Ask Lucy

illustration of a pack of birth control pills with a smiley face on the front of each pill

May 22, 2018

Dear Lucy: If a woman is on oral contraceptive pills for a year, does this mean that no eggs are released for that year? Could this hurt her chances of conceiving later, in her late 20s, 30s, or 40s? —All In One Basket

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Illustration of food on plates with post-its indicating calorie counts attached to each plate

May 4, 2018

Why won’t the weight come off?

Dear Lucy: Your answer to the question about basal metabolic rate just raises another question in my mind: Let’s say, just hypothetically, that a woman has been consuming fewer calories than her “total daily energy expenditure,” or TDEE, and still is not losing weight. What should she do? Talk about frustrating! —T-weedle-DEE

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an illustration of items on a desk, including a post-it reading "MIT Extended Plan?" and a mobile phone displaying the text "Dad lost his job"

April 18, 2018

Running for cover(age)

Dear Lucy: I’m an MIT sophomore. Last year, and this year again, I waived the MIT Extended Plan coverage, because I could be covered under my father’s health insurance plan. But my father just got laid off, and he’s losing his health insurance at the end of the month. I know I can get the Extended Plan next fall if he doesn’t get a new job by then, but what should I do in the meantime? Do you have any suggestions for me? —Uncovered

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