News Archive

Microbicides 2012: Switching Sex Up for Safety

Posted on April 23, 2012.

Last week was Microbicides 2012, an international conference of researchers and advocates that met in Sydney. If you’re scratching your head wondering what a microbicide is, fair enough. They are gels, suppositories, or insertable devices that contain HIV fighting compounds. They will put HIV prevention choices in the hands of women and men for situations [...]

A Love Song to Coffee

Posted on April 16, 2012.

I love that brown beverage of delight, coffee. I savour my first sip, enhanced by the sweet taste of alone time before the family is up. I can’t imagine giving it up, so I’m always keen to hear the latest on its health effects. Last week’s news didn’t let me down. It’s not the threat [...]

HRT Update Re-Examines Risk

Posted on April 9, 2012.

Last week more news came out about the potential risks of taking estrogen only hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for post menopausal symptoms. It suggested that women who took long-term estrogen treatment (10+ years) were more at risk for developing breast cancer than their counterparts who didn’t. The risk increased the longer women took it. As [...]

Weighing HIV Statistics for Safety

Posted on April 2, 2012.

I’m often asked about “who’s most at risk for HIV,” and it can be a complicated answer. A lot goes into “risk” for health issues and it depends on what I’m really being asked- statistics? Biological vulnerability? Gender inequalities? Race-related inequalities? Socioeconomic disparities? Or is someone looking for reassurance about their relationship? Facts are, some [...]

It’s not the Same as Books, But….

Posted on March 26, 2012.

Last week my friend Sharon came into town for a dentist appointment- she has a good one she can’t leave even though she’s moved a ferry ride away. Sharon has four kids under age ten, but she came alone and thus a little giddy. My kids were out of town, so off we went to [...]

Happy International Women’s Day!

Posted on March 8, 2012.

Happy International Women’s Day! Today we honour the work of generations who have made change to make our world what it is today. And today we celebrate the work we’re all doing to make things better for the women of tomorrow. There is still a lot to take on- gender violence, equal rights, cultural “norms” [...]

Sex- It’s all in the “Relationship”

Posted on February 27, 2012.

I recently caught up with Cindy Masaro, whose work I blogged about last summer. Cindy’s a sexual health nurse and PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia. As part of her PhD studies, she’s researching how women connect with sex partners through technology- online dating sites, texting, chatting- and how these technologies could influence [...]

Safety’s Not Always at Home

Posted on February 6, 2012.

In my work at Positive Women’s Network, one of the things we end up talking about a lot is violence against women. It’s a day to day reality of many of the women living with HIV that we support. Violence shapes many women’s lives, whether it’s historical, or current and ongoing. For some it influenced [...]