“Padma Lakshmi Says Pigging Out Is Pregnancy No-No - Limelife” plus 4 more

Padma Lakshmi Says Pigging Out Is Pregnancy No-No - Limelife
$2.5 million verdict in Paxil birth defects case - Courier-Post
Screening test ‘doubles the chance of pregnancy for women on IVF’ - Women.timesonline
Healing Hearts Support Group (Charity & Outreach, Meetings ... - MyStateline.com
Condom nation: coverage on campus - Minnesota Daily

Padma Lakshmi Says Pigging Out Is Pregnancy No-No - Limelife

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 05:53 AM PDT

Padma Knows Food, So Listen Up

Padma Lakshmi is out to singlehandedly ruin our fun! The gorgeous model, who is currently pregnant, was recently chatting to the tabs about her eating habits. It's not very fun--she's definitely not chowing down like Khloe Kardashian and her cupcakes.

"I eat the same, just more often," Padma said. "Everything from movie theater nachos to spinach and apple salad. Everything. I'm not eating so much more. You only need 300 more calories. It's not a reason to pig out."

Continuing with her baby talk, Padma said that she's waiting to get creative when it comes to naming her baby, but she's still stick close to family names and inspiration. "I just want to see how the baby looks when it comes, and then I'll have some ideas," she explained. "The name will have to do with my family. I don't think it's going to be called 'Pomegranate' or 'Atlanta.'"

Padma isn't just waiting for the name and avoiding pigging out. She's not even going shopping. She told the press that many people from India usually wait until they have their child before buying all the fun goodies. She's killing me here!

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$2.5 million verdict in Paxil birth defects case - Courier-Post

Posted: 15 Oct 2009 12:20 AM PDT

PHILADELPHIA — A jury ordered GlaxoSmithKline to pay $2.5 million to a woman whose son was born with serious heart defects after she took the antidepressant Paxil during her pregnancy.

The closely watched verdict handed down Tuesday in Philadelphia was the first of about 600 similar cases pending across the country that blame Paxil for heart problems and other birth defects.

The jury found GlaxoSmithKline guilty of negligence but not outrageous conduct, and rejected punitive damages. The company vowed to appeal.

"The adverse events started to come in the late 1990s, early 2000. The evidence was overwhelming and alarming," said lawyer Jamie Sheller, who represented plaintiff Michelle David. "They could have known this way, way before they did, way before they changed the label in 2005."

Paxil was classified as a drug with no known link to increased birth defects from its introduction in 1992 through 2005. The Food and Drug Administration began warning in September 2005 that Paxil may be associated with birth defects and strengthened the warning four months later.

David, 28, of Bensalem delivered her full-term son, Lyam Kilker, in October 2005.

He was diagnosed with heart defects two months later and spent five months in a Philadelphia hospital, undergoing surgery to repair two holes in his heart, lawyer Jamie Sheller said Wednesday. He also has a third, separate heart defect and will need at least one more surgery as he grows, she said.

GlaxoSmithKline argues that birth defects occur in 3 to 5 percent of all live births, whether or not the mother took medication during pregnancy.

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Screening test ‘doubles the chance of pregnancy for women on IVF’ - Women.timesonline

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 04:23 PM PDT

A genetic-screening test could more than double the chances of pregnancy for women who undergo fertility treatment, a study suggests.

The first trial of its kind has found that two out of three women having in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) became pregnant if their embryos were checked for abnormalities before being implanted in the womb, compared with less than a third where the test was not used.

The technique, known as comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH), checks chromosomes in the developing embryo. Only those embryos with the best chance of becoming a healthy baby are used in fertility treatment. The £2,000 test is available in only a handful of private clinics in Britain. Researchers hope that it will become standard practice to help both NHS and paying patients to start a family.

Dagan Wells, a Senior Fellow in Reproductive Genetics at Oxford University who developed CGH, said that babies had now been born among a group of 115 American women whose embryos had been screened.

The results will be presented this week at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's annual conference in Atlanta.

The women received IVF treatment at the Colorado Centre for Reproductive Medicine in the US, but cells from the embryos were flown to Dr Wells's clinic in Oxford for analysis.

The results showed that 66 per cent of women fell pregnant if CGH was used to select the best embryos for implantation — more than double the proportion (28 per cent) of women who fell pregnant at the clinic when the test was not used.

Dr Wells described the improvement in pregnancy rates as "astonishing", and particularly impressive as many of the women were on their "last chance" at conceiving with fertility treatment — they were typically aged 39 with two failed IVF cycles behind them. "We were taken aback by the impact it had on the success rates," Dr Wells said. "I think it's at the point now that we can say with great confidence that we are seeing a positive effect of this."

Up to one in six couples have difficulty conceiving a baby naturally and some 37,000 patients are treated at IVF clinics in Britain each year. During treatment, a woman's eggs are collected, fertilised in a laboratory with her partner's or a donor's sperm and then implanted back into the womb. But many women suffer miscarriages or do not become pregnant at all if the resulting embryos carry an abnormal number of chromosomes. However, until now it has proved difficult to examine all the chromosomes in an embryo, meaning that screening techniques have produced limited success in weeding out those with little chance of leading to a successful pregnancy.

CGH solves the problem by allowing doctors to look at every chromosome in the developing embryo.

It could be particularly useful for older women, who are more likely to produce eggs with the abnormalities. It could also be used to maximise the chances of success for younger women and couples paying up to £3,000 for each cycle of IVF treatment, and to check for genetic conditions such as Down's syndrome.

More than 20 babies have so far been born in the United States as a result of CGH screening, Dr Wells added. Screened embryos so far have a live birth success rate of 80 per cent per cycle of IVF, compared with 60 per cent for women who did not have the test.

Last month fertility specialists in Nottingham used a similar technique — known as "array CGH" — to examine eggs rather than embryos. A couple who had failed with 13 IVF attempts produced a baby.

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Healing Hearts Support Group (Charity & Outreach, Meetings ... - MyStateline.com

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 09:59 PM PDT

Healing Hearts Support Group (Charity & Outreach, Meetings & Conventions, Special Interest)

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Condom nation: coverage on campus - Minnesota Daily

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 07:43 PM PDT

In sixth grade, I watched four hip-hop dancers dressed as condoms bust a move in the cafeteria. Even then, I'd heard it all before. Safe sex, cool, got it. When I get around to having it, I'll try to remember that. And by the time their dance became relevant, I was so desensitized, I almost forgot.

Children of the '80s recall ghoulish tales of HIV interspersed with algebra. We nodded our heads and signed school-sponsored "pacts" to protect ourselves. Then we grew up and found alcohol and hormones to be convenient excuses in our war against better judgment.

Condoms are, unfortunately, about as much fun as swimming in a poncho. It's no secret that the barrier meant for fluids does a similar job of inhibiting intimacy, but condoms are necessary in the absence of other contraceptives and commitment.

Boynton Health Service conducted a sex survey of 2,920 students in 2007 and reported on their condom use. "Among University of Minnesota-Twin Cities students sexually active within their lifetime, 60.0 percent used a condom the last time they engaged in vaginal intercourse, 31.1 percent used a condom during their last anal intercourse and 8.3 percent used a condom during their last oral sex."

There are plenty of monogamous relationships in which both parties have due trust and alternative forms of birth control in place. When keeping these scenarios in mind, the deficit reflected in the above figures is not so alarming. But discussions with students and friends revealed disturbing realities about condom use in the case of casual sex.

"I use the 'pull out' method, and I tend to take a man's word for it regarding disease, which goes against all rational thought," said a candid classmate who admitted to having two partners in the past month. "Pulling out," or "withdrawal," was mentioned by almost everyone I spoke to, whether used in conjunction with condoms or not. According to Planned Parenthood, if performed "correctly," withdrawal results in pregnancy 4 percent of the time. There is no concrete definition of "correct" in this instance — only a firm reminder that men must be able to "accurately predict" their point of no return. But accidents happen, and "incorrect" execution of this method results in pregnancy 27 percent of the time.

Both figures are subject to variables. Pre-ejaculate does not contain live sperm, but it can carry relentless genetic soldiers from previous missions and works just as well toward fertilization. And this says nothing of disease prevention. Withdrawal is not wise to rely on if you're even slightly skeptical about your partner's sexual health.

Heterosexual students who were not in long-term relationships spoke much more about pregnancy than infection. When I posed the STD question, many brushed it off. "I usually know the girl in some capacity," said a male classmate before rolling up his sleeve and pointing to a Band-Aid at the crook of his elbow. "But I got tested at Boynton today because I've been a little careless this semester." To others like him: Let your panicked trip to the doctor serve as a lesson for future encounters.

I asked 25 females on campus if they'd ever used Plan B, the "morning after" pill. Eleven had, and nine of those had taken it more than once. For some, it was used according to its namesake as a form of backup. But three women reported using Plan B in the presence of no other forms of protection. I refuse to condemn a drug that serves a wonderful purpose for many responsible women, but total reliance on Plan B in a small but visible group illustrates an illusion of invincibility.

"I don't sleep with that many people, so I don't need to use condoms," said a female classmate. The hip-hoppin' condoms from middle school used scare tactics to prevent such misinformation. Like the passing of a collective spit cup, followed by an offering to any brave student who'd like to take a drink.

Condoms are important, but they are not deliverance from all consequence. For example, the human papillomavirus (HPV) is passed through skin-to-skin contact. While a condom offers some protection, the disease can still be transmitted through the skin on the scrotum. The lesson here is that sex partners must still be chosen carefully.

Yes, it's terribly awkward to ask someone for a piece of paper detailing their latest blood test results, but you should never put yourself in harm's way because you're afraid to ask for clarification on a simple statement like, "I'm clean." If your friend told you they were going to have sex with someone they "knew pretty well," you'd probably tell them to be careful. Apply that same logic to yourself and always be prepared.

Trojan recently introduced Trojan 2 Go, a discrete condom two-pack the size of a credit card that is designed to fit in your wallet. For $4.95, you can be a wingman for your future self and eliminate obstacles when the heat of the moment strikes.

Safe sex is everyone's responsibility, male or female. The cost of birth control can run high, but discussing how you're going to pay for it is a great way to assess your partner's concern for your sexual health. If they make no attempt to even the financial score, it may not be the last time they disappoint you.

Free condoms are readily available at Boynton Health Service, and there is no reason to be ill-equipped. And if you hate condoms so much, perhaps you should consider commitment.

Allison Fingerett welcomes comments at afingerett@mndaily.com.

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