All Entries in the "Pregnancy & Birth" Category

Gut-Busting Belly Bandits – A Truth Or Charade

The newest gifts handed over at baby showers are not the adorable silver beakers, rattles or other time-honoured items, but the gut-fighting belly wraps. Many celeb mommas inclusive of Jessica Alba have chirped about the immense assistance they got from the stomach compression wraps that aided in swiftly getting back into their former svelte selves. Quite a few women use it to a means of support for their lower back. Those who advocate the effectuality of these strap-like items of clothing nicknamed the Taut or the Belly Bandit that basically contract-bind the stomach that aids in decreasing the swelling of the uterus while alongside providing support to the lower portion of the body. There are few that profess that correct dietary intake along with physical exercise is the sole means of getting  [...]

Managing Epilepsy And Pregnancy – Part II

The apparent alterations in seizure frequency during pregnancy are possibly caused to various factors like: Hormonal fluctuations in the levels of estrogen and progesterone. Metabolic causes due to increased water and sodium retention. Psychological reasons like stress, anxiety that is associated with pregnancy or other factors. Lowered serum levels of Anti-epileptic drugs either due to nonconformity, delusional effect or varying drug approval. Physiological causes due to sleep deficit and Physical tension. It is normally considered that WWE have decreased fertility rate. It is also noticed that women with epilepsy are more prone to polycystic ovarian disease or PCOD. The use of the anti-epileptic drug sodium valproate or VPA has been shown to be linked with the presence of PCOD that reverses  [...]

Managing Epilepsy And Pregnancy – Part I

There are a staggering one and half million women in the fertile age group that are ailing with epilepsy in just India alone. Women with Epilepsy or WWE that are in the reproductive age band have been observed to have fewer offspring than other age matched controls. Neurologists and gynaecologists are frequently being faced with WWE cases during their pregnancy, a majority of who are not adeptly clued-up regarding optimal means of managing it. Pregnancy has been known to influence the innate history of epilepsy, with seizure attacks likely to intensify in nearly a third of them. When such WWE take anti-epileptic drugs or AED course, the looming risk of significant malformation of the foetus may be increased by nearly 1.5-3 times, particularly so when the AED drug Sodium valproate in greater  [...]

How Safe Are Anti-Depression Medication For Pregnant Women?

Those women on anti-depressant medication are most often faced with a major dilemma during pregnancy, with weighing the options of odds versus advantages of carrying on with the treatment still being quite fuzzy to many. A latest study has revealed that the use of anti-depressants has accelerated at more than twice the rate in the time spans of 1999-2003. A research undertaken in 2003 uncovered that one among eight women consumed anti-depressants at some stage of their pregnancy that comprised of the widely popular range of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor or SSRI anti-depressants such as Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft. Though these medications were widely deemed safe during pregnancy, but safety issues swiftly surfaced particularly in case of Paxil, that showed cases of women from Sweden and  [...]

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a long-term or persistent disease that occurs in women in their fertile years due to the abnormal tissue growth outside the uterus known as implants that usually form part of the inner lining of the uterus. Though not mostly symptomatic or fatal, some women start showing mild to extreme symptoms even leading to sterility. In Endometriosis, there is no sure-shot means to envisage the rate of worsening, improvement or remaining unchanged till menopause. These implants could proliferate to the ovaries, fallopian tubes, the external surface of uterus or several other organs in the abdomen. In atypical cases, organs beyond the abdominal region are also affected. Endometriosis Causes: The specific causes leading to endometriosis is still unidentified. Probable reasons comprise of  [...]

Management Of Rare Spinal Tuberculosis During Pregnancy – Part II

The case report of the rare case of spinal tuberculosis during pregnancy was detected during the highly beneficial MRI scan. Subsequent to that a Mantoux testing and ESR was undertaken. The Mantoux test gave affirmative outcome. An aspiration of the Psoas abscess was done under local anaesthesia with local fast bacteria being segregated on the Zeil Neilson and fluorescent staining. The line of treatment involved an administration of doses of chemotherapeutic agents like isoniazide, rifampicin, ethambutol and pyrizinamide alongside consumption of pyridoxine. Total bed rest for a period of six weeks was given to the patient with steady and slow mobilization afterwards and was hospitalized up to 8 months of pregnancy and discharged thereafter. The patient later developed IUGR or intrauterine growth  [...]

Management Of Rare Spinal Tuberculosis During Pregnancy – Part I

Tuberculosis of the spine also known as Tuberculous psoas abscess in pregnancy is cited to be uncommon with the accounted incidents depending on the endeavours undertaken to identify it. Yet, the occurrence of relapse in past tuberculosis among pregnant patients is reported at being nearly twenty-seven percent. Tuberculosis of the spine is the highly prevalent and lethal form of tuberculosis infection and a prompt, timely detection is crucial as postponement in diagnosis and management leads to an array of complications like spinal cord compression, deformity and might escalate to paraplegia or quadriplegia depending on the location affected. The below stated cites the case report of psoas abscess detected in a woman during pregnancy at fifteen weeks of gestation and the successful line of  [...]

Analysis Of Delivery Mode In Women With Past One Caesarean Section

Widespread increase in the number of caesarean section (CS) noticed in the past thirty years has been a reason of major concern and has necessitated an in-depth study in this regard. Prior to 1970, the saying ‘Once a caesarean, always a caesarean’ dictated most obstetric practices. Later on due to the rising cases of CS, propositions were made that natural vaginal birth subsequent to CS or known as Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC) could assist in decreasing the rate of CS. It was noted that VBAC was proven to be safe and effective in apposite clinical situation and appropriately selected group of women. It has been observed that all post-caesarean pregnancies do not need repeat CS and most of them could have unfussy vaginal delivery. A trial of vaginal birth subsequent to a past CS  [...]