Monday, February 25, 2008

What You Can Do To Treat Pregnancy Stretch Marks

Pregnancy stretch marks are the smooth purplish lines on the skin that show up on the thighs, upper arms, buttocks and breasts during pregnancy. These marks may make you feel itchy at times. They are caused due to hormonal changes during pregnancy. These marks are the reason that women often feel unattractive during pregnancy. They usually fade away over the years; however, if you wish to have them removed, you must start as soon as you see them. Pregnancy stretch mark removal may take some time and patience.

The Cause of Stretch Marks during Pregnancy

The skin has a thin and delicate outer layer that we see and an inner layer called collagen. When this collagen layer breaks due to rapid weight gain on the abdomen, stretch marks begin to show. Stretch marks on the breasts are caused due to production of colostrums and enlargement of breasts.

Here Are Some Suggestions On How To Treat Stretch Marks.

Have a massage- A massage helps cure stretch marks, because it makes the skin suppler and encourages the growth of new tissues.

Eat Healthy Food- Avoid stretch marks by eating a healthy diet and avoiding fatty and oily foods. And to treat stretch marks, eat a diet rich in minerals and proteins.

Use a moisturizer- Due to the sudden pregnancy weight gain, the skin becomes hard and breaks resulting in stretch marks Use a moisturizer or apply a lotion for pregnancy stretch marks to help your skin stay soft and supple, and healthy. This way, there will be fewer stretch marks.

Laser Therapy- Stretch marks can be cured to quite an extent with the help of modern medicine. Laser therapy can be used for this purpose. It may not solve the problem entirely, but the marks will seem fewer and less conspicuous.

Pregnancy Stretch marks may make you feel ugly during pregnancy, but some timely action can help you take care of your skin and let it stay as beautiful as it was before.

When Pregnancy Spotting Is Normal And When It Can Be Dangerous

You may observe some pregnancy spotting and bleeding very early on in your pregnancy. This is a perfectly normal sign, a sign of the fertilized embryo’s implantation on the uterus’s walls. If this happens, you need not worry however, sometimes there may be heavy bleeding, and this is cause for concern. You must get to a doctor quickly at this time.

Often, you may not know what has caused the pregnancy spotting. Spotting is usually very light bleeding, which occurs immediately before or after normal menstruation. It may vary in color from pink, to red to brown. Here are the causes of spotting.

Implantation bleeding

When the fertilized embryo lodges itself against the uterus walls, it causes a slight bleeding or spotting. This happens very early on in your pregnancy, so early that you may not even know that you are pregnant.

Ectopic Pregnancy

Sometimes, it happens that the egg is fertilized and implanted not in the uterus, but in one of the fallopian tubes. Then the fetus enlarges there for a few days, until the fallopian tube splits and an ectopic pregnancy is caused. During this time, you may get spotting from the vagina accompanied by cramps and unbearable pain in the lower abdomen.

About thirty percent of the women have light bleeding from the vagina in early pregnancy, and about half of these miscarry. If the heartbeat of the fetus is alright in an ultrasound carried out between seven to eleven weeks, then the baby will most probably be a healthy delivery.

A vaginal Infection or an STD

Sometimes, a vaginal infection or a sexually transmitted infection can cause an inflamed cervix, which in turn causes spotting. You may also have spotting after sex.

Placenta Problems

If you have spotting in the second and third trimesters, it could mean a condition known as placenta praevia. This is an abnormal condition, in which the fetus develops in the lower part of the womb instead of the upper. This is dangerous because it may obstruct the path of the fetus and cause heavy bleeding during labor.

Spotting during Normal labor

After thirty-seven weeks, in a normal pregnancy, there may be a whitish discharge from the vagina, indicating that your body is preparing for labor. This is not something to worry about.

However, any form of pregnancy spotting should not be taken lightly. You should talk to your doctor about it and let him decide.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

New Pregnancy- Pinpointing The Symptoms And Doing A Pregnancy Test

A new pregnancy is a time for a woman to rejoice. After all, she will soon be a proud mother.

Also a Difficult Time

However, a new pregnancy can also be quite a difficult time. Immediately after you get pregnant, you may suffer from nausea and morning sickness. Although called morning sickness, it can affect you at any time during the day. There are other symptoms too; of course, the missed period is a clear indication that you could be pregnant. Then there could be some vaginal bleeding, your body could bloat and feel heavy and bulky. You may want to urinate frequently. You may feel tired and fatigued a lot of the time. You may suddenly develop a craving for certain foods, while being completely repulsed by some others. You may also develop a heightened sense of taste and smell.

Tips on Buying and Using a Pregnancy Test Kit

If you have all these symptoms, it is best to take a home pregnancy test. A pregnancy test kit can be bought at your local chemist. There may be slight variations in different test kits available, but all-in all, they are very convenient to use, easily available, fairly accurate, and very affordable. You must bring the test kit to room temperature before using it. Also, check the manufacturing date before buying the test kit, as it may give wrong results if the product has expired. Read the instructions carefully, ensure that they are easy to understand.

Collect your urine in a small cup or plastic container and dip the test strip into it. Take it out and wait for a few minutes. You will have your results. If the test shows negative, wait a few days more before and doing the test again.

You must visit a good obstetrician with the results of the test kit, so that he can confirm the pregnancy and do a check up if required.

Take time out during the new pregnancy to read good books and magazines and always stay well informed about your condition. Here is wishing you a healthy and safe pregnancy.

New Pregnancy- Pinpointing The Symptoms And Doing A Pregnancy Test

A new pregnancy is a time for a woman to rejoice. After all, she will soon be a proud mother.

Also a Difficult Time

However, a new pregnancy can also be quite a difficult time. Immediately after you get pregnant, you may suffer from nausea and morning sickness. Although called morning sickness, it can affect you at any time during the day. There are other symptoms too; of course, the missed period is a clear indication that you could be pregnant. Then there could be some vaginal bleeding, your body could bloat and feel heavy and bulky. You may want to urinate frequently. You may feel tired and fatigued a lot of the time. You may suddenly develop a craving for certain foods, while being completely repulsed by some others. You may also develop a heightened sense of taste and smell.

Tips on Buying and Using a Pregnancy Test Kit

If you have all these symptoms, it is best to take a home pregnancy test. A pregnancy test kit can be bought at your local chemist. There may be slight variations in different test kits available, but all-in all, they are very convenient to use, easily available, fairly accurate, and very affordable. You must bring the test kit to room temperature before using it. Also, check the manufacturing date before buying the test kit, as it may give wrong results if the product has expired. Read the instructions carefully, ensure that they are easy to understand.

Collect your urine in a small cup or plastic container and dip the test strip into it. Take it out and wait for a few minutes. You will have your results. If the test shows negative, wait a few days more before and doing the test again.

You must visit a good obstetrician with the results of the test kit, so that he can confirm the pregnancy and do a check up if required.

Take time out during the new pregnancy to read good books and magazines and always stay well informed about your condition. Here is wishing you a healthy and safe pregnancy.

Late Pregnancy-The Risks Can Be Managed

These days, many women tend to have a late pregnancy or start their families in their thirties. Perhaps, women are getting more ambitious and want to fulfill their professional ambitions before starting a family. They are also more educated than the counterparts from the last generation are. The other important thing is that, there have been many advances in the field of medicine.

However, when you decide to take that major decision, there are some risks involved.

The Risks

In late pregnancy, fertility usually decreases in a woman and she is unable to get pregnant, as quickly as she would have in her 20s

According to research, women over the age of 35 who become pregnant are twice as likely to suffer from gestational diabetes during pregnancy. This form of diabetes occurs for the first time during pregnancy.

Women over the age of 35 are also more likely to have a child with a birth defect. Prenatal tests to ensure this does not happen are amniocentesis and chrorionic villus sampling.

Women over the age of 35 are also more likely to have twins; also, if the woman has been on fertility treatment her chances of having a multiple pregnancy increases.

The risk of miscarriage also increases with a late pregnancy.

Some diseases such as a heart problem, hypertension or a kidney problem or diabetes that a woman may already have before she became pregnant, can hamper the proper development of the fetus and cause complications.

What precautions can a pregnant woman take, so she has a safe and healthy pregnancy?

Managing the Risks

She must go for regular check ups to her doctor and get early and proper prenatal care.

She must get her self-vaccinated for tetanus, german measles, and Hepatitis

She must eat healthy. It is important that she eat supplements of folic acid, along with other multi vitamins and calcium. She should eat green leafy vegetables, pulses, fruits and citrus fruits. She should avoid eating fish.

She should not drink alcohol, smoke or do drugs. These can cause the baby immense harm.

Therefore, a late pregnancy is not such a bad thing after all, because the risks can be reduced by proper care during pregnancy.

EPT Pregnancy Test- Now You Can Tell Almost Immediately When You’re Pregnant

An EPT Pregnancy Test or an Early Pregnancy Test is one of the easiest ways to tell that you are pregnant. If you are a busy working person, who is always running short of time and cannot make it to the doctors, this is a great way to let you know if you are pregnant. This is a sort of first response home pregnancy test. It can be easily bought form any chemist, without a doctor’s prescription. It is very convenient and easy to use and the price is affordable. The other thing is that it gives an almost 100% accuracy.

The Hormone Human Chrorionic Gonadotropin

When a woman gets pregnant, her body secretes a hormone known as the Human Chrorionic Gonadotropin Hormone. This happens only when she is pregnant. The EPT pregnancy test checks for traces of the hormone in the pregnant woman. What are the points to be considered while doing this test and how does one use it?

How to use an EPT Pregnancy Test

You must check the manufacturing date of the test kit before buying it. Then, keep it in the refrigerator, until you decide to use it. When you do take it out to use it, bring it to room temperature and follow the instructions on the leaflet carefully. It usually requires you to collect a fresh early morning urine sample in a glass or plastic container. Then you must dip the test strip into it for a few minutes and if the result is positive then you could be pregnant. Another type of test requires you to dip the strip in a stream of urine and then check for pregnancy.

Mostly Reliable

Leaps and bounds in the field of medicine have ensured that these tests are very reliable. Some times, your doctor may not do another test on you and accept this test at face value. Yet, he will do a blood test to ascertain your due date. However, it is important that after you conduct an EPT pregnancy test at home, yu visit a good gynecologist or obstetrician to confirm the results and make sure, you have no abnormalities and have a safe pregnancy.

Ectopic Pregnancy- A Difficult Time

Some times, a woman goes through a difficult time during pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is one of these times.

What Is An Ectopic Pregnancy?

What is an ectopic pregnancy? It is a pregnancy in that the fertilized egg develops outside the uterus, usually in one of the fallopian tubes. For some time, the uterus enlarges with the growing fetus. Then it splits and an ectopic rupture is caused. This causes an emergency for the pregnant woman.

What Are Its Symptoms?

The symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are very acute lower abdominal pains, just like in appendicitis. The other symptom is a period that is overdue by two weeks. There may be slight bleeding in the vagina. You may also feel faint or blackout completely.

Complications

If not diagnosed and treated in time, complications may occur. The fallopian tube may rupture, causing a sudden blackout or even death. Sometimes, the egg dies in the tube. You should consult a doctor immediately, if a woman in early pregnancy complains of lower abdominal pains or suffers a blackout. The doctor will admit the woman to the hospital immediately and do an operation on her to terminate the pregnancy and remove he tube.

The best way to prevent an emergency is to report to the doctor immediately, if you have any acute pains in the lower abdomen or if you passed out, so that the doctor can do a thorough check

Have a Positive Outlook

There is a positive side to an ectopic pregnancy. Since only one fallopian tube is affected, it is still possible to conceive. You can wait a few months for the body and tissues to heal and then plan to conceive again. We wish you a happy and safe pregnancy.