BMJ Christmas Edition
December 21, 2013 5:29 AM   Subscribe

 
As an actual virgin mother*, I can attest that there is in fact at least some chance of that occurring.


*(Gold-star lesbian who used a donor to make a kid. And my real first name actually is Mary. We did not, however, name said kid Jesus, though we were tempted.)
posted by pomegranate at 6:30 AM on December 21, 2013 [19 favorites]


Ah, but they specifically say:

45 women (0.5%) reported at least one virgin pregnancy unrelated to the use of assisted reproductive technology. (emphasis mine)
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:44 AM on December 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


I look forward to these every year. My favourite scientific paper of all time, from the 2005 Christmas edition: The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute.
posted by metaBugs at 7:06 AM on December 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Awwwr. Either I hit the paywall threshold or else the X-ray signs article is individually paywalled. :(
posted by hippybear at 8:14 AM on December 21, 2013


Celebrities are in turn perceived to have greater credibility than their non-celebrity counterparts, such as doctors, despite having less medical knowledge and experience.

People are idiots sometimes.
posted by arcticseal at 8:34 AM on December 21, 2013


From the Apples vs. Statins link...

The total extra cost of statin treatment from the drug alone is estimated at £180m (€217m; $295m), compared with £260m for the apples.


For some reason I find that both surprising and distressing.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:15 AM on December 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Socialize apples!!
posted by chapps at 10:28 AM on December 21, 2013


I'm pretty sure the chocolate experiment could easily be replicated in the academic setting of your choice.
posted by thomas j wise at 11:59 AM on December 21, 2013


Upon reading it twice, I think the virgin pregnancy paper may not consider that sometimes people don't include rape when they're speaking of sexual intercourse, and therefore might report "I'm not yet sexually active" despite having been pregnant (from rape).

So much depends upon how the questionnaires were designed for the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

http://www.cpc.unc.edu/projects/addhealth/design
posted by pickles_have_souls at 2:21 PM on December 21, 2013


The intervention was for the male to agree with his wife’s every opinion and request without complaint. Even if he believed the female participant was wrong, the male was to bow and scrape...The results of this trial show that the availability of unbridled power adversely affects the quality of life of those on the receiving end.

Snort
posted by mono blanco at 4:01 PM on December 21, 2013


The “virgin pregnancy” statistic seems to derive from virginity being seen as a moral quality.
posted by acb at 5:07 PM on December 21, 2013


The intervention was for the male to agree with his wife’s every opinion and request without complaint. Even if he believed the female participant was wrong, the male was to bow and scrape...

Hey, thanks for re-inflaming a problem area that caused a lot of trouble for us during the early years of our relationship but which we'd managed to work through and deal with since! (Flashback: Dear love of my life: You dislike something I suggest or ask for? SAY SOMETHING instead of going along to get along and then sulking about it. I am not your mother or your boss, I am your partner. Talk to me like I am, okay?) Yo, researchers, who's your IRB? I have a bone to pick with them.

Harrumph. Maybe try setting up the joke studies in a way that doesn't reify bullshit cultural relationship expectations?
posted by Lexica at 7:45 PM on December 21, 2013


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