80% of pregnant women face pregnancy complications at some point or the other in their pregnancy term. While most complications can be dealt with, many complications also stay through the entire term of the pregnancy. Read out further to get all the information related to pregnancy complications.
It is common knowledge that women above the age of 30 face more complications than pregnant women younger to them. While it is not easy to conceive after the age of 30, women in this age group should not be disheartened. After the age of 30, correct advice from a good doctor can really lift your spirits.
The 40-Week Pregnancy Period
It takes approximately 40 weeks for a healthy pregnancy to reach full term. Pregnancy ends and birth begins when the membranes of the sac holding the developed fetus and the amniotic fluid ruptures and the vagina contracts in readiness to push the fetus out of the body.
Many women who have crossed the age of 30 deliver before the stipulated 40-week term and give birth to premature babies. Such babies are at a risk of having underdeveloped organs and are susceptible to life threatening infections.
Planning Your Pregnancy Post 30
Consulting a good doctor is the first step one must take while planning pregnancy post 30. Fertility treatment taken under the doctor guidance is the best bet for women above 30, suffering from fertility problems. It is widely acknowledged that unmonitored intake of fertility drugs can cause multiple births and further pregnancy complications; especially in cases of the first pregnancy. So do as your doc says!
The next step to ensure a healthy pregnancy after 30 is to change your lifestyle. Post 30, pregnant women have to eat meals with the right mix of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, rich proteins, and low fat. Consulting a dietitian to draw up a healthy diet plan is a good idea. They will have to avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks. Also mild to moderate exercise will have to be included in the daily routine.
Intake of medication such as Folic acids, Vitamin C tablets, iron tablets, etc., should be taken after consultation with doctor. These can go a long way in helping you to prevent possible pregnancy complications.
Pregnancy is a beautiful experience and one should enjoy the nine months towards motherhood. Keep a pregnancy journal and read pregnancy books to monitor pregnancy week by week development. Enjoy your pregnancy!
Post pregnancy life or life after pregnancy brings so many questions; one of them is about menstruation care after pregnancy. You are constantly wondering as to when you will get your first period after pregnancy.
Many women mistake the bloody discharge after delivery for period. That discharge, however, is not your period, but all the additional fluid coming out of your uterus. This discharge can last from one to two months and women do need to wear pads to avoid staining their clothes.
The start of your menstrual cycle after pregnancy depends upon different factors, like your hormonal composition and breast-feeding. Women who do not breast-feed may get their first period after pregnancy as soon as one month.
On the other hand, women who breast-feed get their menstruation after pregnancy late, the reason being that, the prolactin present in your breast milk tends to suppress the menstruation after pregnancy.
Many women assume that they will not ovulate until the time they do not get their first period after pregnancy. You will be surprised to know that you might start ovulation within a few weeks of your delivery. Therefore, contraception plays an important role in life after pregnancy.
Facts About Menstruation After Pregnancy
Your period after pregnancy will be heavier and painful as compared to your experience before pregnancy.
You might still get PMS, when you resume menstruation after pregnancy.
While you are breast-feeding, be very careful of the birth control methods that you use. Consult your doctor before choosing any. Most doctors suggest barrier methods such as condoms, diaphragm etc.
Moms who are not breast-feeding can choose from a variety of options, like natural menstrual cycle, IUD insertion, contraceptive pills, or barrier methods.
Remember that menstruation after pregnancy is unpredictable. It will differ from woman to woman, and it changes monthly for a woman. It is all a game of hormones and how well your body copes with the changes. There might be women who might not experience any difference in menstruation before and after pregnancy. A cycle that appears normal to you might not be normal for another woman. Every woman has a different menstruation cycle. You need to understand your body very well, in order to understand your menstruation cycle. Do not be anxious about your first period after pregnancy, you will get them when your body is healed and uterus returns to its normal size and starts functioning normally.
Pregnancy brings many changes in you and your menstrual cycle is no exception. There are many changes that you would need to deal with apart from sitting and worrying about your menstruation after pregnancy. You just need to ensure that once you get your periods, then the menstruation care should be proper. Adjusting with the changes and enjoying life after pregnancy should be your motto. As everything else, your menstruation after pregnancy will also start falling in place with time.
Treatment an ectopic pregnancy is different for every woman, depending on the size and location where the egg implants itself, and what type of pregnancy complications are involved.
Ectopic pregnancy is the leading cause of death amongst women in the first few months of their pregnancy period, so consult a doctor immediately, if you notice anything abnormal that may be symptomatic of an ectopic pregnancy.
The first stage in the treatment involves elimination of the dangerous non-viable intrauterine pregnancy, to minimize the risk for the mother. In this, the doctor always tries to protect future pregnancy prospects for the mother.
Complications include the reduced probability of further conception; however, this greatly depends on the extent of damage to the internal organs. Future pregnancies must only be planned after proper consultation with a doctor.
Treatment Options Include -
Non-invasive Chemical Method -
An early pregnancy that is ectopic in nature can at times be cured with a methotrexate injection that will dissolve the fertilized egg. This is advantageous for the mother, as it prevents scarring of the pelvic organs. Since ectopic pregnancies do not give rise to live births, look out for symptoms, so that an early treatment course can be undertake.
Surgery -
If the ectopic nature of your pregnancy is detected in the later stages, along with pregnancy complications, then surgery may be necessary. Nowadays, the less invasive laparoscopy surgery method is widely used in its treatment. If a woman’s fallopian tube has ruptured, then before pregnancy complications develop, an emergency surgery through an abdominal incision (laparatomy) may become necessary. In very few cases, the doctor is able to repair the damaged fallopian tube, which gets removed in most instances.
After the surgery, one needs close monitoring of her HCG (pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin) levels. If this level does not show a zero reading, then additional surgery may be required for any left out ectopic tissue.
Your chance of a future pregnancy depends on the place where you had the egg implanted. If both your fallopian tubes are intact, then the probability of a successful future pregnancy is about 60%. However, if you have had one ectopic pregnancy, then the chance of a second also increases. So, doctors always advise to be aware of the symptoms, so that early treatment is done.
Expectant Management -
In a few cases, treatment of an ectopic pregnancy may be done through expectant management. This involves close observation and constant monitoring, and no treatment is given. Expectant management is undertaken in very few cases, where it is anticipated that the it will automatically resolve. However, until the condition completely normalizes, the risk of a rupture always remains.
Treatment of ectopic pregnancy no doubt exists, but, why don’t you try to prevent it and also cut down on certain risk factors. This can be done by avoiding multiple sexual partners, and also using a condom while intercourse. This will help avoid STD’s and reduce the chances of PIDs (pelvic inflammatory diseases).
There are some peculiar indications in the body, symptomatic of an ectopic pregnancy. If you notice any such symptoms of ectopic pregnancy in your own early pregnancy, rush to the doctor. Ectoic pregnancy can cause a number of pregnancy complications and can be a threat to your life as well. Treatment for ectopic pregnancy is available. Take care.
A molar pregnancy refers to a pregnancy which is a type of gestational trophoblastic disease. The molar pregnancies are also called gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD). It may refer to a part or all of a mole. A molar pregnancy is a mass of abnormal tissue (hydatiform mole), which comes from inside of the uterus, placenta, triggering symptoms of pregnancy. It occurs when there is a problem with the embryo as a result of sperm and egg. A molar pregnancy is a pregnancy complication that occurs in 1 out of 1000 pregnancies in the United Kingdom A molar pregnancy can develop during the first stage of pregnancy.
When an egg abnormal genetic information is fertilized by a sperm. The sperm’s chromosomes in duplicate and develop a mole. A normal fertilized egg by two sperm. This cell mass is most likely to develop into a partial mole. Age greater than 40 years is a risk factor for molar pregnancy, as is a preview pregnancy. Early on Molar, a molar pregnancy is associated with symptoms similar to that of a normal pregnancy, including morning sickness, fatigue and breasts. However, the symptoms begin to appear around the tenth week of pregnancy, and may include nausea and vomiting and vaginal bleeding.
Other symptoms of abdominal pain or cramps, high blood pressure (premature, pre-eclampsia), cough (rarely, coughing blood), and no movement or fetal heartbeat. Treatment of recurring molar pregnancy, called gestational trophoblastic neoplasia, or GTN, in medical terms, generally composed of a chemotherapy drug called methotrexate. Support groups and counseling can be beneficial. An ectopic pregnancy often have to be surgically removed. When an ectopic pregnancy is diagnosed before rupture of the fallopian tube, the provider usually makes a small incision in the fallopian tube and removes the embryo, the preservation of the fallopian tube.
Molar Pregnancy Treatment and Prevention Tips
1. Using a D&C under general anesthesia.
2. Support groups and counseling can be beneficial.
3. Pregnancy should be avoided for one year after a molar pregnancy.
4. Any birth control method is acceptable with the exception of an intrauterine device.
5. Pelvic ultrasound may be used during the procedure to guide removal of all the abnormal tissue.
Ectopic pregnancy is not a normal pregnancy. In ectopic pregnancy, the fertilized egg does not implant in the uterus, but in the outside tissues. In most cases, it implants in the fallopian tube.
Chances of ectopic pregnancy increases with age, fallopian tube surgery, or pelvic inflammatory disease, however a vaginal ultrasound and scan or ELISA (urinary test) can successfully diagnose it.
Although, ectopic pregnancy needs immediate medical attention, death is rare in such condition, since early detection in first trimester of the pregnancy period is possible for it. After detection, treatment can be done with injection methotrexate, or laprosopic or laprotomy surgery.
Monitoring Symptoms
There are different symptoms for ectopic pregnancy. Woman with an ectopic pregnancy at times have abdominal or pelvic pain, dizziness, low blood pressure, and vaginal bleeding. Hormones levels of the pregnant woman need to be checked, if you suspect an ectopic pregnancy.
The hormone HCG is higher in a normal pregnancy in comparison to ectopic pregnancy. However, the progesterone hormone tends to be lower. To monitor the hormone levels, doctors ask the patients to get their blood tests done on a daily basis for a few days. To check internal bleeding an ultrasound is also advised by the doctors.
Treatment
Good news is that ectopic pregnancy can be treated without any permanent damage, but sometimes in advanced pregnancies, it may rupture. Then doctors perform surgery. Surgery can be done using laprotomy (open surgery) or laproscopy (pin hole surgery), depending on the size of the ectopic pregnancy. Earlier, doctors used to remove the entire fallopian tube while removing ectopic pregnancy, now only a part of the fallopian tube is removed.
Prevention
Ectopic pregnancy can surely be treated, but there is no known way to prevent it. One can decrease the risk by using condoms or getting pelvis area checked in case of any urinary tract infection. Yearly medical examinations are necessary, if you use an IUD.
Any infection during pregnancy can be quite troubling for the mother as well for the child. Ectopic pregnancy should be detected and removed as early as the first trimester when you are experiencing your first signs of pregnancy. Ignoring the symptoms of pregnancy week by week can lead to trouble in the later stages. Remember to get a thorough medical checkup done in the first few weeks of your pregnancy itself. Be informed, keep safe, and enjoy your journey to motherhood.
Pregnancy brings with it a lot of anxiety for an expectant mother especially pregnancy facts. This anxiety is mostly the result of curiosity over pregnancy related problems. Curiosity kills goes the saying. This stands true, especially in the context of pregnancy.
Pregnancy Counsel
There is no dearth of counsel during the pregnancy period of a woman life. A woman is flooded with a barrage of pregnancy advice with the first symptoms of pregnancy. These bits of advice are helpful, no doubt, but at times they also add to the confusion of a pregnant woman. Since one cannot make a distinction in a professional and amateur pregnancy advice, it is not advisable to act upon any of them without consulting your doctor.
Courtesy demands that one has to lend an ear to friendly counsel. But following pregnancy advice or not is left to ones discretion. However, at times, one may have to turn them down bluntly as well, if the counsel becomes too overbearing. One tried and tested formula to rein such counsel is to tell your well wishers that you are following the advice of your doctor, whom you trust the most.
Know The Facts Of Pregnancy
A few questions about pregnancy that are uppermost in the mind of an average woman are given below. Read the answers to know pregnancy facts and realities.
Pregnancy is always painful: Yes, pain is inherent to childbirth. However, as far as its intensity is concerned, it is relative. It can be more painful for some and less for others. There are certain factors that determine labor pain like, the health and capacity in a woman to resist pain.
Healthy pregnancy women give birth to healthy babies: While in most cases this is a fact, at times a healthy mother might not be able to deliver a healthy baby too, like if it is born prematurely due to sudden high blood pressure.
Pregnant women should eat for two: Pregnant women are often told that they must eat for two. However this is not true. A pregnant woman has to increase her calorie intake by just another 100 calories every month. That is more than enough to provide nutrition to the growing fetus in the womb.
Pregnant women should not do any exercise: Doctors today ensure that pregnant women know the benefits of pregnancy exercises. Often, the fear of gaining excess weight keeps haunting pregnant women. To avoid gaining excess weight, pregnant women do strenuous exercises too. However here, it is important to note that while pregnancy exercises like swimming and yoga are good during the pregnancy period, strenuous exercises like weight lifting a total no-no.
Motherhood is a cherished dream, every woman longs to experience all her life. Emotional stress and mood swings during pregnancy are part of a natural process. Rather than getting unduly worried about trivial issues, a pregnant women should learn more about pregnancy facts and enjoy the experience of transformation from a woman to mother.
Pregnancy risks are one of the many things; a woman should be concerned about, once she knows that her baby is on the way. The quality of medical care and awareness of behavioral risk factors has drastically reduced pregnancy related complications today. Yet, it is important that that every woman going through a period of pregnancy is aware of certain things related to her pregnancy week by week.
Pregnancy Risk Factors
Undesirable lifestyles, genetic background, and existing medical conditions are some of the main factors that contribute toward high-risk pregnancy.
How Is Your Lifestyle?
Unhealthful lifestyles before or during pregnancy adds to pregnancy risks. This can negatively affect the long-term health of the mother and newborn child. A would be mother should keep the following points in mind.
1. Quit substance use-Alcohol, drugs and cigarettes harm the developing fetus. Consume coffee and tea in moderation.
2. Learn the importance of nutrition-Avoid certain foods that may harm the unborn baby. Some of these are certain kinds of fish that contain mercury, raw meats and unpasteurized milk that can contain harmful bacteria called Listeria. Eat a balanced diet that contains proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and minerals.
3. Avoid stress and anxiety-Statistical studies have shown that expectant mothers who are distraught by anxiety, fear, and emotional turmoil are more prone to conditions like pregnancy-induced hypertension. This condition is also called Toxemia or Preeclampsia.
4. Exercise in moderation-Vigorous and strenuous physical activity can contribute to pregnancy risks. Consult your doctor for prenatal exercise tips. Moderate walking and light housework are helpful pregnancy exercises.
5. Avoid sex during pregnancy, if your doctor or pregnancy health care provider detects certain significant complications with your pregnancy.
Other Pregnancy Risks
Certain aspects of genetic background and existing medical conditions may add to pregnancy risks. These are:
1. Family history of genetic diseases or birth defects
2. Previous history of pregnancy loss
3. Pre-existing medical conditions, like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease etc.
4. Age factor such as, getting pregnant before the age of 18 or after 35
5. Chronic anemia
If any of these or other factors hold true for you, it is important to consult your doctor at once.
Seek Support
It is good to keep in mind that pregnancy risks are an unpleasant fact. However have a positive approach towards life. Seek guidance from your doctor and persons close to you. Your husband, for instance can provide great emotional support. All these will go a long way in dispelling fear of pregnancy or labor. Keep in mind that you as a woman is endowed with God greatest gift -that of giving birth to another human being.
What a pregnancy weekly calendar and how does one use it? A pregnancy calendar is a pregnancy week by week record of the changes taking place in your body, plus the pregnancy symptoms. With the help of this calendar, you can get more information about the different stages of pregnancy and what happens in each stage. This awareness is helpful in the pregnancy term, as it protects you from unnecessary anxiety and fear and lets you enjoy your pregnancy in peace.
Calculating Pregnancy Weekly Calendar
There is a definite technique that you can use to calculate this calendar. The beginning of this calendar is the date of your last period. This is the same date used by doctors to predict the date of your delivery or your due date, which is about 40 weeks from your last period. It may be one or two weeks more or less than the actual date for different women. Every mom-to-be is anxious to know the exact day when her baby will be born. Therefore, this weekly calendar becomes all the more important.
Calendar Is Not The Be All And End All
There is one thing that you should keep in mind while referring your pregnancy weekly calendar. It is not the exact basis to rely on for every pregnancy symptom or change in your body. This calendar is prepared on the basis of general statistics and shows average figures. Moreover, it is a fact that, not all women have the same kind of pregnancy. Each pregnancy is unique and each consecutive pregnancy in the same woman is distinctive too!
For example, the calendar mentions a list of pregnancy symptoms that would appear in a particular stage of pregnancy. Now this does not mean that you will get all those symptoms and in the same intensity as mentioned in the pregnancy weekly calendar. There are some women who do not experience symptoms like morning sickness at all!
The same holds true for the prediction of delivery date. It is not necessary that the date predicted in the calendar is 100% accurate. The actual delivery date usually varies from 38th week to 42nd week after your last period.
Using A Pregnancy Calendar
Therefore, you should refer to the pregnancy weekly calendar only as a general source of information. Remember, this calendar is not a substitute for your visits to doctor. In fact, you should refer to a pregnancy weekly calendar only after checking it out with the doctor.
The calendar also describes the development stages of your baby. It helps you bring closer to the baby growing within your womb. With a pregnancy weekly calendar in your hand, you are no longer an ignorant woman who depends on old wivestales for the health of your baby and your own self. You become a smart mom-to-be who knows how to enjoy her pregnancy!
One of the essential prerequisites for a healthy baby is an adequate pregnancy weight gain for the mother during her pregnancy. You should get insights into the need for weight gain during pregnancy and explore the link between obesity and pregnancy, if you are planning a baby or have just got the good news.
Need For Weight Gain During Pregnancy
The one time where weight gain among women is actually applauded and encouraged is during pregnancy. Various studies have indicated that babies, which do not receive adequate nourishment while in the womb, tend to be smaller and are prone to cardiac problems later in life. Starvation while in the womb leads to stunted development of various organs including kidneys, pancreas, and liver of the baby. A higher rate of infantile death is also noticed among such babies.
Doctors recommend a pregnancy weight gain of at least 20 pounds for all pregnant women, irrespective of their weight prior to pregnancy. The food eaten by women during pregnancy needs to be chosen with care with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, and other seeds, forming the majority of the diet. Consumption of added fats, sugars, white flour, and refined carbohydrates should be minimal even during the progress of pregnancy week by week.
Pregnancy And Obesity
However there is another problem. If unchecked, pregnancy weight gain in some women may even reach the level of obesity. Many women do not bother about their figure after pregnancy, believing firmly that having a baby leads to losing your once perfect figure, forever. Although, this may be partly true, new moms also need to recognize the link between pregnancy weight gain and pregnancy obesity.
A new mother may have several emotional issues to deal with regarding her newfound status of being a mother. For many women, the incessant pressures and responsibilities that go along with her new role may also lead to overeating, which in turn might cause weight gain, change in her body rhythms and ultimately obesity.
Some women also hold firm the conviction that the weight gained while pregnant is permanent and all attempts to get rid of it would be futile. However, they do not seem to realize that it would only take about a year to overcome the effects of pregnancy weight gain and regain their earlier figure.
Determining of the link between obesity and pregnancy could disclose other health issues apart from obesity. A sudden excessive pregnancy weight gain could be indicative of other factors, such as depression or physical factors such as difficulties faced in the course of pregnancy, ailments of the reproductive system or incontinence.
Conversely, a new mom faces another risk due to her pregnancy weight gain. As her body changes to adapt to her weight gain, the effect may be a further increase in weight gain.
To conclude, although a new mom may consider her body on a lower priority scale when weighed against all her duties and concerns regarding her baby, her responsibility towards herself and a healthy body should not be neglected, as her well being is ultimately her baby well-being too.
Early pregnancy symptoms vary from woman to woman. In fact it is not necessary all at that you will experience during your pregnancy what you pregnant friend did!
Furthermore, pregnancy symptoms can also be an indication of some other disease. So it is recommended that you consult a physician once you experience the common early signs of pregnancy.
Symptoms
One of the most important early pregnancy symptoms is that of a missed period. However, the miss might also occur due to some physical ailments. In fact, women who normally have infrequent periods hardly notice when they miss one!
Following Are Some Other Early Signs Of Pregnancy:
During pregnancy, you will feel your breasts swollen and tender, which is somewhat similar to the same sensation during menstruation. The pregnancy period is divided into three trimesters and after the first one, this pain reduces.
The other early pregnancy symptom is fatigue, which occurs due to the body initial inability to adjust to the new hormonal levels in the body. Sometimes, you might undergo mood swings, because of this hormonal change.
The body also reacts to food during your pregnancy week by week progression. In most cases you have food cravings or in some cases, food aversion as well.
Another early pregnancy symptom is that of nausea, commonly called as early morning sickness.Whereas in most women, this does not happen before one month of pregnancy, cases of women experiencing nausea in first month have also been registered.
The body also reacts specifically to certain smells and aromas, where you might be repelled even by the most normal smells and be attracted to certain other aromas.
Frequent urination is also one of the most common early pregnancy symptoms. It takes place due to an increase in the body fluids. This symptom continues throughout the pregnancy period.
Cases of implantation bleeding are also considered as an early pregnancy symptom. This results when the fertilized egg attaches itself to the uterus, resulting into a bleeding of pinkish or reddish brown in color.
The early pregnancy symptoms can be determined through a pregnancy test, which too you can conduct yourself with the help of a home kit. However, the results of it also depend on your physiological characteristics and the kind of test kit you use. It is always advisable to consult your doctor once you start to experience the early pregnancy symptoms.
|
|
