Sometimes it seems like the forces opposed to Planned Parenthood are really engaged in some super genius reverse psychology aimed at increasing individual donations to the organization. Of course it’s just wishful thinking on my part but that’s exactly what happened when anti-choice lawmakers inCongress tried to de-fund Planned Parenthood in early 2011; the organization received more than $2M in donations. Now, it’s the Susan G. Komen Foundation that is raising goo-gobs of money for Planned Parenthood while taking a hit to their own reputation, to boot.

Believe it or not, having an abortion can be safer than childbirth. I know that for even the most pro-choice of us all that statement can seem pretty incredible, but a recent study in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology grounds the assertion in reality.

It’s a moment we rarely see – those for and against a woman’s right to choose how and when she’ll become a parent are agreeing on something. Both sides are peeved at the Obama Administration for its treatment of the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation that Plan B One-Stepemergency contraception (aka the “morning after pill”) be made available over-the-counter to individuals under the age of 17. Both sides are accusing President Obama of playing politics to appeal to conservatives as we approach the 2012 election.

Take a minute to read this before you schedule your next bikini wax. While it might not cause you to alter your grooming routine, perhaps you’ll pause and think before baring your goods on the esthetician’s table.

It’s a simple fact of life just as natural as breathing: every 28 days or so, a post-pubescent female will shed her uterine lining if she has not become pregnant or otherwise caused her cycle to go on hiatus. Attitudes toward menstruation have varied throughout the years. In early Native and South American cultures, women retreated to “moon huts” together where they sat on mossy grass to soak up their blood and recycle it back into the earth. They meditated and made major community decisions while there. In ancient Rome …

June is Men’s Health Month and in 1994, the U.S. Congress designated the week leading up to Father’s Day as Men’s Health Week – a time to raise awareness of preventable health problems and encourage men and boys to seek out early detection and treatment of disease. As a feminist and women’s health advocate, I am well aware of the continued threats to women’s sexual and reproductive health as well as the need to increase access and awareness around those issues.

I need a late pass. I was supposed to write this post on March 10, joining a number of bloggers and the Red Pump Project in observance of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. I must admit that my procrastination along with a weeklong stay in Austin, TX for South by Southwest pushed back the publish date of this post. Nevertheless, here I am with my 2011 NWGHAAD post. Better late than never.
This is the third year I’m joining up with the Red Pump Project to write about …

I recently shared this Marie Claire (UK) article about women waiting longer to give birth and it sparked a few questions that got me to thinking even more.
‘The rising numbers of women conceiving for the first time in their 30s or 40s follows a trend we have seen over the past decade, although the number conceiving over 40 is still relatively small,’ says Elizabeth Duff, a senior policy adviser at the National Childbirth Trust.
ONS [Office of National Statistics] figures show that in 1990, 229,400 pregnancies occurred in women over 30, with …

I wear a lot of hats and one of those fancy toppers is as a social media strategist. Yep, not only do I spend an inordinate amount of my free time online, but I get paid to do so for my nine to five. That’s why I feel like I can speak on this with a slight air of authority – Johnson & Johnson missed out on a prime opportunity to speak to its customers via social media in regards to its O.B. Tampons. Oh yes, this is a post …

This post has two parts: (1) an update on ella™ and (2) barriers to access for men.
Last Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it was approving the sale and use of ulipristal acetate (UPA), a new form of emergency contraception (EC) to be sold under the name ella™.  Already available to and used by women in Europe, UPA has been determined to prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected intercourse. Emergency contraception has been available in the US, most popularly under the name Plan B. …