Sexual Health

By Andrew Kantor

Women have been dealing with menopause for a couple of hundred thousand years, and yet there’s still a bit of a stigma talking about it, the effects it can have on a woman’s body, and ways to help alleviate some of those negative issues.

Worse, as this article in the Atlantic explains, many gynecologists will try to solve everything with estrogen (or, if they’re British, oestrogen). Since the 1960s it’s been the go-to magic bullet for women in and after menopause.

Reality, though, is more complex — and we’ve learned a lot since the ’60s. Still, though, the lack of a “frank approach to sexuality” for both people born female and those who have transitioned there has kept many from realizing the benefits of other hormones. (Ironically, trans women often get better care when it comes to hormones.)

The point

BY ANDREW KANTOR

Morning sickness is all about the hormones. That part isn’t surprising, but what’s newsworthy is that USC researchers say they’ve discovered exactly which hormone it is — and (potentially) what can be done about it.

The hormone is called GDF15, and it’s produced by the fetus; it surges in the first trimester.

“[T]he baby growing in the womb is producing a hormone at levels the mother is not used to. The more sensitive she is to this hormone, the sicker she will become. Knowing this gives us a clue as to how we might prevent this from happening.”

Some women are especially sensitive to GDF15 and can have morning sickness that requires hospitalization. (Looking at you, Catherine, Princess of Wales.) Other woman have a genetic blood disorder that gives them chronically

BY ANDREW KANTOR

Vaginal yeast infections are often caused by a specific yeast called Candida albicans. And British researchers found an interesting bit of information about it.

Candida albicans needs zinc to survive. When it doesn’t get enough, it tries to find more by producing a molecule called Pra1. And it’s Pra1 that triggers the inflammatory response that leads to thrush.

In other words,

BY ANDREW KANTOR

Sexual problems when taking certain antidepressants aren’t news. But what’s less talked about are similar side effects for people who stop taking them — although “health authorities in Europe and Canada recently acknowledged that the medications can lead to lasting sexual issues.”

The details are a bit … personal, but let’s just say patients are very disturbed. So set your Google Alerts to “post-SSRI sexual dysfunction,” but keep in mind that not everyone believes it’s real^* — or at least that it’s related to the medication.

“I think it’s depression recurring. Until proven otherwise, that’s what it is,” said Dr. Anita Clayton, the chief of psychiatry at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

She has a bit of clout, having been