It's still pretty summery in most places but soon enough fall and winter will be here, which means instead of cranking the A/C on your way to work you'll be hitting the seat-warmer switch.

Or maybe you'll want to think twice about that...

A recent study in Germany found that the heated seats found in more and more vehicles as a luxury option are not only heating people's chilly bums but they're also essentially cooking men's privates and causing them to have significantly lower sperm counts.

Of course this is really only an issue for guys who are trying to have a baby, in which case experts recommend wearing loose undies, making frequent stops on long trips, and trying to use the heated seats as little as possible.

Via Autoblog

Source

Source

The latest in fertility treatment might come down to a simple diet -- for both men and women.

Researchers reported last week that obese men tend to make less semen and have abnormal sperm. This finding adds to recent research showing that obese women are more likely to be infertile.

There's nothing too scientific about the implication of this research. It's simple: Men and women who wish to conceive should first achieve an ideal body weight.

Source

I'm going to warn all of you ladies in your late-20s and early-30s who hope to someday have children, that taking this fertility quiz may make cause you to feel the following: depressed, hopeless, discouraged, desperate and fruitless (in more ways that one).

Like a lot of you out there, I'd like to have kids some day but a) would ideally like to do it within a loving and committed relationship, and b) want to wait a bit until I've seen the world, established myself at a job I enjoy and feel ready to not be completely selfish and only think about myself. Unfortunately, I'm nowhere close to accomplishing most of these things and I'm already 28 which, according the quiz, means my fertility rate is starting to decline -- quickly.

Apparently only 1 out of 12,000 respondents got all 15 questions about fertility correct (I think my score was a lofty 12), which isn't very encouraging. You can take the test here and see how well you do, and also learn some interesting and potentially very important facts about fertility and conception. And if any of you out there waited until your mid-to late-30s to have kids and have some encouraging stories to tell the rest of us, please share. It may help ease a few minds that, after reading the information provided, are envisioning a life of dried-up, barren solitude.

Source

When rumors started to surface last week that Nicole Richie may be pregnant, I thought to myself "how the heck did that happen?" While she may have gained some weight recently, according to the information provided when she was arrested less than a year ago, Richie is 5'1" and weighs 85 lbs, giving her a BMI of 16.1 which is well under the healthy BMI minimum of 18.

So I figured that the notoriously skinny star was way too thin to conceive, but while being underweight may hinder your chances of getting pregnant, it doesn't make it impossible. However, according to this, she (and other soon-to-be moms who were underweight at conception) should gain up to 40 lbs throughout her pregnancy.

That may seem like a lot for someone so small, but as most future moms would say, if it's good for the baby, it's OK with me. If you're trying to conceive, or are already pregnant and are concerned with weight gain and the effects it will have on your body, take a look here for additional information.

Source