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Amniocentesis

This procedure is relatively common these days, especially in women over 35. It is generally used to find out if the baby has any chromosomal abnormalities. Amniocentesis also provides information about neural tube defects and genetically linked diseases, as well as about the gender — because the cells collected from the amniotic fluid contain the baby’s DNA. Amniocentesis is one of the prenatal paternity testing options, but there are some risks involved. Amniocentesis involves collecting a sample of the amniotic fluid by inserting a large needle into the uterus, through the mother’s abdomen. There is a chance of preterm labor or miscarriage, and a small risk of the baby being harmed by the needle. An amniocentesis can be performed from weeks 14 through 20 of pregnancy.

CVS — Chorionic Villus Sampling

Again, CVS is a prenatal test that primarily aims to detect birth defects. In the case of Chorionic Villus Sampling, a needle will be used as well, but this time to collect a sample of the chorionic villi, which are attached to the baby’s placenta. CVS is usually carried out by instering a needle through the cervix, but it can also be done through the abdomen. The results of CVS are available more quickly, and the procedure can be done earlier on in pregnancy, from 10 weeks onward. CVS does carry a small risk of miscarriage, like amniocentesis. It is not recommend to women who have sexually transmitted diseases or experienced pregnancy spotting.

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Cases of chlamydia and genital herpes doubled, the researchers warned. Syphilis is also making a comeback in Britain. This horrible STD was nearly eliminated in the last century, but cases have increased four-fold in the last decade. They also found that on out of every five people receiving treatment for HIV are over 50 years of age, which again is double the amount it was a decade back. In addition, men who use viagra are much more likely to have an STD — especially in the first year of use.

The doctors think that the increased number of sexually transmitted diseases among the over-5os is mainly due to the higher divorce rate. Before getting divorced, these people may have been in very long marriages and therefore, when they meet someone else (perhaps also around the same age and newly divorced) they think that “safe sex messages” do not apply to them. Teenagers may be the focal point of most STD prevention campaigns, but this study sheds a new light on the STD matter.

The message is clear — use a condom, even if you are over 50. There is a lot to be said for annual STD testing, even for those who are married. If your spouse has an affair, you may end up with the unpleasant fruits of that affair. Oh, and if you use viagra, definitely enjoy your sex safely, with a condom, and hopefully with one partner.

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1. Breastfeed

Breastfeeding is an awful lot cheaper than formula feeding. We won’t say it’s “free”, because that word is hard to define. Breastfeeding mothers are generally more careful about their nutrition than the general population. Breastfeeding may mean that you spend more money on quality foods for yourself, and breastfeeding moms are probably less likely to also be receiving a paid income because of the round the clock nature of nursing a baby (unless you are pumping). Still, breastfeeding is often a very economical choice, beside it also being the most complete and easy infant nutrition.

2. Cloth diapers

Why not give cloth diapers a try? It is true that the more modern and easy ones are an expensive initial purchase, but after having diapered one child in disposables and one in cloth, I am very much sure that cloth diapers save money. A significant amount of money. Prefold diapers are the cheapest, and if you like the pocket or all-in-one styles, there are several Chinese brands on sites like Ebay that are reliable. Look for reviews on sites like Diaperswappers before you buy.

3. Hand-me-downs and second hand shops

Not everyone has relatives or friends with kids a little older than you to pass on clothes. But if you do, letting them know that you would love to receive hand-me-downs might help you a lot. Second hand shops are another option, as is sewing and knitting a lot of your baby clothes. (See knitting for your baby for ideas!)Remember to take advantage of sales too. There are always a lot of newborn clothes left when the sales get to 70 percent off.

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Dr Chopra and her colleagues published their findings in the British Journal of Nutrition. She stressed that the research still has a long way to go, and that the team’s results were achieved in a lab setting in test tubes. But she said that the lab results were very clear: “It is possible to intercept the simple mechanism some cancer cells use to grow at concentrations that can be achieved by eating sufficient cooked tomatoes.”

Lycopene is present in all red fruits and vegetables, but is found in the highest concentration in tomatoes. The interesting thing is that the amount of lycopene that the body can absorb goes up when the tomatoes are cooked and processed. Dr Chopra said that lycopene interferes with cancer’s growth process and ability to enter the blood stream She then added: “This simple chemical reaction was shown to occur at lycopene concentrations that can easily be achieved by eating processed tomatoes.”

Very interesting. Very promising. Right? But hang on a second — this study was, in fact, partly funded by the well-known manufacturer of tomato-containing products, Heinz. Heinz requested the experiments after earlier studies found that the blood and sperm samples of participants contained a lot more lycopene when they ate 400g of processed tomatoes daily for two weeks. I’m sure there’s no need to point out any potential conflict of interest here.

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1. Lots of local libraries organize story time for young toddlers. This isn’t just a fun, educational experience for little kids — story time will get you together in the same space with lots of other parents and children, and is a good opportunity to strike up a conversation with some other mom, and perhaps set up a playdate with a kid who gets on well with yours.

2. Online dating has become quite socially acceptable now. “Online playdating” may be another possibility. When my youngest was born, I was bored and felt like an outsider after we had just moved. So, I hung out online on a parenting forum a lot, chatting with other  moms of young kids. Believe it or not, I met several wonderful ladies with kids of similar ages that way, and some of them have become our best friends… both the parents and the kids!

3. I personally don’t like signing very young kids up for things like ballet, judo and music, but these activities may get your kids some new friends.

4. Be friendly and approachable. If you are closed and not open to interaction with other people, you are obviously less likely to meet new friends for your kids at an age where they can’t yet find their own friends. So go on, and strike up a conversation with your neighbor who has kids or with a mom at the playground. Call your cousin whom you didn’t see in years… whatever is relevant in your situation.

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Pregnant women can’t actually have true menstrual periods. During menstruation, women shed the endometrial tissue and blood which the body created in order to facilitate implantation of a fertilized egg. When that doesn’t happen, the endometrium or uterine lining isn’t needed, and the body expels it. There is one exception — women who have two uteri would have able to menstruate from one uterus during a pregnancy in the other. This uterine anomaly is extremely rare, and if you had it, you’d probably know about it by now. If you’d like to read more about that, see: Mom has twins — from two different uteruses.

Newly pregnant women can, however, have some light spotting at the same time they would otherwise have expected their menstrual period. This spotting, also known as an implantation bleeding, can easily “trick” women who tend to suffer from irregular periods into thinking that they actually experienced a weird, short period. Even beyond the implantation stage, early pregnancy spotting is quite common; 25 to 30 percent of pregnant ladies will have it during the first trimester. Old blood can leave the uterus, and hormonal changes can trigger an irritated cervix — which in turn leads to bleeding. This is especially likely to happen after intercourse or other strenuous physical activities.

Heavier bleeding is likely to be a miscarriage symptom, or an indication of other serious medical problems. If you are pregnant and experiencing heavy vaginal bleeding, especially if that happens in combination with symptoms like heavy cramping and abdominal pain, inform your doctor right away or head for the ER.

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The researchers published their findings in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.  Between 1978 and 2005, they asked 992 pregnant women how much alcohol they consumed after every three months. The results were surprising and, it’s fair to say, quite alarming: for each drink a pregnant woman had between days 43 and 84 of their pregnancies, the risk of having a baby with a low birth weight increased 16 fold! What’s more, every unit also increased the chance of a cleft palate by 25 percent, the risk of having a very thin upper lip by 22 percent, and the risk of having an abnormally small head by 12 percent.

This research team only examined the possible physical consequences of the use of small amounts of alcohol during the nine months of pregnancy; they didn’t look at alcoholic mothers and the specific risks alcohol abuse pose, or at psychological consequences of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. What they did say is that there is no safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy. In other words, women who are expecting a baby are advised to refrain from drinking alcohol altogether, and even more so during the first trimester.

What do you think about this? Are you trying to conceive or already pregnant? If you’re a mom, did you drink any alcohol during pregnancy, and what are your thoughts now if you did? I’m torn between thinking it’s good to do everything in our power to ensure our babies have the best possible start in life, and thinking the trend of health paranoia during pregnancy may be causing problems all by itself — no mercury containing fish, but don’t be a vegetarian either. Eat organic, beware of radiation-emitting laptops, and exercise but don’t exercise after all? Ugh. Pregnancy can be a bit complicated. With alcohol though, I think it is safe to say that there are no risks to not drinking any .

Also see: Alcohol and trying to get pregnant.

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Pfizer said the doses could be incorrect because of a packaging error and pointed out the tablets may be out of sequence in the packets, and that the amount of inert and active ingredient tablets could be wrong. Taking the wrongly packaged pills could mean that their contraceptive function is compromised and that women using the pills can end up with an unplanned pregnancy!

If you are in the United States and taking Lo/Ovral® or one of the generic tablets produced by Pfizer, be sure to visit the pharmaceutical company’s website and to check out whether your pill packet’s lot number is suspicious if that’s the case, you are advised to return the pill packet to their pharmacy and to speak to their doctor for further advice… including, if this is relevant to you, about the morning after pill!

The manufacturer recalled 14 lots of Lo/Ovral-28 and also 14 lots of the generic Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets. The recall is being done in consultation with the US Food and Drug Administration and Pzizer said that it happened as fast as it did because their customers’ safety is the company’s first priority.

That’s a bit scary, right? While these recalls do happen from time to time and can be a real anxiety causer if you had been taking these pills, such recalls are not a reason to lose confidence in the birth control pill altogether. It’s good that they responded as fast as they did!

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What is ZIFT?

ZIFT stands for zygote intra-fallopian transfer. Like with IVF — invitro fertilization — egg and sperm come together in a lab setting, after which the resulting zygote is placed inside the body of the woman who is intending to carry the pregnancy. With IVF, that zygote (fertilized egg) is placed in the woman’s uterus. ZIFT fertility treatment places the zygote in one of the woman’s fallopian tubes, leaving it to make its own way to the uterus.

How is ZIFT performed?

The initial steps of the ZIFT process are identical to IVF; induction of hyperovulation and collection of eggs, collection of sperm, and placing the two together in a petri dish. Following those steps, the resulting zygote is placed inside the woman’s selection fallopian tube through laparoscopy. One ZIFT cycle takes around five weeks from start to finish.

Why haven’t I heard of ZIFT?

Lots of women need IVF because their fallopian tubes were blocked, scarred, or damaged for a variety of medical reasons. ZIFT is not suitable for women with such conditions. And, ZIFT doesn’t just require the zygote to travel further, from the fallopian tubes to the uterus, than with IVF… it also means an extra hurdle to actually get the fertilized egg to the tube, namely the laparoscopic procedure. Studies have shown that IVF has the same chances for success as ZIFT or, as of 2004, better success rates. This leaves few couples who would choose to undergo zygote intra-fallopian transfer. ZIFT may still be a good option for couples who have experienced failure of other assisted reproduction techniques.

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Back when I was pregnant with my first child, I went for biweekly back massage sessions with a qualified prenatal massage therapist. I had very painful shoulder and neck muscles, and was generally under a lot of stress. But those two hours of massage were pure bliss, and I am still sad that I can’t really offer myself the luxury of have two massages a week now that I’ve got two “big” kids running around.

I, like any woman who has been for prenatal massages, know what scientific studies also confirm, because it’s pretty obvious: massage can relax the muscles and the mind, decrease feelings of depression and joint pains. Prenatal back massage also improves blood circulation, reduces the incidence of edema, and may help to cure headaches.

Back massage during pregnancy can be great, to put it simply. But there are some risks, so make sure that you choose a properly qualified massage therapist and that you discuss your massage sessions with your healthcare provider too. Some questions to ask massage therapists are what position they prefer pregnant women to be in (side lying is considered the safest), and about the type of massage they perform. Of course, a properly qualified prenatal massage therapist will know what the dos and don’ts are — like avoiding pressure points that could induce labor!

If you would love to get prenatal massage sessions but don’t know how to find any qualified massage therapists, try asking your midwife or OBGYN if they can recommend a good one.