God knows that the news lately has been anything but fun, so I was touched a few days ago when I happened upon the whimsical announcement that a 22-year-old giant panda named Mei Xiang gave birth to a tiny cub a few days ago at the Smithsonian National Zoo. But as I continued reading, I nearly spit out my water when I learned that it was rather remarkable that she even got pregnant at all, given that giant pandas only ovulate once a year! You read that right. ONCE A YEAR. So for those of you who are trying to get pregnant, count your blessings that you have about 12 times the annual opportunity of pandas. In her particular case, [...]

One of the most humiliating experiences I’ve ever had ultimately changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. I take you back to 1982 (gasp). While waiting for an interview for a ‘women’s health educator’ position at a women’s clinic on Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles, I fidgeted with dread. Anticipating the interview, my eyes wandered, glancing over the all-too-familiar paraphernalia of all women’s clinics: the requisite posters warning about sexually transmitted infections, the charts comparing methods of birth control, and the plastic models of the female reproductive system. But what I most remember is being struck with the futility of it all. What was I thinking? I had absolutely no training in the field. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. [...]