Female Friday
When I was younger, I'd visit the library and take out at least 20 books at a time - and read them all. Things haven't changed, although in that pile is 20 books, I maybe read just 5. This is literally "Tsundoku," the Japanese word for collecting books and letting them pile up unread. In an effort to do better, I'm consciously making time to crack open a book every night and not mindlessly ordering from Amazon. I just finished Difficult Women by Roxanne Gay - which was incredible; and am currently reading The Telomere Effect by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn and Dr. Elissa Epel. The Telomere Effect is a great read because it discusses how having longer telomeres (the 'shoelace cap' of our DNA) helps keep us looking young and how things like stress can shorten our telomeres. Plus, now when someone comments how young I look for my age, I can reply saying I have long telomeres!
Here's what you need to read this week!
Pregnancy Skin Issues | There are a couple of things that can happen to a woman's skin when she's pregnant besides stretch marks. Learn about the common issues and before you start trying out products that could be potentially filled with phthalates and other endocrine disruptors - visit a ND!
Periods Don't Sync | Hoping that you and your bff will experience your periods at the same time? Think again! The geniuses over at Clue HQ studied the period patterns between women who worked or lived together and uncovered that this is just a myth. Our periods can have their own mindsets - especially when it comes to stress!
The newly-popular Diaphragm | This form of contraception is making a comeback thanks to it being non-hormonal form of birth control and insertion isn't as involved as getting a IUD! Perfect use failure rate is 6% (6 out of 100 women will be become pregnant if the diaphragm is used perfectly). It also involves the use of spermicidal jelly which can increase the likelihood of vaginal infections. But if you're looking to avoid hormonal contraception and are going to pair it with a condom - it might be the right choice for you. For more Canadian info check out this website.
7 Avoidable Causes of Lower Sperm Count and Infertility | Yes, I'm one of those wives that reminds her husband to keep the laptop off his lap. Learn about 6 other causes of low sperm counts!
Birth Control Makes You Feel Like Sh*t | "They found that women who took the contraceptives reported overall reduced feelings of well-being, including negative impacts on their mood, self-control, and energy, compared to those who took a placebo." Friendly reminder that if you began taking the birth control for conditions like acne, PCOS, endometriosis - once you come off, you're still going to experience that condition. Think of birth control as a bandage. So if you're thinking of becoming pregnant in the near future - think about coming off the pill to improve your chances of fertility!