A Woman’s Healthy Reproductive System-Sex Education (visual learners)
No commentsBy jane carrasco
Your reproductive system is extremely sensitive and without a healthy reproductive system, it can be very difficult to get pregnant. Many women suffer from infertility. Seeing a physician and having regular pap smears and breast exams are important steps in keeping your reproductive system healthy.
The slightest hormonal imbalance can disrupt the reproductive system which is why it is so important to take care of it. Some factors that can seriously impair your reproductive health include: endometriosis, PCOS , pelvic prolapse, pelvic inflammatory disease, and cervical cancer.
The organs of the reproductive system are:
Uterus- Also called the womb, the uterus is a hollow, pear shaped organ with a muscular wall and a lining. The uterus expands many times in size during pregnancy to hold the growing fetus.
Fallopian Tubes- These thin, soft tubes extend from the uterus to the ovaries. During ovulation, an ovary releases an egg into the fallopian tube next to it.
Ovaries– The ovaries are located in the left and right lower abdomen. Ovaries produce eggs as well as hormones like estrogen and progesterone.
Cervix– The cervix is the lower portion of the uterus that opens into the vagina. During labor, the cervix dilates (expands) to about 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter.
Vagina– This tube-like organ connects the uterus to the outside of the body. The birth of a baby follows it’s path.
Hymen– The hymen (also called maidenhead) is a fold of mucous membrane which surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening. It forms part of the vulva, or external genitalia.
Menstruation, or “period,” is the term given to a woman’s periodic discharge of blood, tissue, fluid and mucus from the reproductive organs of sexually mature females. The flow usually lasts from 3 - 6 days each month and is caused by a sudden reduction in the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
When girls begin to go through puberty (usually starting between the ages of 8 and 13), their bodies and minds change in many ways. The hormones bodies stimulate new physical development, such as growth and breast development. Roughly 2 years after a girl’s breasts begin to develop, she usually gets her first menstrual period.
A woman is fertile only for a few days during each menstrual cycle and once ovulation has occurred, there is only a 24 hour period in which fertilization can take place. The reproductive process begins with the ovary releasing an egg and setting it off on it’s journey down the fallopian tube towards the uterus. In the fallopian tube, it begins to produce an enzyme that helps attract the sperm from the males ejaculation.
A man releases millions of sperm when he ejaculates but only a few hundred will be able to make it all the way from the cervix up into the uterus and then into the correct fallopian tube. Once there, only one sperm will then be able to make its way through the eggs tough coating to fertilize the egg.
After fertilization, the egg continues into the uterus where it implants itself into the endometrial lining and officially becomes an embryo.
A missed menstrual period is most often the first sign of pregnancy, but typically, additional symptoms and signs are experienced in the early stages of pregnancy. These include:
-Breast swelling, tenderness, and pain
-Nausea and vomiting
-Fatigue and tiredness
-Abdominal boating
-Frequent urination
-Elevated basal body temperature
-Changes in nipple color
-Melasma (darkening of the skin)
-Mood swings and stress
Sometimes a woman who is pregnant may still experience some bleeding or spotting around the time of the expected period. This small amount of bleeding commonly that occurs at the time of the expected menstrual period may be implantation bleeding. This occurs when the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall. It’s important to remember that not all women will experience all of these symptoms or have the symptoms to the same degree.
An at home pregnancy can tell whether or not there is a pregnancy as early as the first day of the missed period, which is about two weeks after conception. You should schedule a doctors appointment and get a check up and pregnancy test as soon as possible if you think you might be pregnant.
Pregnancy tests are based upon measurement of the hormone which is only present in a woman when she is pregnant, human chorionic gonadotrophin, or hCG. This hormone is made after the egg is fertilized and its levels rise rapidly in early pregnancy. It acts to support progesterone, a hormone necessary to maintain the pregnancy.
Unfortunately, things don’t always work as mother nature intended. Infertility effects many women for many different reasons. If you have any signs that things might not feel right or if you are having any issues with your menstrual periods, contact physician and have an exam.
Jane Carrasco has created a site where you can learn more about reproductive health and other women’s health issues. This article was originally posted at GoodLife4Women.
Information Security Degree - High Demand - Great Salaries
By David Cassell
Do you know where your sensitive information is or more importantly who is responsible safeguarding it? In all likelihood your personal, sensitive information is sitting in various computer databases throughout the country.
In all types of organizations hopefully being guarded over by diligent and educated information security professionals. Their mission in life is to ensure that this information does not fall into the wrong hands.
As you may have ascertained, the work that information security specialist perform is critical to our economy, our businesses and our government. It is really a great time to get involved in this career.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those who work in information security will see rapid job growth and greater demand for skilled technicians over a 10 years.
This trend will generate a greater demand for information security experts and lead to increases in earnings.
Furthermore, according to Payscale the current median salary for a computer security specialist is $70,943.00 annually. Salaries are expected to trend upwards in the foreseeable future.
The salary prospects are strong because unlike many IT jobs, outsourcing data integrity or information security work will likely remain ill advised.
This is due to the various limitations placed on those organizations whose business it is to have access to such sensitive information.
Education and training will of course remain vital to this industry. Those who have attained the proper credentials will not only be in the highest demand but also are expected to see the highest paying jobs.
If you are considering a degree in information security, try to begin with the end in mind. What level of degree do you wish to attain? An associate’s, bachelor’s or even a master’s degree?
An associate’s degree will likely impart a good amount of technical knowledge and allow for an entry level position to the graduate. Fortunately an associate’s degree can be acquired while working towards a bachelor’s degree.
A bachelor’s degree is generally considered the standard foundation from which a professional career is built and will of course open many more doors than what would be expected from a two year degree.
Finally, a graduate degree would best serve those who already have a healthy amount of industry experience. A graduate information security degree can also be beneficial to those seeking management positions or a career change.
In addition to earning a degree a student may also earn various vendor neutral certifications in information security.
Most notable are the Certified Information Systems Security Professional or the Systems Security Certified Practitioner offered by ISC.
The ISC is largely regarded as a standard in the industry. The Security certification offered by CompTIA is also be a good credential to attain.
There are of course specific certifications which are designed to capitalize on technologies provided for by vendors such as Symantec or Cisco Systems. Fortunately, some degree programs may require or at least provide training specific for these certifications.
Such degrees will look great on a resume and demonstrate that you are serious about your career. So seek out a stringent information security degree when you are evaluating your options.
The career prospects and competitive salaries are just icing on the cake. With terrorism and hacking on the rise, information security is one career where potential students can feel that there are making a difference.
If you want to seriously boost your salary and promotion prospects check out Select Courses where you’ll find all the free information you’ll need on distance education computer degrees and many other degrees in fast growing industries
Saturday, November 22nd, 2008 at 4:55 am and is filed under education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
