5 Myths About Women's Bodies
Robin Nixon
Historically research has focused on men. As one example, women are under-represented in major clinical trials for cancers that affect both sexes, a new study found. Researchers say several factors could be responsible, from childcare issues to reluctance by researchers to expose women of childbearing age to trial drugs and treatments.
Myth: A doctor can tell if a woman is a virgin.
Even when using 10-fold magnification, doctors can not accurately sort virgins from the sexually-active, several studies have reported. It is not as simple as looking for a hole in the hymen because, well, there is always a hole in the hymen.
Myth: Antibiotics make birth control pills unreliable.
"Many physicians even believe this," Carroll said. Alone, birth control pills fail about one percent of the time. And that failure rate is unchanged when taken with the vast majority of antibiotics, Carroll said.
Myth: Women and men need equal sleep.
Tossing and turning not only causes women more psychological distress, it also raises their insulin and inflammation levels - risk factors for compromised health, found a 2008 study of 210 people led by Edward Suarez at Duke University.
Myth: Menopause causes sex drive to nosedive.
The Change is not necessarily one that happens in the bedroom. A comprehensive survey of sexual habits in the United States, completed by Edward Laumann and colleagues in 1994, found that roughly half of women in their fifties have sex several times a month.
Myth: A women can't get pregnant during her period.
While a woman is unlikely to conceive during menstruation, "nothing, when it comes to pregnancy, is impossible," said Aaron Carroll of Indiana University.
No comments:
Post a Comment