Ina May Gaskin teaching & discussing new book, Birth Matters, in US & Canada. Free event in Brooklyn!

Ina May Gaskin has a new book out and will be making some appearances, and teaching, in NY and elsewhere in the next few months. Ina will be discussing and signing copies of her new book, Birth Matters. She will also be giving a couple of workshops. Some of the events, including the one in Brooklyn, are free. This is an amazing opportunity to hear from one of the pioneers in midwifery live and in person. You can find a list of her upcoming events on the Seven Stories Press website. Here is info about the event in Brooklyn:


Sunday, March 6, 5PM
WORD presents Ina May Gaskin 

Warsaw, at the Polish National Home

261 Driggs Ave, Greenpoint/Williamsburg Brooklyn
L train to Bedford Ave; G to Nassau Ave


And here is some info from the publisher about Ina's new book:  "Birth Matters: A Midwife's Manifesta  (Seven Stories Press; April 2011) explains why birth is an issue that concerns us ALL. With one in three babies born via cesarean, the US ranks behind thirty other nations in neonatal mortality rates, and forty other nations in maternal mortality rates.  Amnesty International recently released a damning report titled “Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA,” which outlined various failures in the way the US health care system treats pregnancy and birth. Confidence in women’s bodies and women’s choices has been lost. Birth Matters is a spirited manifesta showing us how to trust women, value birth, nurture families, and reconcile modern life with a process as old as our species."

Men: When Trying to Conceive, Don't Ride Bike to Supermarket to Buy Canned Food

Couple of recent studies re things that are bad for male fertility. One, easy to avoid. One, not so much.

In the "You actually got money for this research?" department, we have a study which showed that men who bicycle for at least 5 hours a week have lower sperm counts and poorer sperm motility than men who don't. Here's the original study abstract, for those who like to see the numbers.

And in the more insidious news department, we have yet another study showing that BPA, which the FDA refuses to ban, causes endocrine disruption. This study, the third of three examining the effect of BPA on male sexual function and fertility, showed a reduction in semen quality in men with higher levels of BPA in their urine. BPA is found everywhere, from food packaging to sales receipts to dental sealants. And, increasingly, in our bodies.

Sperm scene from "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex."