Tag: reproductive

  • 5 fitness tips for millennial men to take care of their reproductive health | Health

    5 fitness tips for millennial men to take care of their reproductive health | Health

    It is a lesser acknowledged fact that over weight men have appreciably reduce sperm counts than males of typical weight but male reproductive wellbeing is almost never talked about in India or any place in the world and even when infertility is recognised, it is achieved with disappointment and humiliation due to the fact the potential to reproduce is assumed. Men’s overall health influences fertility and sperm quality is a important factor of a male fertility but it’s not the only aspect.

    The reproductive health of ladies is normally talked over routinely but adult males usually fail to know how to choose treatment of their reproductive overall health. As there are misconceptions linked to this topic, we bought a medical professional on board to share some conditioning ideas for millennial adult men to choose treatment of their reproductive well being.

    In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Surabhi Siddhartha, Guide Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Motherhood Healthcare facility in Kharghar, shared, “Nowadays, just one is unable to focus on reproductive well being owing to stress, an erratic way of living and a absence of bodily activity. So, lousy reproductive overall health can be a issue of issue for millennial guys. There are lots of reproductive health and fitness difficulties when it will come to adult men. They may possibly have problems such as low sexual need, ejaculation problems, erectile dysfunction, genital ulcers, sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs), testicular disorders, prostate most cancers, and infertility owing to which marital conflict can arise.”

    He additional, “Stress has a immediate influence on the psychological, psychological and physical health of guys. It may reduce testosterone amounts and sperm creation, this kind of as glucocorticoids. Very poor food plan and no actual physical activity can affect male reproductive health and fitness too. Alcohol, tobacco and smoking cigarettes result in fertility problems in males. Tobacco has been tied to very low sperm depend as it influences spermatogenesis. Other elements these kinds of as environmental pollution, diabetes, hypertension and obesity can also direct to lower sperm count and infertility.”

    Tips for millennial guys to choose treatment of their reproductive overall health:

    Dr Surabhi Siddhartha detailed 5 suggestions on males ought to consider care of their reproductive overall health. These incorporate:

    1. Regular STIs screening: There should really be more than enough total of recognition among the men about sexually transmitted illnesses like HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), Syphilis, Chlamydia and Herpes. Till now there is no vaccine for them, avoidance is the only crucial to defense about these conditions. The use of contraceptives should really also be promoted. You will have to adhere to the doctor’s instructions when it will come to screening.

    2. Give up using tobacco: Smoking cigarettes can affect sperm quality. So, do not smoke.

    3. Try to preserve excellent particular hygiene: You will have to steer clear of making use of any chemical products and solutions down there. Try out to dress in undergarments of a very good breathable fabric like cotton and make confident that it is not restricted.

    4. Take in a very well-well balanced food plan: You will need to choose for a diet inclusive of all the vital vitamins and minerals. Try out to eat eggs as they contain protein and vitamin E, boost sperm motility and sperm depend and protect them from oxidative stress. Go for berries as they incorporate anti-oxidants and can support one particular to have a fantastic sperm rely. Spinach encourages sperm production. Walnuts have omega-3 fatty acids and tend to boost the motility of your sperms. Avoid junk, packaged and canned foods as they can be problematic.

    5. Common physical exercise: This can assist to enhance the sperm count. Try to exercise for at the very least 5 days a week for 50 {fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} an hour. You can decide for swimming, biking, gymming, Yoga, aerobics or jogging. De-stress by performing meditation.

  • Reproductive rights for people with disabilities in NC

    Reproductive rights for people with disabilities in NC


    By Elizabeth Thompson

    As the reproductive rights of people under guardianship came into the national spotlight with the #FreeBritney movement, disability advocates in North Carolina say people with disabilities in this state could easily face similar threats to their rights.

    In the case of pop star Britney Spears, she was not allowed to remove her IUD so she could have a third child, despite being rich, white and in the public eye. Spears was legally unable to make decisions because she was under a conservatorship, a legal process in which the court declares a person “incompetent” and someone else is appointed to make their decisions for them. 

    The social movement to free Spears from her father’s conservatorship showed that even a wealthy celebrity, recognizable by only her first name, could lose her reproductive autonomy.

    “Imagine what it’s like for everyone else,” said Larkin Taylor-Parker, staff attorney at Disability Rights North Carolina (DRNC).

    North Carolinians under guardianship, much like Spears’ conservatorship, can face a similar overthrow of their reproductive rights, Taylor-Parker said. It’s unclear how many guardianships there are in the state, but parents of children with disabilities often seek them out as their child ages into adulthood. It’s also a legal mechanism sought by families of aging parents as their mental state declines.  

    In North Carolina, people with disabilities who are deemed “incompetent” in court are given a guardian to make decisions for them. Those decisions include everything from where they live and how they spend their money to decisions regarding sex and relationships. A guardian can be a family member or state employee, such as a social worker. 

    Often guardianship is not revisited once it is given, meaning people can permanently lose their rights to make decisions for themselves starting as early as age 18, said Betsy MacMichael, president of First in Families of North Carolina, a statewide nonprofit that provides support to people with disabilities and their families.

    No forced sterilization

    North Carolina is one of just two states that bans forced sterilization for people with disabilities under guardianship, a new report from the National Women’s Law Center found. Sterilization is a surgical procedure that permanently prevents pregnancy.

    There are still 31 states and the District of Columbia that allow forced sterilization. The only other state that bans forced sterilization outright is Alaska, according to the report.

    North Carolina’s law was a response to the state’s prior eugenics movement, when thousands of North Carolinians were targeted based on race, class and, in particular, disability and sterilized without their permission throughout much of the 20th century. However, the legacy of the movement continues to live on, advocates say, as long as disabled people often do not have the right to their bodily autonomy.

    Although the state eugenics program was shuttered in the 1970s, the state did not officially outlaw involuntary sterilization until 2003, after groundbreaking research by Johanna Schoen, now a professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey and an investigative series by the Winston-Salem Journal called “Against their Will.”

    Forced sterilization directly compromises a person’s right to their bodily autonomy, said Ma’ayan Anafi, author of the National Women’s Law Center report.

    Just because North Carolina bans forced sterilization does not mean that people with disabilities under guardianship have the ability to make their own reproductive decisions. 

    The right to ​​bodily autonomy

    North Carolina’s law banning forced sterilization, passed in 2003, prevents guardians from consenting to sterilization unless the person under the guardianship “needs to undergo a medical procedure that would result in sterilization.” 

    This statute impedes disabled people’s ability to choose to get sterilized if they want to, Anafi said.

    “Disabled people can make decisions about our health care and about birth control, including sterilization,” Anafi said.

    Taylor-Parker said they also worry that an unintended consequence of the sterilization law is that it could interfere with a transgender person’s ability to get gender confirmation surgery if they are under guardianship.

    “That’s a very real concern that I think will continue to come up in years to come,” Taylor-Parker said. “For reasons no one understands, there is a strong correlation between autism and LGBT identity. So it’s particularly of concern for that population, but also for many others.”

    Even if protections exist against sterilization, access to birth control and the ability to make decisions about sex and relationships could be difficult for people with guardians. 

    Disabled people are often infantilized by non-disabled people, said Corye Dunn, director of public policy at DRNC. Historically, sterilization gave non-disabled people the option to refrain from educating disabled people about sex, even as people with disabilities have higher rates of sexual assault, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Denying people with disabilities accurate information about sexuality also ignores the idea that disabled people might want a relationship or to engage in consensual sexual activity, she said.

    “There should be nothing surprising about the fact that people with disabilities are also sexual human beings,” Dunn said, “that they may want to engage in consensual sexual activity.” 

    Guardianship makes it difficult for people with disabilities to make those choices, especially if a guardian is a loved one.

    “Family, often they’re quite opinionated,” MacMichael of First in Families said. “Whether it’s relationships, sexuality, or things like drinking and smoking pot, that kind of thing. So if a person has a guardian over them … they pretty much can’t call the shots.”

    Reassessing guardianship

    A judge overturned Spears’ conservatorship in November of 2021, transforming #FreeBritney from a movement to a statement.

    Disability rights advocates hope that the movement continues, arguing that as long as guardianship remains as widely used and unchecked practice as it is, disabled people will continue to have their rights taken away.

    Dunn advocates for periodically revisiting whether guardianship is necessary. Currently, there is a “presumption of permanency” of a guardianship decision in North Carolina because cases are not required to go back to court.

    “It’s this life sentence,” Dunn said.

    At First in Families, MacMichael suggests alternatives to guardianship, such as support networks, where people with disabilities can make important decisions with the help of an array of people.

    “Just because people need help making decisions does not mean that we have to have substitute decision making,” Dunn said. “We can build in those supports for people in different ways. And I think that sexuality and relationships and reproduction and parenting are some of the most intimate rights that we have and they deserve more attention.”

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  • Four things millennial men should know about reproductive health

    Four things millennial men should know about reproductive health

    Modern lifestyles — which are riddled with stress — require modern interventions so as to ensure health. When it comes to men’s reproductive health, there is a lot of stigma attached to it, which can lead to misconceptions.

    Dr Kshitiz Murdia, CEO and co-founder Indira IVF says while there is no one particular cause, doctors — over the years — have narrowed it down to a few harmful ones that millennial men need to keep in mind due to ensure sound reproductive health:

    – Consumption of substances like alcohol and tobacco
    – Sedentary lifestyle
    – Unhealthy diet
    – Sexual diseases such as STDs or STIs
    – Coming in contact with chemicals and harmful toxins
    – Extreme levels of stress, emotional or mental distress
    – Accidents or physical injury

    “These causes can not only hamper reproductive health, but can also impact one’s fertility. The conditions that lead to male infertility broadly include infections, hormonal imbalance, obesity, erectile dysfunction, retrograde ejaculation, and exposure to radiation or heavy metals, chemicals and drugs among others,” the doctor explains.

    He lists a few things for millennial men to keep in mind to ensure sound reproductive health; read on.

    1. Reproductive health challenges
    It is important to educate about reproductive challenges like low sperm count, low testosterone, impotence, STIs etc. can cause complications at later stages in life. There should be awareness about STIs and reproductive infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), syphilis, hepatitis B, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes, and human papillomavirus (HPV) to take necessary precautions or seek medical help.

    2. Having an active lifestyle
    Work from home has induced a new era of being constantly surrounded by computers, while daily physical activity has reduced. Swimming, jogging, cycling and other sports can help in building immunity, remaining active, maintaining hormone levels, especially in the case of diabetes and heart-related diseases. These simple lifestyle changes will help in reducing stress and other hormones that affect sperm production.

    3. Consumption of a healthy diet
    Consumption of fruits, vegetables and plenty of water is important for a nutritious diet. Junk food and processed food can prove to be harmful in the longer run and hamper hormone levels in the body. A nutritional diet would help in ensuring not just a strong reproductive health but also overall health.

    4. Personal hygiene
    Male genital region is located outside the body to provide cooler temperature for the production of sperms. Personal hygiene — such as washing hands after using the toilet, keeping the genital region clean, wearing washed and breathable underwear, avoiding any chemical or synthetic soaps and ensuring general cleanliness — is essential.

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