Barb's Daily Dose

Testosterone Gel for Men

There's another new testosterone gel that's been approved for men in the US.  We have AndroGel and now recently, the FDA approved Bio-T-Gel.  These help treat low testosterone in men, which affects an estimated 5 million men.

Herpes: Medications Help, but Aren't 100% Protective

Brittany and Tom sat in my office holding hands. They looked a little worried and yet were interested in finding out more information about how to prevent Tom from passing Herpes on to Brittany. They were both in their late 20's and been together for about 6 months and so far, so good, she had not become infected, which was reassuring, but they wanted to do everything they could to prevent a future transmission.

Scripts for Talking to Teens About Sex

Most parents would rather see the dentist than to even think about talking to their kids about sex. Many of us put off having “The conversation” so long that our kids are left to learn about their bodies from what they’re picking up from TV, movies, video games and their friends. This is not exactly the most accurate information and can lead to lots of confusion, questions and heartache.

U.S. Leads Developed Countries in Teen Pregnancy Rate

An Interesting Article from Nurse.com

The teen pregnancy rate in the United States remains the highest of any developed country, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with about 400,000 teens ages 15 to 19 giving birth each year between 2004 and 2008.

Teen pregnancy is a public health concern because teen mothers are more likely to experience negative social outcomes, and infants of teen mothers have higher risks for preterm birth, low birth weight and related complications, according to the CDC.

Continue reading here.

Kegels are Just the Beginning

Tune in to CBS-5 in San Francisco Tonight at 7:20 pm.  I'll be talking about Pelvic Health.

As I walked into the exam room to see my patient (Alicia* - not her real name) for her annual exam, I could tell by the expression on her face that she was struggling with an issue. After washing my hands and talking about her young kids in preschool and their soccer schedules, she started to open up about a deeply personal and embarrassing issue.  She was very upset about how much she was leaking urine and that sometimes during sex her bladder, her bladder would also release it's contents.  She was alternately angry, frustrated and horrified.  She was in mid thirties and was very active with her kids and her own small business.

Sex Behind the Nursing Home Curtain

Our Featured Guest Writer Today is Nell Bernstein, Senior Editor at Caring.com

The sexual life of our elders is something we younger folks shudder to imagine (and I confess to being guilty) -- whether it's an aversion to thinking about what goes on behind a parent's closed bedroom door, or horror at the notion of Viagra in the medicine cabinet.

This willed ignorance about the sexuality of those who, somehow or other, managed to beget us, continues all the way to the nursing home, it turns out -- sometimes with heart-rending consequences.

Painful Sex After Menopause? When Hormones Aren’t an Option, Some Women Consider Surgery

Menopause News and Headlines Featured in Health.com 

Check out this Interesting Article Written by Amanda MacMillan:

Painful Sex After Menopause? When Hormones Aren’t an Option, Some Women Consider Surgery - Health News - Health.com.

Birth Control Pill Use Increased

"Hey Mom, can I take the car?  Do you have an extra $10 you can loan me?"  These are typical questions you might here from your teen, right?  What's not typical is for them to also ask, "Oh, and by the way, can I have sex tonight?"

The truth is that  teens are making their own decisions about when to have sex that are much less about what you think and more about what they think.  And we know from study after study, after study that  teens don't wait to have sex until after they start to use contraception.  They usually start having sex and then think about contraception. 

Sex Can Kill You

There was a recent report that reported Sex can Kill You.

But before you avoid fun time in the bedroom, let's look more closely at the study.  It was reported that sudden exercise and sex can increase the risk of sudden death within the first 1-2 hours after finishing exercise. The most important thing to remember is that regular exercise is beneficial to help decrease the risk of heart attack and heart disease. This probably represents the people who don't exercise regularly or at a mild or  moderate level  and suddenly exercise at a rigorous level after being inactive for a while.

Pennies for Pause

Our Featured Guest Today is Gina Dillon,

President/Founder of Pennies for Pause

Pennies for Pause (PfP) Concept is Simple:

It addresses unplanned pregnancy in young adults 18-29 by encouraging the use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs), life planning and problem solving skills with the use of a reward-based system delivered through social media outlets and an online collaborative website. PfP collects donated merchandise and creates a prize chest of items that can be earned by making responsible choices. Participants are awarded points for choosing to use a LARC, testing for STDs, committing to the use of condoms, participating in online discussions, problem solving and real life challenges. In order to be authentic and engaging, a staff of energetic young adults will operate the program in an edutainment approach.