Miracle Pregnancy

I’ve got nothing against picnics. 

But if you think a wicker basket full of French cheese and Chardonnay is going to put a guy in the mood, think again. It’ll just put him to sleep. Ditto for walks on the beach, bike rides, sunsets and other summer dating cliches.

Want to wow a guy’s mind? Climb inside it first. We’re goal-oriented and adrenaline driven. Given that, a picnic in the park isn’t going to fire us up—unless it’s a ballpark and we’re washing down bratwurst with Old Style in the bleachers at Wrigley Field.

Just like a good action flick, the best dates require a climax, a story arc, and something to learn, fix, or experience. These suggested dates won’t just keep him from checking the score on his iPhone, they’ll also bring you closer together, faster.

Why? Learning new skills and completing tasks drop deep anchors into our memory banks, and solving problems or surmounting obstacles bonds you and teaches you to communicate as a couple. The following dates will capture his attention—and his heart.

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1. The cliche: Dining at an outdoor cafe

Break it by: Going from farm to table (to bed)
Food writer Gael Greene once penned, “Great food is like great sex. The more you have, the more you want.” In fact, a 2009 Men’s Health and Women’s Health survey found that 68 percent of men said cooking with their partner is a turn-on. This date is a combination of scouting out an organic farm and spending an evening at the stove, so it’s best saved for a lazy Saturday when you might otherwise be, you know, working your way through a crossword puzzle in the park. The best part about organic grub: You don’t have to be Mario Batali to whip up a decent spread, thanks to the tastiness of fresh local produce and meat. You could pop down to the farmers’ market, but visiting a nearby farm makes it more of an adventure (to find both, visit localharvest.org). Start by snagging some arugula or rocket lettuce and harvesting organic tomatoes, then move on to a dairy farm for milk and cheese. Top it off with a visit to a local butcher for some grass-fed beef or free-range chicken.

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2. The cliche: Having brunch

Break it by: Making a barbecue pilgrimage
“Let’s do brunch,” you say. Splendid, he thinks. And afterward, we can go antiquing before stopping by a department store for a refreshing spritz of summer perfume! Right. 

Look, most guys don’t consider cramming into a tiny French bistro to sip Bellinis a great way to grub, and for many of us, breakfast is just sustenance. So decamp to your local barbecue joint, preferably one with picnic tables out back, for a brunch of porcine and bovine delicacies. Having the foresight to scout out this hog heaven will score you major points, and as he powers through wet wipes and drains his brew, his defenses will drop. You’ll get even the most tight-lipped of men in the mood to talk. At least, that is, until the protein coma sets in.

3. The cliche: Soaking up the sun

Break it by: Going swimming (or surfing or boating)
Let’s start with the obvious: Stripping down in the sun lets you check out each other’s beach bodies. No-brainer, right? Now consider this: A 2009 study by Austrian and German researchers found that vitamin D (which you can get from just a few minutes in the sun) significantly increases testosterone in men. Since lounging is for the elderly (shuffleboard! bathing caps! no splashing!), try adding some adrenaline to the hormonal cocktail coursing through his veins. Start by provisioning properly. 

Never surfed? Rent a soft-top board and take turns pushing each other into the waves. Itching for speed? Get a WaveRunner for an afternoon trip up a river, and have lunch midway through. And if you happen to be landlocked, consider the co-ed car wash: You’ll do his, then he’ll return the favor…before turning the hose on each other.

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4. The cliche: Going for a jog

Break it by: Turning your city into a gym
Ever watch The Amazing Race? You’re either convinced you and your man would slay the competition, or that you’d devolve into a hot mess of tears and accusations. Now’s your chance to find out (with much lower stakes), thanks to a 10-city adventure race series called City Chase. 

The events unfold throughout the summer and early fall, pitting teams against one another in a multi-discipline competition set in the urban jungle. Evading dodge balls, wielding high-pressure fire hoses, rappelling down buildings, and charming snakes as a team will make you appreciate your partner’s strengths and weaknesses, help you get used to working through conflicts—and even boost your libido. No dice with City Chase? Find more events at warriordash.com. You can also plan your own challenge, creating feats of endurance—and absurdity— throughout your hometown.

5. The cliche: Visiting the driving range

Break it by: Blowing off steam at the firing range
There’s more than one reason guys ogle video-game vixens and drool over gun-wielding, ponytail-sporting action heroines. The curve-baring costumes don’t hurt, but a woman with a weapon oozes confidence and strength, and has an edge that guys find alluring. Your move: Hit the firing range with your man to unleash your inner Lara Croft. If he knows his way around a .45, maybe you’ll even buff his ego by asking for some help with your stance. 

Squeezing off a dozen rounds is an instant release, and the implicit sense of danger—one wrong move and things can go bad—dumps dopamine into your system, which may boost your sex drive. Let’s face it: Smacking little white balls at the driving range pales next to shooting a handheld weapon capable of stopping a charging rhinoceros. Visit wheretoshoot.org to find a range near you. If guns aren’t your thing, check out archeryretailers.com to locate an archery range instead.

6. The cliche: Watching the sunset

Break it by: Painting the sunset
Diego Rivera had Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali had Gala, and Pablo Picasso had, well, a lot of women. Point being, the primal release of slathering a canvas with pigment releases something in a man. Here’s how to unleash his inner artist: Grab a couple of canvases from a local art store—they won’t set you back more than $15—as well as a starter kit of paints, a few brushes, and a blanket. You don’t need anything fancy, and the back of a pizza box can even serve as a mixing palette. Bring a lantern, some bug spray, and maybe even an actual pizza, and set up shop on top of a big hill in town. By the time the sun has set, you’ll have added the finishing touches and you’ll be waiting for the paint to dry before packing up to go home. Which is when the second part of this date comes in. Blanket? Night sky? You do the math.

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Dyspareunia is the technical term for pain during sexual intercourse, which can be related to mental or physical causes. It is not uncommon for women to experience painful intercourse at some point in their lives.  

If you are experiencing pain during intercourse, work with your physician to determine the root cause and devise an effective treatment plan. For some of the most common reasons for painful sex, there are simple solutions that can get your sex life back on track.

1. Vaginal dryness
Poor vaginal lubrication is classically linked to insufficient levels of estrogen, which tend to decline following pregnancy, during menopause and with treatments for breast cancer. This condition, however, is something women should be discussing with their doctors. Vaginal dryness can be a result of more serious conditions, such as the autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s syndrome. 

It may also be caused by medications, such as oral birth control, beta-blockers and antidepressants. Regardless of the cause, intercourse is often very painful and many women may lose the desire to have sex or may be inclined to endure unhealthy pain in the attempt to appease their partner.

There are several treatment options for vaginal dryness:
• Hormone therapy, such as restoring estrogen and progesterone levels to normal levels can bring back the natural mechanism that supports vaginal lubrication.
• Adequate amounts of mono- and polyunsaturated fats in your diet (10 to 20 percent of daily calories).
• Stay hydrated to keep the body’s mucous membranes moist and functioning.
• Avoid products that can steal vaginal moisture, like feminine sprays, douches and antibacterial and deodorant soaps
• Use an all-natural, water-based lubricants.

2. Lichen sclerosis
Lichen sclerosis is a fairly common issue among women that affects the vulva and can cause intercourse to be painful.  The issue can cause progressive changes to the vulvar skin. Generally, small white spots appear on the skin with a shiny or smooth texture. These can grow into larger patches and the skin will become thin and crinkled and may bruise or tear easily. Other symptoms include itching, pain, bleeding and blisters. Women experiencing these symptoms should seek the advice of the physician, as lichen sclerosis has been associated with an increased risk for vulvar cancer. The condition is treatable, usually with topical steroids, but once diagnosed the condition generally affects the individual for a lifetime.

3. Birth control pills
Painful intercourse may also be associated with use of birth control pills. It is not uncommon for oral birth control to cause hormonal issues that can lead to discomforts during sex.  Birth control pills cause elevated levels of sex hormone binding globulin, which can bind free testosterone and cause vaginal atrophy in young women.

This problem may persist even after discontinuation of the Pill. Hormone replacement therapy is an effective treatment option to return hormone levels to a balanced, natural state and improve pain with intercourse.

4. Vulvodynia
Vulvodynia is a pain syndrome of the vulva that is characterized by point hypersensitivity to touch usually in the introitus (entrance to the vagina.)  This can be the result of having frequent vaginal infections, particularly yeast infections. Women that are susceptible to frequent yeast infections should avoid potential irritants, like douches, dyes and perfumes. It is important to the vulva clean and dry and use lubrication with intercourse.

If yeast infections continue or pain occurs with intercourse, you should seek treatment you’re your doctor. A healthy diet, as well as oral and vaginal probiotics, are effective treatments options to minimize the occurrence of yeast infections and prevent the development of disease. 

Some physicians may prescribe chronic use of steroids to treat vulvodynia; however, this is not the best solution. Chronic steroids, especially potent doses, thin the vaginal skin over time, which can increase pain.  Topical numbing medications, or even injections of interferon, are better alternatives for managing the condition.

5. Vaginismus
In some cases, the issue of painful sex is involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor muscles, which is known as vaginismus. This can be diagnosed with an examination by your physician. Pelvic floor physical therapy is the best course of treatment, followed by graduated use of vaginal dilators.  

6. Deep pain
Deep pain during intercourse can be caused by a number of factors, including certain types of cancer, endometriosis, fibroids and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Getting treatment early can prevent the dangerous progression of these conditions, which may threaten not only your sex life, but your fertility and health. Do not hesitate to discuss the occurrence with your physician.

7. Seek a physician’s care
If you experience internal pain with sex, you should discuss this with your doctor. If the pain is only occasional, it may be related to your cycle, or perhaps the particular position may not be comfortable for you. However, if the pain reoccurs consistently or becomes worse, this could indicate inflammation — which means it’s time to see a doctor.

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New research is raising fresh concern that an age-old treatment for troubled pregnancies – bed rest – doesn’t seem to prevent premature birth, and might even worsen that risk.

Doctors have known for years that there’s no good evidence that bed rest offers any benefit for certain pregnancy complications, and it can cause side effects in the mother, not to mention emotional and financial strain. Yet estimates suggest nearly 1 in 5 moms-to-be is told to cut her activity – ranging from quitting work to actually staying in bed all day – at some point during pregnancy.

Now, spurred by the latest study, some specialists are issuing a call for strict studies to finally settle the controversy – and until then, for doctors not to assume that a prescription to take it easy can’t hurt.

“Bed rest is misperceived as an inexpensive, innocuous, logical recommendation,” Dr. Joseph Biggio Jr. of the University of Alabama at Birmingham wrote in the latest issue of Obstetrics Gynecology, a journal read by thousands of OB-GYNs.

In a separate review of past studies that failed to support bed rest, a trio of obstetricians and ethicists at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, went a step farther: They said it’s not ethical to keep prescribing bed rest unless the women are enrolled in a research study, like they are for other unproven treatments.

So why is rest prescribed so often? There aren’t a lot of good treatments to prevent prematurity and other problems.

“Patients want you to do something, and physicians want to do something,” explained Dr. Catherine Spong, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the National Institutes of Health who co-authored the latest research.

Spong and colleagues took a closer look at a study of treatments for women at risk of premature birth because of an increasingly diagnosed complication called a short cervix. Bed rest is a broad term that doesn’t just mean staying in bed all the time – and during that treatment study, doctors were free to decide if the participants also should restrict their activities, essentially offering a real-world test of the effects. The prescriptions ranged from no sexual activity, to partial or complete work restrictions, to complete restriction of non-work activity as well.

Nearly 40 percent of the 646 pregnant women enrolled in the study were prescribed some type of activity restriction in the second or third trimester. Most were told to restrict all three types of activity – sexual, work and non-work – what’s usually considered bed rest.

The surprise: Some 37 percent of women who took the precautions had a premature baby, compared with just 17 percent of the women who didn’t scale back, the researchers report in Obstetrics Gynecology.

“The data suggests that bed rest does not prevent preterm birth in this high-risk population, but it doesn’t definitively answer that question,” cautioned Spong. She wants to see a more strict study – the kind that randomly assigns women to rest or not – to prove if there’s a difference.

The study also raises questions about harm, although the women who rested merely may have been at higher risk for a preemie. They were older and had somewhat more serious cervical complications. But the researchers pointed to other studies that link bed rest to increased stress and anxiety, both of which are associated with prematurity and smaller babies.

Plus, bed rest is well known to increase a mother’s risk of a dangerous blood clot, as well as side effects including bone and muscle loss.

Interestingly, the new study found those who rested were more likely to have private insurance, raising questions about the influence of social rather than medical factors.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says bed rest shouldn’t be “routinely recommended” for prevention of preterm birth. And women face a tough decision when their doctors do bring it up.

Sandy Lutton spent the last 18 weeks of her pregnancy lying flat in bed, forbidden even to prop up with her laptop, hoping it would prevent her twins from being born too soon.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it, it was stressful,” said the McLean, Va., woman, whose twins, now 2, were born healthy. “I had a lot of time to sit and worry.”

Her first son had been born on time, but she’d lost a second baby due to a weak cervix. With the twins, her doctors stitched her cervix closed and recommended strict bed rest, while making it clear there was no proof it would make a difference. Lutton bombarded them with questions, but eventually decided she had to try. Ultrasound exams showed her cervix stayed fine until doctors removed the stitch and delivered her babies; she even cheated with a little extra movement on exam days.

Amid the uncertainty, March of Dimes medical adviser Dr. Siobhan Dolan said women shouldn’t hesitate to ask their doctors about the pros and cons of restricting activity.

“Sometimes you feel less regret if you did something even though it didn’t change the outcome,” acknowledged Dolan, who herself has prescribed bed rest less often in recent years.

Men taking prescription pain pills in high doses and over long periods of time are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction (ED), according to new research.  

In a new study published in the journal Spine, researchers examined the health records of 11,000 men taking prescription opioids, like oxycodone, to treat chronic back pain. Men who took high-doses of these prescription painkillers for longer than four months were 50 percent more likely to require medication to treat ED than men who were not taking painkillers.

Patients considered to be taking ‘high doses’ of opioids were consuming the equivalent of 80 milligrams of OxyContin per day – or 120 milligrams of morphine.

Overall, about 19 percent of the men taking opioids over long periods experienced ED – but researchers said the number might be even higher.

“That could well be an underestimate, because many don’t bring it to their doctors attention, would be embarrassed or wouldn’t connect it to medication,” lead study author Dr. Richard Deyo, from the Kaiser Permanante Center for Health Research at Oregon Health Science University, in Portland Oregon, told FoxNews.com.

Researchers noted that opioids are known to cause changes in testosterone levels.

“Opioids suppress testosterone levels,” Deyo said. “It’s clear that people taking long-term opioids have testosterone levels well below normal,” Deyo said. Additionally, factors like depression, a common condition among chronic pain patients, could also be contributing to patients’ ED.

According to Deyo, the researchers’ findings add to a wealth of evidence indicating that long-term opioid treatment for chronic pain should be avoided when possible. Patients who take opioids for extended periods often develop a tolerance to the medicine and can even experience greater sensitivity to pain over time.  

“Patients need to be aware that these medications may not be effective in the long-term for treating chronic pain – they are certainly effective for short-term pain, but not (in the) long run,” Deyo said.

Instead of relying on medications, the researchers believe that doctors should encourage alternative treatments for pain relief.

“There’s growing evidence that some of the more effective treatments for persistent pain are rigorously designed exercise programs along with cognitive behavioral therapy ,” Deyo said.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is intended to help patients overcome fears associated with their chronic pain. When it comes to exercise, patients often become afraid of doing anything that might worsen their pain, causing them to avoid physical activities. 

“CBT seems to be valuable along with exercise interventions…It’s important to consider the full range of options,” Deyo said.

Deyo and his colleagues hope their research will increase patients’ awareness about their treatment options.  He noted that the side effects of pain medications, like ED, are often not well understood.

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When a woman is pregnant, we’re often quick to laugh off her cravings for even the unhealthiest foods. However, pregnancy is a time to indulge in nutritionally dense sources of delicious food – and avoid unhealthy foods, as often as possible.

Processed foods offer little nutrition and may contain chemicals. Check labels and avoid products containing the following items: MSG, chemical additives, trans-fats, artificial dyes and anything in a plastic container that may contain BPA.

Instead, look for organic and fresh foods whenever possible. When choosing proteins, look for options that come from animals that have not been given hormones or antibiotics. Foods rich in probiotics, healthy fats and folate are also all important components of a pregnancy diet.

Probiotics are the building blocks for digestive health. Consuming probiotic-rich foods during pregnancy could help strengthen the immune systems of both the mother and baby. Probiotics can be easily incorporated into your diet through fermented foods such as kefir, organic plain yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and pickled vegetables.

Healthy fats are vital to the baby’s brain, organ and tissue development, so embrace them. Butter from pastured cows and coconut oil both contain lauric acid, which has antiviral, antibacterial and immune supporting functions. Egg yolks contain choline which may enhance a baby’s brain development. Organic, full-fat dairy, avocado, nuts and healthy sources of meat all provide additional healthy fats.

Wild-caught salmon, herring and sardines all contain healthy fats such as omega-3 and DHA. Wild, grass-fed animals like beef, wild boar, and longhorn are also great sources of omega-3’s.

Folate is also critically important for the development of a healthy fetus.

Dr. Luis Espaillat-Rijo, a voluntary assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Miami and clinical fellow at the Cleveland Clinic of Florida, stated that if he had to choose just one thing to recommend to pregnant women, it would be folate.

Espaillat-Rijo explained that there is a direct link between folate supplementation and a decrease in incidence of neural tube defects. Folate also reduces the likelihood of anemia in the mother and can prevent early miscarriage and premature delivery.

High quality, organic liver from a pastured animal is a great food to include in your diet once a week – it contains three times the amount of folate as a serving of raw spinach. Sunflower seeds, dark leafy greens and beans are also great sources of folate and make a wonderful addition to a pregnancy diet.

This isn’t to say you can’t give in to your cravings. However, try to make your indulgences as healthy as possible.  If you’re craving a cheeseburger, choose grass-fed ground beef and organic cheese on a whole grain or sprouted bun. If all you want is a milkshake, seek out ice-cream made from hormone-free milk and top it with organic dark chocolate. Make the best choices you can, as often as you can. If you’re eating well the majority of the time, there’s no need to feel guilty about the occasional slip.

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British fertility experts have devised a new IVF technique that takes thousands of snapshots of a developing embryo that they say can help doctors pick those most likely to implant successfully and develop into healthy babies.

At a briefing in London before publishing their results, the researchers said they are already using the technique to select “low risk” embryos that are the least likely to have chromosomal abnormalities that could hamper their development.

In their study, published in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online, the team’s chances of producing a successful live birth after in-vitro fertilization (IVF) were increased by 56 percent using the new technique compared to the standard method of selecting embryos that look best through a microscope.

“In the 35 years I have been in this field, this is probably the most exciting and significant development that can be of value to all patients seeking IVF,” said Simon Fishel, a leading fertility doctor and director at the IVF clinic operator CARE Fertility where the technique is being developed.

Independent scientists not involved in the work welcomed it as a significant advance but said full randomized controlled trials – the gold standard in medicine – should be conducted before it is adopted as mainstream practice.

“This paper is interesting because we really do need to make advances in selecting the best embryos created during IVF,” said Allan Pacey of Sheffield University, chair of the British Fertility Society.

“The idea of monitoring embryo development more closely is being used increasingly in clinics around the world and so it is good to see the science involved submitted to peer review and publication,” he added. “All too often, developments in IVF are trumpeted as advances when they remain unproven.”

Experts say that today, as many as 1 to 2 percent of babies in the Western world are conceived through IVF. The standard methods of selecting embryos are based largely on what they look like through a microscope, and many IVF cycles fail because the embryo chosen and transferred to the womb fails to develop.

The scientists who led this study said that using time-lapse images, they had found that developmental delays in the embryo at crucial stages are good indicators of likely chromosomal abnormalities that could result in a failed pregnancy.

Viewing far more images

“In conventional IVF laboratories, embryo development will be checked up to six times over a 5-day period,” said Alison Campbell, Care Fertility’s embryology director and the lead researcher on the study being published.

“With time-lapse we have the ability to view more than 5,000 images over the same time period to observe and measure more closely each stage of division and growth.”

Using this new knowledge, the team developed what they call morphokinetic algorithms to predict success (MAPS). By applying these MAPS to the selection of embryos, they predict they could reach a live birth rate for patients undergoing IVF of 78 percent – about three times the national average.

Fishel, whose CARE Fertility clinics are Britain’s largest independent provider of assisted conception cycles, with around 3,500 a year, said he is charging around 750 pounds ($1,100) for IVF using the MAPS technique – compared to several thousand pounds for a standard IVF cycle.

But Sue Avery, head of the Women’s Fertility Centre in Birmingham, said it was too soon for all clinics to adopt it.

“Until the new technique is compared to current practice we cannot know whether different embryos are being chosen,” she said. “The IVF community needs a prospective randomized controlled trial to prove that the new approach delivers better results before it can be recommended to patients.”