Pink on baby blues and unwanted babies

Between 50 and 80 per cent of mothers experience baby blues, while 20 per cent of these go on to develop post-natal depression - an illness that requires treatment for the sufferer to recover - according to estimates.

Pink's September issue, which is distributed with The Times tomorrow, carries the candid diary of one such woman, who opens up on how she managed to see the light and crawl out of her tunnel to reach it.

Other interesting figures that Pink builds on in its 23rd edition are related to the Pill and the fact that, in Europe, one in every three women is on it. Though official figures are not available, it is estimated that no more than 10 per cent of Maltese women use the Pill, which could be one of the reasons behind the increasing number of unwanted pregnancies.

Since its inception 45 years ago, research and development has been under way to come up with a better version of this form of oral contraception that has less hormones and more benefits.

Pink's health section looks into the launch of the latest product on the market, while delving into the sexual attitudes of females in Europe.

In Malta, for example, the use of condoms remains low and the situation seems to be getting worse. Figures show that only 11.5 per cent of the 1,500 who visited the GU clinic at Sir Paul Boffa Hospital said they used condoms consistently in 2005, with 65.5 per cent never having used one, compared to 14 per cent and 63 per cent respectively in 2004.

More interesting numbers include the fact that over 80 cosmetic interventions are carried out in Malta each month.

While many fiercely guard their surgical secrets to beauty and youth, some have chosen to undergo their operations in the face of the entire nation through a new TV programme.

Three of these women have chosen to share their before-and-after stories with Pink and the reasons why they were desperate to go under the knife.

That is just a taste of what is going into Pink's pages tomorrow. Beauty, fitness, horoscopes and humour, recipes, books and interiors are just a few of the other topics discussed, while its fashion photo shoot highlights some between-season key trends to usher in winter wardrobes in style.

Pink is a monthly magazine, whose executive editors are Fiona Galea Debono and Ariadne Massa. It is published by Allied Newspapers Ltd, printed by Progress Press, produced by MediaMaker, and designed by Helen Cassar Torreggiani and Joseph Schembri.