Valentine's Day Fluff-Up

I have been pondering the resignation of Dr. Lazar Greenfield, the president-elect of The American College of Surgeons. His offense?  As editor-in-chief of Surgery News he wrote a Valentine’s Day editorial that quoted several recent studies touting the mood-elevating abilities of human semen and concluded with, “So there’s a deeper bond between men and women than St. Valentine would have suspected, and now we know there’s a better gift for that day than chocolates.”  After many years of supporting women in surgery, the word sexism will forever be associated with his name. I think there is little doubt that the culture of most surgery departments has been very difficult for women to navigate. Most surgical services have a macho bent and are military in their hierarchical nature. Many were old-boys clubs and maybe some still are. But does Dr Greenfield’s article reflect this or are charges against him an over-reaction?

Just like modern women, men have been searching for their role in the twenty-first century. Not one but three recent movies had as their theme, artificial insemination. My daughter-in-law Caroline Hagood wrote a thought-provoking article last summer, “Artificial Insemination and the Mother of Moral Panics” for the London Guardian in which she looks at Hollywood’s take on man’s role when his semen is more valued than his good looks or sense of humor. The movies in question were “The Back Up Plan,” “The Switch,” and “The Kids Are All Right.” As Caroline points out, “these films illustrate the conflicted state of feminism, masculinism, and the couple in the 21st century.”  Why should Dr. Greenfield be any less confused than the rest of us? If a guy can be reduced to just his semen, it must be pretty good news for him to know it can do more than just spark a new life. It might have other qualities valued by the recipient.

There have been a few findings recently which might not be that welcome in feminist circles. In 1993 Pierre-Yves Robillard of The University Hospital of Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe reported that if women who did not use condoms got pregnant within four months of starting sexual relations with their partners, they had a 12-times chance of getting preeclampsia over those who had been with their partners for longer. With a new partner as father, their chances were five times higher. A study from The Journal of Reproductive Immunology from November, 2006 found that if a woman swallows her partner’s semen, her chances of having preeclamsia are reduced significantly. Good thing Dr. Greenfield didn’t try to tackle this topic in his editorial.

I  have tried to analyze exactly why Dr. Greenfield’s article incensed so many women. First, it implies women need men to feel good. This is probably objectionable to many straight and gay women, who feel that life without heterosexual sex can be just as fulfilling as life with it. This might be true for many women, but the majority of heterosexual women would attest that a healthy sex life does elevate their mood. Two, Dr. Greenfield is basically advocating throwing away those condoms. This message is not a particularly valuable one for women. How long will that mood last when you discover you have contracted HIV? Third, there is a certain smugness to the idea that men have power over women’s psychological well-being. It harks back to some of the worst quotes that stick in the back of women’s psyches like, “She’s asking for it” or “She’s gotta have it.” These little quotes which hide in the inner recesses of our brains are perhaps what made this a red button issue. 

I have discovered a lot about human semen since I began to research this article. For instance, sperm comprise only 3% of semen. The rest is a mixture of water, glucose, immunosuppressants, FSH/LH (which help  induce ovulation in the recipient), endorphins, prolactin and TSH as well as numerous minerals. There is even a site on the computer called Semen Therapy which advocates swallowing semen three times a week to prevent just about any ill of man you can think of. Poor Dr. Greenfield. All he was suggesting was that perhaps sex (without a condom) is a better high than chocolate. Many readers might agree with him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Mitch Levenberg]

nice--no wonder my wife's been in such a good mood lately--wait a minute--why is she in such a good mood lately?

[Dr. Judith Weinstock]

I don't know how endorphins in semen compare to those released from patting a dog. We need to do some studies to find out.

[Caroline Hagood]

First of all, thanks for the kind words about my article. Second of all, I have many kind words for this article. I love the way you didn't just have a knee-jerk reaction to Greenfield's comments. You really analyzed and looked deeply at the implications here. Well done!

[Account Deleted]

Wow, so how better is that as a gift for Valentine's Day than chocolates?! LOL!
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[Dr. Judith Weinstock]

sophie, thanks for reading my blogs and for you comments!