Yeast & Yoghurt and Spring & Sperm

Y&Y

Popular wisdom says women should use yoghurt or lactobacillus (taken by mouth or inserted into the vagina) to prevent yeast infections caused by taking antibiotics. Here are the conclusions of a study that examined the effectiveness of this treatment:

According to these results, the chances of a significant reduction in vulvovaginitis with oral or vaginal lactobacillus were poor (0.032 and 0.0006, respectively), and the trial was ended prematurely. "It was considered unethical to continue recruitment to a trial with no potential benefit," the authors note.

"The use of lactobacillus in post-antibiotic vulvovaginitis is an example of a treatment that has widespread use despite lack of a biologically plausible basis or evidence of effectiveness," the authors write. "Our results should prompt health professionals to inform women that lactobacillus is unlikely to prevent post-antibiotic vulvovaginitis and that they should consider using proved antifungal treatment if symptoms develop."

Back to the drawing board.

*Probiotics = living microorganisms

S&S

If you're a boy, you probably already know that frequent ejaculation leads to lower sperm concentration:

[S]perm concentrations fell as weekly ejaculatory frequency increased. Compared with one ejaculation, sperm concentration fell 29% with two ejaculations and by 41% with three ejaculations. In contrast, ejaculatory frequency seemed to have no effect on sperm motility or morphology.

But did you also know that, at least in Copenhagen, there's a lot more activity going on during the spring months than during the winter ones? Ah, the trivia one is able to pick up form medical articles!