Did you know that puppies or kittens can become pregnant as early as 4 months of age? Don’t get stuck with accidental litters. You can fix each puppy or kitten for $20 in June at Altered Tails, Barnhart Clinic, 950 W. Hatcher Road in Phoenix. Call (602) 942-SPAY (7729) for more information or visit www.alteredtails.org.

Scrambling to find votes for her Medicaid expansion plan, Gov. Jan Brewer said Thursday she is now willing to approve legislation to stop Planned Parenthood from getting any of the funds.

“Those three seconds I took my eyes off the road changed my life forever.”

If your goal is to lose weight, look and feel your best and live a healthy, vibrant life, be aware of the damaging additives and synthetic chemicals in the foods you buy and eat. Seventy-five percent of the average American diet is from processed and packaged foods, which equates to approximately 10 pounds of additives eaten annually.

The University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix has named Dr. Dean Coonrod, MD, as chair of the executive committee of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for the downtown Phoenix medical college.

‘The Last Stand’

A series of new restrictions on abortions in the last four years has propelled Arizona into the Top Five of all states in a list of places considered most friendly to "pro-life'' issues.

Dear Mikey,

The Affordable Care Act strengthened Medicare in important ways. Signed in 2010, the federal health law already has provided free preventive health benefits to millions of people with Medicare, and saved billions of dollars for those who hit the gap in their Part D prescription drug coverage.

Longtime Ahwatukee Foothills resident Neal Lester was one of four editors who put together “Sapphire’s Literary Breakthrough,” a book volume exploring an author’s writing.

I love Christmas music — all kinds of Christmas music, traditional, piano, pop, rock — if it is spreading holiday cheer, I listen to it. Christmas music is played in our house from the day after Thanksgiving to New Year’s. It puts me in the mood to decorate the house, bake cookies and wrap presents. Yes, Christmas music puts a smile on my face.

As more women choose to delay having children, childbirth after age 35 is becoming increasingly common. While it is possible to have a child at this stage in life, there are many factors that should be considered when deciding the right time to start a family.

Daisy, a 3-1/2-year-old Beagle came to Arizona Beagle Rescue (AZBR) when she was very pregnant, and her original family could not afford medical care for her or her pups. She bravely gave birth to seven beautiful pups and took wonderful care of them until they all got adopted to their forever families. She’s now ready to find a home of her own. It has taken some time for Daisy to adjust to living with her foster family, as she must have been sad to leave her other family at such a fragile time. Her foster mom suspects that some of her insecurities and trust issues developed during her life before AZBR, although she has improved greatly over the time they have spent together.

Tempe Union’s Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting Program, housed at Compadre Academy, was the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Tempe Diablos.

Tempe Union’s Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting Program, housed at Compadre Academy, was the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Tempe Diablos.

Marissa Mayer, meet the Mean Girls.

Paula Owens seems to indicate that flu vaccines are “unnatural” and harmful in her Dec. 5 column (“Boost your immune system naturally,” AFN). Unfortunately, what is “natural” in our world is vaccine-preventable diseases killing many adults and children. I doubt that Ms. Owens has cared for children, pregnant women or elderly folks on a ventilator with the flu, or watched someone die from this preventable illness. A “natural” case of the flu carries a many times higher risk of Guillain Barre syndrome than taking the vaccine.

To understand any of this, you need to understand what I look like pregnant. Not that I’m pregnant at this moment. At this moment I just look like...

The state’s top health official said Wednesday there’s a simple, cost-free way to prevent dozens of children from dying each year: Let them sleep alone.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce has announced nominees for the 2012 Palo Verde Business Woman of the Year and the 10 women are well known in the community for not only their business but their service.

Jennifer’s ex-boyfriend held a gun to her head when she was six months pregnant. The abuse had been going on for a while, but that was finally the moment she knew she had to get out.

Saturday, Sept. 29

Years ago, when I was pregnant with my kids, all the advice books swore that smart moms-to-be made sure to eat broccoli three times a day.

It’s amazing how many times I’ve encountered Jesus at the airport.

There has been uproar over the comments that Todd Akin (U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Congressional District 2) made about abortion. Many people are offended that he referred to “legitimate abortion” and women’s bodies being able to shut down when raped. I am not clear exactly what he meant or where he got his information, but this is clearly a man who is passionate about the anti-abortion cause and is not very good at expressing his viewpoint on the issue.