All posts tagged: fertility

How 'Looksmaxxing' Social Media Trends Could Be Secretly Damaging Your Fertility

How 'Looksmaxxing' Social Media Trends Could Be Secretly Damaging Your Fertility

Published by Sam Flores

If you’ve been online in the past couple of years, you might have heard of “looksmaxxing” – a word that began its life in digital “manosphere” spaces during the 2010s, but which has entered the mainstream more recently. Perhaps most famously, online streamer Clavicular claimed to have begun “looksmaxxing” starting at 14 through a combination of exercise, steroids, surgery, and taking a hammer to his face. But while most cases don’t involve hand tools, doctors have seen people go to increasingly “extreme” measures to achieve the perfect skin, body, and hair. That might involve “stacking” high-strength products like prescription retinols together until they cause burning, or taking sometimes risky diet pills or supplements with dubious claims. In an interview with HuffPost UK, Professor Geeta Nargund – fertility expert and founder of Health Equality Foundation – said the troubling trend might affect our fertility, too.  How might “looksmaxxing” affect fertility? The expert said that young people who turn to online sources for health and beauty advice assume the information they’re given is accurate. But that’s not true – in one study, …

Tell us: what happened after you froze your eggs? | Fertility problems

Tell us: what happened after you froze your eggs? | Fertility problems

Published by Sam Flores

Oocyte cryopreservation, more commonly known as egg freezing, has been around for decades but the procedure stopped being considered experimental in 2012. Since then, elective egg freezing has boomed. Often represented as an insurance policy against age- or illness-related fertility decline, the process can be costly and complex. While figures vary, research suggests most people who undergo egg freezing never access their eggs and results are mixed for those who do. Long-term storage poses its own costs and questions. We want to hear from people who froze their eggs five, 10 or even 15 years ago about what happened next. Did the “insurance” buy you peace of mind? What happened after you did decide to use your eggs; and, if you decided not to, what decisions did you make about their disposal? Please tell us using the form below. A journalist will contact you before any responses are published. Share your experience You can share your response using this form. Your responses, which can be anonymous, are secure as the form is encrypted and only …

The Ovary Is Surprisingly Active After Menopause. Scientists Are Trying to Figure Out Why

The Ovary Is Surprisingly Active After Menopause. Scientists Are Trying to Figure Out Why

Published by skeptic

The significance of residual hormone production may decrease over time. Still, says Walter Rocca, a professor of epidemiology and neurology at the Mayo Clinic, that doesn’t mean the ovary has become unimportant. “I am convinced until proven otherwise that removing ovaries even after menopause is not advisable,” he says, with a caveat for women at an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Just how long that importance persists after menopause is still an open question, says Stephanie Faubion, medical director of the Menopause Society. It’s also unclear, she says, how much the answer may vary from woman to woman. “We just have huge gaps,” she says. Duncan’s work suggests one reason the importance of the postmenopausal ovary may change over time. In analyzing human ovaries, the team found that protein patterns in older ovaries suggested that the ovary becomes a more inflammatory environment. To better understand what may be driving those changes, they looked more closely at the ovaries of mice. The research, published in June in the journal Molecular Human Reproduction, suggests that the ovary …

She’s 28, Loves God and Her Family, and Might Be the Reason You Can’t Have Kids

She’s 28, Loves God and Her Family, and Might Be the Reason You Can’t Have Kids

Published by skeptic

There’s a glaring gap between what Waters professes—that a woman’s highest calling is the home—and what she does, which is support her family financially while being way more influential and successful than her husband. She reconciles this by, literally, doing it all, while swearing she will slow down her career at a moment’s notice. By that same token, it’s also hard to distinguish between what Waters really thinks, what she is supposed to say, what’s rage-bait, and if there’s any meaningful difference between those categories. Her X background used to be a photo of “What’s Wrong With ‘Equal Rights’ for Women?” by Phyllis Schlafly, an activist who started speeches by thanking her husband for allowing her to be there. When I ask her about it, Waters says, “If your enemies think you’re oppressed, play up the trope.” On the right, optics are everything. “How you project yourself is a political message,” Waters says. Before coming to DC, she had eight piercings, including belly button and eyebrow rings, but she didn’t want to be perceived like …

Is it true that … cycling affects fertility? | Cycling

Is it true that … cycling affects fertility? | Cycling

Published by Sam Flores

“Cycling isn’t big on the radar of fertility doctors,” says Prof Colin Duncan, a fertility expert at the University of Edinburgh. For women, he says, the only time cycling is likely to affect fertility is when it’s done at extreme levels, such as the kind of training undertaken by elite athletes. “Doing huge amounts of physical activity can lower body fat, and that can switch off the ovaries,” he says. “Elite athletes may stop having their periods and reduce their fertility.” For men, things are a little different. Sitting on a bicycle saddle for prolonged periods can increase the temperature around the testicles, “almost incubating them”. This can affect sperm production, because sperm develop best at a cooler temperature – one reason the testicles are located outside the body. double quotation mark If you’re doing extreme cycling, it will change your sperm count a little But for most men, Duncan says, this isn’t something to worry about. “The testicles produce way more sperm than is actually required for fertility. “If you cycle a normal amount, it’s still going to make …

Tylenol Use In Pregnancy May Reduce Daughters’ Fertility, Study Finds

Tylenol Use In Pregnancy May Reduce Daughters’ Fertility, Study Finds

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Rachel Roberts via The Epoch Times, Female reproductive organ development could be impacted by a mother taking Tylenol – also known as acetaminophen or paracetamol – during pregnancy, according to researchers in Denmark. Tylenol and acetaminophen tablets in a CVS store, in this file photo. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images On average, infant girls exposed to the pain relief drug in the womb had smaller ovaries; fewer ovarian follicles, which are the structures that contain immature eggs; smaller wombs; and lower levels of reproductive hormones, according to the findings of the study published Wednesday in Human Reproduction Open. Long-term follow-up will be required to determine whether the differences observed in infants have implications for fertility later in life and a woman’s age at menopause, study leader Margit Bistrup Fischer of Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen said in a statement accompanying the study. Animal studies have previously suggested that fetal exposure to Tylenol, the most commonly used drug in pregnancy, might affect ovarian egg reserve and later reproductive function, but this is the first time that …

There’s a Hot New Egg-Freezing Startup. It’s Weirder Than You Could Imagine

There’s a Hot New Egg-Freezing Startup. It’s Weirder Than You Could Imagine

Published by skeptic

The Instagram post, precision-guided by sex and age, had zeroed in on its target. Yuchen Tu is a conser­vatory-trained viola player from Chongqing, China, a lover of science fiction, and an aspiring member of the US Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. She’s exacting and intense, with sky-high standards. And late last spring, just after her 24th birthday, she realized she might be the perfect candidate to freeze her eggs—for free. Tu goes by Sue, a name she likes because it reminds her of the 2024 body horror film The Substance, whose protagonist tortures herself in pursuit of youth and beauty. To prequalify for free egg freezing, all Sue had to do was take a two-minute quiz. “Not everyone can pass this exam,” she remembers thinking. “Oh, it seems like a competition.” Sue passed, as have thousands of young women allured by the promise of a company called Cofertility. “The best time to freeze your eggs is when you can least afford it,” goes the company’s mantra, uttered on repeat by its public face and CEO, …

Study finds a surprising link between fertility and a women’s desire for luxury

Study finds a surprising link between fertility and a women’s desire for luxury

Published by Jenni Sidey

Women near ovulation showed greater interest in visible luxury products across three studies, including larger designer logos and stronger preferences for publicly displayed luxury brands. The pattern weakened or disappeared when luxury would be consumed privately or when women were told that men generally do not notice designer clothing. The findings support a possible link between fertility and conspicuous consumption, but the researchers caution that the studies do not establish a simple causal effect of ovulation on shopping behavior. A designer handbag with a prominent logo may communicate more than wealth or fashion preference. For some women, the appeal of making that luxury visible may shift across the menstrual cycle. Women near ovulation showed a greater preference for conspicuous luxury products across three experiments, according to research published in PLOS One. The pattern appeared specifically when products could be seen by others and weakened when women were led to believe men would not notice their designer clothing. The researchers, led by Aekyoung Kim of Jeonbuk National University in South Korea, interpret the results as evidence …

Trying for a baby? These lifestyle habits may boost your fertility odds : NPR

Trying for a baby? These lifestyle habits may boost your fertility odds : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

So you’re trying for a baby. Congratulations! By now, you probably know that it’s not always easy to get pregnant. Healthy, heterosexual couples in their 20s to early 30s having regular, unprotected sex have a 25% to 30% chance of getting pregnant in any given month, according to the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists. Many elements factor into those odds, says reproductive endocrinologist Lucky Sekhon. That includes medical history, genetics, hormone balance, timing and just pure luck. “Trying to get pregnant is like playing a slot machine,” she says. “You can pull the lever by timing your attempts around ovulation, but whether things line up and you hit the jackpot are not in your control.” However, there are some lifestyle changes both men and women can make that can help boost your odds. That means making choices that support fertility, not hinder it — like getting regular exercise or cutting out cannabis, nicotine and alcohol. Here are seven evidence-backed ways that may improve fertility. For a deeper dive on this topic, listen to our …

AOC gives herself fertility shot on Instagram live and talks freezing her eggs: ‘This is a choice’

AOC gives herself fertility shot on Instagram live and talks freezing her eggs: ‘This is a choice’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed to her followers — and the world — that she was freezing her eggs, sharing a live video on her Instagram story during which she administered a hormone injection to herself ahead of a scheduled Sunday television appearance. “Usually, I keep my private life quite private, but I have made the decision to start freezing my eggs,” Ocasio-Cortez said in the Saturday night live stream, “and I want to share that with anyone who is — and I want to share this because I was weighing it for a very long time, and I think that, you know, I was saving for it for a very long time, and there just isn’t a ton out there, I feel, …