What if we could talk about it? In an ideal world, men and women could openly discuss their trouble building a family. Changing the way we speak to one another is the first step.

When you’re the friend…

People often advise loved ones to “stop thinking about it” or say, “You could always adopt.” Although you may think you are comforting someone by telling her about your pal who got pregnant after three miscarriages, hold back. “Don’t try to solve the problem, because you can’t,” cautions SELF contributing editor Catherine Birndorf, M.D.

Instead, simply say, “I love you and want to support you in any way that I can.” Then make a serious and specific gesture; infertility patients suggest offering a hand to hold at a doctor’s appointment or buying a mutual friend’s baby gift to spare your pal the pain of doing it herself.

View the full article at Self

A sure way to have more stress is to become a control freak – or more of one. If an employee wants more stress, all he has to do is work for a control-freak boss who puts unnecessary pressure on stretched-too-thin employees.

These bosses may have good intentions in attempting to control the work and behavior of their subordinates, thinking they’re being helpful, not controlling. Or maybe the boss is a rescuer happy to take over when people turn to her in need. Or she notices when others are in trouble and wants to keep them from failing. Perhaps she believes no one can do the work as well as she, so she steps in. (Perfectionism is a common trait among control freaks.)

Control freaks know how things “should” and “shouldn’t” be done. An employee could produce the desired outcome for the boss but if it’s not done his way, it’s not good enough. So they’re often the micro-managers at work. It’s difficult to just let others do their thing. But micro-managing is very de-motivating to employees.

Usually, it’s a supervisory weakness when employees don’t produce good work. Either they’re not trained well enough, there’s too much looking over their shoulders or priority switching. To get better results, it’s usually the supervisor who must change his approach.

Grocery store specials on milk, butter and other pantry staples offer little promise for Brenda Eich to save money. Her youngest son has an intolerance to milk and soy protein.

Those two ingredients rule out anything from macaroni and cheese to ice cream for 5-year-old Carson.

He doesn’t get anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction that can cause death. But he does have gastrointestinal problems if he has milk or soy protein. The only solution is avoiding those ingredients.

“I just buy whatever is safe for him. It really doesn’t matter what it costs,” says Eich, 42, of Sioux Falls.

With a household of five, including two teenage boys and her husband, Tobey, groceries bills are high. Eich often shops at specialty stores like Meadowsweet Markets to buy Carson’s mainstays, like vegan cheese slices and his favorite snack, Rice Dream, an ice cream substitute that’s $4 per quart.

The Eich family is a glimpse into the confusing and expensive world of food allergies and sensitivities. Expenses run the gamut, from doctor’s visits to maintaining a supply of EpiPens, which can run around $100 for a two-pack.

View the full article at Argus Leader

Rep erred in saying IVF treatment is covered — and so it is

Dear Fixer: In my Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois PPO plan, I have coverage for infertility, but the wording was unclear to me.

My policy basically read that I have a $20,000 lifetime maximum for infertility and coverage of four in vitro fertilization treatments. It also includes that to qualify for IVF I had to prove I needed it. I tried four different infertility treatments before IVF and was approved for IVF by the doctor.

The part that was unclear was whether the four IVF treatments were included in the $20,000 lifetime maximum. Logically, I was thinking that maybe it was not included in the lifetime max since one IVF cycle can cost up to $16,000 or so, so mathematically speaking, it didn’t add up. Four IVF treatments would cost about $60,000.

Also, to prove I was a valid candidate for IVF, I had to go through many other infertility treatments that cost a lot of money. So to ensure I’d even be approved, I would have to use a big chunk, if not all, of the lifetime maximum.

View the full article at Chicago Sun Times

Men and yeast have something in common: they use the same molecular process to ensure the integrity of their gene pool during reproduction. This is a recent finding by researchers from CNRS, Inserm and the Université Joseph Fourier in Grenoble. The scientists are studying yeast in order to shed light on the numerous cases of male infertility related to the malfunction of this process during spermatogenesis.

View the full article at Science Daily