Quality of sperm, not donors' age matters

It is the sperm quality of the donor and not his age that matters in the success of fertility treatment with sperm donation, a study says.

The age of the sperm donor was of little significance in couples having sperm donation for fertility treatment, the findings showed.

"It is sperm quality rather than male age that matters," said Meenakshi Choudhary, from Britain's Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life.

"Our results suggest that, up to the age of 45, there is little effect of male age on the treatment's outcome," Choudhary added.

The findings reaffirm the observation that a couple's fertility appears significantly more dependent on the age of the female partner than on that of the male.

Their conclusions were derived from an analysis of all Britain treatment cycles with sperm donation registered by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) between 1991 and 2012.

From a total of more than 2,30,000 sperm donation cycles, 39,282 were from a first cycle of treatment (with either IVF or donor insemination) and were included in the analysis (a first cycle would avoid any bias from previous attempts).

Results showed a difference according to female age, both in the IVF (in vitro fertilisation) and the donor insemination treatments.

Live birth rate from IVF with donated sperm was around 29 percent in the 18-34 age group, but only around 14 percent in the over-37 age group.

However, within these same two female age bands, no significant differences were found in live birth rate (LBR) relative to the age of sperm donor.

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Love laced stories and emotional sagas

A woman hopelessly falls in love with a suave hotelier; her good-looking best friend enters and she realises how fickle the heart can be.

Another woman finds unexpected friendship and experiences love in strange situations and a couple go through a turbulent phase of their life. All these stories reflect contemporary tales of love. Take a look at the bookshelf.

Book: When Only Love Remains
Author: Durjoy Datta
Publisher: Penguin Metro Reads
Pages: 278

I have imagined this in my head so many times. I have always thought about what I would say and what I would do, and how it would all turn out to be.

And every time I would remove some detail....

She is a flight attendant - young, bright and living her dream. He is a heartbroken singer on his way to making it big.

She is an ardent fan of his. He can't imagine why and yet seems to find comfort in her words.

It's the first time they are together and in their hearts both wish, hope and pray that the night never ends. That the time they are spending together
lasts and lasts...

In the world of imperfection, there is always someone just right.

Book: Secrets and Second Chances
Author: Anita Shirodkar
Publisher: Rupa
Pages: 308

Nandita Dharkar, a strikingly beautiful and talented architect, relocates to Mumbai from Delhi, seeking new horizons and compelling explanations about ghosts from her mother's past.

As she revels in her new-found independence and forges new friendships, her job at a prestigious architect's firm brings suave hotelier Aryan Rai into her life - and she falls hopelessly in love with him. But when her best friend, the carelessly handsome Aditya Arora, suddenly lands on her doorstep, Nandita realises how fickle the heart can be. In the midst of it all, she is unable to forget the mysterious letter she had discovered in her mother's jewellery box. When she embarks on a quest to find out the identity of the writer, shocking secrets about her mother's past come to the forefront.

Book: It's Complex
Author: Shoma Narayanan
Publisher: Rupa
Pages: 262

Jai, an aspiring scriptwriter, and Nikita, the consummate modern working woman, live in the same high-rise in Mumbai. One night, the two have a dramatic encounter when Jai rescuses Nikita from a near-fatal accident and then offers to moonlight as her driver. Thus begins a tempestuous romance which takes many unexpected twists and turns.

Jai, desperate for a break in Bollywood, enters a love-story contest in Nikita's name. Will this rash act on his part lead to a nasty break-up or will the two let their barriers fall and discover each other anew?

Find out how the young couple navigate their complicated relationship even as they deal with the many colourful characters who enter their lives.

Book: The City of Palaces
Author: Sujata Massey
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 472

Bengal, 1930. Young Pom's life changes forever when her family is wiped out in a devastating flood. She becomes a maidservant in a British boarding school where she discovers her gift for languages. Amidst the drudgery of her duties, she finds unexpected friendship and experiences the stirrings of first love. However, tragedy soon strikes, and she is forced into hiding.

Alone and desperate, she makes a dangerous journey from the secretive, decadent world of an exclusive brothel to the grand metropolis of Calcutta, the city of palaces.

Swept into the rising tide of the Indian freedom struggle, she creates a new life for herself, one that holds the promise of happiness and true love...until the past returns to haunt her.

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How to organise your kitchen

If you do not want your kitchen to look an earthquake ravaged zone then you need to bring a sense of order in your kitchen. There are simple ways to maintain a nice, clean and organized kitchen

Maintain order: Keep items from rattling around inside drawers by adding dividers in your drawers. Even while putting your cutlery, make separate drawers for different items. Don't mix spoons, forks and butter knives in one place. Keep them separately so that when you need them, you can locate them quickly. If you love to bake, you might find it handy to store your flour, sugar, baking powder, a set of measuring cups and spoons together in one convenient spot. Make sure that you store frequently-used objects in easy-to-locate places in your kitchen. Make sure every item in your kitchen has earned its right to be in your kitchen.

Get rid of clutter: Are you still clinging on to that mixer-grinder even if it's no more in working condition? Get rid of anything that you no longer use. If they are in working condition and you have an excess of them, give away to somebody who needs it. Make an inventory of all the kitchen appliances, cutlery, napkins, kitchen towel, serving trays and the like. Do you really need seven serving trays? Give away whatever is in excess and you see how much space you create in your kitchen.

Waste disposal: Keep a trash can handy. They should go near the cleaning and food preparation areas. And make sure that the trash can is kept dry and clean after you dispose of the waste.

Make it personalised: Like the rest of your home, the kitchen should also reflect a part of your personality. You can put some nice funny posters, paintings, wall hangings or masks to add colours to your kitchen walls. Bring in a feel of vibrancy, colour to your kitchen and see how happy you feel while cooking.

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6 Signs she is definitely cheating on you

Sometimes suspicion and mistrust can ruin your relationship with your girlfriend. But if the matter is serious and the nagging suspicion is impossible to ignore, here are few steps to figure out if your fears are real:

1. If she turns secretive and tries to guard her conversations on the phone, leaves the room everytime she gets a call on her cell

2. If you call or text her first all the time and she doesn't bother to do so then that is a bad sign

3. If she starts picking fights too often

4. If you catch her lying, it is often a cause for concern giving signal of infidelity

5. If you find a change in the behaviour of close common friends then it is possible that they know something that you don't. Perhaps you are the last to know

6. If your girlfriend suddenly starts worrying a little more about her appearance - new clothes, make-up...she may be trying to look good for someone else. If she gets dressed up for you, that's one thing but if they seem to spend a little more time looking good to go out without you, then that might be a cause to worry.

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8 healthy foods every woman must eat

Essential nutrition for good health

While eating healthy is essential for both the sexes, men and women have different dietary requirements. Here are some foods that every woman must include in her diet...

Flax seeds

Have flax seeds daily for overall good health. They are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids and are known to reduce the risk of heart disease and breast cancer. They also have anti-inflammatory properties that prevent arthritis, apart from digestive properties which help ease irritable bowel syndrome.

Salmon

Not only is salmon rich in iron, which is usually lacking in women, but it is also full of omega-3 fatty acids, known to improve your mood. Experts say that omega-3 helps treat depression and prevent mood swings.

Cranberries

Certain studies over the years have found a link between eating cranberries and how it reduces the risk of breast cancer and heart disease. Also, they have the ability to prevent and cure urinary tract infections. Have a glass of cranberry juice every other day.

Spinach

While this might not be a much-loved food, spinach is packed with a host of vitamins, minerals and high amounts of magnesium. And magnesium is known to help reduce the physical symptoms of PMS like swelling, breast tenderness, bloating and weight gain.

Walnuts

Experts say that walnuts have omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols — all important in reducing the risk of breast cancer. The high omega-3 content also helps bone health, arthritis and depression. Walnuts also comprise nutrients like calcium, magnesium and folic acid.

Oats

Oats are bursting with health-boosting nutrients, great for female health. They keep your heart healthy, are great for digestion, keep blood pressure levels in check and also contain vitamin B6, which helps prevent PMS and mood swings. Another component — folic acid — prevents birth defects in babies and is essential for women during and after pregnancy.

Milk

Calcium deficiency is one of the major health concerns that affects women worldwide. Milk is an absolute must for women at any age. A great source of calcium, milk, when combined with vitamin D, is one of the best ways to keep osteoporosis at bay. Milk is also helpful in preventing symptoms of the dreaded PMS.

Tomatoes

A carotenoid that is essential for good health is lycopene, which is a pigment found in tomatoes. And several studies have said that lycopene can help prevent breast cancer. Apart from this, there is also evidence that suggests that it reduces the risk of heart disease.

(Compiled by Zeenia F Baria)

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Summer decor ideas for your home

As the temperature soars, enjoy your share of cool flowing space in summers and enjoy being at home

Colours of life: Didn't they say, first impressions lasts long. Spruce up your front door. Add a dash of color to your life, paint the door in bright colours if you want to make a bold statement. Even if you are living in an apartment, you can put some terra-cotta figurines and potted plants on the front, thereby creating a warm atmosphere.

Recycle fabrics and textiles. Lighten up any room by trading heavy fabrics for light and airy ones. As the temperature soars high, take down your old drapes in dark colours and replace them with an open flowing weave such as chiffon or light cotton. Add more life to your decor by adding crisp white, a bright solid or even floral patterns.

Clean up your kitchen: Spruce up cabinets with a fresh coat of paint. Put some flowers in the kitchen to give a feeling of freshness. Give your imagination a push and you can indulge in some bottle art. If you are wondering what are we talking about? Then just take out some old used bottles and then paint then in different hues. Or you can even put shells, pebbles in a bottle.

Declutter: You want a feel of free flowing space. Then decluttering is the answer. Store away things which you don't need. Or even have your share of charity by donating things to the needy. Life's always beautiful when you share. Larger, clutter-free spaces create the impression of a bigger house.

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Creative coolers for the summer

With the temperatures soaring high with every new day, coolers are the need of the hour.

In spite of the scorching heat and the bright sun burning upon us, going out is inevitable as we need to go to work and children would never refrain from going out to play. However, homemakers know how to keep them cool with the most the most innovative coolers this season.

Shikanji
It is a traditional drink which is a natural cooler. Crush mint and tulsi leaves, then add it to (sweet lime) mosambi juice and mix sugar and salt in it. Turn it in the blender for a while for the ice to get crushed and then served it cold, topped with some chaat masala.

Taal Shaans Juice
Palm is supposedly the most coolest fruit; and the best for summers as it has a lot of water content in it. Peel the fruit, grind it into a juice using a blender and mix it with the meat inside a tender coconut. The cocktail tastes wonderful.

Nutty Mango milkshake
Blend cut mangoes and chilled milk together. Add saffron and almond powder to this freshly prepared mango milkshake, and add some crushed ice. It tastes heavenly.

Homemade Mojito
Mix jaljeera powder, mint leaves, crushed ginger, lemon and a dash of amchoor. Add some crushed ice to it and shake it well. When serving, garnish it with fresh mint leaves. It's very refreshing, especially during summers.

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The battle of the burn

It's 3 am. Sharp pains have suddenly awakened you. Last night's memories of a fab dinner with friends now clash uncomfortably with the real time sensations of a full-fledged nuclear war in your stomach.

Indigestion is more common than you think. Symptoms include acidity, nausea, bloating, belching, burning sensations in the stomach or the upper abdomen, abdominal pain, gas and even vomiting.

Sometimes confused with heartburn, indigestion could be attributed to a number of causes from medical conditions (ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach infections and more) to medication (aspirin, painkillers, antibiotics, oral contraceptives). Lifestyle habits (eating too fast, eating in huge quantities, eating food that's high in fat or eating under stress) are also culprits. Additionally, if you consume too much alcohol, smoke too much or are stressed or fatigued, you are more prone to indigestion than others. Here's what you should -and shouldn't -eat to help you ease the digestive process.

Stomach this

Fibre: Foods high in fibre are wonderful for your digestive system. But there's no need to scarf down unappetising or strange foods. You need to up your intake of wholewheat bread, brown rice, oats and beans, fruits and vegetables.
Water: Water is a key lubricant for your digestive system. It facilitates the easy movement of waste, softening your stools in the process, helping prevent constipation. It also helps your body break down the food you have eaten.
Drink 8-10 glasses a day.

Drinks: Caffeine-rich drinks such as colas, teas, coffees and other fizzy drinks worsen indigestion as they increase the level of acidity in your body. Fizzy beverages also lead to bloating. For relief, ditch the above for herbal teas, milk or just plain water.

Probiotics: Probiotics are `good' bacteria, which are natural ly found in the gut, and have been associated with host of health benefits, including aiding digestion.

Food companies have started producing probiotic milk, drinks, dahi and even ice-creams.

Not this

Spices: In India, it is as hard to let go of spicy foods as it is to limit your intake of tea and coffee. Spices have been known to trigger stomach ache and heartburn, so if you find yourself in pain or discomfort regularly, try and limit your consumption of heavy, spicy meals. And if you can avoid spices completely, nothing like it! Fat: Your body finds it harder to digest fatty food items like burgers, French fries and samosas. And this is why they cause you a great deal of discomfort. The more you cut back on difficult-to-digest fried and greasy foods, the more your stomach will thank you for it. Bumping up your intake of skimmed milk and low-fat foods will spare you both the pain and the weight gain.

While this is a general list, it's always best to keep track of the foods that work or don't work for you. Try and keep a diary of the food you eat for a week or two to figure out what's behind that episode of nausea or gas. You may even realise that you are lactose intolerant, and that dairy was the culprit after all.

And lastly, please do take time out for yourself to relax your mind, and ease your stress. Indigestion is aggravated by anxiety and it's important to free your mind to free your body.

-by Pooja Makhija, Consulting Nutritionist & Clinical Dietician

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Recipe: Garlic fried rice

A favorite Indo Chinese rice preparation loved all across the country.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

A favorite Indo Chinese rice preparation loved all across the country.

Serves: 4

Recipe Ingredients:

300g rice

10 cloves garlic

2 spring onions

2 medium carrots

1 medium capsicum (green bell pepper)

1 ½ tbsp. refined oil

1 tsp light soya sauce

1 tsp vinegar

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper powder

Recipe Method:
Wash and soak the rice for ten minutes. Meanwhile put 2 liter water to boil in a pan. When the water comes to a boil, add the rice and cook the rice. Remove the rice when ¾th cooked. Drain and set aside to cool.

Finely dice the carrots and the capsicums. Finely slice the spring onion bulbs and the greens separately. Mince the garlic.

Heat oil in a wok. Add the crushed garlic and saute till golden brown in color. Add the sliced onions, carrots and the capsicums and stir fry over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the rice, oniongreens, soy sauce, vinegar, white pepper powder and stir fry over high heat for 3 minutes.

Serve hot.

Source: www.pankajbhadouria.com

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Internet propagates myths: Sidin Vadukut

Book title: The Sceptical Patriot
Author: Sidin Vadukut
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Pages: 187

In the warp-speed world of today, where fallacious information proliferates faster than the unerring one and any content that goes viral on the Internet is taken at face value, Sidin Vadukut questions the authenticity of such propagated '60 Reasons You Should Be Proud You Are an Indian' messages by digging into the history in his latest, 'The Sceptical Patriot'.

The book that looks promising in the beginning with the aim of debunking popular 'Indian facts', be it the claim that the country invented zero, or the assertion that Indians never invaded a foreign country, or the belief that Sushruta was the world's first surgeon falls flat when your quest for answers is elongated with the issues needing further delving. Nonetheless, it's a quirky read for the history enthusiasts as it offers esoteric topics in a narrative style. The chapter on 'Quotes about India' deserves a special mention for unearthing provenance of popular quotes accredited to India besides other intriguing subjects.

Here are some excerpts from the conversation we had with the author of 'Dork trilogy', Sidin Vadukut on his first non-fiction venture...

What has been the biggest surprise or learning experience while writing the book?
The biggest learning experience has to be how little I knew about Indian history. There were quite a few other things that surprised me like the extensive India archives in London, the sheer volumes of books about India that have been written, the curious passion for Indology that drove so many scholars in Germany and Austria all those years ago. These things were somewhat new to me as an amateur stumbling his way through records, but after the entire process I was left astonished at how little I knew about India.

How was the transition from fiction to non-fiction?
Both easy and hard. It was hard because I had never attempted anything as ambitious in non-fiction before and thus, I was not at all prepared for the mental and physical labour involved in writing a well-researched book on Indian history.

In fiction, I have the freedom to make last minutes changes to plot and structure. There are no narrative boundaries in fiction or at least the boundaries are pliable and forgiving, whereas, in non-fiction these boundaries are tighter and work in different ways.

The book seems to be an outcome of years of research in different fields, but are there any topics still on your mind that you couldn't include in the book?
Well not years of research, but around an year and a half of pretty intense recording and note-taking. There were plenty of topics I left out of the book. For instance, I tried but couldn't verify the number of Indians who actually work in NASA and then I also wanted to investigate the wildly popular idea that Taj Mahal pre-date the Mughals but that got dropped for want of time. Another topic I have been fascinated by is the history of food in India.

Social media has enabled a platform to deliberate where enthusiastic netizens can actively participate but do you think it's also contributing to the spread of misleading information?
I think the Internet and social media have only helped to make the problem of misinformation worse. I am, so far, a sceptic when it comes to the ability of the 'good Internet' to keep pace with the 'bad Internet'. The ability to publish at zero cost propagated myths and bad science, instead of helping to control or fact-check them.

Do you think it's the responsibility of every person to check the authenticity before sharing any information?
In an ideal world, yes! But this is not an ideal world. And it would be a truly boring world if we had to walk around with 'RTs are not endorsements' or whatever is the latest disclaimer hanging around our necks on boards. I'd be more than happy if people would have a nose for bad information.

A literary figure who has inspired you in your life.
Oh there are so many but predominantly, Bill Bryson and William Dalrymple inspired me to write about our world in engaging, informative ways. I think if it weren't for the curiosity kindled by their books, I wouldn't be a writer today.

Your upcoming projects
I am currently working on three projects; one of which is a non-fiction that would look at the history of India and the world between the 15th and 17th centuries and the other two are fictions; a crime novel set in Delhi and a tentatively titled novel 'Provident Fund'.

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