Sex and gender differences are central to our lives. We all think about them, struggle with them, and seek to better understand them. From Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady who lamented “Why can’t a woman be more like a man” to Sigmund Freud who wondered “What do women really want?” to our nursery rhymes which...Continue reading
It’s hard to believe, but over the next few weeks, most kids will be back in school (my niece and nephews started last week and my newly minted high-schooler starts next week!). Summer flew by and I’m frantically transitioning my daughter out of her summer sleep schedules and gathering her school supplies. The beginning of...Continue reading
The first thing to know about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is that you don’t need to have sex to become affected by one. Any form of skin-on-skin contact with another person could be sufficient to transfer an STI if the other party is already affected. That’s not to say that you will have an STI...Continue reading
Ever just feel lucky? I do, for lots of reasons. Here’s one: I have the privilege of working in two of the healthiest cities in America. Using any set of measures, such as access to parks and health care, rates of obesity, smoking and inactivity, Los Angeles and San Francisco rank right up there. Feeling lucky to practice medicine in cities that...Continue reading
Summertime for many means outdoor fun, such as pools and campfires. But for the 24 million Americans who have asthma, like me, things like chlorine and smoke can trigger dangerous asthma attacks. I’ve suffered from asthma all my life. I always thought I was managing as best I could. I took the medicine the doctors...Continue reading
Andrology is a branch of medicine that is concerned with diseases that are specific to males, in particular, the reproductive organs. Andrology focuses on androgen use and abuse, prostate diseases such as prostate cancer, sexual dysfunctions, and testicular disorders such as testicular cancer. Below are some of the ways andrology nurses track their patients’ fertility...Continue reading
Love has been a complicated presence in my life from the very beginning. My parents had been trying, unsuccessfully, to have a baby for many years. My mother was finally able to get pregnant through a procedure of collecting and injecting my father’s sperm into her womb (a procedure that was “experimental” seventy-plus years ago)....Continue reading
Dear Mr. Dad: My 13-month old says only two words: dada and mama. My best friend’s son is two months younger and she’s constantly bragging about how many words he knows. She’s got me worried that there’s something wrong with my baby. Do all kids start talking about the same age? Either way, what can...Continue reading
Everything you ever wanted to ask your doctor—from conception to contraception. Although Father’s Day is in June, men are becoming fathers all year long. In fact, almost half of American men are fathers. Two-thirds of men first become dads in their 20s, although plenty of men father children sooner or later—into their 40s, 50s and...Continue reading