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Running Start/HEA150 - Health/Week 9/Discussion Replies Week 9.md

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+### Replying to Robert
+Hi Ruopu,
+I was also thrown a little off guard when the person in the video had their face painted. It does seem a little strange to arrange each of the guest's faces in a rainbow. I also read the article describing the stories of "9 young people" who are intesex and there is also a similar thread there of operations being performed that they didn't consent to. All of the people that I read about also seemed to be proud of who they are, although there are likely many others who's stories are not told that haven't found others like them yet. 
+
+### Replying to Hollyanne
+Hi Hollyanne,
+I also watched the TED Radio Hour by Lisa Mosconi and I am glad that there are people trying to close gaps in the research that we have about our brains. Aging, especially around diseases like Alzheimer's, is something that we still don't understand very well and it especially doesn't help that most research is only focused on males. Often looking at a more diverse group of perspective will reveal something important otherwise hidden, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case here. Especially since it seems like menopause has a larger impact on women's brains than declining testosterone levels has on men's research into this area seems vital.
+
+### Replying to Kristionna
+Hi Kristionna,
+It was also a common theme in the sources I looked at that most people don't learn about the idea of being intersex and the community around it until later in their lives. Especially with how much it can matter to feel like part of a community of others going through similar experiences It's great that these communities exist. Many of the stories I read also discussed surgeries being performed without the people knowing or fully understanding the consequences which seems crazy to me since many of them can permanently alter many aspects of their lives. 
+
+### Replying to Mariama
+Hi Mariama,
+In the article about David Reimer the fact that David reclaimed his identity as male struck me as well. Even though Money declared the experiment as a "success," reading about what happened after the experiment seems to prove the contrary. Especially since the study was used as justification for many similar operations to take place later, it seems like we need more systems in place to ensure there are multiple perspectives on something like this and one person cannot decide how a scenario is approached.

Running Start/HEA150 - Health/Week 9/Discussion Response Week 9.md

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+1. I watched the video titled "What Does Biological Sex Look Like In The Brain?" by Lisa Mosconi. This talk went over many of the effects that menopause has on women's brains and differences between men's and women's brains in middle age. The testosterone levels in men usually slowly decrease over time and don't have any sharp falloffs that might cause side effects. For women on the other hand, estrogen levels sharply fall during menopause usually around their early 50s. Mosconi describes how estrogen levels and the brain are linked and how estrogen is important for how much energy the brain produces. When estrogen levels decrease, overall brain energy levels do as well which can cause memory loss, headaches and other mental side effects. She also talks about the increased risk of dementia from this, since decreased estrogen levels can lead to an increased amount of amyloid plaques in the brain which is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. 
+2. I read the story "9 Young People on How They Found Out They Are Intersex" from Teen Vogue. Two of the stories that stood out to me were those of Cat and Irene since both found out about the term "intersex" later in their lives. Not only feeling like they have to hide from others, but doing so because everyone tells them that there is something "wrong" with their bodies is awful, especially when finding others experiencing the same things can be so challenging. I understand if operations are necessary to survive or given with consent by the person receiving them, but it is so strange to me the number of unnecessary purely cosmetic operations that were described in many of the stories. Even if they might be more challenging to perform later in life, it seems like if there is no need to do them the person receiving them should have the choice of whether they happen.
+3. One community that I am a part of is my high school, and it seems to me like we are better educated about topics around sex and gender than other high schools, but that there is still missing knowledge. There are sex-ed units in some of the science classes at my school, although they are often short and cover the same small amount information as previous years. We also have a teen health center, which provides many services and information about these topics and helps to educate the students about many of these issues. I do think that there is more that could be done though since most kids don't pay much attention to these lessons.

Running Start/HEA150 - Health/Week 9/Search and Report Week 9.md

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+1. The first source I read was "This biologist is figuring out how to short-circuit sperm as birth control" from PBS news. This article discussed a new contraceptive method being researched by Polina Lishko as something that males could take instead of women. The idea behind this birth control method is to cut off sperm cell's access to energy from their mitochondria which would stop them from reaching egg cells and causing a pregnancy. One substance being investigated is niclosamide which is an ointment used to treat tapeworm infestations and seems to cause sperm cells to lose the ability to get energy from their mitochondria. Some of the advantages that might come with this method include giving another option since different people prefer different contraceptives for many different factors. It would also specifically give males another option which could be very helpful since most are centered around women. The article mentions the possibility of men not being willing to take birth control medication like this, and although cost isn't explicitly mentioned it would likely be expensive since it is a new and experimental treatment. 
+2. The second source that I read was "Long-acting contraceptive patch gives women DIY option for birth control" from NBC News. The new contraceptive method that this article discussed is a new patch that could be applied and administer hormones over a certain period. It uses the same hormones as other methods, although eliminates the risk of dirty needles or needing to go to a doctor for application. The patches use biodegradable needles to release the hormone and are projected to only cost $1 per dose. These new patches are cheap and could be a great option for developing countries where access to hospitals and medical professionals can be challenging. The team does not know if these patches will work in humans yet which could be a disadvantage, although with successful tests on rats they are optimistic.
+3. It seems like there is a lot of good research going in to new contraceptive methods right now. It seems to me like there is need for more methods for males to use, and many of the sources are discussing new areas of research into methods for this. Many established methods are also ones that might not work as well for developing countries due to cost or accessibility and developments such as the new birth control patches I read about seem like promising options in the future for other countries around the world. Needs that I have seen to be met include options with less side effects (especially from hormone-based options) and options that are more accessible to developing nations and teenagers.