To Be Mom

Women, grappling with morning sickness that is normally caused by the sudden increase in hormones during pregnancy, may now heave a sigh of relief, as a new study provides evidences that women with symptoms of morning sickness, which includes nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, may be far away from the risk of deadly breast cancer.

Credit to bring these findings to the fore goes to Dr. Jo Freudenheim and her colleagues from the University of Buffalo in New York, who rolled it out at the annual meeting of the Society for Epidemiologic Research after interviewing around 1001 women with recently diagnosed breast cancer, ages 35 to 79.

During this analysis, experts also took into consideration several factors, normally associated with pregnancy like high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, etc. More interesting is the fact that that greater severity and longer duration of the symptoms was associated with reduced risk of breast cancer. And this makes the findings of this study more plausible.

Findings, leaping out of this study are really a balm to the women community, as breast cancer is fast becoming a common problem these days, especially among women. So, pregnant women, facing unwelcoming morning sickness should start taking it not as their foe but as their friend, as it promises their safety against breast cancer.

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Via: Reuters

If you are a diabetic would-be-mom or even have a blood sugar level a bit higher than normal, then be aware - it may greatly risk your newborn! So, get diagnosed with it immediately.

Moms with higher blood sugar levels generally pass on high insulin levels in their newborns, who are also more likely to have low blood sugar levels. Later in life, these problems can lead to obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure problems in baby.

This new finding is of great help for a mom-to-be, especially if she has never got checked her blood sugar level. And, if found to be a diabetic, stricter diet advice or medication can help lower your blood sugar within time, keeping all these problems at bay.

Higher blood sugar levels in new moms may lead to the birth of ‘big babies’. And, large-sized babies risk shoulder damage and other injuries if delivered vaginally, and to avoid these risk factors, more women have to resort to C-sections. However, surgeries always increase health risks for both mothers and babies.

To keep your baby away from later-in-life obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure problems and avoid yourself from C-sections, keep an eye on your blood sugar levels during pregnancies.

To know more on, how to take better care of yourself, for a healthy pregnancy and delivering a healthy baby while having high blood sugar levels, read here...

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Portugal has introduced a new law that will allow women to have an abortion up to the 10th week of pregnancy. However the new law has also imposed a three-day reflection period in which women will have to seek the procedure and grant doctors’ right to opt on moral grounds. The law will become effective from July 15. It is estimated that around 10,000 women in most of the Roman Catholic countries are hospitalized every year with complications arising from failed, illegal abortions.

Portugal had rigid restrictions on abortion as compared to its neighboring countries but with the implementation of the new law Portugal will stand together with most of its European neighbors. For the law the Health Ministry had to really work hard and had spent months drawing up medical guidelines annexed to the law.

As per the new law now the woman who wish to seek abortion will have a meeting with the concerned doctors, where she will be warned of all the possibilities of danger due to the abortion. After a three-day reflection period she can either get the abortion done free of cost at a public hospital or go to a licensed private clinic. After all the medical procedures she must visit a family planning session to get informed about contraception methods.

The doctors are also given freedom to accept or reject the abortion cases and on unavailability of the doctor the hospital will have to give a woman access to a doctor elsewhere.

In the previous law the women could undergo abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy only if her health was at risk and in rape case she was granted through the 16th week. On the other side if there was a case in which it was the only solution left to save the mother then there no time restriction.

The government hopes that the new law will put an end to risky backstreet abortions .

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Source: Yahoo

The pregnant women are always advised to sleep properly because it’s very necessary for the health. During pregnancy there are lots of problems like cramping in legs, pain in back, and urination every now and than so a pregnant lady found it very uneasy to take proper sleep.

Follow some tips given below to get good sleep:

1. Don’t drinks that those fluids which have caffeine in it. If it had become your need and you cannot ignore them, than try to take it during morning or in early hours of the noon.

2. Always consume foods and drinks at least 1-2 hours before going to sleep. Try to consume heavy diet during the daytime and along with this drink plenty of liquids too.

3. Try to make a routine in life but it is mostly required while you pregnant. Make a chart at what time you will get up and at what time you have to sleep. And try to do this regularly.

4. Don’t do exercises just before sleeping; you will get some relaxation by bathing with warm water.

5. Eat lot of calcium pills so that you don’t face the problem of leg cramping.

6. Always do some yoga in pregnancy but after only consulting your doctor. Take admissions in various classes arranged for pregnant women if you excited to become mom.

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According to the scientists — pregnant women should stay away from the hot sun rays, mostly during the first trimester of their pregnancy. A new study has reported that the pregnant women are very sensitive to high temperatures.

The study is conducted by the researchers from the University of Bristol. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have raised this warning on the basis of this new study.

In this recent study, the scientists discovered that if pregnant women are exposed to high temperatures during initial stages of their pregnancy, than it could lead to low birth weight of the baby.

The researchers have raised the warning that as babies grow fast during the first trimester, and pregnant females are very sensitive to high temperatures, and so if they stay out in the sun light this could be harmful for them and make them feel unwell.

Females during the initial stages of their pregnancy period in the summer season should take care of their health and they should also be aware about the risk of temperature rise on their health during pregnancy. Pregnant females should try to stay in the home and avoid sun rays between 10am and 4pm.

Pregnant females always try to wear loose cloths, drink lot water, fresh fruit juices and eat healthy balanced diet in required amount and thus by doing all these they can keep themselves fit.

Pregnant mothers should not stay in sun, always wear loose cloths, avoid dehydration and eat good healthy fresh foods and always do some light exercises so that there is no affect on the body temperature and also it doesn’t put exertion on them.

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Men need to be more supportive to their wives, especially when they are parents of young children - if not anything else, atleast emotional support and a bit care for their children is not just expected but needed from him.

This reduces the risk of mental health problems among women by more than three-times, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles concluded,

If parenting stressors such as those examined here are to be addressed, changes may be required in community support systems, and improvements in relevant social policies may be needed.

It is also found that moms of small children, who face a substantial risk of mental health problems, can eventually influence their child’s health and development in turn.

But, the question arises, if a father’s striving to improve child care quality as well as provide mental support to his wife keeps him away from the mental health stresses!

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Time and again people have stressed the importance of following a healthy, balanced diet, packed with a wide variety of nutritional foods during pregnancy. What the expectant mother consumes may have a bearing on her child’s health.

A recent study presented at the American Thoracic Society’s 2007 International Conference in San Francisco has brought to the forefront the health benefits of eating fish and apples during pregnancy on the child’s well-being. Expectant mothers by way of including apples and fish in their diet could reduce the risk of their children developing allergies and asthma. Scottish and Dutch researchers established these results following a research on 1200 children.

Monitoring the women when they were 32 weeks into their pregnancy and thereafter the children till they were 5 years of age, the researchers concluded that these children were least likely to exhibit symptoms of asthma or suffer from the skin infection, eczema. The researchers did not delve into the exact constituents present in apples and fish that contributed to the health of the children but reported that when weighed against the various risk factors for asthma and allergies, apples and fish proved their merits in plummeting the possibility of children having to put up with asthma and allergies during their growing years.
A little thoughtfulness on the part of the expectant mother to include apples and fish in her diet might just make a positive difference to her child’s health.

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Source: Webmd

The analgesic you might be using to get rid of some minor aches and pains during pregnancy may have duel advantage to your body. While relieving you of that pain, it might also help reduce your pregnancy related problems.

This is blessed by the analgesic ‘Aspirin.’ Might bring a great relief to mothers-to-be, skeptical about taking any medicines during pregnancy, the drug may amazingly reduce risk of giving birth prematurely and of potentially fatal complications, a new research claims.

If you are a mothers-to-be and taking aspirin or other anti-platelet drugs, it may amazingly reduce your pre-eclampsia risk by 10 percent! Pre-eclampsia, marked by a sudden blood pressure increase after 20 weeks, can prove fatal to both the mother and the baby in her womb.

Lelia Duley, professor of obstetric epidemiology at the University of Leeds said,

It is something that pregnant women who are at high risk of pre-eclampsia should discuss with their obstetrician, doctor or midwife.

So, take aspirin, not just to cure any pain, but also if you are high with pre-eclampsia risk or had a history of the disease before.

Oops! This is not recommended for all! Discuss it with your obstetrician or doctor before taking any such dosages.

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Women these days are postponing their plans of starting their family as they get busy in their careers. But, as their biological clock keeps ticking, women worry of conceiving unhealthy babies in their later years.

Now, with new technological advancements, they can get over such worries and conceive at a time when they are comfortable and prepared to start a family. Women are increasingly opting to freeze their eggs and store them in ‘Fertility Banks’ to use them at a later stage to conceive.

A clinic in Toronto offers a service called “Freeze Your Clock” offering a long-term service of freezing eggs and sperms of young and healthy people. Freezing eggs is not a new concept; in fact, it has been used by women who are undergoing treatments for various medical conditions such as cancer and Turner’s syndrome. Since it is not advised to conceive during the treatments, freezing eggs is considered a good option for such women who want to conceive later.

The treatment costing $5000 involves 10 to 12 days of fertility treatments including injections of follicle stimulating hormone to produce multiple eggs, which are then surgically removed, frozen and stored and $300 for a year’s storage. When the women are ready to conceive, the eggs are thawed, fertilized and the resulting embryo is then implanted in the womb.

A new technique called ‘Flash Freeezing Eggs’ makes it possible to protect eggs from getting damaged during the thawing process, giving women chances of higher pregnancy rates.

The clinic claims that they try and dissuade younger clients from undergoing such an invasive and expensive procedure and the clients first meet a psychologist for counseling before they start the treatment.

The health officials are worried as it raises ethical issues such as ‘generation of older parents’ even as more and more young couples are opting for such services. Canadian officials are also contemplating on restricting the number of clinics that are licensed to perform the procedures.

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A major study has revealed that intake of aspirin during pregnancy may ward off the occurrence of fatal condition called pre-eclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a complex disorder that affects 3 to 8 percent of pregnant women. A woman is diagnosed with preeclampsia if she has high blood pressure and protein in her urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Findings are based on the study of more than 32,000 women; data collaborated by the scholars in Sydney. It concluded that cases of pre-eclampsia, which is caused by a defect in the placenta, dropped by 10% on daily consumption of aspirin.

Risks of preeclampsia:

Preeclampsia can prevent the placenta from getting enough blood. If the placenta doesn’t get enough blood, your baby gets less air and food. And this can cause low birth weight and other problems for the baby.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Severe headaches
2. Changes in vision, including temporary loss of vision, blurred vision or light sensitivity
3. Upper abdominal pain, usually under the ribs on the right side
4. Nausea or vomiting
5. Dizziness
6. Decreased urine output
7. Sudden weight gain, typically more than 2 pounds a week

Concerns remain

US experts James Roberts and Janet Catov, from the University of Pittsburgh, said that while some women were so obviously at high risk that aspirin was justified, it was harder to balance whether the potential harm caused by aspirin was a price worth paying in pregnancies where pre-eclampsia was less likely.

Under no circumstances should pregnant women self-medicate with aspirin. While this study suggests that aspirin can have benefits to women at high risk, yet, the decision to use aspirin should only be made in consultation with your doctor.

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In past, the government was not in favor of creating human-animal embryos and hence, it had decided to delay its decision on giving its verdict, which means that it did not rule out research in future. And so, the scientists are hopeful that the authorities may re-consider the ban, especially for research purposes.

Dr Stephen Minger, director of Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, King’s College London, said,

We are optimistic the government will have listened to all the evidence from the science and technology select committee, and from the scientists themselves, and will err on the side of reason by allowing the science to be regulated not legislated.

Scientists hope that the research will lead to treatments and cures for conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, motor neuron disease, diabetes and heart failure.

The move regarding the so called ban was promoted in an official governmental report, last year.

The bill, would stand for warding off the option of considering the need for a father when deciding for treatment in fertility clinics. This means clinics will no longer be able to deny treatment to lesbians and single mothers out of hand.

Putting forth the White Paper, Health Minister Caroline Flint said,

The current law, which has served us well, is in need of revision. Technology has changed, and so have attitudes.

Along with the said proposal, the Paper also suggests:

1. Same sex couples, who would go for IVF treatment, must be acknowledged as parents.

2. Couples must be barred who would prefer one sex over the other for ‘family balancing’.

3. Screening embryos for serious medical reasons must be allowed.

4. Statutory storage period for embryos must be extended from five to 10 years.

5. Regulation of internet sperm services.

I feel, the government, must give a green signal to the ongoing debate, especially if it’s able to cure certain motor neuron diseases.

Even if it is banned, the people working behind the scene would not stop doing the research or it could also be anticipated that such kind of research would be carried on in the neighboring country where there is no such ban on the issue.

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Why there’s so much of hullabaloo over donating eggs? It’s completely a choice made by women themselves. One ethicist is of the view that eggs have become ‘commoditized.’ Well, when there is no hassle in donating organs like kidney, eyes, heart and so on then I don’t see there should have any kind of problem in donating eggs.

Previously, the technique of storing eggs was employed by women undergoing cancer treatment. But then, time has witnessed that many women prefer to freeze their eggs because they don’t want to hamper their career growth by taking the responsibilities of children.

Young women like, Samantha Carolan, are offering eggs to infertile couple for a sum of money. She has already done it twice and is on a move of doing it again, well, the reason given by her is that, she has to pay off some student loans.

Although, it’s a matter of immense satisfaction for the donors to help the needy couple but the price of the ‘eggs’ are skyrocketing and on the other hand, the whole issue has raised condemnation from some quarters of society.

Recent survey has postulated that a center paid $15,000 as compensation for donors.

Advertisements could be seen hovering around the educational campuses especially universities and targeting the young women to donate eggs in lieu of money.

Ethicists and some women’s health advocates worry that lucrative payments are enticing young women with credit-card debt and steep tuition bills to sell eggs without seriously evaluating the risks. However, proponents of compensation say if payments are lowered or eliminated, the supply of eggs will dwindle or dry up.

Some scholars have are of the view that possible threat which is involved in ‘donation’ has not been verified lucidly. Although the consensus among most reproductive endocrinologists is that extraction is safe, yet, five deaths have been reported in Britain.

Process of egg extraction:

Even on the part of the woman, it is not an easy job. For some, it can be the most painful experience. First, a woman has to take medications to stop her menstrual cycle and then daily hormone injections for several weeks to stimulate her ovaries to produce a crop of mature eggs at once.

Side effects:

The drugs may cause bloating, weight gain, moodiness and irritability, and there is a risk of a rare condition called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome that can cause life-threatening complications, blood clots and kidney failure.

Bottom line

It is the long-term risks, both physical and psychological, that are harder to assess. Questions have been raised about whether extraction may jeopardize the donor’s fertility, and critics worry about the potential psychological harm to a donor of eggs as a young woman who later finds that she is unable to have children.

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Believe it or get aghast by it, but it’s true! And the record was made in the year 1939, in the month of May...one day after Mothers’ Day! A peak of shocking news even today, it says that we have a 5-year-old enlisted to be the youngest mother ever. Now, here I see a wide-awestruck-mouth.

Lina Medina is the girl who became the youngest mother in recorded medical history. She gave birth to a baby boy when she herself was just five.

Lina, the Peruvian child, delivered a 5-pound, 8-ounce son through caesarean section even though her petite pelvis made it unfeasible for the baby to traverse the birth tube. A comprehensive report confirmed Medina’s early sexual maturity. The girl faced her first menstrual cycle at the very early age of eight months and her family witnessed her almost fuller breasts when she was four.

Such state is known as precocious puberty in medical terms. The lot at that time didn’t believe the uncommon news but the doctor’s reports and X-Ray photograph forced them to change their opinions. The photograph verified her pregnancy as well as the level of her sexual growth.

Lina’s baby was healthy, later named Gerardo. Although his mother’s proper identity was exposed to him when he was ten, he was nurtured normally. But he expired from a bone-marrow disease when he was just forty.

The person behind Lina’s pregnancy is behind the viel till date. Her father was handcuffed on suspicion of rape but was set free later for lack of sufficient proof. Lina is still alive and still wonders who it could have been!

Image Source - neatorama, content

Via - wired

Even though a vaginal delivery is the most common way to give birth, a Caesarean section is often advised and performed in certain situations.

If you wish to have a Caesarean section without a medical reason, you should discuss this with your obstetrician. You don’t have an automatic right to demand a Caesarean if it’s considered not to be in your best interests medically.

What happens during a Caesarean?

An incision of about 20cm is made across the lower abdomen. The baby is delivered through the skin after the womb is opened. The womb is easily opened and it takes only a few minutes for the baby to be born.

After the placenta (afterbirth) is delivered, the obstetrician closes the incision. Dissolving stitches or staples are used to close the skin. From beginning to end, an uncomplicated Caesarean will take between 20 and 30 minutes.

A major surgery

The surgery is relatively safe for mother and baby. Still, it is major surgery and carries risks. It also takes longer to recover from a C-section than from vaginal birth. After healing, the incision may leave a weak spot in the wall of the uterus. This could cause problems with an attempted vaginal birth later. However, more than half of women who have a C-section can give vaginal birth later.

What about after the Caesarean?

1. The pain is typically worst on the first day after surgery, and then it begins to subside.
2. Vaginal discharge is normal.
3. Drink plenty of water each day - between eight and 10 glasses.
4. Avoid lifting heavy objects and climbing stairs.
5. Don’t drive until you can wear a seat belt comfortably.
6. Call your doctor if the incision site becomes red and swollen.

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With the rate of premature baby-births in the United States growing alarmingly, researchers got into tracking the reasons for the growth. Besides, fertility treatments and multiple pregnancies, scientists discovered another astounding factor hugely responsible for the increase in early births — pesticides and nitrates!

A study found that an increased use of pesticides and nitrates in surface water peaks preterm birth rates, which is considerably low when their concentrations are the lowest. Thanks to Paul Winchester, M.D., professor of clinical pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine for getting into this “ignored” root leading to increase in premature births in the United States.

It has been found that irrespective of maternal age, race, education, marital status, alcohol or cigarette use, or whether the mother was an urban, suburban or rural resident, the rate of ‘pre-maturity’ is highest from May to June i.e. 11.91 percent, and the lowest from August to September, i.e. 10.79 percent. And, this eventually tallies with the pesticide and nitrate levels in surface water. This is found by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Dr Winchester, who is also director of Newborn Intensive Care Services at St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis said,

A growing body of evidence suggests that the consequence of prenatal exposure to pesticides and nitrates as well as to other environmental contaminants is detrimental to many outcomes of pregnancy. As a neonatologist, I am seeing a growing number of birth defects, and preterm births, and I think we need to face up to environmental causes.

Preterm births in the United States vary month to month in a recurrent and seasonal manner. Pesticides and nitrates similarly vary seasonally in surface water throughout the U.S. Nitrates and pesticides can disrupt endocrine hormones and nitric oxide pathways in the developing fetus.

This finding reveals the magnitude of what our environmental hazards can leave for our future generations. So, act now or face the shocking consequences reflected directly on our progenies.

Photo: smh.com.au