Sunday, October 25, 2009

Q&A Blog: How do abortions work?

Warning: Disturbing topic, sorry if people are offended.

You’ve just had what you thought was the best sex in you life. Lying next to a woman you consider the rebound from you last relationships, she says “I have something to tell you...I’m pregnant.” Your response is “So what are you going to do?” eager to find the nearest coat hanger.

Abortion is a touchy subject, it can be put in the "do not discuss" category next to finances and in between religion and politics. Most people would agree and say that a man should never propose abortion as an option, but does any one ever wonder how abortions actually work? I do.


People say "it’s like a vacuum that sucks 'it' out," turns out they were right.

Although there are other methods to abortion such as a pill one can take, the Suction and Curettage method sparked this blog.

The procedure is generally carried out with in the first trimester or the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. During the procedure doctors dilate the cervix which is the opening of the uterus; after the cervix is widened, doctors insert a tube that is about the same size of a pencil, the plastic tube is hooked up to a suction machine. When the doctor flicks the on button, it’s on. The fetus and placenta are suctioned out in the tube, some times whole, sometimes in pieces.

After the suctioning process doctors then use a curette to scrape the walls of the uterus for any remains of the fetus or placenta. After the walls have been wiped clean, the doctors suctions one more time, just to make sure he’s go it all.




If you found this blog graphic, use protection.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Q&A: How Does In Vitro Fertilization work?



Purchase the miracle of life.

In today’s age women can now buy the power to give birth, thanks to In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Although the reproductive process is “man made,” as babies are created by humans; the process of IVF gives a new definition to the term “man made,” as fertilization lies in the hands of doctors.

Doctors have figured out how to force the hand of nature and usher in the miracle of life. During the process of IVF, eggs are extracted from the woman’s ovaries and fertilized, in a laboratory dish, with the active sperm extracted from a man’s seamen. The process of assisted reproduction, where the eggs and sperm are joined at the hands of doctors is known as in vitro fertilization. If fertilization is successful, pre- embryos will start to grow. These pre-embryos are then incubated in a “special mixture,” that acts as the inside of a woman’s fallopian tube.

Still fertilization is only half of the battle. After the incubation period, embryos are formed ready to be implanted. The implantation period consists of doctors transferring embryos through the woman’s cervix into her uterus, using an instrument knows as a catheter. Doctors usually implant more than one embryo in the hopes that at least one would be successfully implanted.

After implantation the woman is given hormones (Progesterone) to assist in the implantation’s success. If the implant is successful the eggs will attach to the uterine wall and the woman is now officially pregnant.

According to Dr. Majorie Greenfield, “On average, each cycle of treatment can cost $4000 to $10,000. And many couples take more than one cycle to get pregnant.”

The most popular case of IVF is that of Nadya Suleman A.K.A Octomom who gave birth to Octuplets (eight children) due to IVF.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Stephen Hawking Is Making His Comeback -Discover Blog


The lede was a great scene setting lede. The writer captured the environment and feel of the seminar. It drew me in as a reader in the sense that I can envision the seminar and felt almost like I was there. I specifically like his use of words like “rocketing to stardom,” as it provided some connotation between Hawkings real life and his career. It was a great way to use space terms in describing a person.

The content of the article was both interesting and informative. Though out the article many questions are raised in one sentence and answered in the next. It was also a nice hybrid between Hawking’s medical condition and his life long work. At times I wondered, why is the author speaking extensively about Hawking’s medical condition. However after fully reading the article I understood that speaking about Hawking’s condition lends a needed background to the story and eventually coincides with his work as hawking had to find new methods of carrying out his work when his condition made it nearly impossible.

The article was organized in a way that let it flow easily. It was broken into different sections with the use of sub heads, making it easier for the reader to understand what he/she is to get out of reading a specific section. Also one section transitions into the next section effortlessly as the story progresses.

I thought the style of writing was particularly simple given the complicated subject matter. The writer talks about various equations and scientific terms that can easily confuse any one, how ever he extracts all the jargon and puts it in plan English for the reader. He didn’t allow the complex nature and languages of the subject to complicate his story or confuse his readers.

Essentially the writer explained the science in his article in a way that didn’t feel like a science lesson. He used vivid descriptions that assisted in the understanding of the scientific matter. For example when talking about black holes the author writes, “One particle can fall into the black hole while the other feeds on the gravitational energy of the hole and flies away to safety,” the simplicity of this statement is present through out the entire article.

Overall I would give this article an A as it was very fulfilling and educational (with out feeling like it).