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THE FEMALE GENITAL ORGANS: OVULATION AND PREGNANCY
It has been found that there is present in the blood and urine of a pregnant woman increased quantities of the hormone of the anterior pituitary gland and that this hormone is capable of causing the genital organs of an immature animal, such as a rat, to become enlarged and congested. This discovery has led to the development of several tests for pregnancy which have proved accurate in 95 per cent of the cases in a series of experiments that have been reported. One of these tests consists of making three injections of the urine of a woman into an immature rat at four-hour intervals. The pregnancy of the woman is determined by observing the condition of the animal's genitals. In another test, the hormone is injected directly under the skin and the reaction indicates whether pregnancy exists. Thus pregnancy can now be diagnosed within a few hours.
Ovulation in the human female occurs about two weeks before the onset of the menses. If spermatozoa find their way into the tubes before ovulation, at ovulation, or soon after it, conception is likely to occur. Statistics indicate that the two weeks following menstruation are the most fertile, the third week less so, and that there is least likelihood of conception taking place in the week before menstruation. There is, however, a great deal of variability in human beings in this respect.
The reproductive mechanism in human beings is much less economical than in some animals. The human female not only ovulates once a month, but along with each ovulation makes complete preparations for the reception and development of a fertilized ovum in the uterus. Other animals, such as rats and mice, are constructed so that the uterus is not prepared unless fertilization has occurred. Their cycle simply consists of ovulation. Still others, like the rabbit, do not even ovulate until after mating has occurred. Animals differ, too, in the extent to which the reproductive cycle is connected with a sexual cycle. In some animals ovulation is timed to occur simultaneously with estrus, or the period of desire, but there seems to be no definite period of this sort in human beings, nor is there any specific season for breeding.
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Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction
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Pharmacy Information
BIRTH CONTROL: LEGAL ASPECTS OF STERILIZATION
Sterilization for eugenic reasons is sanctioned in some states, particularly in tax-supported institutions. A doctor is free to perform sterilizing operations in these instances without concern for any legal consequences. If, however, the operation is done purely for reasons of health, the doctor's position is less safe, because he is not so well protected by state laws in these instances.
There are no uniform laws among the various states regarding sterilization. In California, malpractice suits against doctors resulting from surgery for sterilization are not usually covered by insurance companies. One study revealed269 that 87% of the physicians sampled who had performed vasectomies had never had suit brought against them because of this surgery, 8% had faced legal action, and 5% did not reply. Written consent by the patient affords the physician some measure of safety, but is no guarantee against a subsequent suit or even prosecution in a court of criminal law. Even eugenic sterilization is prohibited in four statesConnecticut, Kansas, Utah, and Montana.
Sterilization in Japan, though legal, is usually performed only upon women. In India, sterilization is limited to men, who are monetarily compensated for the time lost from work following the surgery.
As may be inferred from the foregoing, sterilization procedures are frequently preceded or followed by psychological repercussions that have their roots in anxiety: will there be a reduction of sexual desire; will masculinity or femininity be diminished? These fears can usually be assuaged by the reassurance of the surgeon through his careful explanation of all the ramifications of the operation. If emotional stress should persist, however, psychotherapy will often restore stability.
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Men's Health Erectile Dysfunction
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