Wehner,+Karl

Karl Wehner

NO NEED TO WRITE SYMBOLS/PICTURES ON HOME PAGE !!!!!!!! 12/3/09 sowwwwwwy

11/23/09- Even though the reproductive systems have been anatomically the same, there are still trends that effect them. First off, infertility has vastly increased. This could be due to pollution and lifestyle stress as well as changes in genetics. Also, women are becoming more and more selective with the men they date and are having less kids than ever before. This leads to a few things. For one, the ova are more selective with their choice of sperm because evolution as programmed women to have less children. This is the domino effect. The female body is actually less receptive to sperm because the decrease in the amount of sperm that enters the average woman's body in the past couple hundred of years. In other words, the body sometimes views it as an intruder (virus or bacteria) instead of sperm. These two things can lead to infertility. Also, since women are having less kids, evolution has recognized this and has made the female body less ready for having a baby. Lastly, people are having children older and older, sometimes into their forties, because sociological values have changed from being "have as many kids as you can as quickly as possible" to "don't have kids until you are mentally mature." The downside of this is that males and females are past their reproductive prime and are at a high rate of infertility; for now. Evolution could shift the reproductive prime to an older age in order to account for the number of people that are having kids in their thirties and forties.

Slide 1: Cervical Cap, Karl Wehner, 12/09/09, Mrs. Halpern, Period 3, Grade 12 Slide 2: The actual idea of blocking the cervix to prevent a woman from getting pregnant goes back many millennia. In ancient times, they would actually use oiled paper, lemon haves, or a sticky mixture of honey or cedar rosin to cover the cervix. The first modern cervical cap was invented by German gynecologist Friedrich Wilde when he made rubber molds of his patients' cervices. These deteriorated too quickly though. Yet, Charles Goodyear made more durable cervical caps possible when he invented the rubber vulcanization process in 1844. In the 20th Century Vimule, Prentif, and Dumas manufactured caps that gained popularity. Due to the introduction of oral contraceptives and regulations put on caps by the FDA, cervical caps lost popularity, but they later gained some back when the FDA reclassified them and put less strict regulations on them.
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Slide 3: It is a barrier method that involves inserting the cap into the vagina and fitting it over the cervix. In the United States a prescription and fitting appointment is required, but in some other countries no prescription is needed.

Slide 4: The cervical cap is inserted into the vagina prior to sexual intercourse. It snuggly fits over the cervix and blocks the vast majority of sperm from entering the uterus. Spermicide is added to the cap in most cases in order to kill the sperm that gets past the protection of the cap. After intercourse, it is recommended in the US that it stays in the vagina for at least 6 hours but no longer than 48 hours.

Slide 5: Cervical caps can be obtained at a doctor's office or a health clinic. A visit to the doctor's office could cost anywhere between $50 and $200, and the cap itself can cost from $15 to $50. Also, spermicidal products can range from $7 to $18 a package.

Slide 6: When used perfectly, the Prentif cap with spermicide is 91% effective among women who have never given birth and 74% effective among women who have. Failure rate for typical use ranges from 11% to 32% every year.

Slide 7: The cervical cap should be used by women that want to have intercourse but prevent pregnancy without the use of hormones. The cervical cap should not be used by women that have or have had a pelvic inflammatory disease, severe cervicitis, abnormal pap smears, or an abnormally shaped cervix.

Slide 8: The advantages of cervical caps are that they are relatively inexpensive, reusable, have no hormonal side effects, are portable, and have no effect on sexual sensations.

Slide 9: The disadvantages of cervical caps are that they can get stuck in the cervix, can cause urinary tract infection, can cause cervicitis, and they require a prescription and must be diligently cleaned and stored.

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Due 12/17/09: -Ultrasound 1. Used from 2 weeks pregnant and on (throughout the whole pregnancy). 2. done at a hospital. 3. Ultrasounds are used to make sure the baby is healthy and developing normally. Ultrasounds are vital to both the baby's and mother's health, because if they find a problem they may have to alter or abort the delivery. -CVS Test 1. Done between 11 and 12 weeks of pregnancy 2. Done at a hospital. 3. Used to check for genetic disorders such as Down syndrome -Glucose Screening and Tolerance Test 1. Generally used anywhere between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. 2. Done at a doctor's office. 3. Checks for gestational diabetes in pregnant women. -Group B Strep Test 1. Screened sometime between 35 and 37 weeks of pregnancy. 2. Taken at a hospital. 3. Tests for group B strep in babies, which is normally harmless in adults but can cause a rare infection in newborns. -Amniocentesis 1. Performed sometime between 16 and 20 weeks of pregnancy 2. Done at a hospital. 3. Like CVS, it is mainly used to check for genetic disorders or chromosomal abnormalities