‘One of society’s greatest secrets’
Sick of airbrushed images, one mother has set up a website for the pregnant and post-pregnant to share their candid personal pictures. Joanna Moorhead reports.
The white stuff
Male fertility is falling. The supply of sperm donors is drying up. In the nick of time, scientists have found that sperm can be grown from stem cells. But won't this make men redundant, asks William Leith.
IVF hurdle for single women and lesbians to be overthrown
· 'Need for father' condition removed from rules· Specific ban on gender selection will be made law
Why giving birth is like a marathon
Paula Radcliffe believes motherhood will make her a better runner. Varicose veins, sleepless nights and pelvic-floor problems aside, she may well be right, says mother of three Lucy Atkins.
Too old to be a mother at 62? Not if you have a nice house, good looks and a husband who had an unhappy childhood
Catherine Bennett: Patti Farrant, handsome, clever and rich enough to afford the £10,000 cost of her latest child, seemed, when we first encountered her, to be the most deserving candidate yet for the blessing of astonishingly late motherhood.
Watersports
Chic city lido or isolated river? Wakeboarding or a swim trek? Surfing or climbing a waterfall? The choice is yours. But whatever happens, says Chris Morley, come on in, the water's lovely.
Go forth and multiply
Britain is experiencing a dramatic slump in fertility. Sperm counts are falling; IVF clinics have queues round the block; and our chances of conceiving are being wrecked by drink, cigarettes and junk food. But all is not lost. Ian Sample weighs up the latest scientific evidence on how to get in shape for parenthood.
When it comes to childbirth, some fathers are having kittens
Lucy Atkins: David Cameron says no man should miss the magic of childbirth. Fine, sighs Lucy Atkins, just as long they don't get in the way - or bring their laptops.
Is it all right to sunbathe when you’re pregnant?
Laura Barton: Sunbathing is foolish for anyone. For pregnant women, who have a higher body temperature, it is perhaps a smidgen more foolish: the sun will increase the core temperature of the mother, which will in turn increase the temperature of the foetus.