Preparing for your IVF treatment

Your Emotional Preparedness:
There are many complex emotions that you will be encountering as you are anticipating your IVF cycle. If you are using donor eggs, donor sperm, or a surrogate, the emotions that you have will be even more splintered, as you also must consider the weight of genetics in this equation.
Before you proceed with [...]

Vitamin D Deficit in Pregnancy Tied to Caesarean Risk

Vitamin D deficiency greatly increases a pregnant woman’s likelihood of having a Caesarean delivery, U.S. researchers report.
During the two-year study, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center researchers examined the relationship between vitamin D levels in pregnant women and Caesarean section. Of the 253 women in the study, 43 (17 percent) had a [...]

Second hand smoke affects fertility

If you need another reason to quit smoking, consider that it may diminish your chances of being a parent or grandparent. Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have found that women exposed to second hand smoke, either as adults or children, were significantly more likely to face fertility problems and suffer miscarriages.
 An epidemiologic [...]

Tanning and Pregnancy

Ah, that healthy glow — who doesn’t look better with one? But you’re wise to eschew tanning beds, booths, and sunbathing during pregnancy (and frankly, anytime). Exposure to UV rays can cause premature aging and skin cancer, so play it safe and protect your skin. As for self-tanners, or sunless tanners, the jury’s still out [...]

Allergy shots, Immunotherapy and Pregnancy

 
Immunotherapy is like a vaccination against your allergies. Vaccine shots are to prevent infections; immunotherapy shots are to prevent allergies. However, the two work in opposite ways. Vaccinations prime the immune system to help the body react swiftly if the disease is encountered again, whereas immunotherapy dulls the reaction to allergens.
In the long term, allergy [...]

Couple Celebrate Their Miracle Baby

A mother has become the first in Britain to have a successful pregnancy after receiving a double organ transplant.
Emma Smith, 37, from Little Wymondley gave birth to healthy 6lb baby Oliver at the end of last month despite having a donor pancreas and kidney. 
It is extremely rare because anti-rejection drugs, which must be taken for [...]

Bariatric Surgery Before Pregnancy Benefits Moms, Babies

Women who get pregnant after having weight-loss surgery have a lower risk of maternal and newborn complications than pregnant women who are obese, according to U.S. researchers who analyzed 75 studies.
Data from those studies showed that bariatric surgery in the United States increased by 800 percent between 1998 and 2005 (from 12,480 to 113,500). Women [...]

Easing fertility through lifestyle changes

Couples who have been trying to conceive can easily grow impatient when their plans don’t go exactly, or as easily, as planned. But before concluding that they may have certain fertility problems or that they need fertility drugs or treatments, it is good to first take a closer look into the way they are leading [...]

DHA in pregnancy : boosts your baby’s health

There’s nothing fishy about it: DHA (or docosahexaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil, is an essential nutrient for women — especially during pregnancy. Many studies have found that DHA supplements during pregnancy seem to offer a developmental advantage later in childhood as well. Because of the fat’s vital role in brain [...]

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) : Symptoms and Treatment

Most women feel physical or mood changes during the days before menstruation. When these changes affect a woman’s normal life, they are known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Premenstrual syndrome can affect menstruating women of all ages and backgrounds. The cause of PMS is unclear. However, the symptoms can be managed in many women.
 
The Menstrual Cycle [...]