed a total of 240 times and then set on fire in one of the students' apartment.  There have been no arrests, but this article states a burn victim that was recently treated is a suspect.  Police have also not realeased why these two were targeted for such brutalities.  I suspect a hate crime combined with insanity, clinically or drug-induced, or just insanity.

ninjagarden

Studies show that men's fertility decreases after 35 and by 40 they may find it more difficult to impregnate a woman.

Dr. Stephanie Belloc presented her findings recently to the European Society of Human Reproductive and Embryology Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

"Men are not immune from reproductive ageing," Dr. Belloc said and noted that this study has important implications for couples who want to have a family.

Perhaps our grandparents were right as they always are, get your children younger than older.  If you want to have a family do not wait for the house, the car and the white picket fence with a dog. Those things may wait but your fertility will not.

On similar note, women who already have fertility issues should also note that there is evidence that  while many women can have 20 cups of coffee a day and get pregnant if you're already subfertile it could push you over the edge , according to Professor Bill Ledger, University of Sheffield.