Early pregnancy bleeding is surprisingly common, and it is always worrying. Therefore, care must be taken, as it may be dangerous to the life of the woman. There are many causes which are included in the following:

#1. Abnormalities of the cervix, such as erosion (ulceration), polyp (growth) and cancer of the cervix. In these conditions, there is a slight irregular bleeding with no pain. The woman should be referred to a doctor.

#2.  Abortion – in this, the woman has abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding which may be mild or severe. If this occurs in the first two months of pregnancy and the symptoms are mild, advice the woman to stay in bed until three days after all bleeding has stopped. If bleeding stops, this was probably a threatened abortion and the fetus may go on to term. Advice the woman not to go on journeys nor to do any heavy work, and to avoid sexual intercourse until about the 24th week of pregnancy. If bleeding and abdominal pain get worse, the fetus cannot be saved. This is an inevitable abortion; if possible the woman should be taken to the health centre or hospital. If this is not possible give Ergot two tablets, watch the condition and what is passed from the vagina. If a woman having an abortion develops fever, this is likely to be a septic abortion and is dangerous. She should be taken to the health centre or hospital without delay. Antibiotics or triple sulphia should be started. Read the rest of this entry »

How much weight gain is appropriate during pregnancy depends on your pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). For a pre-pregnancy BMI of 18.5 to 25, the ideal weight gain should be somewhere between 25 and 35 pounds. An initial weight gain of 2 to 5 pounds is usually followed by a weekly gain of 1 pound in a normal pregnancy. If you have twins the gain usually falls between 35 and 45 pounds. Women who were overweight at the time of conception usually gain around 15 pounds and those who were underweight gain between 30 to 40 pounds. In case of obesity, your gain should not exceed fifteen pounds.

The most obvious impact of the weight gain can be seen in the form of pains and aches that you will have as your pregnancy progresses. A back ache is the most common complaint, followed by an awkward walk (thanks to your new found tummy). Another complain is of swollen legs, but that has nothing to with weight. It is a result of increased blood flow.

If you’ve had weight problems in the past or are generally finicky about your weight, you might find the gain hard to accept. But there is absolutely no reason to get agitated about the extra weight. In fact it is a sign of a healthy child growing inside you. You just need to pay attention to what you’re eating in terms of nutritional value. Also, you can track your weekly weight gain, and if you have any doubts in mind, you can consult your doctor. Tracking will also help adjust your diet according to the gain in order to get the best for your child. A stop on junk food and a start on some exercise will also help you along the way. Understand that eventually, all those extra pounds will wear off once you’ve delivered your little one. Read the rest of this entry »

Vaginal bleeding is rather common during the initial 12 weeks (first trimester) of pregnancy. While vaginal bleeding during this period does not necessarily mean a miscarriage but any sort of bleeding should be reported to the doctor as maximum miscarriages occur in the first trimester of pregnancy. About 50 percent pregnant women experiencing vaginal bleeding in this phase will not have a miscarriage.

If anything resembling foetal tissue is passed, it should be ensured that a doctor is consulted immediately. Miscarriage maybe considered a natural process which deals with abnormalities even though a miscarriage is not avoidable. It has never been proved if exercise and sex can cause miscarriage. As a matter of fact regular exercise ensures that when a woman finally goes into labour, the woman is at ease if the exercise is carried out continuously during the pregnancy. It should always be checked with your doctor before one takes on any exercise program.
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EMOTIONAL CHANGES

Pregnancy can be both unspeakably wonderful and incredibly challenging, and you have become used to handling these mixed emo tions. You may find the third trimester emotional changes different that the first and second in the following ways.

EUPHORIA

Some experience a natural high quite different anything you’ve ever felt, a combination of feeling special and proud, and wanting the whole world to recognize how important you are.

THE NEED FOR ALONE TIME

You may feel the need for alone time, a time away from the hustle and bustle of family life. This is normal. Use this time to center and ground yourself in your pregnancy.

NESTING

Many women feel a renewed desire this month to tie up loose ends at work, organize the photo albums, clean out closets, or catch up on social obligations. Often the nesting instinct, the desire to wallpaper the nursery and scrub the house for the baby, kicks in this month, though others do not show this obsession with getting things in order until the eighth or ninth month. Although you have more energy than you have recently remember, “don’t overdo it”.
Keep in mind, your main concern is making sure you have the energy you need to take care of yourself and grow your baby. To do this, you will need to become good at delegating. You might as well begin delegating responsibilities to your mate now; in the first few weeks after the baby arrives, his help will be crucial to your survival. (Dr. Sears, www.askdrsears.com)

OVERWHELMED BY BIRTHING DECISIONS

You may be attending childbirth education classes and reading a lot of different birth information at this time and you may be feeling overwhelmed. Be patient with yourself and go with the choices that feel the best for you and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Sunshine, not food, is where most of your vitamin D comes from. So even a healthy and well balanced diet, that provides all the other vitamins and nutrients, is unlikely to provide enough vitamin D. To get enough vitamin D you need to spend some time outside with some bare skin on most days during the summer months.

How is vitamin D different to other nutrients?

You make vitamin D under your skin when you are outside in daylight, which is the reason vitamin D is sometimes called the sunshine vitamin. By definition, a vitamin is a nutrient that we cannot make in our body. Vitamin D is actually a hormone rather than a vitamin. Very few foods contain vitamin D naturally.

What does vitamin D do in your body?

Vitamin D makes sure you absorb enough calcium for your bones and teeth. Even if you have a calcium-rich diet, without enough vitamin D you cannot absorb calcium into the body. Its importance as a hormone is also being recognised. It helps maintain a healthy immune system and reduces the risk of some forms of cancer. Population studies suggest that lack of vitamin D may increase the risk of chronic health conditions such as multiple sclerosis.

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Working with Chemicals

Inhalation is the most common route of exposure to chemicals in the typical University working environment. The use of safe work procedures and facilities such as local exhaust ventilation will provide protection. Skin absorption and ingestion are generally less significant routes of exposure, provided safe work procedures are observed. Everyone is required to use appropriate safe work procedures in accordance with the applicable Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) when handling chemicals.

Exposure to chemicals at levels below recognized exposure limits should not present a risk to you or your foetus during pregnancy or while breast feeding, however once you know you are pregnant, you are encouraged to advise your supervisor, or the UWA Medical Centre or your own medical practitioner as soon as possible. If you have any concerns about a chemical you are using, or the procedures for its safe use during pregnancy or while you are breast- feeding, you should seek advice straight away.

Working with Animals

If you work with animals you have an increased risk of acquiring infections from these animals. While maintaining safe work procedures can reduce the risk of infection, special care must be taken to prevent infections that could have serious effects on foetal development. For example, cats may harbour Toxoplasma gondii while pregnant sheep may carry Chlamydia psittaci. If you work with cats or sheep, or with any animal that you may feel may adversely affect your pregnancy, you should seek advice straight away. Read the rest of this entry »

When you are trying to get pregnant you would assume that predicting ovulation and getting pregnant are one in the same, but you need to know the biological foundation of what actually maximizes your probability of conceiving. Here are some facts you should know when trying to conceive (with medical references).

1. Finding your 4 most fertile days before ovulation makes all the difference.

According to an article published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, “Proper identification of the fertility window may shorten the time to conception from 6 months to one month for the majority of women.” (3 out of 4 women).

If you have been trying to get pregnant, ask yourself one question: are you sure that you are utilizing your entire fertile window or are you like many couples-“saving up for that one day that you plan to have intercourse”? Reproductive Endocrinologists agree that conception is possible from intercourse beginning 5
days before ovulation extending through the day of ovulation, and that the highest probability of conception occurs with intercourse on the days prior to ovulation, rather than the day of ovulation itself. Since sperm may survive for up to 6 days in the female reproductive tract. You should be having intercourse those days when trying to get pregnant.

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The changes that occur in the pregnant patient’s body are caused by several factors. Many of these changes are the result of hormonal influence, some are caused by the growth of the fetus inside the uterus, and some are the result of the patient’s physical adaptation to the changes that are occurring. This lesson is closely related to anatomy and physiology.

CHANGES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM DURING PREGNANCY

Changes in the body during pregnancy are most obvious in the organs of the reproductive system.

a. Uterus.

(1) Changes in the uterus are phenomenal. By the time the pregnancy has reached term, the uterus will have increased five times its normal size:

(a) In length from 6.5 to 32 cm.

(b) In depth from 2.5 to 22 cm.

(c) In width from 4 to 24 cm.

(d) In weight from 50 to 1000 grams.

(e) In thickness of the walls from 1 to 0.5 cm.

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Definition of ectopic: Pregnancy in which the fertilized egg or embryo implants on any tissue other than the endometrial lining of the uterus. 95% occur in the tube. 1.5% are abdominal, 0.5% are ovarian and 0.03% are cervical. The death rate is about 1 per 2000 ectopics in this country. About 40-50 women die each year from ectopic pregnancy in the U.S. There has been a large drop in the death/ectopic rate since 1970. In other words, it is much safer to have an ectopic than it was in 1970.

Risk factors for ectopic pregnancy

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

Rate of ectopic pregnancy in women with previous known PID is increased 6-10 times higher than in women with no previous history of PID.

A published study of 745 women with one or more episodes of PID that attempted to conceive showed that 16% were infertile from tubal occlusion. Of those that conceived, 6.4% had ectopic pregnancies.

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What is a miscarriage?

It is the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy that occurs during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, most commonly before 12 weeks. After 20 weeks the loss of the pregnancy is called a stillbirth. About 1 in 7 recognised pregnancies will miscarry and about 1 in 3 women will experience a miscarriage during their reproductive life. A miscarriage may occur so early in a pregnancy that a woman may have been unaware that she was pregnant. These miscarriages are often unreported. Sometimes a doctor or nurse may refer to a miscarriage as a “spontaneous abortion”. “Abortion” is the common medical term given to all pregnancies that end before 20 weeks (both miscarriages and terminations). Miscarriage can be a difficult and traumatic experience for some women. For others, it may happen so early that the pregnancy was undetected.

Why does miscarriage occur?

It is generally unknown what causes miscarriages. Basically, miscarriage occurs because the foetus did not develop properly, probably because of a chromosomal or other genetic abnormality. The pregnancy is not normal and miscarriage is nature’s way of taking care of the problem.

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