It is important for all pregnant women to understand the risks associated with painkillers and what medications are appropriate and safe while pregnant.
Fertility treatment is a huge financial and emotional investment for couples and finding the best fertility clinic for you and your partner is important to make sure that you have a favorable outcome.
If you’re expecting, Facebook has just made it easier to complete your online family. The newly added option allows you to add “Expected: Child” to your list of family members on your profile. While some say this is just a …
Many women find getting pregnant after 40 to be more of a challenge than it might have been than if they were 10 years younger and end up consulting one or more infertility experts.
Ten random facts that you should know when your expecting.
With correct treatment, women with diminished ovarian reserve can still have an excellent chance of pregnancy with the use of their own eggs.
Dr. Gleicher (a physician at Center for Human Reproduction in New York, NY) explains early and premature menopause, how it is linked to diminished ovarian reserve and the use of DHEA supplementation for improving ovarian reserve.
Find more infertility educational videos on CHR’s Youtube channel.
About the Center for Human Reproduction
Center for Human Reproduction (CHR, http://www.centerforhumanreprod.com) is a leading fertility center in New York City. With a worldwide reputation as the “fertility center of last resort,” they tackle the most difficult and complicated infertility cases, offering cutting-edge, research-based treatment options to their patients.
Prenatal vitamins can provide important nutrients that the body needs in order to develop a healthy baby – particularly vitamins and minerals that women might not get enough of even when following a well-balanced diet. Here are two tips for choosing a prenatal supplement for women thinking about getting pregnant and for those already eating for two:
Read the label.
According to the Mayo Clinic, it is best to look for vitamins that contain the following:
Folic acid and iron are two of the most important nutrients, as they help prevent brain and spine defects (folic acid) and help with growth and development (iron). Each woman’s body is different, however, and each pregnancy can be different from the next. Therefore, it is important for women to talk to their doctor to determine whether additional vitamins might be necessary.
Make sure it dissolves.
In order for the body to absorb the nutrients it needs from the vitamin, it is important that the vitamin dissolves when it is in the stomach. Vitamins that have a seal of approval from the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) are generally good bets, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is also possible to test a vitamin’s dissolution rate at home by submerging it in half a cup of vinegar and stirring every five minutes. It is a good sign if the vitamin dissolves or separates into tiny pieces within 30 to 45 minutes.
Yoga may provide several benefits for prenatal mothers. Anyone who has practiced knows how much of a total body workout yoga can be, as well as a way to quiet down the mind and gain control of your body and breath.
Heart disease is listed as the biggest cause of mortality during pregnancy. Yet, a new study by the European Heart Journal, reports with adequate pre-care and diagnosis, women with heart disease can have a happy and safe pregnancy.
The risk of women dying during the course of their pregnancy, due to heart disease, is a large risk factor in the west. Increased child bearing ages, as well as lifestyle behaviors are known risk factors, which have increased the incidence of a one off cardiac events during pregnancy. Should women with heart disease be discouraged from pregnancy due to these risk factors? A study by the European Heart Journal evaluated in 2012.
A group of 1321 women, from 60 hospitals, in 28 countries were investigated. All women had structural heart diseases-congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, ischemic heart disease and cardiomyopathy.
An interesting result from the study was that women in the western world had a much lower chance of mortality during pregnancy, than women in developing countries. The difference was quite pronounced; only 0.6% of women in the west died, during pregnancy, due to a cardiac related incidence/ disease, the figure for developing countries was 3.9%.
This large difference in mortality rates is due to the pre care diagnostics, management and counseling that women in the west can access when pregnant.
Many cardiology clinics around the United States offer management and treatment for women with cardiac disease that are pregnant, such as these cardiologists in Florida.
With a qualified cardiologist to monitor and manage pregnancy, this study claims that women with heart disease should not be discouraged from pregnancy, instead, they should be encouraged to ensure they have a cardiologist managing their cardiac care during pregnancy.
Acne is a common unwanted side effect of pregnancy, and managing it can be tricky. Over fifty percent of pregnant women can expect to develop acne at some point during their pregnancy. Although most cases are mild, some cases can range to being severe.
The primary cause of acne during pregnancy is the increased hormone levels in the first trimester. The higher level increases the skin’s production of natural oils. Those who have a history of acne or have acne flares at the start of their menstrual cycle are more prone to developing acne during pregnancy, although it is hard to know who will or will not develop acne.
If a women doesn’t develop acne during the first trimester, it’s unlikely that they will have unordinary breakouts during the second or third trimesters.
Managing acne when pregnant can be tricky, because many prescription acne medications and over-the-counter treatments come with a high risk of birth defects. In general, according to dermatologist White Plains specialists, pregnant women should avoid any medication that they don’t absolutely need especially if it has even a remote chance of harming the fetus.
For that reason, acne treatments in westchester for pregnant women should rather rely on drug-free home remedies. But before starting any acne treatment when pregnant or planning to become pregnant, consult with a doctor and dermatologist about what’s best — and safest — first.
To prevent and keep acne at bay, one option for women battling pregnancy acne is to take great care of their skin, perhaps more than they had prior to getting pregnant. It is advised to wash the face twice daily using a mild soap or cleanser. Instead of scrubbing the face with a washcloth, since that can irritate the skin and make the problem worse, use hands to gently wash your face. If a moisturizer is used, make sure it’s oil-free. The same goes for make up.
Showering can also prevent acne flair ups, as it removes oil from the hair. Oily hair can lead to oily skin, which is more prone to developing acne from clogged pores.
Another great way to help fight acne during pregnancy is to adjust diet. Foods that contain antioxidants (like vitamins A, C, and E) can help fight off free radicals which contribute to conditions like acne. Foods like salmon, dark green vegetables, olives, berries, sweet potato, cantaloupe, and extra virgin olive oil all contain powerful antioxidants that can help keep skin healthy and smooth.
It is important to remember that pregnancy acne is a natural, cosmetic condition. It usually subsides when hormone levels return to normal after the child is born. That being said, although it can be unsightly and annoying, if nothing else, avoid the temptation to squeeze or pop the pimples, which could result in permanent acne scars.
A study completed in 2012 has reported that although a low glycemic diet during pregnancy does have many health benefits, it has not been found to decrease the incidence of macrosomia.
Macrosomia is when a newborn has excessive birth weight. Fetal macrosomia occurs in the second pregnancy of about one third of women. A newborn’s birth weight is influenced by the mother’s age, ethnicity and previous deliveries of a large infant. There is also large evidence suggesting that there is a strong link between excessive weight gain during pregnancy and increased birth weight.
Presently there are one billion adults in the world’s population who are overweight. When a woman’s has a high maternal BMI there is a high chance she will give birth to a larger infant. However, it has also been observed that the weight a woman gains during pregnancy is independently related to the weight of the newborn on delivery. Therefore the study wanted to put women on a carbohydrate controlled diet and see did the weight they did/did not gain affect the birth weight of the infant. Their main reason for studying this cause and effect is that increased birth weights are associated with increased health risks in later life for children. One of these health risks is childhood obesity.
A trial was carried out, measuring the incidence of macrosomia in women on a low glycemic index diet versus those who did not diet.
A low glycemic diet is carried out by eating foods that have a low glycemic index. All carbohydrates increase blood sugar levels, but their effect varies. Carbohydrate effects on blood sugar are categorized according to the glucose response they induce; their glycemic index. Low glycemic foods have a low glucose response, and high glycemic foods have a high glucose response. People on a low glycemic diet try to eat more carbohydrates that have a low glycemic index.
The results of this study found that a low glycemic index diet did have some health benefits for mother and newborn, however it did little to decrease the incidence of macrosomia.
The benefits of a low glycemic index diet were shown in the lower incidence of induced labor and primary postpartum hemorrhage in the women who followed the lower glycemic index diet. The diet also had a positive effect on maternal weight gain as well as maternal glucose tolerance.
The growing problem of obesity needs an intervention, or rather a combination of interventions. Although this particular diet was not shown to be sufficient in preventing macrosomia in newborns, it does have other benefits for women during pregnancy.
Exercising while pregnant has many benefits. Being pregnant is a time full of both joy and discomfort, as the body changes and adapts to the growing child. However, by being physically active with exercise throughout the pregnancy duration, mothers can handle their pregnancy better and prepare themselves for birth and motherhood.
Unless there is a medical exception, pregnant women are recommended to exercise three to five times a week for approximately 15-30 minutes at moderate intensity, very similar to the recommendations given to the general population.
Although the health benefits are unmistakable, a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine discovered that not enough pregnant women get the recommended amount of exercise – 85.4% to be exact.
During the first few months of pregnancy it is easy to maintain a normal regular exercise, although it’s probably best to avoid contact sports. However, the issue is that during the first three months is when morning sickness is at its peak. It may be tough, but keeping up with regular exercise during the first months will make the following months much easier.
Moderate exercise is advised, but if one cannot for whatever reason, then a great option is walking. Twenty minutes a day is sufficient, and not only the body will benefit, but also the mind.
Throughout the duration of the pregnancy, swimming is an excellent form of exercise to engage in. The water takes the weight of the body away from the carrier, which in itself can be a wonderful experience. Swimming ten to twenty gentle lengths about three times a week is enough to keep the body in shape.
Yoga is another great for pregnant women. Although yoga will not burn high amounts of calories, it will tone and strengthen the body. However, keep in mind that specific yoga positions will have to be altered slightly as pregnant woman shouldn’t lie on their back for long periods of time.
Another unfortunate side effect of pregnancy is back pain. For many women, carrying the excess weight is a new experience and their bodies have difficulty supporting the new weight. Exercising during pregnancy can alleviate lower back pain.
The real issue at hand is inactivity, which can lead to to excess weight gain, high blood pressure, aches and pains, and a higher risk for Cesarean section and gestational diabetes. But even if a woman has been inactive prior to getting pregnant, she can safely start an exercise program during pregnancy. To learn more about the best exercise programs for pregnancy, consult with your physician.
To read more on the benefits of exercise during pregnancy, read these 10 Reasons to Workout While Pregnant.
Home remedies for morning sickness can help alleviate the unwanted side effects of pregnancy. The condition has been in the headlines lately, as Princess Katie Middleton was admitted into the hospital for the severe case of morning sickness known as hyperemesis gravidarum.
However, morning sickness doesn’t only affect royalty and doesn’t always require a trip to the hospital. There are several home remedies pregnant women can implment to deal with morning sickness.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, over fifty percent of all pregnant women experience morning sickness. For most, the uncomfortable experience ends around the twelfth week of pregnancy, for some others though the unpleasant upset stomach symptoms can last throughout the entire pregnancy.
Medical experts and pain management Monmouth specialists are certain on the causes of morning sickness, although sudden hormone fluctuations caused by the pregnancy are thought to be the primary cause. The symptoms that most women will experience during common morning sickness include nausea, vomiting, small amounts of urine, dark urine, dizziness, fainting, fast heart beat, and vomiting blood.
Although pregnant women experiencing symptoms of morning sickness should consult with their doctor, not all women can eliminate their symptoms. Some have success instead with home remedies. Below, are a few tips for women to curb the effects of morning sickness.
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, more commonly known as embryo screening, is the procedure that checks an embryo prior to in vitro fertilization (IVF) to see if the embryo is a carrier of any alleles for a genetic disease. If the embryo does contain a negative condition, then it will not be used.
Essentially any genetic disease or disability that has been identified by a mutation report can be tested for, including Huntington Disease and Downs syndrome. Most families are aware of the genetic diseases in their lineage, and understand that as carriers they can pass these conditions onto their offspring.
Hopeful parents can screen embryos to know how likely it will be for their offspring to have a genetic disease. They can then chose the healthiest embryos, and in result their child will be born without the unwanted condition. The procedure, however helpful, is also controversial as many critics claim it is unethical.
The embryo screening procedure biopsies an embryo for a specific condition before being transferred for implantation IVF. Embryo transfer only then occurs with unaffected embryos are implanted in a woman’s uterus; those that are affected are either discarded or donated to science. Donor eggs are also screened before implantation. At most fertility clinics, embryo screening is never applied to get the genetically “perfect” baby. Rather, it is used to reduce the chances that the fetus or newborn could suffer from a genetic condition that could lead to lifelong illness.
Despite that fact that embryo screening could both alert hopeful parents of possible genetic defects and reduce reliance on fetal deselection during pregnancy, the approach has raised several ethical concerns.
The main reason people oppose embryo screening is because the technique can be used to determine the sex of the embryo, commonly called gender selection, and thus be used to select embryos of a particular sex rather than the other. Embryo screening also allows discrimination against those with disabilities, according to critics.
Embryo screening has been around since the mid 1990′s, but has only recently gained widespread use. According to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, since 2006 over 15,000 embryo screen procedures have been conducted. Although the indications for embryo screening are identified and well established, it is still a relatively new, innovative technique and remains controversial.
Gina Ompheck says: What an enlightening article! Better not wait till it's too late!
11 days ago
sarah says: Hi , I'm very confused and scared to go see a doctor . On march 28th and 29th we were ...
32 days ago
Karen says: Hi there, can you please send me a picture of " dhea medicine that Helps woman to get pregnant?? And ...
32 days ago
Catherine says: I've heard what the blogger stated: That iron and folic acid are the most important. I was taking one brand ...
81 days ago
Catherine Wang says: I hear that iron is the only supplement that is worth taking - the only one that actually makes a ...
85 days ago
Gina Ompheck says: What an enlightening article! Better not wait till it's too late!
11 days ago
sarah says: Hi , I'm very confused and scared to go see a doctor . On march 28th and 29th we were ...
32 days ago
Karen says: Hi there, can you please send me a picture of " dhea medicine that Helps woman to get pregnant?? And ...
32 days ago
Catherine says: I've heard what the blogger stated: That iron and folic acid are the most important. I was taking one brand ...
81 days ago
