Have sex in the dark if you want to get pregnant – really?

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Blackout blinds could help you conceive according to this new study.

 

 

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If you want to get pregnant, you should have sex in the dark. That’s what the tabloids are saying today, after researchers in the US and Japan found that menstrual cycles were disrupted by differences in light.

The study – on mice – found that the fertility of pre-menopausal female mice was improved or reduced by differences in the light-dark cycle – younger mice were unaffected.

So what does it really mean? Well, it’s long been known that lots of the body’s processes follow a natural daily rhythm that’s based on 24-hour day to night cycles. And previous research has shown that light at night can suppress the production of melatonin – which could affect ovulation and the viability of eggs.

This new study suggests that fertility in middle-aged women can be improved by sleeping in darkness – without streetlight seeping through the curtains and the glare of mobile phones. So it might be an idea to invest in some blackout blinds if you’re trying to conceive. But as to whether you switch the lights off or not for sex – it doesn’t make a difference!

“In modern society, females are exposed to many challenging perturbations in the environment that might play a role in fertility difficulties–we now live with high light levels in the evening, and our sleep cycle is disrupted by shift work or crossing time zones,” said co-author Gene Block, of the University of California Los Angeles.

“The ability to rescue reproductive function by altering the light schedule in a rodent model suggests that improvements in ‘circadian hygiene’–for example, reductions in evening illumination, more regular meal timing, or avoiding rotating shiftwork or schedules that lead to irregular sleep–may all be important remedies for reproductive difficulty.”

http://www.madeformums.com/news-and-gossip/have-sex-in-the-dark-if-you-want-to-get-pregnant–really/38672.html

Starving dog was found dead hanging from blinds after woman abandoned it in her flat

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Aleshia McLaverty, 23, today avoided a prison sentence after the starved maggot-infested black Labrador was discovered by shocked animal welfare officers

Belfast LiveAleshia McLaverty, leaves Antrim Court after pleading guilty to dog cruelty by leaving a dog at a house in Antrim

An emaciated pet dog was found dead hanging upside down from blinds after its owner abandoned it in her flat.

Aleshia McLaverty, 23, today avoided a prison sentence after the starved maggot-infested black Labrador was discovered by shocked animal welfare officers.

McLaverty was given a two month jail term suspended for two years and was also banned from keeping animals for five years at Antrim Magistrates Court, reportsBelfast Live.

At a previous court, Deputy District Judge Chris Holmes said pictures he was shown in the case were “the worst photos I have ever seen of cruelty to an animal”.

She pleaded guilty to charges of permitting unnecessary pain or distress to a dog under her control and being the keeper of a dog without a valid licence.

Belfast LiveAleshia McLaverty has been accused of abandoning a black Labrador dog in a flat where it was found dead "hanging from blinds". Her case at Antrim Magistrates Court has been adjourned until August
Banned: The 23-year-old can not keep another animal for five years

McLaverty no longer lives at Firmount Drive in Antrim, Belfast, where the dog was found.

Outside the court McLaverty, who has a young child, did not comment.

Malcolm Irvine, prosecuting, said after receiving a report from a member of the public about a dead dog at a property, animal welfare officers gained entry to the property in April last year to be met with a “pungent” smell and a house full of flies with floors covered with dog faeces.

An emaciated Labrador-cross type dog was found dead hanging upside down from a blind cord with maggots in its mouth and eyes.

Mr Irvine said there was no food and the toilet bowl was dry suggesting the dog had drank from it and there were scratch marks on packets of food consistent with the dog trying to find something to eat.

A post mortem revealed the dog died of dehydration and starvation and it was likely in its death throes it tried to jump through a window in a last gasp bid to escape but then became entangled on a blind.

Google MapsAleshia McLaverty has been accused of abandoning a black Labrador dog in a flat where it was found dead "hanging from blinds". Her case at Antrim Magistrates Court (pictured) has been adjourned until August
Antrim Magistrates Court

During interviews McLaverty first said the dog belonged to her sister and that she herself did not live in the house as she had gone to stay with her mother but later in court she pleaded guilty to the offences.

Defence barrister Aaron Thompson said it was a “tragic case of passive neglect” and said the house was registered to McLaverty but she took nothing to do with it and her sister had lived in the address at some stage.

He said although McLaverty owned the dog she did not have direct control of it and the house was “abandoned” and had not been lived in for some time.

He said it was the sort of tragic case which “captures the ire of the community” and he said McLaverty, who now lives with her partner and their child, was “very emotional and distressed” and came to the court with a “good character” and with a clear record.

By her guilty plea he said she accepted she knew the dog was in the house and “effectively did nothing about it”.

Suspending a two months jail term for two years, District Judge Alan White said he had to give credit for the guilty plea and her clear record and the fact she has a “new baby” and he ordered her to pay costs of £119.

Eighty new jobs at Decora Blinds

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Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Jonathan Bell is joined by Decora Blind Systems Managing Director Stuart Dickson as the Minister announces an investment which will create 80 new jobs over the next two years at the family-owned company�

Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Jonathan Bell is joined by Decora Blind Systems Managing Director Stuart Dickson as the Minister announces an investment which will create 80 new jobs over the next two years at the family-owned company”s Lisburn factory. Picture: Michael Cooper

HAVE YOUR SAY

Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Jonathan Bell MLA has announced Decora Blind Systems plans to expand in Lisburn, creating 80 new jobs over the next two years.

The family-owned blind manufacturing business is benefiting from an Invest Northern Ireland employment grant of £240,000 towards the new jobs. Recruitment is underway and 43 of the roles are already in place.

Jonathan Bell said: “Over the last 35 years, Decora has grown into a dynamic, innovative business and this expansion, supported by Invest NI, underlines its drive and ambition to succeed in markets outside Northern Ireland.

“Decora is ranked as one of the largest window blind producers in the UK and its clients include some of the largest independent blind companies in the country.

“The company has focused on manufacturing and wholesaling speciality products, introducing contemporary ranges with high value design properties.

“Once in place, the 80 new jobs will generate £1.4 million annually in additional salaries and offer employment opportunities across a range of roles including customer service and manufacturing.”

Stuart Dickson, Managing Director of Decora Blinds Systems, said: “Decora’s business growth over the past five years has been consistent. Our continued goal is to ensure employee, customer and supplier relationships are harnessed to their full potential.

“This makes sure that we continue to have the passion, creativity and imagination to continue to produce blind solutions that deliver and communicate value to our customers.

“We use this dedicated work ethic along with state of the art processes and systems for endless product possibilities.

“We are striving to create new opportunities for continued growth across our workforce to support the corporate strategy.”