J.B.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines toxicity as:

1. The quality, state, or relative degree of being poisonous
2. An extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful quality

Hmmm.  We’ve all known people like that.  (I can think of one or two myself.)  But what about environmental toxicity.  What is it?  Where does it come from?  What does it do?

Samantha Mittelmeier

Getty / Lalocracio

There are a lot of different forms of birth control to choose from. For many women, an intrauterine device (IUD) is a popular and effective choice. Once inserted, these tiny devices protect you against pregnancy for up to 10 years, and for many women, they make their periods lighter or eliminate them altogether.

If you have decided that this form of birth control is right for you, you likely have some questions regarding what to expect. IUD insertion can seem a bit scary, but it is a very quick and easy process. While you may feel a degree of discomfort during the procedure, there is no need to be afraid. Keep reading to learn what to expect.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nannocare, the manufacturer of Nannopad®, will be at the Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore Sept. 11-14.

Nannopads are the revolutionary menstrual pads taking the market by storm, offering long-sought non-pharmaceutical relief from menstrual discomfort.

Nannopads are all-natural hypoallergenic sanitary pads made of USDA, OCS-certified organic cotton and as thin as a nickel with the same absorbency of other pads. They are free from chlorine, pesticides, dyes and fragrances and are infused with a proprietary blend of Nannogenic™ Technology that helps to bring relief from menstrual discomfort. 

Erika.L

Feeling our best is an important aspect of living a happy, healthy lifestyle. When our self-confidence is high, we are often more willing to take the chances that can lead us toward achieving our goals whether that’s buying a new dress or starting a new business. From time to time, our confidence can take a hit due to hormones or stress from work or relationships, thus it’s important to know what to do to regain it when lost. Here are 5 fun activities that help to increase self-confidence, and get us back to feeling our best. 

J.B.

MSG (monosodium glutamate) is the salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid that is naturally present in our bodies and in some foods.  Manufactured MSG, used as a food additive to enhance flavor, is made by the fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar can or molasses.

Is MSG bad for you?  The answer depends on who you ask.

MSG is a hot topic of controversy these days, with “experts” unable to agree on much of anything.

Kaitlyn Luckow

I remember being in middle school and always so excited to read the next issue of Seventeen Magazine. And the first page I would turn to? Embarrassing period stories.  

I would sit there and giggle, but most importantly, it helped me realize that I wasn’t alone. If these awesome people could make it out of these embarrassing stories still being the badasses that they were, maybe I would be okay.

However, as I’ve gotten older, it has become even more than that. I have realized that these “embarrassing” period stories weren’t embarrassing.

I did a little research into the word “embarrass” and it’s the feeling of discomfort..... 

The Creator of the NannoPad® Continues Its Takeover of the Feminine Hygiene Space

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nannocare, is thrilled to announce that it will be growing its retail distribution at a number of new stores nationwide this coming fall. The innovative brand that pioneered menstrual hygiene pads infused with Nannogenic™ technology, will now be available at popular college bookstores, supermarkets and drugstores.

Nannocare creates NannoPad®, made with 100% OCS Certified Organic Cotton, biodegradable plastic wrapping and natural Nannogenic technology that utilizes Far Infrared Energy, known to help stimulate circulation in the tiny blood vessels up to 1.5 inches under the skin around the pelvic region. By stimulating these blood vessels, NannoPad can help reduce menstrual discomfort and decrease the need for women to use harmful painkillers during their periods.

Samantha Mittelmeier

Since more than 90 percent of women experience at least one PMS symptom prior to the beginning of their period, it’s no surprise that those symptoms are pretty well known. Nearly every woman is familiar with the moodiness, bloating, cramps, headaches, and general discomfort that tend to pop up every 28 days or so.

For most women, these symptoms are relatively minor and are not a significant cause for concern. Others, however, face much more severe complications when their periods roll around each month. Between three and five percent of the menstruating population suffer from a debilitating condition known as premenstrual dysmorphic disorder, or PMDD. This condition is an extension of PMS that includes a range of troubling emotional and behavioral symptoms.

Heather Silvers

Have you ever caught yourself fretting about why your period is late? Before you head to the local pharmacy to pick up a home pregnancy test, it’s best to consider other reasons why your monthly cycle could be off. Not every late period means you’re pregnant. Irregular cycles are more common than you think. University of California Professor of Obstetrics-Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences Dr. Amy Autry discussed how at least 30% of women have irregular periods during their childbearing years. Another report published by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism cites that many women experience occasional period irregularities throughout their reproductive years. While many women may experience late periods, the factors causing it can greatly vary. Below, we’ll take a look at the reasons why your period could be late.

Victoria. M

As Pride month closes, it is a time of reflection where the nation came together to celebrate one thing: inclusivity. The LGBTQ community is active in many areas and works to bring light to a community that represents love, inclusion, harmony and of course a strong and genuine pride for all of it. 

In Los Angeles, we have one of the privileges to have founded “The Advocate," (originally "The Los Angeles Advocate”)in 1967.  It is considered the oldest continuing LGBT publication that began as a newsletter published by the activist group Personal Rights in Defense and Education (PRIDE).

J.B.

If you thought your skin was acting up just before or around the time of your period, you’re not imagining it.  According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, “a significant number of adult women have perimenstrual acne symptoms”.   There are also some women suffering eczema or psoriasis that seems to get worse around the time of their period.

J.B.

Nanotechnology is, according to one government site, “science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers”. (A nanometer is really, really small – it takes more than 25 million of them to make an inch.)

Richard Feynman, an American physicist, is credited with having introduced the concept of nanotechnology in 1959, although the term “nanotechnology” wasn’t coined until 1981.  Feynman’s idea was that things could be made much smaller.  For instance, in 1959 computers were massive; some of them weighed literally tons and took up entire rooms.  Feynman theorized that they could be made much smaller using nanotechnology.   He was bang on about that.  Computers keep getting smaller, faster, and better with nanotechnology.

Apart from not having to build an extra wing to your house for your home computer, there are many other applications of nanotechnology in use and in development. 

Kaitlyn Luckow

Every day, 830 women die from maternal mortality throughout the world. That’s approximately 290,500 women a year who die from complications of giving birth.

According to the World Health Organization, maternal mortality occurs when a woman dies while pregnant or within 42 days of the termination of the pregnancy. The majority of maternal deaths occur due to severe bleeding, infection, high blood pressure, complications from delivery, and unsafe abortions. 

You Are More Than Beautiful

Rupi Kaur

I want to apologize to all the women

I have called pretty.

Before I’ve called them intelligent or brace.

I am sorry I made it sound as though

Something as simple as what you’re born with

Is the most you have to be proud of

When your spirit has crushed mountains

From now on I will say things like,

You are resilient

Or, you are extraordinary.

Not because I don’t think you’re pretty.

But because you are so much more than that.

Kaitlyn Luckow

I met my best friend, Sam, 23 years ago after she met my brother in her kindergarten class. Since then, we’ve literally been through all of life together: great loves, loses, the birth of her daughter, personal traumas, career changes, big moves, and great celebrations. She was the first person that ever made me feel comfortable in my own skin (weirdness and all) and the first person to make me realize my worth.

J.B.

A woman’s menstrual cycle has three phases:  the follicular (before the egg is released), ovulatory (when the egg is released) and luteal (after the egg is released).  Each of these phases is regulated by different hormones, primarily estrogen, progesterone, FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), and LH (luteinizing hormone). 

These hormones work in concert with each other and with other hormones, much like the members of a sports team will work together, each performing a separate role in coordination with the other team members.

Kaitlyn Luckow

“That’s what she said!”  

Someone that shouts that joke every chance he gets may not seem like he would be feminist icon material. You might be thinking, Kaitlyn, are you kidding me? Michael Scott is probably the last T.V. character I would label as a feminist.

However, after binging The Office far too many times than I care to admit, I’ve come to the realization that this is, in fact, the case. 

Kaitlyn Luckow

Male masturbation is usually the brunt of jokes, it’s assumed that all guys do it, and it’s totally fine to talk about and admit.

However, I have found that when women talk about masturbating, people are shocked and it is seen as something dirty or embarrassing. It’s something that is hushed, it’s not talked about, and it makes women afraid of their own bodies.

To be honest (and this is a little embarrassing), I didn’t even know that females could masturbate until I was well into puberty.  

There is a lot of misinformation out there about female masturbation and it causes a lot of myths to rise up around the subject. This can make learning about the female body confusing for a lot of young women and even daunting.   

I wanted to clear the air here. Yes, women masturbate. Yes, it’s awesome. Yes, we can talk about it.

Here are some common myths surrounding female masturbation and the truth behind the lies.

Kaitlyn Luckow

Oftentimes when we write and talk about menstruation, it’s easy to talk about just women who menstruate or refer to girls and use “she/her” pronouns. But it’s important to understand and be aware of the limitation of this kind of dialogue. 

By gendering menstruation in this way, we are actually ostracizing people who aren’t women or individuals who don’t identify with “she/her” pronouns. 

Let’s make one thing clear: menstruating does not make someone a woman, not menstruating doesn’t make them not a woman, and women aren’t the only individuals in this world that menstruate.

We need to make sure that we are telling everyone’s stories.

Kaitlyn Luckow

As this month comes to an end, we wanted to talk about something that is near and dear to our hearts: Endometriosis Awareness Month.

Endometriosis, like many women’s health problems, has gone wildly untalked about. Many women go through life experiencing intense pain and thinking that it’s just normal for them to have to live with that pain. Because of this, many women around the world don’t know that what they’re experiencing is abnormal and many go undiagnosed when in reality, they are suffering from Endometriosis.

Your pain is not normal.

176 million women (that’s 10% of women) around the world have suffered and continue to suffer from a disease that has a huge impact on their daily lives.

PMS is the medical acronym for premenstrual syndrome.   You know, that time before your period when you feel tired, fat, and cranky.

The Mayo Clinic has a long, long list of symptoms of PMS including fatigue, weight gain, bloating, anxiety, depression, insomnia, on and on. Some sources say that “up to 150 symptoms have been identified as part of premenstrual syndrome”.   And if it gets really bad, PMS graduates to PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), not that having an extra letter is going to make anyone feel better.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, PMS symptoms can appear in the one to two weeks before your period.

Wow!  What a miserable way to spend one or two weeks out of every month.  PMS  should actually stand for “Please! Make it Stop!”

Kaitlyn Luckow

Today is International Women’s Day and today, we wanted to celebrate awesome ladies doing incredible things, but we wanted to focus on women who are often overlooked: the women who have helped make breakthroughs in menstruation and menstrual products.

Here are some women throughout history, and some who are working hard today, that have changed the way that we look at and menstruate on a daily basis.  

J.B.

There’s no such thing as a good time to get a urinary tract infection.  But getting a UTI at the same time as your period?  Oh, no!

The urinary tract is a brilliant drainage system for getting rid of excess fluid.   The kidneys remove extra fluid from the blood to make urine.  The urine travels from the kidneys to the bladder through tubes called ureters.  The bladder stores the urine and then drains it through another little tube called the urethra.  But like any other complex system, things can occasionally go wrong.

Kaitlyn Luckow

Imagine living in poverty and having to choose between feeding your family or buying feminine hygiene products.

This is a reality for more than 16.3 million women in living in the United States. According to the National Women’s Law Center, women are 38% more likely to live in poverty than men, and women of color experience poverty at a much higher rate than white women.

Women and girls who are living in poverty often have to sacrifice buying menstrual products in order to help pay for other necessities. This is largely due to the high price of menstrual products and the fact that they are taxed as “luxury items”. However, menstrual products are just as necessary as food, water, shelter, and other hygiene-related products.

Kaitlyn Luckow

There’s a line in The Perks of Being A Wallflower that is totally overused on Pinterest, but it’s true that “You accept the love you think you deserve.” 

Unfortunately, I’ve known a lot of people (and I’m sure you have to) that accept the love that isn’t full, isn’t genuine, and sometimes even toxic.

If you’re stuck in a situation where the love that you’re receiving from others, whether that’s in a romantic relationship, friendship, or even familial relationship, I want to talk to you today about why you’re worth more.

If you’re giving, giving, giving all of the time and not receiving any support back, you deserve more.

Kaitlyn Luckow

February is the month of love: Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day are holidays that celebrate the special people you love in your life, but they’re largely forgetting the most important person in your life: YOU!

While you’re busy trying to plan a perfect date for your significant other or plan the perfect night to celebrate your besties, you can’t forget about yourself. But, let’s be real, most of us do.  

J.B.

What is an irregular menstrual cycle?  Well, that kind of depends on who you ask, but the medical consensus seems to be that a “normal” menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, give or take seven days.  A cycle is considered to be irregular if it occurs more often than every 21 days or if bleeding goes on longer than 8 days.  Early or late periods, and missed periods are also considered to be irregular.

How common is an irregular menstrual cycle?  According to Dr. Amy Autry, Professor of Obstetrics-Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, “at least 30% of women have irregular periods during their childbearing years”.  A 2011 report published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism confirms that many women occasionally experience irregular periods all throughout their reproductive years.

But what causes irregular periods?  Well, like most things, there isn’t just one answer.  The menstrual cycle can be influenced by a number of factors.