The Future of Reproduction

In the past, reproduction was for some a struggle. With medical expertise and over technology, birth rates for the infertile were lower, with many miscarriages and stillbirths and many couples remain infertile.  However, with our modern-day knowledge, we have achieved new levels of possibilities. Today is the future of reproduction potentially, resulting to increase in population for those who wish.

One extraordinary advance we made is the creation of Vitro fertilization.

Not only does it principally help infertile men and women get a chance to birth one of their blood, but it also gives opportunities to lesbian and gay men to start their own biological families. With Vitro fertilization, embryos are incubated from 3-6 days in the laboratory with their parent’s DNA and then carefully transferred to the woman’s uterus. If a lesbian couple wants a baby, they can use this method or artificial insemination to get one of them pregnant, while for gay men, they can acquire a surrogate mother to aid them.

Even transgender males can have a baby if their ovaries and uterus are still present. With the help of technology, an embryo can still be formed and transferred to his uterus. Even though he stopped the testosterone for this process, he can return to his androgens once the baby is born if he is not planning to breastfeed. The world is constantly gaining knowledge, resulting in even the first penis transplantation in the United States.

What comes next is the question. The future of reproduction may lie in “genetic engineering,” With how fast technology evolves, this is entirely possible. Soon, humans can take specific genes and remove them using the CRISPR – Cas9 technique. With this technique, we can remove the chances of inheriting a family illness and improve the child’s health.

The purpose of technology is to aid humankind, and so far, we have been advancing at newfound speeds in the field of reproduction. Soon, many other things will be possible, increasing our knowledge today and creating a new future of reproduction. The consequences will only be known in time.

by Barry Verkauf  

How Pregnancy Affects Women Today

Back in the older days, women were meant to stay at home to take care of the house and kids. However, the times are constantly changing, and now many women are working, some even as breadwinners. So, the circumstances of how pregnancy affects women today are entirely different. With the fight for equal rights between men and women, feminism is rising. What does that mean for women looking to start a family of their own?

Many women aim to have a consistent career in their lives, which is why there has been a push for both men and women to have equal opportunities to concentrate on these while simultaneously having time for themselves and family.

Frequently, women would have to quit their jobs after getting pregnant to focus on their families. Full-time working moms often say they don’t have enough time for themselves nor time to spend with their children. How to fix this? The book “Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family.” tells that the whole industrial culture needed to be altered to accommodate.

Today, we have the highest rate of working women to date. In the past 50 years, working women increased from 38% to 58%, while of those working, working mothers with children under 18 went from 47% to 71%. Some studies say a working mother can significantly affect a daughter’s self-image and encourage children to be functioning members of society.

If a woman wants both work and family, both the woman and their partners must work together to lessen the stress and conflict that comes with raising a family, as Suzanne Venker says in her book, “The Alpha Female’s Guide to Men and Marriage.”

As the decades pass, society continues to evolve, changing how pregnancy affects women today. Wanting to pursue your career is all a matter of choice. Women must have the freedom and opportunity to pursue their careers and at the same time have a family, work without having a family, or only be a homemaker as they choose.

by Barry Verkauf

Two Ways Contraception Can Benefit Women

Contraception has existed since long ago, and with newfound technology, it has only gotten better. There are many views towards the use of contraception, two sides either encouraging or discouraging the use of them. However, we cannot deny the numbers. Contraceptives were invented to benefit our current society, not harm it. There are two ways that contraception can benefit women, and by doing so, it benefits the entire population.

- Non-harmful birth control

Some people believe that using contraception like birth pills will result in infertility. This resulted in women halting the use of birth control and thus, increasing the percentage of unintended pregnancies, as found in a new study by the World Health Organization. However, that is not the case. Women who have used birth control still have the same chances of pregnancy as women who don’t of the same age. This way, you can decrease the rate of unintended pregnancies, giving women more opportunities towards other potential activities and benefits.

- High-quality family planning

Contraception is a part of responsible family planning. Many women want in their view to gain a better future by using contraceptive methods and at the same time create a better society. Benefits from contraception include better maternal relationships between a mother and child, resulting in an increase in development in society, economy, and empowerment in women, as said by Dr. Mari Nagai. She was a former medical officer for reproductive and maternal health at WHO. 

In our current days, the population is able to increase, resulting from our newfound technology, giving people safer processes in reproduction. With how the world is going through a “Sexual Revolution,” women can experience the safety of sex with the use of various contraceptives, preventing unwanted pregnancies and in some instances, potential STDs. Different kinds of birth control are being invented as time passes as women have a wide range of potential benefits.

by Barry Verkauf