TresSugar

What Is Precocious Puberty?

Tara Block — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:38 PDT

Most of us can recall how difficult and confusing puberty was, and especially the end of that transitory time: getting your first period. But can you imagine going through that awkward process in first grade? For a growing number of today's young girls, this is a reality. A recent New York Times piece explores "precocious puberty," a term being used for the growing percentage of girls entering puberty by age 7.

Typically, the stages of puberty for girls begin with breast growth, followed by pubic hair growth, and then ending with a first period. What researchers are finding is that breast growth is beginning earlier and earlier, but the first period average is staying pretty consistent at 12 years old. While possible factors for this precocious puberty include obesity, environmental toxins, and stress, it is interesting that the percentages vary so much by race. These early bloomers - or girls developing breasts by 7 - made up of 23 percent of black girls, 15 percent of Hispanic girls, 10 percent of white girls, and 2 percent of Asian girls. The cause of this disparity hasn't yet been fully explored. Is it genetics? Are there environmental issues to be taken into account?

Clearly, there's a lot more research to be done, as it seems like there are more questions than answers when it comes to what causes precocious puberty, its long-term effects, and whether it should be treated as a disorder. There are risks associated with early periods, such as depression, stunted growth, and breast cancer, but when it comes to psychological issues, it's a gray area. Is it easier for a young girl entering puberty to be treated as if there's something wrong with her, taking medications to halt puberty until she can better deal with it? Or is it better for her parents to treat it as "normal," and help her cope with the changes? And what happens when a 10-year-old girl has the brain of a fifth grader and the body of a high schooler?

Were you a late or early bloomer? Share your puberty stories - for better or worse - in the comments.

You Might Be Catching an STD From Online Dating

Annie Scudder — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:40:42 PDT

Our neighbors up north are having more problems down south. In Canada, syphilis and chlamydia rates have risen and some public health experts point to the popularity of online dating as a likely culprit.

When you meet someone online, you probably know a good amount about his or her interests, background, and personality before you get in bed thanks to the profile and communication that happens upfront. This greater sense of intimacy might make people less likely to use condoms with partners they meet online, versus those they meet out at a bar, for example.

Since 2000, cases of syphilis grew 10 times, chlamydia rates have jumped 66 percent, and HIV rates among heterosexual women have also spiked in Canada. And in America, rates are up, too. A survey of online dating trends in Canada found that 25 percent of Canadians have tried online dating and 16 percent had sex with someone they met online. The author of Seductive Delusions - How Everyday People Catch STDs explains the risk: "Typically, the more we know someone, the less likely in general we are to think they have an STD . . . ‘Oh, they’re like me, they’re not going to have an STD.'" Older people, who are no longer at risk of pregnancy or worry about performance issues are also likely to skip condoms. And just the mere fact that it's easier for everyone to find sex partners online could help explain the uptick.

So whether or not you spot a lack of personal pronouns, a short profile, or other signs that a guy is lying on his profile, use a condom when you sleep with him!

7 Signs He May Be Lying on His Online Dating Profile

Tara Block — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:00:52 PST

A new study in The Journal of Communication analyzing online dating profiles discovered the ways daters lie about themselves. The researchers concluded that how someone describes himself or herself is about as important as what personal information they share. While the research is not guaranteed to decipher the truth-tellers from the Pinocchios, there are some words and other clues (whether the fellas are aware of them or not) that can help you weed out the liars when you're online dating. Here are seven signs that your potential match may be less than honest:

He Doesn't Mention Food
If a guy's lying about his physical appearance, he'll avoid words like "food" and "eating."

He Uses a Lot of Motion Words
Because lying is more difficult, it's easier to throw in motion words like "walk," "move," and "go."

He Avoids Negative Emotion Words
If he's trying to appear like Mr. Perfect when he's far from it, he's going to avoid negative words like "hate," "worthless," and "sorry."

He Doesn't Use Personal Pronouns
A liar will distance himself from the fake info by avoiding personal pronouns like "I," "me," and "myself."

He Uses Negations
Instead of saying he's happy or excited, a liar is more likely to use negations like "not sad" and "not boring," as well as words like "no" and "never."

His Profile Is Short
Liars tend to have shorter profiles in order to keep the lies they have to remember to a minimum.

He Talks a Lot About Work
While a man who's lying about his weight is likely to use less food and eating-related words, he's more likely to talk about his work success and achievements.

12 Ways to Get a Craigslist Missed Connection

Tara Block — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:05:57 PST

If you spent Valentine's Day on your own or out with girlfriends, you may be scouring your local Craigslist Missed Connections today for a fellow single guy who caught your eye on the romantic holiday. These online personals range from funny to creepy to sweet, but who can resist the thought of finding love in such an unlikely way? Sure, cheesy or awkward Missed Connections can be fun to laugh at, but they can also be a fascinating way to look at modern dating habits. Brooklyn artist Sophie Blackall has even turned Missed Connections into art, becoming an expert on the ads along the way. And numerous studies across the US have been done on these Craigslist ads, deciphering where, how, and why they happen. So if you're hoping to see a Missed Connections with your name on it, check out these tips we've gleaned from the experts on how to make it happen!

Republicans Have More Orgasms, and More Fun Facts From Match.com's Singles Survey

Annie Scudder — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:45:03 PST

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to climax every time they have sex. Or at least that's what they reported in a new and expansive survey conducted by Match.com. In its second annual comprehensive Singles in America Study, the online dating site surveyed 5,000 singles across various demographics. Match wanted to know what men and women are looking for in sex, dating, and relationships. Here are five fun facts from the results.

30 Things We Learned From Studies in 2011

Annie Scudder — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:08:21 PST

Every day there's a steady stream of studies telling us what we already know. But sometimes those researchers looking into our love lives, sex trends, or hidden habits find something that surprises us or succinctly states something we feel instinctively. Here are 30 studies we covered in 2011 that either educated or entertained us.

Famous Never-Married Couples

Tara Block — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:49:00 PST

A recent report has found that the number of US adults who are married is at an all-time low of 51 percent, with more people marrying later in life, skipping "I do"s for economical reasons, or living together before marriage. And the married young adult decline is especially steep - 50 years ago, 60 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds were married, while today it's just 20 percent.

In Hollywood, we see engagements and weddings all the time, but there are some couples who have been together for upwards of 20-plus years with kids and everything and go by partner instead of husband and wife. See the never-married celeb couples now!

Study: Majority of Girls Face Sexually Charged Bullying

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:40:55 PST

Kids dubbing a girl a "slut" is overheard far too often across the nation. And it's not just high school or college girls we're talking about here. Middle school tween bullies commonly label girls they don't like or are mad at as "sluts." The American Association of University Women released a study this month that found 56 percent of the middle and high school girls surveyed were sexually harassed in the past school year. And most of the time, these girls are not even sexually active.

One psychologist, Maureen McHugh of Indiana University, explains that as girls experiment with more grown-up fashion and makeup choices, their peer cans brutally police them: "There's monitoring of people wearing too much makeup or dressing too provocatively, so it's a weird fine line." And the sexual harassment doesn't end with the "slut-bashing." According to a 2010 study, students who are gay are bullied three times as much as heterosexual kids.

With all of the "slut walks" and grassroots movements taking place across the country to educate people on alternative lifestyles, and an attempt to reclaim the word "slut" itself, this research seems to suggest kids aren't getting the sex-positive message. I'm curious; did you ever experience these types of taunts?

Study Says Men Are (Just a Little) Funnier Than Women

Annie Scudder — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:55:53 PDT

Have you ever watched an episode of South Park with a guy and found yourself shaking your head while he's laughing hysterically? I admit that while the show can make me chuckle sometimes, I just don't seem to find the jokes as hilarious as the men in my life do. Well now science might explain that. Researchers at UC San Diego set out to determine which sex is the funniest. They found that men are the funnier sex - but not by very much and mostly to other men.

The researchers had men and women caption New Yorker cartoons. Then, undergrads rated them zero to five. While captions authored by men were judged funnier, the margin was very small. Men earned an average of .11 more points than the women. And men did much better with other men. Women only gave male-written captions an average of 0.06 more points, while men gave men .16 more points than female writers on average.

One author of the study, Nicholas Christenfeld, said he finds it "sad for the guys who think that by being funny they will impress the ladies, but really just impress other men who want to impress the ladies." I guess the joke's on them.

Medical Groups Disagree on HPV vs. Pap Tests For Cervical Cancer Prevention

Tara Block — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:05:00 PDT

Today several medical groups have released proposals on cervical cancer prevention, and while they agree on the current guidelines that recommend women 21 to 29 get Pap tests every three years instead of yearly, they disagree on HPV screenings.

The US Preventative Services Task Force says that women under 30 should not be using HPV tests alone or in combination with a Pap to screen for cervical cancer. Even though the HPV virus can lead to cervical cancer, in younger women it usually clears out on its own. And the government-run task force notes that "screening for HPV causes more false positive cancer results than the Pap smear alone."

While the task force isn't for HPV testing, the guidelines issued by the American Cancer Society, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology say routine HPV tests should be an option along with Pap tests.

"The main difference is that, dating back to 2002, the American Cancer Society and several other organizations recommended that HPV testing, along with the Pap test, is a good option for screening women starting at age 30," says Debbie Saslow, the American Cancer Society's director of breast and gynecologic cancer.

Luckily, the groups are taking public comment before coming together with a final set of consistent guidelines in the next couple months. Let's hope they are less confusing than these initial proposals!

What do you think about the every-three-year Pap for cervical cancer? (Not to be confused with a yearly breast and pelvic checkup.) Doctors have and continue to push the yearly Pap, sometimes making it mandatory before getting a yearly birth control prescription. But whether it's gyno-suggested or not, are you still getting a yearly Pap test, or do you spread it out over every few years like the new recommendations say?