The role of doulas have expanded to not only support women throughout the birth of a baby, but also during the termination of a pregnancy. More and more doulas are identifying themselves as full spectrum doulas and are providing abortion doula services.

Gone are the days when the image of a mortician or funeral director was an older white man in a black suit. Over the past decade, more and more women are entering mortuary school and many industry insiders say they bring with them a natural advantage.

People have placed cremated remains in jewelry, kept them in urns or scattered them at sea. Now some are wearing them on their bodies by adding ashes to their memorial tattoos.

Some people Skype with friends they cannot visit, invite followers into their thoughts on Twitter or chat with people on Facebook. Others go online to talk to the dead. Even without holding hands, they say, they can communicate.

Call it “friends with benefits,” “no strings attached,” or something cruder, the phenomenon of people being friends and having sex is moving into mainstream pop culture with a twist — it’s the women who want sex for sex’ sake.