How Trojan And Durex Condoms Helped Sexual Health

There are a variety of contraceptives on the market that can be obtained through a medical professional or over the counter. The most easily available contraceptive is the condom. We take a look at the history of major brands such as Trojan and Durex condoms to find out how the product became so popular and identify what changes have occurred over the years.

Durex condoms are probably the best known brand in the UK and were the first to offer non latex varieties made from polyurethane. This was to address the fact that some people suffer from an allergy to latex. Founded in London in 1915, Durex has now cornered around a quarter of the global market in condom sales. This equates to the production of one billion units per annum.

As well as offering an alternative to latex condoms, Durex has also launched products that are said to improve blood flow, creating a firmer erection. In addition to this they released a vibrating ring that is worn around the base of the penis for greater stimulation. Among their many varieties, Durex have introduced flavoured and ribbed condoms, all available in varying thicknesses for increased or decreased sensation, depending on the needs of the wearer.

In the US, the Trojan brand was declared the most successfully selling condom. Established in 1927, Trojan initially used a material derived from rubber before turning to latex in the 1930s. This was to produce a more comfortable experience through a more natural feeling. Part of their popularity was based on a spoof website called Trojan Games which parodied the Olympics but with adult content.

As a brand, Trojan has been successful in promoting safe sex campaigns and in launching merchandised products such as a clothing range. This has helped promote the safe sex message to protect people from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Trojan also have a varied range of condoms to suit each individual, but the marketing campaign that really promoted the brand was the introduction of the extra large condom, which is fifteen per cent larger than regular varieties.

Conversely, the female condom has not received any recognisable or specific branding strategies. As such, this type of condom has remained a less popular option for protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases even though it provides an even safer form of contraception by providing extra protection through increased genital coverage.
Female condoms were originally made from polyurethane and then nitrile rubber. This led to a reputation of having a distinctive crinkling sound during intercourse, which some people felt was off putting.

Despite this, manufacturers have continued to improve the design, recently turning to latex varieties. Without high profile branding however, the female condom is mostly promoted in communities where it is difficult to persuade men to wear protection rather than in communities where safe sex is achieved through mutual agreement.

There is no doubt that creating a marketing image has helped the success of major brands and helped tackle the often sensitive issue of safe sex. Branding helps get a product noticed, and done correctly it can encourage often image conscious young people to practice a healthier sexual lifestyle. Combined with ever more refined manufacturing techniques to improve the quality and sensation, condoms look set to stay as one of the preferred contraceptives for sexually active people of all ages.

Information about the Author:

Dom Donaldson is a family planning advisor. Find out more about Durex Condoms at www.condomcare.co.uk/22-c-durex-condoms.html

The Third Trimester: Getting Closer to Your Journey’s End

The end is near and you begin counting the days to your due date. Again, fear does not go away since giving birth is another event to overcome on your way to motherhood. Like any other endings, the third trimester is a harbinger to a more exciting event in your life. With the remarkable developments in the last few weeks as pregnant mother, the last trimester is both an ending and a beginning – the end of the baby’s life inside your womb and the beginning of his journey outside as an individual. Anticipating for the birth of your child is also knowing what to expect during the last weeks of his stay inside you.

As you prepare for all baby materials for the coming of your child, your baby also gears up for getting out of the womb. Your baby needs to be equipped with a healthy and fully developed body that will help him survive the world outside. The baby continues to grow and gain weight with body systems achieving maturity. This can be the most uncomfortable moment for the mother since she begins to feel heavy and tired to move or walk longer distances. Fetal development continues while you care to complete your pregnancy planner before birth. The approaching of your due date is indicator enough that you have to practice movements or exercises that will ease up the act of giving birth especially those who are first-time mothers. For those who are planning to breastfeed, breastfeeding courses can be undergone by you to teach you of proper breast feeding techniques.

What to expect during the third trimester is that everything seems to achieve full growth potential. On week 28th, the fifteen-inch long baby is now capable to open and close the eyes and is able to sleep within 20-30 minutes. On week 29, the baby’s movement is more forceful than ever. This is because the bones are now fully developed which contribute to vigorous and frequent movements. On week 33 following the maturity of the eyes, the baby can now detect the presence of light. The 36th week is a moment to look forward to as baby learn to suck his thumb. The whole duration of the third trimester is your baby’s chance to make movements to prepare for the head down position. On the last week before your much-awaited due date, the placenta will provide your baby with antibodies to act as protection for the elements outside the womb.

The counting is nearly coming to end and you have already completed your pregnancy planner to guide you before, during and after giving birth. The end of the third trimester is now within your reach. Your baby is now a few a few moments away from your arms. Let a loving heart and a nurturing hand welcome him in his travel with you through life. What to expect with his birth can be more than the words you have at hand. Seeing him, touching him and loving him is all you can do to express your joy as the mother.

Like any other ending, the third trimester is the final stage to a more exciting event in your life. With the remarkable developments in the last few weeks as pregnant mother, the third trimester is both an ending and a beginning – the end of the baby’s life inside your womb and the beginning of his journey outside as an individual.

Information about the Author:

You can prepare for the end of your pregnancy and learn what to expect during the last trimester of pregnancy at Aha! Baby. You can also find a pregnancy planner at Aha! Baby that matches your needs to serve as your guide in welcoming your baby.

Stretch Marks After Delivery

More than half of all pregnant women will develop stretch marks during their pregnancy. Otherwise known as striae gravidarum, stretch marks look like streaks on the surface of the skin, and may be vary in color depending on your natural skin color. Most lighter skinned women develop pinkish stretch marks, whereas darker skinned women tend to have stretch marks that are lighter than the surrounding skin.

About 70-90% of pregnant women develop stretch marks over the abdomen. Up to 90% of women develop stretch marks over some part of their body due to the excess weight gain of pregnancy. Most light skinned women have pinkish colored striae and the dark skinned have striae that are lighter than the surrounding area. Most women start to worry about striae or stretch marks after they have their baby.

Mothers-to-be whose skin tone is good and elastic either because of heredity or because they have maintained years of healthy nutrition and positive exercise habits may go through one or more pregnancies without any striations. Others, by keeping weight gain gradual, moderate and steady may be able to minimize and possibly prevent stretch marks.

Various stretch mark treatments are available for stretch marks removal like ointments, the most popular of which is cocoa butter. You may also use Vitamin E oil or other ointments. If the stretch marks are really severe and these treatments do not help, consult your health care specialist, as there are laser treatments, dermabrasion, tretenoin, isotretenoin, adepalin and many such methods are being discovered.

If you want to minimize your chances of developing Striae, you must moisturize your body regularly. There are various stretch marks creams that prevent stretch marks, and if you apply them regularly on your body, the results are guaranteed. These prevention creams are clinically tested to control and reduce the damage caused by stretch marks. These prevention creams and lotions provide you with the necessary skin nutrition and don't let your skin dry.

Lotions and salves: It is important to accept and remember that genetics and weight gain have a heavy role in determining whether you get stretch marks or not. Many people swear that vitamin E creams, expensive oils, salves and emollients help but many women who have used such products still got those marks. So it is really a question of you being predisposed to this problem or not. These creams at best moisten your skin and keep them well conditioned and this in turn will keep itchiness at bay. (Stretched skin feels itchy a lot of times.)

Staying in the ideal weight range and exercising not only helps prevent stretch marks, but it will also keep your baby healthier, you will have a fast delivery, and a really fast recovery. All of these things go down hill when you start gaining more weight than you should be gaining.

Armed with this information, you will know how to buy an effective cream for stretch marks for pregnant women. As long as it can restore the beauty of the skin, then you can safely assume that it can prevent and decrease stretch marks. The creams should regenerate new skins for the healing of damaged tissues. Yet, at no time in the future should you attempt to apply any cream that contains Retin A should you plan to breastfeed your baby.

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Read About Beauty Tips Also Read About Pregnant Moms Gifts and Causes Of Shyness In Children

How to Track Your Baby’s Development

For every expectant mother, knowing your child’s step by step development starting from conception does not only give you the chance to understand the changes that is happening to you but will also give you the a reason to look for ways you can take care of yourself and the baby inside. Having a pregnancy calendar will help you keep track of your baby’s development. You can always have a baby growth guide from your physician or from any other reliable sources in which you can compare and contrast the real life changes that you are experiencing. By doing so, you will be aware if your pregnancy is having deviations or not.

Your womb is considered your baby’s haven for nine long months. Whatever you take in will be readily welcomed in the womb. As you track baby’s development, you should also be careful about the food you take in. You should now avoid those intakes that can possibly bring about danger to your baby’s health. You have been subject to changes in the immune system that makes you sensitive to food-borne diseases. Refrain from taking in eggs, sushi and unpasteurized milk as you track pregnancy week. These foods may contain salmonella and other ill-inducing parasites. The safest possible intake for you and your baby are fish that have omega-3 which aids in the baby’s brain development. However, there are some variety of fish which you should not feel eating more than two meals a week because they are known to have mercury such as salmon, canned tuna and shrimp. Though this, you are ensuring a good health for you and your baby along with your close monitoring of your baby’s development week by week.

A pregnancy calendar will be very useful for every pregnant woman especially those first-time mothers. A calendar can put everything into place while knowing what happens to you and your baby every moment of your pregnancy. This calendar will also show you ultrasound pictures which will not only update you of your baby’s growth but will also inspire you to work out for more beneficial pregnancy activities. Ultrasound pictures of your infant can detect the positioning of your placenta and can assess health condition of the special baby inside you. Through the pictures, you will realize how each week of your pregnancy is significantly marked by wonderful changes inside.

While you track pregnancy week, you will know that every moment is crucial yet the first trimester of your pregnancy need to handle with extreme care. The first twelve weeks of your pregnancy will tell to be careful in handling activities because any simple accident can distort baby’s development. Although many birth defects sources cannot be traced, the mother will always have to blame herself for any handicap her child is entailed with at birth. When this happens, the mother tends to remember all the things she did during pregnancy that might be contributory to the defects. Let a pregnancy calendar be your way to achieving the best possible health condition for you and your baby. Monitor changes so when a deviation happens, your physician can remedy the problems at once.

Knowing what happens to your baby growing inside the womb will give you a good idea of what activities to engage in and what food to take in order to support his or her growth. The first few weeks are the most crucial in your baby’s development and caution and care should be taken by the pregnant mother during this important time.

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You can track you pregnancy development by using a pregnancy calendar readily available at Aha! Baby. You can also understand the changes in your body and the growth of your baby as you track pregnancy week by week information at Aha! Baby.

A Weekly Pregnancy Guide

Every pregnancy is unique as every child carried in the womb has distinct needs and characteristics from the other. Pregnant mothers should seek the advice of people who are experienced and technically knowledgeable with the ins and outs of pregnancy. A weekly pregnancy guide of what happens to you and your baby will help you track the changes on your body, the development of your baby and exert extra effort in ensuring safety and health for you and your child. The most difficult question a mother must answer during pregnancy is this: “What am I supposed to do?” Uncertainties and doubts during pregnancy is usually brought about by the uniqueness of every individual condition although some general occurrences can be true to almost all mothers. Pregnancy symptoms for instance are almost true to anyone who have welcomed a soul inside their wombs. They may, however, vary in terms of degree or frequency or even effect to the mother and the child.

So, you are pregnant. What should you do? The first thing a pregnant woman should do is to celebrate! Getting pregnant is the best role for every woman in the world. The greatest achievement of a woman is to become a mother. No other success can compensate with the joy of having a baby and the wonder of carrying a new life inside your womb. Being pregnant is being aware that your primary responsibility is to keep your body ready for the new baby because whatever happens to you will affect the one inside you. It is then recommended that you are aware of the much pregnancy week information which can give you a detailed account of you and your baby’s progress. Every week for the mother is a week to look forward to because essential marks of growth can be visible. Sometimes you may find yourself tired of anticipating what happens next for your baby but if you are aware how important tracking your pregnancy is, you will never get tired of expecting something new.

Discovering that your baby from being an embryo to having developed distinct visible parts is more rewarding than receiving the most expensive you could ever have. Your weekly pregnancy guide is your partner in knowing what food to eat or what activities should you expect in order to ensure the best possible safety and health for your baby. Guidance on the foods you should avoid is essential. Seek advise from your parents or from those who are experienced in the field especially physicians. You can also browse through the internet websites that can provide you with pregnancy calendar that informs you of your child’s development.

Lastly, there are many pregnancy guides readily available for you. However, you should know that the success of your pregnancy can never be dictated by the doctor or the people around you. Your baby highly depends on you. The success of every pregnancy is dependent on how the mother views it and handles every delicate situation she will be into.

Every pregnancy is as different as every child developing in the womb is unique from another. However, there is nothing to be afraid of since older family members and friends and even the internet can provide you with information and guides to help you get through your pregnancy safely and comfortably.

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Know the things you should do during pregnancy using a weekly pregnancy guide to aid pregnant mothers available at Aha! Baby. You can also be learn about the physical changes undergone by your baby from the pregnancy week information discussed in detail at Aha! Baby.

Meet The Most Important Mineral for Your Fertility

Zinc is the most important mineral and antioxidant in pregnancy and preconception. It is required for foetal growth and development of muscles and bones. It reduces the risk of stretch marks, perineal tears, cracked nipples and it is necessary for immune function and brain formation.

82% of pregnant women world wide are deficient in zinc

A study found that 82% of pregnant women world wide are deficient in zinc. Low zinc levels in pregnancy have been linked to labour complications, low birth weight and premature delivery.

Fertility in men

Zinc is very important nutrient for male fertility and deficiency has been linked to low testosterone and low sperm count and motility. Sperm contains up to 5 mg of zinc per ejaculation, so it is very important for men to keep up their zinc levels. Studies have shown that zinc has been implicated in testicular development, sperm maturation, and testosterone synthesis.

Fertility in women

In women zinc plays a role in sexual development, ovulation, and menstrual cycle. Concentrations of zinc and folate may have substantial effects on reproduction. Zinc is also required for production of healthy eggs in women. Deficiency during pregnancy can lead to miscarriages and retarded development due to abnormalities in the chromosomes (DNA).

Longevity and Beauty

It is an anti aging mineral and is required for proper tissue repair and hormonal balance. When you are deficient in zinc, your body will go get some from your own reserves. It will start with tissues which cant hold onto it very well. They are the skin and hair. The result is flaky skin, stretch marks and hair loss. It is not surprising that many women develop stretch marks and report hair loss in pregnancy. Hair loss can be influenced by hormonal changes in the body but it is also a definite sign of zinc deficiency.

Multitasking Mineral

Zincs other roles include;

- Co factor of hundreds of enzymes, including enzymes involved in food digestion and absorption.
- Proper DNA replication and function.
- Regulates the pH of the cells (if cells are too acidic they are more prone to disease).
- Essential for vitamin A and folic acid metabolism and transportation
- Required for activation of T-lymphocytes (white blood cells required for cell mediated immunity) and making the natural killer cells more lethal then they already are.
- Controls release of insulin (hormone required for absorption of glucose, imbalance can lead to diabetes, insulin resistance, PCOS and infertility).
- Makes up one of the most potent antioxidants produced by the human body: Superoxide dismutase (SOD).
- Plays an important role in the health and flexibility of the connective tissue, skin and blood vessels.

Absorption

Zinc absorption can be impaired if you are taking antacids and proton pump inhibitors. It requires acidic environment for optimal absorption and is therefore best taken away from food on an empty stomach.

As it competes for absorption with other nutrients dont have it at the same time as your multivitamin. Zinc absorption is adversely affected by so many chemicals commonly found in natural food and it fights for absorption with so many other nutrients, not much of it ends up getting absorbed! Therefore zinc should be taken on an empty stomach last thing at night.

Deficiencies and Excesses

Vegans and vegetarians can be deficient in zinc as vegetables, fruits and grains are not optimal source of zinc. Phytic acid found in legumes will also block zinc and other mineral absorption. In addition smoking, drinking coffee, tea and alcohol increases your need for zinc.

Signs of zinc deficiency are loss of appetite, hair loss, white bands and spots on the nails, frequent colds and infections, slow healing wounds, stretch marks, dermatitis, diminished sense of smell and taste and premenstrual pimples and many more.

Excessive zinc consumption of 40mg/day may compete with copper and impair immune function.

How much to have?

Recommended daily intake of zinc is 8 mg/day for women, 11mg/day for men, 11 mg/day during pregnancy, 12 mg/day during lactation.

In men with sperm abnormalities 25-50 mg of zinc have been shown to increase sperm count and boost testosterone levels.

Where to get if from?

Lean meat, oysters, whole grains, nuts, pumpkin seeds, egg yolks, supplemental form: look for zinc acetate, the best tolerated and bioavailable form of zinc in a supplement. Stay clear from zinc oxide as its the least absorbent form of zinc!

Sources:

Ebisch IM, et al. The importance of folate, zinc and antioxidants in the pathogenesis and prevention of subfertility. Hum Reprod Update. 2007 Mar-Apr;13(2):163-74.

Groper S, Smith J, Groff J. 4th Ed. 2005. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. Thomson, USA

Keene, I. Natural Fertility Prescription, Australian Natural Therapeutics, Switzerland.

copyright 2009 Iva Keene and Natural Fertility Prescription

Information about the Author:

Leading Fertility Naturopath Iva Keene publishes the Ultimate Fertility ezine with tips to get you pregnant ASAP. Get your free Fertility advice at www.natural-fertility-prescription.com