For years, parents, advocacy groups, and, well, much of Europe has asserted that BPA (bisphenol A) -- the commonly used food additive in food packaging that mimics human estrogen -- is bad news. And last fall, some of our worst fears were confirmed: Some of the most popular kinds of Campbell's soup had the highest BPA levels in a report released by advocacy group Breast Cancer Fund.

At the time, Campbell's spokesperson said, "The overwhelming weight of scientific evidence shows that the use of BPA in can lining poses no threat to human health." Hrmm. Definitely a questionable response. But, now, we can breathe a sigh of relief. Because it appears that Campbell's is starting to change their tune! They've promised to phase out use of BPA and will make the transition as soon as "feasible alternatives are available."

Well, it's a step in the right direction.

Funny, isn't it, how it's often women who carry the brunt of worry and stress when it comes to fertility issues? Not funny ha-ha, of course. Because fertility problems, as anyone who has struggled to conceive a child can tell you, aren't even remotely a laughing matter.

But those of you who have wondered whether it might be your partner's fertility that's the issue will be relieved to learn that there's now an easy (relatively cheap) over-the-counter way to find that out. Mega-drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS have just announced that they'll carry a male fertility test called (not terribly poetically, if you ask me) SpermCheck Fertility.  The test will retail in stores for $40, which sounds like a lot until you think about how much a doctor's visit might set you back. It's already available online.

Following last week's miscarriage of their 20th child, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar have announced plans for a memorial service to be held Wednesday. They've also named the baby: Jubilee Shalom Duggar. Michelle, who was held for observation in the hospital over part of the weekend, is expected to be released today.

With Michelle's health in the spotlight, everyone is naturally speculating about what caused the 45-year-old mother of 19 to suffer a miscarriage. The most popular theory out there, it seems, has to do with Michelle's age: When a mom is older, the risk for genetic abnormalities is higher, and these defects often lead to miscarriage.

But after the way Michelle's pregnancy with now 2-year-old Josie went, it seems to me that her age has less to do with her body giving out than the fact that she's given birth 19 times.

Oh ladies, doesn't it seem like we always get the blame for our fertility problems? We're eating the wrong foods, we're waiting too long, we're too fat, we're too skinny. We're not sleeping upside-down in bat caves and slurping açai smoothies like we should be if we really, really want to have babies. But what about the guys? Can't we spread some of the blame to men -- you know, just as an equal opportunity measure?

Well thank you, Science, because yes we can! Guess what? Wi-Fi be killing sperm. An Argentine scientist found that when drops of sperm were placed under a laptop that was wirelessly connected to the Internet, a full quarter of the little spermy dudes stopped moving and 9 percent showed DNA damage! So ... that's nice. Now how can we make this still women's fault?

Does egg donation exploit women and put their health in danger? That's what a new documentary film, Eggsploitation, claims.

I just watched a trailer, and it has left me feeling a little queasy. The melodramatic horror-movie music may have had something to do with my reaction, or it may have been the grainy images of hypodermic needles poking through skin or into some cells I can't totally identify (an ovary? an egg?), but it's also probably more than that.

The movie, subtitled ominously "The Infertility Industry Has a Dirty Little Secret," is now being screened around the country and is stirring up debate.

In case you hadn't heard yet, Maria Menounos is freezing her eggs in an effort to increase her chances of having biological children when she's older -- and she wants everyone to know all about it. The gorgeous 33-year-old TV correspondent and Extra co-host has gone on shows like Lifechangers With Dr. Drew and Good Morning America to talk about this very private fertility decision, and she plans to document the entire process along the way. It's nice that someone as successful as Maria is giving a voice to the fact that there are options for women who want to or need to wait to have children. But with respect to her personal decision to freeze her eggs, Maria needs to chill out.

Victory! The U.S. Health & Human Services (HHS) has announced new guidelines today that health insurance plans beginning on or after August 1, 2012 will cover various women's preventative services, including birth control, voluntary sterilization, and emergency contraception. Sure, we had sort of seen this coming after last month's scientific review by the Institute of Medicine, which noted that health insurance coverage of various preventative measures would bolster women's health in the U.S. But it wasn't definite that the HHS would approve those recommendations. And now, they have! Whoohoo!

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the decision is a part of the Affordable Care Act's attempt to curb problems before they even begin. In other words, these guidelines FINALLY recognize that controlling our fertility promotes our health and well-being.

There's almost nothing I'm more passionate about than a woman's right to control her reproductive fate. Birth control pills factor in big to that equation. Unfortunately, though, there are quite a few cons associated with the pill that the pharmaceutical companies don't want us to know ... particularly risks and setbacks associated with newer, low-dose versions of the pill, like Yaz, Yasmin and Beyaz (the original plus folate).Thankfully, there's a lot of new research coming out that shines some light on what we should know about these newer pills before going on them ... or continuing to take them. (Yes, even if they clear up your skin, or keep your "periods regular," aka shut down your ovaries, so you don't have an actual period.)

First, there's the study that says newer birth control pills don't increase your risk of gallbladder disease or gallstones any more than old pills! Whew, right? No sigh of relief allowed.