Using the natural contraception method (and therefore the CALMENS application) is not recommended for a woman if one of the next situations occurs:

* the menstrual periods are very irregular
* the length of the menstrual period is shorter than 21 days or longer than 39 days>
* the woman works in shifts (day / night) or she changes the time zone

Carefully use the information that CALMENS gives you, taking into consideration that the method it is based on has an efficiency of 90-95% (which means that 1 of 10 women who rely on this method for the conceiving control gets pregnant every year). This percentage takes into account both the unplanned pregnancies and the ones caused by ignoring the rules that this method requires.

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Specification:
Title: Calmens - Fertility Pregnancy Calendar
License: Shareware
Price: 15
Version: 6
Program Size: 338 KB
Operating System: Win95,Win98,WinME,Windows2000,WinXP,Windows2003
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Specification:
Title: 4WomenOnly
License: Shareware
Price: 29.99
Version: 5
Program Size: 3584 KB
Operating System: Win98,WinME,WinXP,WinNT 4.x,Windows2000,Windows2003
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Main features:

* save menstruation history for long time (you can print it for visit to your gynaecologist)
* calculation of future menstruation days
* calculation of ovulation date
* calculation of days for safe love by use natural rhythm contraception method
* calculation of best day for conceive boy
* calculation of best day for conceive girl
* calculation of birthdate by date of conceive and conceive date by date of birth

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It is the only application that gives you all of these great features: a very easy to use interface; the perpetual calendar with possibility to display from 1 to 36 months simultaneously; five types of charts, calculated using the data of your past periods; easy browsing of the calendar and charts; synchronized moving on the calendar and charts; convenient viewing of your periods and the calculated data in the calendar; easy to record or change dates of your period in the calendar; fast access to all important functions from the pop up menus, tool bar or main menu; automatic checking of possibility to record a period at chosen date to prevent mistakes. Femta is very configurable: easy to change any colors of the calendar or charts; easy to change the fonts of the calendar or charts; a lot of settings for displaying the calculated data; different forms for changing of preferences of the calendar, charts, and general settings; preference forms contain the calendar and charts with the real user data; immediately view changes in the calendar and charts; several predefined color sets; user can create and save custom color sets; easily hide or show charts or other program objects; automatic saving of the configuration; the easy-to-use Wizard with explanation of all user actions; WYSIWYG Print preview with a lot of possibilities; undo the last actions; possibility of using a start-up password for user privacy; compatibility of the Femta database between versions and easy upgrade to the newer versions of Femta; context sensitive help from anywhere in the program; easy and thorough installation/uninstallation program.

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Specification:
Title: Femta
License: Shareware
Price: 35
Version: 1
Program Size: 973 KB
Operating System: Win95,Win98,WinME,WinNT 3.x,WinNT 4.x,Windows2000,WinXP,Windows2003
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Please note that software makers don’t promote unprotected sex, give no guarantees and don’t imply that this software can help infertile couples; thus, we can’t be held liable for the way you decide to use Ovulation Calculator. The software uses known, published, tested-and-proven method for calculating the date(s) when women are most/least likely to get pregnant. Medical practitioners and fertility clinics use exactly the same methodology to increase chances of getting pregnant for their clients. It does not matter if you use this software or consult your fertility doctor if you provide the same information about your menstruation cycle, the results will be identical.

Specification:
Title: Ovulation Calculator
License: Shareware
Price: 29
Version: 1
Program Size: 691 KB
Operating System: Win95,Win98,WinME,WinXP,WinNT 4.x,Windows2000,Windows2003
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Homepage

The purpose of this software is to give you the way to avoid costly medical fees and be able do it in the comfort of your home. In addition, Ovulation Calculator also helps you plan the sex of your future child. While the success rate here is much lower, the study of 1000+ couples clearly demonstrates that there is enough evidence behind this method. In other words, there is a 50/50 chance that a boy/girl will be born but out of 1000 women who tried to plan for the gender of their future child, 700+ gave birth to the baby of the sex they planed for.

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Specification:
Company: Alexandru Marias
Title: Ovulation Calendar Pro
License: Shareware
Price: 29.95
Version: 1
Program Size: 865 KB
Operating System: Win95,Win98,WinME,WinXP,Windows2000
Homepage:

Some features available are:

* Track Fertility based upon several Natural Family Planning Methods such as the Ovulation Method, the Symptothermal Method, and the Calendar Method.
* Automatically Generate Symptothermal Ovulation Charts based upon Record Cycle Dates, Basal Body Temperatures, Cervical Mucus Observations, and/or Cervical Position.
* Fertility Meter Gauges Fertility Based upon the Symptothermal Method
* Gender Prediction Graphs show how ovulation can be timed to Influence Gender Based Upon the Shettles Method. (NEW)
* Automatically Calculates Future Cycle Dates
* Thirty-One Day Customizable Fertility Graph
* Automatically Calculates Dates of Ovulation (Past and Future)
* Generates General Menstrual Cycle Statistics (average length, deviation, shortest, longest, etc.)
* Extrapolate The Future of Your Unborn (or even unconceived) Child
* And many more

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Implanon is the name of this implantable contraceptive that was launched in 1998, and is already used by 2.5 million women in over 30 countries. It’s designed to prevent pregnancy where it releases a continuous dosage of the synthetic hormone progestin for three full years after a doctor places it under the skin of a woman’s arm. That means three years of not worrying about taking birth control pills daily, or changing Ortho-Evra patches weekly, or replacing Nuva-rings monthly. The device is one-and-a-half inches long (about the size of a matchstick).

A fertility expert who helped conduct the clinical trials on Implanon told Senay it takes about a minute for the doctor to use a simple instrument to insert it, after the woman receives a local anesthetic. With it’s 99% contraceptive protection, implanon will be the first contraceptive implant to be sold in the United States since 2000, when Wyeth Pharmaceuticals stopped US sales of Norplant. Norplant worked for up to seven years, or four years more than Implanon, but spawned lawsuits by women injured while having its six rods removed or disturbed by side effects.

Implanon, made by Organon of Roseland, N.J., joins the ranks of increasingly advanced birth control options on the market for women. In the past five years, new birth control devices have included a skin patch that is changed once a month, an intrauterine device that releases low-dose hormones and lasts five years, and a product called the NuvaRing, also made by Implanon, that is inserted into the vagina once a month and releases progestin.

“Implanon fills a unique niche that has been empty for the past few years,” said Dr. David Grimes, a contraceptive expert and clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Birth control pills have lower rates of effectiveness, in part because a woman must remember to take the pill at the same time every day.
“Implanon is in the top tier of effectiveness,” said Grimes, who is also vice president of Biomedical Affairs at the Family Health Initiative, a nonprofit organization that helps develop contraceptives in the United States. “It is as effective as male and female surgical sterilization and implantable uterine devices, or IUDs.”

Women who use Implanon are more prone to spotting at unpredictable times and they need to be prepared for that unpredictability. There also are the risks of side effects that come with any contraceptive, including blood clotting. But on the plus side, besides it’s effectivenes, it also is designed to maintain sufficient hormone levels to help preserve bone strength and the integrity of other organs, including the breasts. And, of course, if a woman is suited to this product, the convenience of it may be very appealing.

Organon did not release the price of Implanon. Spokeswoman Frances DeSena said it would be competitive with other hormonal contraceptives, according to The Associated Press. Implanon is “highly unlikely to bring new contraceptive users into the market but it will give women who have been using the pill for a few years another option,” said Kirsten Moore, president of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project.
Organon USA will carry out a national clinical training program to teach health care professionals how to insert and remove the rod. Only those trained through Organon sponsored programs will be authorised to prescribe Implanon.

A recent study of women ages 18 to 39 found that those who used Depo-Provera lost bone mass at the hips at rate of 1.1 percent a year. Those who did not use this birth-control method lost only 0.05 percent bone mass in a year’s time. The good news is that switching to another form of contraception will stop the higher rate of bone loss.

If you wish to use Depo-Provera, ask your doctor if there are steps you can take to counteract this side effect.

A spokeswoman for the clinic said, “To celebrate the launch of the new site, the clinic is offering free initial consultations costing £225 to women under 35 who are eligible as egg sharers for the clinic’s egg sharing programme.
“When accepted, egg sharers would receive free IVF treatment (normally costing £2,500) when they are matched with a suitable recipient.

Managing director Kamal Ahuja, last night said such schemes were now common among UK clinics and had been operating in LWC’s other Welsh site, in Swansea, for the past decade.
“At the time we launched egg sharing it was seen to be controversial and exploitative but as time has passed it’s become part of the UK code of conduct,” said Dr Ahuja. “A growing number of patients are going for egg sharing as it has become better understood.”
On the day that it was announced Dr Patricia Rashbrook, 63, had become pregnant using IVF, Dr Ahuja revealed that his clinic did not deal with anyone over 50 apart from in very exceptional circumstances - where the patient already had frozen embryos in storage and had already enjoyed a successful pregnancy using IVF - and this had only ever happened twice, with women aged 52 and 53.

It was standard practice for anyone over 45 to be referred to the clinic’s ethics committee. Peter Bowen-Simpkins, co-medical director said, “The newly refurbished and purpose-built facilities will allow us to deliver a wider range of services and the highest possible standards of patient care in a growing IVF programme.”
The work of Dr Ahuja’s clinics, in five sites around the UK, will feature as part of a BBC documentary to be shown later this year.

Meanwhile the head of one pro-life group raised concerns about the ethics of offering free treatment to “egg sharers”. Josephine Quintavalle, of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said, “I would be worried because I think IVF should be the last resort, not the first resort, and we should use these drugs in as minimally invasive a way as possible.”
She said such offers could possibly encourage the production of too many egg cells.
However, she conceded that using any extraneous egg cells was preferable to them simply being destroyed.

By Tryst Williams, Western Mail, via : icWales

Despite the lack of promise for a unified treatment for all cases of female sexual dysfunction, there is hope for a great majority of those who might seek help. As noted in the surveys investigating the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction, a vast majority reports a lack of, or decrease in, sexual desire, either with or without other symptoms. Loss of libido is not restricted to women, as men have sought treatment for the same complaint.

When evaluating a case of decreased sexual desire, it’s important to rule out potential causes, such as anemia and depressions. Many of the men who complained of low libido were discovered to have low levels of testosterone, the male sex hormone. Raising the testosterone level with pills, injections and patches has been successful in many cases.

Testosterone is also present in women, through in much lower concentrations. While there are normal ranges defined for blood levels of testosterone in women, it’s rarely measured in clinics. Yet, the condition of low testosterone in women has been recognized. Called the female androgen insufficiency syndrome, symptoms include low libido, low energy, poor mood, loss of bone density and muscle strength/mass, memory changes and increased fat storage in certain regions. Another weak androgen called DHEA is also low in many women evaluated for sexual dysfunction.

Testosterone is produced in the testes of men, but it is also produced in women. The ovaries generate approximately half the testosterone present, while the adrenal glands produce the other half. Testosterone levels may drop by half following menopause, certain drugs may lower the amount of active testosterone and disorders involving the adrenal gland can affect levels, as well. Most testosterone travels through the bloodstream bound to proteins. One protein in particular, called sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), binds most of the testosterone to protect it from being degraded and excreted too rapidly.
Only the unbound, or free, testosterone is able to affect the body, building bone mass and muscle strength and increasing sexual desire. Oral contraceptives and estrogens used in hormone replacement therapy are known to increase SHBG, reducing the amount of testosterone available to perform any of these beneficial actions.

Complaints regarding sexual function can arise in four general categories, and many women suffer from dysfunction in more than one category. Sexual dysfunction may be a result of any combination of the following: low or absent sexual desire; difficulty or failure in becoming sexually aroused; difficulty or failure to reach climax; and pain or discomfort during any phase of the sex act.

To clarify the terms used, it may be helpful to explain each briefly. Sexual desire describes the physical, mental and emotional events that set the mood or urges a woman to initiate or respond to a passionate encounter. A state of heightened desire may be described as being “turned on.” Sexual arousal primarily describes the physical changes that prepare the body for intercourse. In regard to the medical evaluation of sexual arousal, the focus lies on the labia, vagina and clitoris. Blood flow increases to this region as the labia and clitoris become engorged and swollen and the vagina becomes lubricated. Orgasm is an involuntary, peristaltic (wave-like) set of muscular contractions.

Much of the earlier search into women sexual life suffered greatly from the male bias of science. Sexual responsiveness in animals is easily controlled, as most mammals only copulate (have sex) during the ovulatory phase of an estrus cycle. Thus, it was long assumed that as long as a woman had functioning ovaries, there could be no problems with sexual function.

As people became more comfortable with discussing personal issues, it became increasingly evident that hidden epidemics were present in our culture. Increasing awareness led to pressure on the government and the medical community to address the concerns that were negatively affecting many people, including mental health (depression, anxiety), infertility and the need for practical contraception.

Only recently is a topic that is among the most personal and intimate being discussed and treatment options developed. Sexual dysfunction is a term used to describe individuals who are unable to successfully practice sexual intercourse. The television channels have been inundated with commercials promoting drug therapies for men, as athletes, celebrities and even a former presidential candidate have joyfully pronounced the positive impact of Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. The term erectile dysfunction has become so common that it has earned its own acronym, ED.

Impotence is a matter that many men have discussed with their physicians over the years and the pharmaceutical companies deserve to be congratulated for discovering drugs that can treat the condition. With the Viagra- like drugs, the primary complaint relating to sexual dysfunction for men now has several treatment options. Unfortunately, sexual dysfunction is not limited to men.

Vagina tends to be fairly acidic (sperm tend to be more of a base or alkaline) and naturally self-cleansing body part, so douching isn’t necessary to keep the vagina clean. Some women choose to use a vinegar and water douche after the end of their period, but this is not necessary actually.For women who like to douche, however, should do so with products that are unscented.
It is not normal to have a vagina that smells like a field of flowers and can you imagine the chemicals used to create that “fragrance” are not good for you at all. If you have a ’strange’ odor from you vagina, see a gynecologist for a better hand.

Wash your vagina when you shower or bath with a gentle soap or cleansing bar. Don’t over-do-it or you can irritate the sensitive lining and it is not a pleasant feeling, but it will heal. I’m sure you’ve seen many TV ads for products that claim to care for your vagina, most are not necessary, unless you have a vaginal infection.

Vaginal Dryness
At one time or another all women experience vaginal dryness. Before you feel sore, in pain, and or frustrated with yourself, you should know that normal estrogen fluctuations often cause vaginal dryness. Some women believe that vaginal lubricants are only for women who are not sexually aroused, or who are going through menopause, or if they are not very sexually experienced. Lubricants are for all of those reasons and for masturbating too. Vaginal dryness often occurs during your period, if you are stressed-out, and if you are using a condom with no lubrication! Yes, vaginal dryness can cause painful sexual intercourse. Make sure you are using the right amount of lubrication, especially when using a condom.
Antihistamines and other medication (some antidepressants) can dry out your vagina too.

The vagina is sometimes referred to as the ‘front door to life’, one day you may even deliver a baby through it. Hard to believe that a baby can fit through that canal, but it can stretch (and tear) and they do. Of course, let’s not forget that the vagina is where you have vaginal sexual intercourse or oral sex (cunniligus).

Adapted article from Cool Nurse

It is estimated that 1 in 6 people experience infertility at some point in their lives. According to the National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) approximately 4.5 million couples experience infertility each year. Less than 2 million of the infertile couples actually seek help from the medical community. Infertility is a common health problem in men and women. Fortunately, 90% of all cases have a specific cause for the infertility that can be uncovered with proper diagnosis by physicians who specialize in reproductive medicine.

Infertility causes stress but stress doesn’t cause infertility. Infertility is a medical condition; a disorder to the reproductive system. While relaxing may help you cope and with your overall quality of life, the stress and deep emotions you feel are the result of infertility, not the cause of it.

Almost every infertile couple has probably heard the story from a relative or friend about someone who became pregnant right after they adopted. However, studies prove that the pregnancy rate after adopting is the same for those who do not adopt; it’s just that the ones who adopt and then achieve pregnancy are the ones you hear about more often!

Since normal, healthy sperm remain active in the woman’s reproductive system from 48-72 hours, having intercourse at 36-48 hour intervals around the time of ovulation is usually adequate. In fact, if the man has a low sperm count that replenishes slowly, having sex every day may be counterproductive.

Adapted from Infertility.Org