There’s a misconception that couples therapy is a last-ditch effort to save a relationship that’s hanging by a proverbial thread. That if a couple is in counseling, it’s a sure sign they’re “having problems." The reality? Couples therapy can benefit even the most stable couples. It can even function as a bonding ritual, especially when done in the comfort of your own home. When you remove the clinical setting, therapy sessions can feel more comfortable and intimate.  BetterHelp, known for its virtual therapy offerings, allows couples to be matched with a licensed couples therapist online. It...

Zara Hanawalt • Jan 11, 2024

Thanks to “Dr. Google,” it is all too easy nowadays for people (read: non-medical professionals) to attempt their own diagnoses. When it comes to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), for example, one quick “PCOS self-assessment” Google search results in countless “Do I Have PCOS?” questionnaires. PCOS occurs when the ovaries produce an abnormal amount of androgens (aka male sex hormones), usually resulting in numerous small cysts. This condition is one of the more common causes of infertility in women, and unfortunately, there is no cure — although treatments are available to help reduce symptoms and prevent other health...

Sarene Leeds • Jan 10, 2024

Saturday Night Live’s final sketch of 2023 is trending — and it is every bit as absurd as it sounds. The sketch features a group of women working on, of all things, a “tampon farm." They strum guitars, don baggy overalls, sing, and bask in the sepia-toned world of the tampon farm…and they harvest tampons, which grow on trees while doing so. Yes, it’s ridiculous. And hilarious, even though it’s kind of hard to articulate why it’s so funny. There’s just something about the image of stars like Kate McKinnon, Billie Eilish, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig,...

Zara Hanawalt • Jan 9, 2024

Prenatal vitamins aren’t only for use during pregnancy — they’re also important to begin even before baby is settled comfortably in your belly. However, knowing when to begin taking them can be confusing. So if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed with all the dos and don’ts of pregnancy planning, we’ve got you covered.  Why are prenatal vitamins important? Prenatal vitamins are packed with nutrients like folic acid, calcium, and iron — the same nutrients babies rely on getting from their mothers. Once you find out you’re pregnant, your doctor will recommend you start taking them if...

Blair Sharp • Jan 7, 2024

When you think “prenatal vitamin,” the first word that probably comes to mind is folate, aka folic acid. (At least, it does when you’re a health writer like me.)  Folate is the star of most discussions surrounding prenatal nutrition because it plays such a huge role in the early development of a fetus. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other important vitamins and minerals to prioritize in your diet when you’re pregnant or trying to conceive. One that deserves more attention ASAP: iron.  Why is iron an important mineral?  Iron secretly facilitates one of the...

Jessie Van Amburg • Jan 7, 2024

Somatic exercises are different from your typical HIIT or weight-lifting workouts. They’re slow. They’re intentional. They focus on the mind-body connection, allowing you to better understand where you hold certain tensions and emotions within your body.  You might be wondering how slow movements can help with weight loss and overall health, but we’ll break it down for you — from the benefits to exercises you can do at home.  Somatic exercise and being present in the moment Somatic exercise requires that you focus on your inner experience as you go through the movements and expand your...

Brighid Flynn • Jan 7, 2024

Our mind-body connection is beautiful but also fragile. In order to protect it, we have to decide whose opinions or comments we listen to and what to do with the negative ones that cross through our doorway unprompted. We don’t always have control over what we see or hear — hello, Internet — so for those moments especially, here’s a list of positive quotes that can help you hold onto what’s important on the hardest days.  When you want to appreciate your body…  “This body had carried me through a hard life. It looked exactly the way it...

Vivian Nunez • Jan 4, 2024

As one of the leading causes of infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is regularly found at the center of reproductive health discussions.  According to the World Health Organization, PCOS is a common hormonal condition that affects approximately 8-13% of reproductive-aged women (although up to 70% of affected women remain undiagnosed worldwide). Specifically, PCOS is a metabolic disorder that occurs when the ovaries and adrenal glands produce a surplus of androgens (aka sex hormones).  PCOS can cause hormonal imbalances, irregular periods, excess androgen levels — which can present either as acne or excess hair growth on the face, chest,...

Sarene Leeds • Jan 3, 2024

In the past few years, we’ve taken a good, hard look at the damaging effects of diet culture. For those of us who grew up in the Diet-Coke-and-100-calorie-snack-pack landscape of the ‘90s, then began navigating the “clean eating” movement as young adults, it feels almost impossible to dethrone those diet culture…but we’re finally getting somewhere. And now, it’s time we get equally clear about dismantling our long-held ideas about exercise. Exercise used to be viewed as something you had to do, especially if you’d been “bad” with your eating habits. It was meant to be challenging...

Zara Hanawalt • Jan 3, 2024

As someone who spent two full years trying to conceive a third child via in vitro fertilization (IVF), I’ll be the first person to admit that I never thought secondary infertility would happen to me. I conceived my 5-year-old twins during my second frozen embryo transfer cycle, with 9 embryos left in the freezer. Since IVF had worked for us before, I didn’t think we would have unexpected challenges when we started trying for another baby. I couldn’t have been more wrong.    Something else I was wrong about…that secondary infertility couldn’t be nearly as emotionally...

Kristyn Hodgdon • Jan 1, 2024