Motherhood is special, and it’s fitting that a whole holiday exists to honor moms everywhere. That said, for some women, Mother’s Day isn’t the easiest holiday to get through. For people who struggle with infertility, or have lost their mother recently, this Sunday in May can sting.
In a Glow Community poll, we asked users who were trying to conceive how they planned to spend Mother’s Day. Over a thousand women responded, with the majority reporting that they planned to spend the day “Celebrating others.” Even so, “Ignore it” and “Cry” were the next most popular answers. Let’s just say, it can be emotionally draining to see what seems like all of your friends smiling and enjoying their large, fertile families during this particular spring weekend.
Step moms can also go through an emotional roller coaster on Mother’s Day. Some Glow users expressed feeling unappreciated by their step children, even if they’ve been loving them for a decade or more.
If you’re one of our users who chose “Ignore it,” or “Cry,” Glow is here to tell you that those are both totally acceptable responses. Be in tune with your mind and body; it’s fine to sit with these emotions. Also, if you sense you may feel sad this mother’s day, stay off the internet! Unplugging from social media and spending time doing something you love is a much more constructive approach to the the holiday. And always remember that Glow is here for you! You’ll be surprised at how many women in the Glow Community could be feeling the same things as you this weekend.
This morning, we announced our new collaboration with the National Institute of Health. If you’ve already read the announcement and the technical speak went over your head, don’t be embarrassed! Here’s the breakdown:
What does all that fancy medical language mean?
In a nutshell, two researchers from the National Institute of Health created a model to figure out how to predict a couple’s likelihood of conceiving, but they only had study-specific data – not real world numbers. Since we at Glow collect real-world data on the exact topics the researchers were investigating (menstrual cycle length, intercourse patterns, etc.), and because we have humongous quantities of that data, we’ve agreed to share our anonymized data with NIH to help improve their model!
But that’s my data!
Not to worry, friends. The data we’re sharing with NIH is completely anonymized, which means it can never be traced back to you.
Okay, cool. So what does this model being improved have to do with me?
It means that YOUR data will advance research and help families for years to come! Every time you log cramps, mood swings, period flow or sexy time in the Glow app, you’re helping more and more future couples get pregnant, or at least understand their chances. You’re basically superheroes. 👍💁💜
Want to learn more? Check out our official press release here.
When we talk about infertility, we often hear individual stories and experiences — it can be hard to grasp what’s happening at a population level. But it’s not impossible! Millions of women across the country use mobile apps to track their fertility, and this data can be anonymized and analyzed to advance our understanding of the condition.
In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, we dove into the data contributed by our Community of 8M+ women to see what we could learn about infertility. The results surprised us! Here’s what we saw:
1. Infertility rates differ by state.
Washington DC, Florida, and Hawaii see the highest rates of infertility, according to Glow data. And the most fertile population on the Glow app hails from Vermont — must be something about that Ben & Jerry’s :)
See what other super interesting facts we learned, here!
Guys, starting today, Eve has an Ambassador Program. GET PUMPED 💪
Basically this is your chance to build the period positive + sex positive + body positive world you wish to see, and get ah-mazing & FREE Eve swag while doing it.
Read more about the program here and join our *brand new* Eve Ambassadors group to stay in the loop!
Here’s how to find it:
First, click the search icon on the upper right of Eve Community.
Then, type in “Ambassador”, select “Groups” and then click the “Join!” button next to the Eve Ambassadors group!
As an Evette, you know that sex and periods are NOT something to be ashamed of. Our bodies deserve love! And we need to lead the way in spreading that love to all the ladies.
Check out the Eve Ambassador community group and this post for next steps :)
Why ask one friend about her experience with fertility when you can hear from millions?
Our newest feature Glow Pages collects the experiences of millions into one searchable directory. Glow Pages provides crowdsourced reviews of fertility clinics and products, searchable both online and in the Glow app.
Consider it the next step in our mission to empower you and your health :)
New lovers are so fun but so tricky. You’re trying to figure out if they *actually* like you, and then there’s the physical stuff: holding hands becomes a first kiss, clothes come off, you’re sleeping over…
Before things get too hot and heavy, it’s a good idea to have the talk. Yep, the talk—the one where you learn about past sexual history and when they last got tested for STIs.
This may sound like an insanely awkward convo, but in general, women are unfazed. Over 60% of women discuss past sexual histories before sleeping with their partner, and almost 20% of women require their partner to get tested before sex, according to polls in Glow Community.
These women are wise: Recall that 1 in 3 Americans currently has a sexually transmitted infection (STI). And STIs can be transmitted via a number of intimate situations; they’re different than pregnancy, so they’re not limited to P-in-V sex!
No matter how cringe-worthy it is to bring up STIs, it’s way better than freaking out because you don’t know your partner’s status. So, how do you float the topic without killing the mood? A few ideas:
Setting Matters
Find a private spot for the conversation—your place, their place, maybe even in bed! Feeling a sense of privacy will help both of you feel comfortable opening up. Definitely avoid bars, restaurants, and other public places; the last thing you want is an interruption (or an eavesdropper)!
Say You Like Them
Real talk: It’s 100% amazing to hear your someone say that they’re into you! Why not give that gift to your crush? If you’re feeling good about how things are going, say it out loud. It’s a sure way to get your crush smiling. It’s also a natural lead-in to talking about how things have been heating up—a fact that you should both pause to acknowledge.
Float the Topic
Your crush is going to feed off your energy, so why not keep it light-hearted? Here are a few lines you can experiment with, depending on your style:
The Cool Cucumber: “Hey, tell me about your last relationship!”
The Smarty Pants: “Just want to make sure we’re being smart how we proceed here…when was the last time you got tested?”
The Clean Machine: “I’m clean and I’m planning on keeping it that way so…anything I should know about?”
The Popular Girl: “A friend of mine got an STD recently, so I’m trying to be extra careful moving forward. When was the last time you got tested?“
The Holiday Lover: “In honor of STI awareness month, tell me about last time you got tested!”
Being casual about whichever line you choose sets the expectation that the convo is totally and completely normal. And initiating in general shows that you’re a total badass and not afraid to break the ice with hard Qs. People find that kind of thing unbelievably hot :)
The T Word
Your crush might give you tons of details on past sexual partners and testing, but if they don’t, it’s fair game to be direct. Choosing to intertwine your bodies means choosing to intertwine your health, and you have a right to know what you’re getting into!
If your crush is super experienced with the testing process, then they’ll know the drill. If it’s someone who’s unfamiliar with the process, this is your opportunity to be supportive and show what you know. You can tell them to talk to their doctor, or just order an STI test online and get tested at home! There are a few different at-home STI testing services—myLAB Box is our favorite.
Lead By Example
If you really want to be a leader, you can get tested before you even initiate the conversation. Doing this shows that you take testing seriously, and that you’re more than willing to meet halfway. Having your free-and-clear test results in hand puts you in a great position to open up a discussion about sexual health.
These are hard convos to have, but obviously you’re going to rock it. Best of luck, heart eyes! See you on the other side ;)
Acne is the freaking worst. Clearly you wish you knew what was causing it, right? Well, look no further than your menstrual cycle — turns out the hormones that make you get your period are behind a bunch of other stuff, too.
We dug into our Eve data to see when in your cycle you can expect fabulous skin, and when you’ll want to hide your face. Then we blogged about it on Medium. Check out what we discovered here!
Back in March, we assured you that you didn’t need to panic about the Zika virus. While we acknowledged that the virus was a real condition that was causing birth defects for a growing number of babies in Brazil, it was nothing to worry about for the average American.
Unfortunately, the threat of Zika has grown in the past six months, and the press freak-out has been intense. Reporters and bloggers have warned us to avoid honeymoons and babymoons anywhere near Zika-infected areas. Some athletes even chose to skip the Rio Olympics due to risk of Zika exposure.
Wondering if it’s time to freak out, right? We are, too. To start, here’s what’s changed about Zika since March–and what you can do to protect yourself whether you’re pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or just intent on staying healthy.
Something you definitely don’t need to panic about: mosquitoes the size of kittens
In March, Zika was a serious threat in Brazil only. Since then, Zika has also penetrated the Caribbean and all of Central and South America; the CDC has updated their travel warnings accordingly. Until July, the only instances of Zika in the continental U.S. were contracted when traveling in infected areas. Then Zika-infected mosquitoes turned up in Miami. Forty-nine people have been infected in the Miami area since.
What’s more, mosquitoes are no longer the only beings to blame for Zika’s geographical movement; recently we’ve seen a few cases of American women contracting Zika from sexual contact with infected men. In addition, it turns out that Zika doesn’t just put your baby at risk. Research published just last week shows that those infected with Zika have a higher risk of developing Guillain-Barré Syndrome—a rare condition that causes the immune system to attack nerves and leads to progressive paralysis.
In spite of how scary this sounds and how intimidating the media frenzy is, it’s not worth panicking just yet. Widespread spraying of the affected areas is already happening in Miami, so mosquitoes carrying Zika are unlikely to rapidly move to other parts of Florida (fun fact: Zika-transmitting mosquitoes typically travel less than 400 meters in their entire lives!). Experts say that local mosquitoes are only likely to spread Zika where they’ve previously spread other illnesses, like dengue fever. That narrows the field to small portions of southern Florida and the southern tip of Texas.
Of course, Zika will continue evolving, as viruses do, and the virus will will most likely begin to improve its person-to-person (instead of mosquito-to-person) transmission, so we’ll have to keep an eye on that. What’s more, scientists are working quickly to develop a vaccine for Zika— in fact, it’s already being tested in humans.
So, unless you travel frequently to Latin America or live in Miami, it’s unlikely that Zika will affect your life very much. Despite your location, it’s worth it to take a few precautions. Here’s how you can stay safe, whether you’re trying to conceive and planning travel in Latin America or just working to have the healthiest pregnancy possible:
Wear insect repellent, especially the kind that contains DEET. Especially important in tropical areas, but useful everywhere. Zika isn’t the only disease mosquitoes carry, and bug bites are annoying, even if they’re not transmitting anything but a nagging itch.
Use condomswhen having sex with a new partner. This is a good practice in general, but especially when you’re canoodling with someone who’s been traveling (most especially if their travels have brought them to Florida or Latin America!) If you’re pregnant or trying to make a baby, make sure your partner also limits travel to high-risk areas and wears insect repellent if/when he or she is on the road.
Talk to your doctor about further precautions to take or if you have any questions. She’ll know the specifics of your situation and will be able to advise you accurately.
