Taking the pill could affect how well women recognise complex emotions

New European research has found that taking the oral contraceptive pill could very slightly impair a woman’s social judgement, making it more difficult to identify more complex emotions. Carried out by researchers, the new small-scale study recruited 95 healthy women, including 42 who took the pill and 53 who did not, and asked them to complete a special emotion recognition task.

The findings, showed that both groups of women were equally good at recognizing easy expressions and emotions, such as happiness and fear. 

However, women who took the pill were nearly 10 per cent worse on average in recognizing the most complex emotional expressions, such as pride and contempt, than women who didn’t take the pill.

The effect held true for both positive and negative expressions, and regardless of the type of pill taken. The team also found that a woman’s menstrual cycle phase had no effect on the differences in emotion recognition.

The researchers note that the effect was a subtle one, with senior author commenting that, "If oral contraceptives caused dramatic impairments in women’s emotion recognition, we would have probably noticed this in our everyday interactions with our partners."

"We assumed that these impairments would be very subtle, indicating that we had to test women’s emotion recognition with a task that was sensitive enough to detect such impairments. We, thus, used a very challenging emotion recognition task that required the recognition of complex emotional expressions from the eye region of faces"

Although the pill has been linked with a variety of physical effects, both good and bad, little is known about the psychological effects. However, Dr. added that the findings are in line with previous research.

"Coincidental findings suggest that oral contraceptives impair the ability to recognize emotional expressions of others, which could affect the way users initiate and maintain intimate relationships."

"Cyclic variations of estrogen and progesterone levels are known to affect women’s emotion recognition, and influence activity and connections in associated brain regions. Since oral contraceptives work by suppressing estrogen and progesterone levels, it makes sense that oral contraceptives also affect women’s emotion recognition, However, the exact mechanism underlying oral contraceptive-induced changes in women’s emotion recognition remains to be elucidated."

Further research is now needed to understand this area better says the Dr., and to help give women more detailed information about the potential effects of oral contraceptive use.

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Birth control pills may block blood flow to brain

Turns out, birth control pills increase the risk of ischemic strokes which are usually caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. This keeps blood from flowing to the brain.

According to  stroke specialists, oral contraceptives increase the risk of ischemic stroke, but this risk is very small among women who do not have other stroke risk factors. 

Several mechanisms were proposed to explain why oral contraceptives increase stroke risk during the research, including raising blood pressure and making blood hypercoagulable.

"The ideal drug is one with the lowest estrogen and progestin doses that will be effective in preventing pregnancy while minimizing adverse effects," said a neurologist.

In women with other stroke risk factors, the risk is higher and, in most cases, oral contraceptive use is discouraged. These risk factors include high blood pressure, cigarette smoking and migraine headaches, especially migraines with sensory disturbances called the aura.


THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                             https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                       FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

Awareness about sexual, reproductive health must to avoid diseases

Studies suggest that Indian adolescents and youth do not receive relevant information on sexual matters from reliable sources. Apart from this, only 26% of adolescent girls know that a condom should be used only once, and only 34% understood that oral contraceptive pills must be taken daily. 
There is an overall lack of awareness about sexual and reproductive health in men and women alike in many countries, which causes lack of maturity and knowledge related to sex and contraception. 

Sexual health refers to the many factors that impact sexual function and reproduction. These include a variety of physical, mental and emotional factors. Disorders that affect any of these factors can impact a person’s physical and emotional health, as well as his or her relationships and self-image.

Speaking about this, a Director IVF & Infertility,  said, “Sexual health refers to avoiding infections and illnesses, and taking responsibility to ensure that we protect ourselves and others, emotionally and physically. It is integral to a person’s overall health. Lack of awareness can lead to a person being unable to understand the underlying causes of sexual disorders and seek appropriate help.”

“One of the greatest barriers to the WHO’s vision of sexual health and promoting responsible sexual behavior is the unwillingness of individuals to discuss their sexual problems. On the Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Week, it is important to create awareness on the fact that sexual health issues must be addressed in a timely manner. This can be done by talking about it with a health care provider and your partner,” the Dr. added.

Some examples of reproductive system disorders include cancers of the cervix or prostate gland, infertility issues, gynecological problems such as endometriosis, urinary system problems, STDs, sexual dysfunction, painful intercourse, concerns regarding “normal” or acceptable sexual behavior and lifestyles, and birth control.

Another Dr. said, “Of all the important consequences of poor sexual health is infertility. This is because not maintaining sexual health can lead to various diseases such as STDs which may eventually contribute to loss of fertility. Both men and women should aim at maintaining their sexual and reproductive health by highlighting any specific or unknown symptoms, and address concerns at the earliest. This includes undergoing regular checkups at various stages of their life.”

The following tips can be followed to ensure that you maintain good sexual health.
• Eat healthy. Healthy food nourishes the body and allows it to be at its best in many situations, including sex.
• Avoid smoking. Smoking reduces your vitality. Tobacco also leads to constriction of blood vessels including in the genitals. In men, this reduction in the blood flow can lead to difficulty in having or maintaining an erection. In women, it can cause lubrication reduction.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Overweight or obese people are at a greater risk of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes, medical conditions that may be detrimental to a good sexual health.
• Limit alcohol consumption. Consuming large quantities of alcohol can have a negative impact on men and women’s sexual capacities.
• Communicate with your partner. Feel comfortable with your partner and talk to them about anything that may be worrying you.
• Protect yourself. Safety is always first. Using a condom reduces the risks of both an unwanted pregnancy and contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.    

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Breastfeeding may lower the risk of uterine cancer: Study

A team of  researchers on Wednesday said that women who breastfeed their children are found to be at substantially lesser risk of developing uterine cancer.

Researchers  said that women who breastfed at least one child are at lower risk of contracting cancer of the uterus.

 The head of the Cancer Causes and Care research group  told  "We found that the longer women breast-fed each child, the more their risk of uterine cancer reduced, up until nine months when the reduction in risk plateaued."

For the study, the  team analysed data collected from over 26,000  women, with over 9,000 of those having uterine cancer.

She said,"We looked at the total amount of time these women had spent breastfeeding over the course of their lives."

She said,"We found that women who had ever breastfed had an 11 per cent lower risk of developing uterine cancer than women who had never breastfed."

Within the results was also an interesting correlation between the duration of the breastfeeding and subsequent lowering of the likelihood of contracting uterine cancer.

Women who breastfed for three to six months have a seven per cent less risk of the cancer, while women who breastfed for six to nine months have 11 per cent lower risk.

She said,"In other words, a woman who breastfed two children for nine months each had around a 22 per cent lower risk of uterine cancer than a woman who had never breastfed her children."

However, not every woman is able to breastfeed, and she said there are other things that women can do to lower the risk of endometrial, or uterine cancer.
 
The Dr. added, "Having a baby reduces your risk, similarly taking the oral contraceptive pill can reduce the risk of endometrial cancer; but probably the best thing to do is make sure you have a healthy lifestyle."

She said,"Eat well, avoid putting on weight, and exercise regularly, these are all key things to reduce the risk of uterine cancer."

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Women’s hormones and oral health – what’s the connection?

Women experience hormonal changes throughout their life – from puberty to menopause. But did you know that these hormonal changes can affect their gums too?

The fluctuating hormonal levels in the body affect the blood supply to the gum tissue and also the body’s response to the toxins produced by the bacteria in the plaque, leading to gum disease.

Puberty
When a girl reaches menarche or puberty, there is an increase in the female hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) which causes an increased blood flow to the gums. The response of the gums to irritants in the plaque and calculus also becomes more exaggerated. The irritants which would otherwise elicit a comparatively mild response may now cause red, swollen gums that bleed easily.

Menstrual cycle
Generally, menstrual cycle does not cause notable gum changes. But some women may experience gum problems due to hormonal imbalances or ovarian dysfunction. They may have bleeding gums or swollen, tense feeling in the gums a day or two before their period. These symptoms subside once menstruation begins.

Pregnancy
There is an old wives’ tale – gain a child, lose a tooth. There may after all be some truth to it. Pregnancy causes hormonal changes that can make a woman’s gums more sensitive to the bacteria in plaque and cause pregnancy gingivitis, a condition which manifests as swollen, red gums that bleed during flossing or brushing. If it is not treated, your teeth could be at stake. Untreated gingivitis can lead to periodontists, a more severe form of gum disease wherein the surrounding bone and supporting structure of the teeth get infected and eventually destroyed.
Pyogenic granuloma, commonly called pregnancy tumour, are the harmless red swellings or lumps that sometimes form on inflamed gum tissue along the gum line. But they may bleed and cause discomfort while eating and speaking.

Menopause
Rarely, some women may experience a condition called menopausal gingivostomatitis during menopause or in the post-menopausal period. The gums may be red, dry and shiny, and bleed easily. There may be burning sensations in the mouth with greater sensitivity to hot and cold foods, abnormal taste sensations and dry mouth. Menopause also causes a decline in estrogen which increases the risk for bone loss. When the jaw bones are affected, the stability and retention of teeth may be affected.

Oral contraceptive pills
Previously available oral contraceptives had higher levels of hormones in them which aggravated gum inflammation and increased tendency toward gum bleeding. Currently available oral contraceptives have lower concentrations of hormones and therefore probably not as harmful to the gums.

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