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How Your Cycle Can Affect Your Mood
You expect to be a teary-eyed mess if you watch Sleepless In Seattle while PMSing, but hormones could also leave you susceptible to other, more surprising psychological side-effects: A new study from University College London finds that women may experience three times as many intrusive thoughts and memories about a stressful event when they’re between days 16 and 20 of their menstrual cycle than if they’re at any other point in it (the day your period starts is considered day one).
Researchers had healthy women between ages 18 and 35 who weren’t on oral contraceptives watch a traumatic video. Then, over the next several days, they asked the women to write down any unwanted thoughts they had in response to the video. Women had significantly more intrusive memories during what’s known as the early luteal phase, which generally falls between days 16 and 20 of the cycle.
“Intrusive thoughts are a natural phenomenon,” says lead researcher Sunjeev Kamboj, PhD, a clinical psychology lecturer at University of College London. While they may be disturbing at times, he doesn’t suggest actively trying to suppress these types of thoughts. “We know that if people are asked to not think of something, they actually think about it more often,” he says. If you find yourself fixating on distressing thoughts for an extended period of time, visit your doctor, who can discuss treatment options with you.
Of course, this effect—and PMS—aren’t the only ways that fluctuations in ovarian hormones can influence your mood. OB/GYN Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, MD, explains how various points in your cycle may affect you (assuming you’re not on hormonal birth control, which changes your hormonal fluctuations):
When you’ll feel most empathetic
Research indicates that progesterone may inhibit your ability to read others’ emotions through their facial expressions. So around day five or six of your cycle, when progesterone is at a low, Gilberg-Lenz says you may find that you naturally connect better with others.
When you’ll feel sexiest
When your body is getting ready to release an egg—generally between days five and 13 of your cycle—feel-good estrogen spikes. You’ll likely feel super confident, feminine, and sexy in these days just before you’re most fertile, says Gilberg-Lenz.
When you’ll feel most Zen
Estrogen and testosterone suddenly drop around day 16 (although this can occur any time between day five and 22 of your cycle), triggering the release of an egg. At the same time, you’ll experience a rise in progesterone, which Gilberg-Lenz sometimes refers to as “the calming or homebody hormone.” You may feel you need more rest and have some serious cravings during this time, which is likely your body’s way to protect itself should pregnancy occurs, she says.
photo: Pixland/Thinkstock
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Is PMS a Myth?
Fascinating Facts About Your Period
PMS: Make the Most of Menstruation
The Scary Way Your In-Laws Affect Your Marriage
Not exactly besties with your mother-in-law? It might be a good thing. Keeping your husband’s parents at arm’s length could be good for your marriage, according to an article scheduled to be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Family Relations.
Researchers followed 373 couples since they were first wed in 1986. In each couple, both the husband and wife rated how close they felt to their in-laws on a scale of one to four. Researchers tracked the couples over time and collected data, including whether or not the couples stayed together. Marriages in which the wife reported having a close relationship with her in-laws had a 20 percent higher risk of divorce than couples where the wife didn’t report a close relationship. Conversely, marriages where the husband reported being close with his in-laws had a 20 percent lower probability of separation than couples where the husband reported a relationship that wasn’t as close.
Terri Orbuch, Ph.D., lead researcher and author of Finding Love Again: 6 Simple Steps to a New and Happy Relationship, says the discrepancies in gender come down to how men and women view relationships differently. “When a wife sees that her husband is really trying to bond with her family, she interprets it as a sign of love–he’s trying to be close with them because it’s important to her,” says Orbuch.
But when wives devote time to their husbands’ parents, it doesn’t always have the same result. “If a woman is spending lots of time improving the relationship with her in-laws, she may have a difficult time setting emotional boundaries,” says Orbuch. “And often, when you get too close, you might interpret whatever your in-laws say as interference or meddling.”
Want to give your marriage a fighting chance? The key is to create healthy boundaries. These guidelines will help you lay the right foundation:
Draw the Lines (with Your Spouse) Beforehand
Everyone has a different idea of what’s normal in terms of the parent-child relationship, says Andrea Syrtash, author of Cheat On Your Husband (With Your Husband). So make sure to discuss with your spouse what makes you uncomfortable and how much interaction with his folks you would prefer. And the rules may be different for each set of parents, Syrtash points out. Your husband may want to give his dad a spare key to your house so he can drop by to “help out” with chores. But you may prefer to live three states away from your parents and only see them on special occasions. Chances are you probably won’t be on the same page when it comes to the role you want your parents to play, but at least you’ll know where the other person stands. Also, when he knows what you’re comfortable with, he’ll be better able to help you police those lines.
Let Him Do the Dirty Work
If there’s an issue with his parents, ask your husband to handle it first. This strategy has a dual benefit: It guarantees that he’s the primary guardian of the relationship with them, rather than you; and also, it helps avoid unnecessary additional conflict due to misunderstandings—he knows them best, after all, Syrtash says. To get him on board, try to position your complaint in a way where you are asking for his help without necessarily blaming his folks (for instance: “I want to be close with your parents, but sometimes I feel like they don’t understand me.”) “As long as your spouse knows that you want the relationship to improve, he’ll be more receptive to helping get things on track,” she says.
Never Badmouth Him to His Folks
Avoid talking about your marriage with your in-laws, Orbuch says. Especially avoid talking about troubles between you and their son, because it can open up a line of communication (either critical or “helpful”) that isn’t appropriate. If one of them baits you, make a joke to deflect the comment, Syrtash advises. Say his dad mentions something about how your husband doesn’t know how to raise kids—you can come back with a lighthearted response like, “One reason I love him is because he’s a big kid himself! We’re all learning.” Vent to your friends if you have to get something off your chest.
Prepare Your Responses
If your in-laws frequently say offensive things, or make you feel as if they’re meddling or judging your lifestyle, prepare responses to their common quips in advance of seeing them. “Instead of being defensive, respond with a simple answer and move on to another topic, or shift focus to someone else at the table,” Syrtash says. “If that’s not easy to do, politely excuse yourself.” Understand that some people will just push your buttons, and it’s up to you whether you choose to rise to the bait. The more you respond, the more enmeshed you might get—and sometimes, it’s best to simply refuse to engage.
Image: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
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5 Common Marriage Problems, Solved
Survive Your In-Laws During the Holidays
How Much Relationship Doubt is Healthy?
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How Antibiotics Affect Your Weight
It’s often said that there’s no miracle drug for weight loss. However, the same kind of medicine used to treat ear infections and strep throat could also be effective in helping us shed unwanted weight, according to a new University of Chicago study that examined how the immune system, gastrointestinal bacteria, and diet interact. The results suggest that weight gain may be linked to the types of bacteria present in the gut, meaning that bacteria-slaying antibiotics may someday join diet and exercise in the fight against obesity, according to study researcher Vaibhav Upadhyay of the University of Chicago MD-Ph.D. program.
In the study, normal mice and mice with a genetic defect that discourages the normal growth of bacteria in the gut were put on nine-week, high-fat diets. The normal mice gained weight, while the genetically-defective mice remained steady on the scale. Why? It seems that a particular kind or ratio of bacteria present in the tummies of normal mice (and people) help extract calories from food, which can then be stored as fat. Without this bacteria balance (which researchers have yet to identify) fewer calories can be absorbed and stored, prohibiting even a high-fat diet from causing weight gain.
How does bacteria get in the gut, in the first place?
Our immune systems are responsible for encouraging the growth of some kinds of bacteria (i.e., the kind that promotes weight gain) in the stomach in a process regulated by lymphotoxin, a molecule naturally produced by our bodies. We also eat some bacteria: Probiotics, a.k.a. healthy bacteria, are becoming an increasingly popular addition to supplements, as well as foods like probiotic yogurt.
Do antibiotics get rid of the bacteria that causes weight gain, and spur weight loss?
Because antibiotics can simultaneously inhibit the growth of some bacteria while promoting the growth of other bacteria, it’s believed antibiotics can be tailored to promote weight loss, Upadhyay says. Still, there are more than 500 different strains of bacteria present in the bowel, and the precise ones that inhibit weight gain need to be better established before they can be harnessed to fight fat. “Weight gain or loss is about fostering the right mix of bacteria in the gut,” he says, which explains why low-dose antibiotics have long been used in the livestock industry to make animals gain weight. (Discover one common cause of weight gain.)
Will eating probiotic foods make you fat?
Yes, no, maybe so. “It’s unclear if there is any correlation between the organisms [food manufacturers] add to their products and weight one way or another,” Upadhyay says. Again, more research is needed on the exact bacteria that are in play in the gut during both weight loss and weight gain. Once that relationship is established, probiotics (healthy bacteria) and prebiotics (their food) could be harnessed to fight fat, Upadhyay says.
Should you keep taking probiotics?
It seems like just about everybody nowadays is taking probiotics—global sales of both probiotic supplements and foods that contain probiotics are expected to reach $ 31.1 billion by 2015, according to BCC Research. It’s for good reason: Even if they aren’t designed to aid in weight loss (yet), they still do a body good. Healthy bacteria in the gut provide enzymes that are necessary for the body to absorb many vitamins and minerals, and help you get the biggest nutritional bang per bite, he says. So, yes, keep you should keep the probiotics coming.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
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Weight Loss for Women
Immune Boosters
Health Benefits of Yogurt
Can Your Pant Size Affect Your Orgasm?
If you’ve ever performed a full-out tango to stuff yourself into a pair of skinny jeans and wondered, “Is this really OK?” we’ve got your answer: Zip proudly, ladies, despite what you may have heard in the recent news about skinny jeans severing blood flow to a nerve in your thigh.
It turns out that the risk is incredibly unlikely. “If you use common sense and wear jeans—even super skinny jeans—that you can button, zip, and walk around in, there should be no chance of nerve damage,” says Karen Boyle, M.D., a board certified urologic surgeon at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.
The condition in question is called meralgia paresthetica, which can cause pain, tingling, and numbness in the leg. “Meralgia paresthetica can occur in car accidents when the seatbelt compresses a nerve in the outer thigh, so just imagine how tight your jeans would need to be in order to have the same effect,” says Boyle.
And if you’ve ever wondered whether squeezing muscular legs into matchstick pants could compromise your big O (à la too much time in the bicycle saddle) the answer is also a resounding N-O. The perineal nerve in your pelvis is essential for sensation in the labia and clitoris; while prolonged, extensive cycling could irritate and damage the nerve, which could ultimately compromise your ability to orgasm, even the tightest pants pose no such risk.
“When wearing skinny jeans there’s still plenty of blood flow through the perineal nerve in the pelvis, so your leg wear shouldn’t have any impact on your sexual function,” says Boyle. Phew! You can continue sporting your red skinnies with pride.
Still, for a more comfortable fit in gam-hugging bottoms, Boyle offers these suggestions:
1. Shop your shape and buy your size. “We all want to squeeze into a smaller size, but ignore the label and buy pants that fit,” she says. “People can tell when you’re uncomfortable and can’t breathe, but they can’t tell what the number on the tag says.”
2. Search for stretch. Pants made with some Lycra or spandex move with you, giving your body the flexibility to go about your day. True denim material, however, doesn’t budge, says Boyle.
3. Kick off your heels. Stilettos tilt your pelvis forward. Contorting your body this way can cause even more compression between the fabric and your legs, which may slightly increase your risk of constricting a nerve, she says. “Flats or low one- to two-inch heels will reduce pressure in the upper thigh and hip area.”
4. Skip the dryer. Not only will it help the fabric and color last longer, but it will prevent the fabric from shrinking, so you won’t have to Zumba your way into your pants.
photo: Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock
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The Skinny Jeans Workout
5 Ways to Dress 10 Pounds Thinner
The Female Orgasm: How It Works
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