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Strollerderby
via Scientific American
What makes some women more inclined toward motherhood than others? According to one recent study, the answers may be written in our bodies, and the evidence may be written all over our faces. The study, published in Hormones and Behavior, concluded that women with more “typically feminine” faces and features were more likely to express desire for children than women whose faces were rated less feminine. Those features also happen to correlate with high estrogen levels.
The study has been met with some controversy, especially among questioning female science writers.
For one thing, what exactly defines a “feminine face”? The study describes full lips, large eyes, a pointed chin, and a rounded forehead. But it doesn’t explain how these qualifiers were determined, or how each face was judged. We do know that the pool of women was rather narrow: female college students, white, wealthy, and all around the same age.
More importantly, as these ladies point out, correlation does not equal causation. Could there be other things going on here? Continue reading »
How do Dads feel about having less testosterone?
Last week, dads had to deal with the news that having a kid drastically lowers your testosterone levels. For dads with newborns at home, the drop can be as much as fifty percent. That’s a whole lot less hormone coursing through the veins.
How do guys feel about this? A dude from the New York Times asked a bunch of dads how they were taking the news that their bodies actually become less manly when they take care of kids. Reactions to the study are decidedly mixed. Some men feel the need to defend their manliness, while others see it as a good sign.
While a woman’s body is awash in hormones and undergoing extreme changes during pregnancy, a man’s physical involvement in the matter pretty much ends as soon as it begins. Once that sperm has been deposited in the proper receptacle, his body will return to doing exactly what it was doing before conception, right?
Not exactly. According to Louann Brizendine, a neuropsychiatrist and author of “The Male Brain,” men experience hormonal and even brain changes during their partner’s pregnancy. Continue reading »
Post-partum depression isn’t just for moms.
New research shows that surprisingly, men can get post-partum depression and it’s not only psychological.
About 10 percent of dads experience depression before or after their child is born — or what’s called ”parental postnatal depression,” according to the first study done on this phenomenon, published in Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study found that depression was highest in the three to six months following the baby’s birth. The depression rate for pregnant and new moms in the study was about 24 percent
Apparently, after becoming dads, men’s estrogen levels can increase, while their testosterone levels dip. Some biologists suggest this is nature’s way of making sure men stick around to help raise the baby. But those hormonal changes can also cause the baby blues. Add in lack of sleep, increased responsibility, and lack of social support and it’s a potent combo. Continue reading »
Next time you feel nervous, call mom.
New research shows that hearing a mom’s voice can calm nerves and maybe even pierce through a coma, according to MSNBC.com.
Just hearing a mother’s soothing voice can release Oxytocin, the bonding, or so-called “love,” hormone (assuming you have a good relationship with your mom).
In a study published Wednesday, researchers from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, asked 61 girls (age 7-12) and their moms to participate in an experiment to determine whether a voice could be as comforting as physical affection. Continue reading »
On the heels of Geraldine Seeley’s moving piece about losing her sex drive while on The Pill, Time reports on some data to back up her anecdote. A major study has finally asked whether or not hormonal contraception dampens women’s sex drive.
The answer, basically, is probably.
Despite studies that claim to prove it doesn’t exist, many pregnant women have suffered from what they believe is “baby brain.” This is the condition that manifests itself in extreme and often embarrassing forgetfulness. Like spending $200 at the grocery store only to come home and leave your bags melting in the car overnight. Or wearing house slippers while you drive to work with your dress hanging out the door. Continue reading »
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