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Happy 30th Birthday in-vitro fertilization! That’s right, it’s a big b-day for anyone conceived via IVF, especially Louise Brown, the world’s first IVF baby.  Her parents, Lesley and John, had tried for nine years to have a child (sounds like fun), when they heard about experimental fertility research being conducted at Cambridge University. Physiologist Robert Edwards and gynecologist Patrick Steptoe were pioneering the “test-tube” baby and the Brown’s volunteered to try the controversial method. Three decades later, they’re among many IVF success stories. Over the years, 115,000 babies have been born in the U.S. alone thanks to IVF and just this summer, the fertility miracle helped a 70-year old woman conceive in India!  As for Louise, who works as a shipping company administrator, she is a mother herself, to a healthy 18-month-old boy, which she was able to conceive naturally.  Her younger sister Natalie Brown is also a notable achievement—she was the first IVF baby to give birth and she too was able to conceive without medical aid.  Needless to say, the Brown kids are so grateful to the groundbreaking scientists that they consider them to be their granddads. And thanks to them, now everyone can have eggs scrambled, sunny side up, and even fertilized! [AFP]

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The Amazing Hydration Diet sounds like an elixir an old timey quack doctor would sell out the back of his wagon at a carnival. However silly sounding, it’s really a trendy diet that was recently popular with folks in Britain.  Licensed nutritionist Barbara Nash suggested her chubby client, Dawn Page, take a little bit off by drinking excessive amounts of water—nearly 10 glasses a day.  Sure, it seems refreshingly healthy for a diet when compared to the all-you-can-eat-meat Atkins diet, the cabbage soup only diet, and prepackaged low fat foods, but in actuality life-giving water can also kill. Apparently, there is such a thing as water intoxication.  Not as fun as plain intoxication and sadly, a Californian woman died last year from a water drinking contest to win a Nintendo Wii.  Luckily, Dawn Page survived her hydration detox, including all of the vomiting and the epileptic fit it induced. 

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Summer is all about showing some skin while you’re having fun in the sun and tanning goes with the territory. Sadly, as well know, getting that bronze glow can also be life threatening. While fat roll tan lines, raccoon eyes from your sunglasses, or even the dreaded Oompa Loompa-like burn are cause for concern in the short term, there are health risks on the horizon. The rate of melanoma among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 has doubled over the past 30 years.  There are almost 14 cases out of every 100,000 young women.  Yikes!  [Indeed. I got a sunburn this weekend.—Editor] The medical establishment says the tanning trend is to blame for the tally. So, if you’re still inspired to look like your tanorexic celeb heroines, try a cocktail of self tanner and sunscreen or beware! Have you ever seen the old ladies that look like lobsters lying around the retirement community pools in Florida?  They will make you turn white as a ghost! [Truemors]

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From tofu to chocolate milk, soy has been sweepin’ the nation. In addition to helping lactose intolerant freelance writers enjoy a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal every now and again, the lil’ bean is chock full of calcium, protein, fiber, iron, zinc, and magnesium, plus it’s the only vegetable that can give you amino acids. But the nutritional goodies are just the tip of where the health benefits begin for us ladies. According to new studies, soy will fend off hot flashes from the ‘pause (although it will not stop you from getting dragged to see Menopause the Musical with your mom who laughs waaaaaay too hard at the jokey rhymes). Soy also reduces the risk of developing breast cancer by 18% in women with a high BMI (body mass index). Not sure how high your BMI is?  Check out this chart while you chow down on a delicious Tofutti ice cream sandwich. [Health World and Health Castle]

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Storytime! Over at Feministing’s newly relaunched site, a teenage user on their new community board recounts a story of trying to buy a pregnancy test with her best friend at a drug store and being refused because of her age. When the teen presents the fact that she legally has the right to buy a pregnancy test despite being “underage”, the drugstore teller tells her she shouldn’t be having sex in the first place. After much back and forth the teens were finally able to procure the test, but only after a teller in his late-teens allowed them. This is why a person’s personal beliefs on sexual activity shouldn’t be a factor when they’re on the job. Oh and the teen wasn’t pregnant in the end, thank goodness. [Feministing]

The CDC has confirmed that a cure for both oral and genital herpes is in the works. Hooray!  An estimated 100 million Americans have the oral herp, while 20% have the kind below the belt. There is a tiny bit of bad news, though. The new treatment being studied would force on one last outbreak, but then kill it forever with antiviral drugs already on the market. A team at Duke University has been leading the way and partnered up with Regulus Therapeutics LLC to make it happen. While they’re all optimistic, the researchers say the next step is testing out their theory on animals. Will monkeys finally make monkey business a little more safe? Let’s hope! [MSNBC via Regina Lynn]

So you know all those people having unprotected sex with multiple partners? Maybe it’s your MOM! Or your Grandpa! Researchers at England’s West Midlands Health Protection Agency found that over the last 10 years, STD rates had more than doubled among people ages 45 and older. Hey, Granny Goose, just ‘cause you went through “the change” doesn’t mean you don’t need to strap one on when you get frisky with Mr. Hooper in the Senior Center activities room. [Time]

There’s been a dramatic increase in obesity in the U.S. over the past 20 years, and a new study from researchers in Scotland suggests obesity might be inhibiting men’s fertility. Past studies have shown that this is the case with women, and this new study, which looked at sperm samples from 5,000 men and divided them into groups based on the Body Mass Index, found that those with a normal BMI (20 to 25) had higher levels of normal sperm than those who were overweight or obese. Underweight men also had fewer normal sperm, “but there were not many underweight men in Scotland,” said Ghiyath Shayeb, the lead researcher. He and his team have a couple ideas about what could cause the issues in overweight men, and they either think fat tissues influence the metabolism of sex hormones, or the increase in fat may cause a rise in body temperature and result in overheating. Sperm is best produced at a temperature two degrees cooler than the normal body temperature—who knew? [CBS News]

While sticking a bunch of microbicides up your hoo-ha may seem like a bad idea, turns out it may save your vaj from the likes of HIV and other STD’s.  Researchers are currently conducting clinical trials at UCLA’s AIDS Institute for microbicides, a shield you would schmear in your vajane.  Nowadays, women must rely on making sure their male sexual partners use condoms, but the hope is that this type of safeguard will help ladies take matters into their own hands. The study in the U.S. is based on the larger 12-month trial of microbicides involving 10,000 people currently underway in South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda and Belgium. Fingers crossed we girls can get some protection! [Newswise]

What with all the promiscuous sex the U.S. is having without condoms, we’re curious about how often you get tested for sexually transmitted diseases/infections. I will start: I last got tested, like, three years ago because I’ve been in a committed relationship for a lonnnng time, but prior to the man-friend I got tested every year. Now, take our poll!

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A lot of my guy friends ride bikes, which is great. Biking helps you get places and is a good exercise, but they better be careful, because it might hurt their manly parts. According to a piece in BJU International, which sounds like it could be an oral sex publication but is in fact a medical one, biking can cause problems such as genital numbness, erection problems, and other issues in that precious area. Regular cyclists, mountain bikers in particular, also run a higher risk of testicular damage and impaired testicular function. Gentleman, wear padded shorts and make sure your seat is at the right level when you go out cycling. [EurekAlert!]

When it comes to erectile dysfunction, Finnish researchers have found that the “use it or loose it” principle holds true. Published in the July issue of The American Journal of Medicine, a study from the Department of Urology at Tampere University examined almost 1000 men between the ages of 55 and 75.  They concluded that men who said they didn’t have sex once a week were twice as likely to develop penis problems. And if you boned three or more times a week, your chances of going limp in your golden years dropped to 1%.  While the docs also discovered that the frequency of morning wood played an important part in predicting ED, nothing is more integral than intercourse.  Science has proved there’s just no substitute for good ol’ fashioned fornication. [Mediline Plus]

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Sometimes when I’m in my hippie-dippy yoga classes I think that some of what I’m hearing is a load of hooey. A couple weeks ago, the teacher in my class (who happens to be, not to brag, I swear, Uma Thurman’s brother) was talking about how we store emotional issues and trauma in our body and that’s why we’re not as flexible as we could be. So, like, when you can’t do a split, it’s not because your body isn’t capable, it’s because you haven’t worked through certain issues yet in your yoga practice. I thought that sounded like crap. Well, today I read an article about how humans store emotional trauma in their hip joints and that yoga can help relieve that trauma, resulting in the potential to totally bawl your eyes out when you’re doing a Warrior pose, or whatever. That’s why it’s recommended that Iraq war veterans take yoga classes. Crazy huh? This is the last time I shall ever question Uma’s brother again. [Star-Telegram.com]

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Dr. Lauri Romanzi, a gynecologist who performs pelvic reconstruction surgery, will open the first spa dedicated to strengthening and grooming a woman’s genitals in Manhattan this month. Taking a cue from the creation of storefront dental spas, like BriteSmile, Dr. Romanzi developed her own concept of pelvic fitness. PHIT—short for pelvic health integrated techniques—will help women get healthy from the inside out with the use of Kegel exercises and laser treatments. We’re all for women taking care of their junk, but you can strengthen their vaginal muscles with products sold at adult stores, like Tighten Up or Ben Wa balls, for a lot cheaper than PHIT’s $150 signature gynecological exam. [NY Times]

So far in the states, Gardasil has been the only FDA approved vaccine for the double-whammy strain of HPV that causes cervical cancer. However, in Europe Cervarix has been kicking HPV’s butt and protecting women across the continent.  While the drug has been in the FDA review process for foreva-eva, it looks like new data submitted by the makers, GlaxoSmithKline, will stall approvals now until 2009. Sheesh! What’s a girl gotta do to get some options? [Wall Street Journal]

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If you’re pregnant, try to eat healthy because eating junk food is bad for your baby. Duh. A study published in The Journal of Physiology found that female rats that were fed a diet of chips, cheese, muffins, and other processed foods throughout pregnancy and lactation had offspring that were overweight at birth and were born with a taste for junk food, kind of like babies whose moms used crack while they were in the womb. Female offspring were particularly affected by the mother’s diet. And don’t think this just applies to rodents: “Humans share a number of fundamental biological systems with rats, so there is good reason to assume the effects we see in rats may be repeated in humans,” said Neil Strickland, a professor at the Royal Veterinary College in London. [EurekAlert!]

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Want to be wrinkle-free with a rack like casaba melons?  You could be pretty forever, thanks to the fountain of youth that are stems cells. Australia just lifted its ban on cloning embryos in the hopes that this research will have many cosmetic, and not just medical, benefits.  In the U.S., the National Cancer Institute has focused its attention and money on finding a way breasts can be regrown from fat tissue and in Japan, this method has already seen some success. But the promises don’t stop at boobs—in addition, stem cells will be able to help you regrow your own teeth, hair, and skin. Unfortunately for Donatella Versace, the research is just beginning and conclusive findings, not to mention available benefits, won’t be available for awhile. [ABC News]

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The Human Papillomavirus, aka HPV, can cause cervical cancer and genital warts. And now it’s possible that the vaccine that guards against HPV, Gardasil, may cause death. Around the world, 11 girls, as young as the age of 11, have died after receiving the shots, and about another 1,700 have reported complications which include fainting and GBS, a disorder which weakens your immune system. Since 95% of people who have HPV are asymptomatic, all in all, .002% of women with HPV die from related cases of cervical cancer. While it seems like fear mongering to support or oppose the potentially life-saving or life-threatening vaccination, getting guarded by Gardasil should clearly be a personal decision. Currently three states are making shots mandatory for adolescent girls, against the advice of the American College of Pediatrics and a researcher who worked on developing the vaccine. Sure, egalitarian vaccinations sound like a good idea in theory, but now that the results on Gardasil are in, ladies, like everything else, should be free to do what they want. Get your laws off my body! [Huffington Post and Natural News]

Playing a video on the prevention of HIV and other STDs for people while they’re waiting to be seen in an STD clinic can reduce the likelihood that they’ll get such an infection. In a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of more than 38,600 people, and the rate of STIs was under five percent for those who saw the video, while it was nearly six percent for those who hadn’t. Guys seemed most influenced (they are supposed to be very visual learners, aren’t they?), and were 13 percent less likely to develop an infection if they’d seen the video. Perhaps this worked because, unlike health class, where you can fall asleep or take the hall pass and wander around, these people were in STD clinics and were probably quite nervous about being tested and whatnot. Plus, the magazines in waiting rooms are generally crap and 16 months old. [Ivanhoe]

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Since the sexual revolution, it’s been hard for us modern gals to remember that our below the belt business is also for baby-making.  STD’s and UTI’s are always a risk, but sadly, these party favors from sexual favors have been linked to birth defects.  Just when you thought they were bad enough to handle on your own, a new study has found they quadruple your baby’s chances of being born with a birth defect known as gastroschisis. While the name of the disorder is hard to pronounce, the complications are convoluted too—gastrochisis causes the baby’s intestines and other organs to be born outside the abdomen. States like Utah have experienced a tenfold increase in cases over the past 30 years and they blame it on the rise of STD and UTI infections. 

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Vitamin E is supposedly known as “the sexuality vitamin” and peanut and peanut products are “recommended by at least three leading sexologists for a restorative diet,” according to the website AllAboutStuff.com, which my friend Josh directed me to because peanut butter is my favorite food. We’re not sure who these sexologists are, but a dollop of delicious peanut butter never hurt anyone. For a better sex life, make sure you make time for peanut butter jelly time—in the bedroom or elsewhere. [AllAboutStuff.com]

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All those studies that say sex burns calories thereby making you lose weight may be hooey. A study published this month in Medical Hypotheses suggests that blood levels of the hormone prolactin, which stimulates milk production and fatherly love, rise during sex, especially when there’s an orgasm. In several species, increased levels of prolactin have been linked to weight gain, so if things have been going well in the bedroom lately, it’s quite alright if you’ve been on a couple pounds. That’s called “happy weight.” [NewScientist.com]

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The mythic G-spot seems even too mysterious for an episode of the X Files to uncover it.  Where is it?  What is it?  And how do you work the darn thing?! After reading Divine Caroline, a few things became clear:

1. The G-Spot is actually the Skene Gland- a thick lining on the front side of the vag. While baby boys grow a prostate, the same structure can also develop in some women and it becomes the infamous G-spot.
2. Female ejaculate is made up of the same ingredients that sperms get shipped off in.
3. Only 10% of women can ejaculate.