Latest news with #LouiseBrown
Elle
18 hours ago
- General
- Elle
Jupiter in Cancer Wants You to Redefine What Family Really Means
Feeling a tug on your apron strings? A collective shift is coming today, June 9, as adventurous Jupiter sails into Cancer, the sign of women, home, and families. Jupiter spends approximately 12-13 months in each zodiac sign, blessing us with yearlong cycles in which to stretch, grow, and find our fortune. Even better? Caring, intuitive Cancer is Jupiter's happiest place in the zodiac, its 'exalted' position in astro-speak. Nevertheless, there's an odd balance to strike between Jupiter's nomadic urges and Cancer's nesting instincts. Jupiter is the free spirit; Cancer, the nurturing mother. The way we 'do' family life could change in unpredictable ways between now and June 30, 2026. With conservatism on the rise among Gen Z, there might be a growing focus on the nuclear family. Population decline has become an existential worry—and an actual concern—in recent years. Hyperbolic Jupiter could drum up global worries about the extinction of the human race. And in Cancer, 'more is more' Jupiter could usher in a modern-day baby boom, at least for those who have the means to feed extra mouths. Here's a fascinating fact: Louise Brown became the first baby born by IVF on July 25, 1978, when—you guessed it—Jupiter was in Cancer. But baby fever could also feel equally dystopian. In the United States, fed-up tradwives have been quietly finding each other on TikTok, forming support groups in private chats and banding together to escape the oppressive lifestyle. Plus, without greater protections for reproductive rights, Jupiter in Cancer may struggle to deliver much of a baby boom in the United States. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, simply becoming pregnant has brought increased risk for some people, as miscarriages and stillbirths have led to a handful of criminal cases in select states. Simultaneously, social programs for families, like SNAP benefits and Head Start, are under threat. How do you afford a child, even if you want one? That struggle is sure to be a hot topic in the zeitgeist with Jupiter in Cancer. And despite the swing toward conservatism, heteronormative marriage could undergo a reputational reckoning. With Jupiter heading into Cancer, we may see more people cohabitating, consciously uncoupling, or skipping the whole 'white dress and mortgage' narrative altogether. Family will be redefined on our own terms. Regardless of your kid count, Jupiter in Cancer revs up the collective's maternal instincts. How do we care for each other? Nurture ourselves? Feel safe and protected? Those are bound to be hot topics over the next 13 months. And will the future be female? Jupiter in Cancer can bring a culture-wide shift with regards to women's rights, bodily agency, and access to power. Past cycles have definitely amplified these themes: On the heels of Jupiter's 2013-2014 odyssey in Cancer, Beyoncé brought gender rights to the VMAs, performing in front of a huge sign that read 'Feminist.' The same year, then-17-year-old Cancerian Malala Yousafzai became the youngest-ever person to win a Nobel Peace Prize for her work providing safe education for girls. As Jupiter flows through tender, tidal Cancer, the next 13 months will ask us to redefine what it means to belong. This transit invites us to weave stronger emotional bonds and to protect what's sacred—whether with chosen family or people who share our DNA. Expect fierce debates and heartfelt movements around reproductive justice, caregiving, and who gets to claim the title of 'family.' At its best, this cosmic cycle can birth a global reawakening around empathy, equity, and the power of community care. No, it may not look like a Hallmark card. But the future family is forming now—and if bountiful Jupiter has a say, it's got room for everyone at the table.
South Wales Argus
a day ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Abergavenny mosque plan could be put on hold at meeting
Monmouthshire council's ruling cabinet agreed in May to grant a 30-year lease to the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association who plan to use the vacant building as a mosque and cultural centre. It would be the county's first mosque. However three councillors have 'called in' the decision meaning it will be reviewed at a special meeting of the council's place scrutiny committee. The nine member, cross party committee, will have to decide whether to accept the cabinet's original decision to grant the lease or if they agree there were flaws in the decision making process they can ask the cabinet to look at the decision again. The committee also has the power to refer the decision to the full council, which would then have to look at how the decision was made and decide whether to accept it or send it back to the cabinet to reconsider. If the cabinet does have to take the decision again it must do so within ten working days and will be asked to consider the comments made but can stick by its original decision, amend it or overturn it. Conservative councillors Louise Brown and Rachel Buckler, who represent Shirenewton and Devauden in the south of Monmouthshire, and Llanelly Hill independent Simon Howarth called the decision, made by the Labour-led cabinet, in for review. Their request highlights three grounds for doing so which are a claimed 'lack of proper scrutiny/due process and community consultation', how the building was marketed and their concerns over 'best value' at the £6,000 a year lease. When the cabinet agreed to grant the lease it was stated the accepted bid was the highest scoring on the application process that was intended to explore opportunities to maximise social benefit and generate a financial return from an otherwise empty building. The cabinet was also told 30-year leases were common and the cabinet had declared the building, that was last used as a pupil referral unit, as surplus in November when it granted the council's landlord services permission to market the building as available to lease. It was built by Scottish American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, though it closed as a library in 2015 when the service transferred to the town hall. Councillors were also told commercial uses, which could be allowed under the restrictions of the building's covenant, had been considered and the agreed rent was said to be in the context of 'significant investment' required, from the lease holders, in the 120-year-old grade II listed building. The call in also states 'community engagement is required' as no planning permission is needed as there is no change in the use class of the building. The special meeting will take place, at Monmouthshire County Hall in Usk, on Wednesday, June 11 at 5.30pm.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
New IVF technology allows parents to decide how their child will look: All you need to know about it
Image credits: Getty Images Being able to carry your child and bring them into the world is a special feeling that many describe as life-changing. However, many women are not able to experience this event due to physical and health reasons. The technology of In-vitro fertilization, also known as "test-tube babies" was invented in the late 1970s and 1970s to help women struggling to conceive. The first IVF baby was born in 1978 and was named Louise Brown. Until recently, IVF involved the fertilization of an egg with a sperm in a lab and then transferring the resulting embryo into the woman's uterus. But now, a new IVF technology allows parents to decide the genetic makeup of their child. Yes, Nucleus Genomics, a US-based DNA testing and analysis company has announced the world's first genetic optimization software that "helps parents pursuing IVF see and understand the complete genetic profile of each of their embryos." Why does this technology matter? Image credits: Getty Images The technology can be really impactful as according to the company it can analyse the genetic makeup of embryos to test for up to 900 conditions including diabetes, cancer and heart disease. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo Thus, by choosing embryos with the lowest risk profiles, parents can ensure the longevity of their child's life and ensure that they are healthy. "Nucleus Embryo is the first-ever genetic optimization software that helps parents give their children the best possible start in life—long before they're even born," said the company on X. How will the process take place? Image credits: Getty Images If you are prospective parents interested in getting their embryos analysed then you can upload up to 20 embryo DNA files from your IVF clinics for over 900 genetic analyses. After the analysis is completed, the company will provide the clients with a detailed report showing the results. "Sort, compare, and choose your embryos based on what matters most to you," said the company. The analyses not only include health conditions but also cognitive ability, mental health risks such as depression and anxiety disorders, BMI and even IQ-related markers. Additionally, demo pictures shared by the company also show that the parents will be able to decide the child's eye and hair colour as well. Should you do it? Image credits: Getty Images The practice raises ethical concerns about choosing embryos based on probabilities but Kian Sadeghi, the 25-year-old founder of the company said to the Wall Street Journal that he finds no distinction between people using DNA tests to understand their own risks and those screening embryos to select one that is likely to have a longer life. "It is the same underlying motivation," Sadeghi said. "It is about living a longer, healthier life." "The longevity movement is about taking medicine back and putting it in the people's hands," he added. "Why would that not apply now to the most intimate, personal, emotional, sensitive decision you will make? Picking your baby." One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
Daily Mirror
02-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'I got stage three cancer thanks to Covid restrictions and a 1990s habit'
Louise says she had never had skin problems until the impact of Covid restrictions altered a freckle on her back A woman who never thought she was at risk of skin cancer developed the disease after having to wait in a car park for hours when her father was in hospital during Covid restrictions. A freckle that had been on Louise Brown's back for decades changed after being in direct sunshine for hours. Louise, 44, said: "I'm not someone who has any moles. So skin cancer, melanoma, anything like that – it never crossed my mind that I was at risk. "My dad was in hospital in July 2021 and only one person was allowed to be with him, due to Covid restrictions. I remember I was out in the car park for hours, and when I got home my husband noticed my back was really burnt." Louise's husband, Kris, grew concerned when he applied cream to her burnt skin and noticed the freckle had become raised and darkened. With Covid restrictions affecting GP appointments, Louise, from West Dunbartonshire, was unable to see her doctor face to face, but after exchanging photos her doctor agreed to refer her to a consultant urgently to reassure her there was nothing to worry about. However, a clerical error led to a delay in diagnosis. "Eight weeks later, I contacted Dermatology as I hadn't heard from them. I assumed this was as a result of the backlog," said Louise, who works full-time as an officer at a union. "They asked me to attend the next day and advised that the referral was marked, in error, as routine and not urgent, and by that point, the freckle had been bleeding." Within 24 hours of the consultation, Louise had the lesion removed under local anaesthetic and following pathology testing, she was given the bombshell news that not only was the freckle cancerous, but it had advanced to stage three. "I was diagnosed the week of my 40th birthday," she recalls. "I had lost my mum to ovarian cancer, at the height of the pandemic. She was admitted to hospital and was on her own for two and a half months before she passed away. That cruel part of life that had happened just the year before. To go to that appointment, which I also had to attend on my own, and be told it was stage three melanoma, you could have knocked me over with a feather." Cancer Research UK reports that over 17,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma in the UK each year. After her initial diagnosis, Louise underwent wider excision surgery in December 2021 removing further tissue surrounding the original site. No sign of cancer was found within the removed tissue and she began targeted treatment, taking medications designed to prevent the cancer's growth. However, a routine check-up detected cancer in the lymph nodes beneath both armpits. "I had surgery in September 2022 to remove my lymph nodes," she explains. "When people saw me coming out of hospital with slits up to my armpits and drains on either side, the reality of the extensive surgery sets in. I'd been through a lot more than just having a little bit of skin removed. "I had another recurrence which was detected in April 2023, this time it came back behind my breast. Even after that diagnosis, some people would ask, 'What do you mean it came back behind your breast? It's skin cancer.' Or after getting a brain scan, people would ask why I was doing that, not realising it's to check for melanoma in my brain. It does bed itself in the body." Louise also underwent immunotherapy treatment to battle the disease after reacting to her initial targeted treatment drugs – but this was also gruelling, causing agony throughout her body as her joints and internal organs became inflamed by the medication. After her most recent surgery in 2023, she has been told there is No Evidence of Disease [NED] and, since finishing treatment in May 2024, is beginning to feel more like herself – meaning she is able to be a mum to her young son, Brendan again. While Louise can't be sure if the sunburn she endured in 2021 was the catalyst for her health battle, she does fear that the use of sunbeds in her youth was a contributing factor. "My mum was ginger and pale skinned. She was covered in moles, and whenever we holidayed when I was a kid, she was neurotic about sun cream," she says. "She always lectured me about sun beds when I was older. I still remember the horror on her face when she came back from work one day and saw a wooden sun bed in my bedroom that I'd hired for a week." Louise admits she dismissed her mum's concerns, and her friends were also fans of tanning salons. "It was the 90s, and friends and I would walk to the local town centre on a Wednesday to go for a sun bed," she explains. "It was an eight-minute holiday. That's what we liked to call it. But if I could tell my younger self anything, it would be to avoid them like the plague." New data released this month by Melanoma Focus has shown that 24% of people in Scotland are using sunbeds at least once per year and 21% at least once per month. Meanwhile, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified ultraviolet (UV) radiation from commercial sunbeds as a Type 1 carcinogen – putting them in line with asbestos and smoking as a known cause of cancer in humans. After everything she's been through, Louise has followed her late mum's example and is unapologetically speaking out about the dangers of UV exposure. "I was on holiday with my husband and friends last year, and I was sitting with my glasses on, under a parasol, factor 50 on from head to toe, 'You're burning you need more cream on you. The Wee one needs more cream.' I am that person now," she says. "If it prevents someone else going through what I have been through, it's worth it. I already know a handful of people who have had moles checked or removed after seeing stuff that I've been putting out online. Some of them have been absolutely fine, whilst others are very early stage or even pre-cancerous." Louise adds, "Some people seem to downplay melanoma as 'just skin cancer,' but I cannot stress enough how dangerous it is. I received treatment at The Beatson [West of Scotland Cancer Centre] and I have to thank my oncologist there, my dermatologist, plastic surgeon and all their teams at the centre for helping save my life. I wouldn't be here without them. And I hope sharing my story helps save someone else from going through this."
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Exciting new chapter' as fertility clinic opens in Southampton
A new modernised fertility clinic has opened its door in Southampton to meet a rising demand. TFP Wessex Fertility has opened its new facility, which will increase patient treatment capacity by 25 per cent to help meet the rising demand for fertility services in southern England. This comes 46 years after the first Wessex Fertility clinic was formed in the University Hospital Southampton in 1979, just one year after Louise Brown, the first IVF baby, was born in 1978. (Image: TFP Wessex Fertility)READ MORE: Make this Mother's Day one to remember with Solent Hotel & Spa Dr Sue Ingamells, who co-founded the clinic and is announcing her retirement, said: 'After almost two decades at TFP Wessex Fertility, I am so proud of how far we've come and the patients we helped thus far. "With this exciting new chapter, the clinic is in the brilliant hands of Dr Claire Banks and the team, who are ready to continue advancing and ensure that every family receives the support and care they deserve. "My greatest joy has been helping dreams come true, and I know the future holds even more remarkable moments for our patients.' The lab features state-of-the-art technology, such as advanced technology for optimal embryo development and new services such as Rescue ICSI, combining leading science with patient-focused care. Data has shown that egg-freezing cycles surged by 64% from 2019 to 2021 (HFEA, 2023), and there was a 243 per cent increase in single women seeking treatment from 2012 to 2022 (HFEA, 2024). It is vital that clinics can keep up with growing demand. READ MORE: Muslim community gathers at Medina Mosque to celebrate Iftar Medical Director Dr Claire Banks (Image: TFP Wessex Fertility) Dr Claire Banks, medical director at TFP Wessex Fertility said: 'I am incredibly honoured to lead TFP Wessex Fertility into this next phase of growth and innovation. "With the expansion, we are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and enhanced facilities to offer our patients even more personalised, high-quality care. "Our team remains dedicated to helping families grow, and with these improvements, we are poised to provide even more successful outcomes and a compassionate, holistic approach to fertility treatment.' Over the past three years, during the three months between December to February, the Southampton fertility clinic has seen a 24 per cent increase in enquiries. This corresponds with the nationwide data from the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA), which revealed that, across the UK, IVF cycles have increased by 11 per cent over recent years as the fertility sector provides more options to help people create families. A public open day will be held on April 5, between 2-4 pm for past, present, and prospective patients to visit the new facility.
