Pregnancy means that it is no longer a single person’s life rather at least two people who are involved and thus utmost care must be taken in such times. There are huge lists of do’s and do not’s that the mother needs to carry out so as to ensure that the baby is absolutely fine and also she. The first there months of pregnancy are considered to be the most crucial ones. The reason is that it is only during this time that the bay starts developing its organs and body parts. So the factors such as medication, drugs and alcohol must be dealt with a lot of care during this period. The following are a few precautions that one can follow during pregnancy.

Consumption of seafood and fish is important if the mother is non vegetarian, as they are an excellent source of low fat and important nutrients. But one must be careful in choosing which fish or seafood to eat as some may contain high level of mercury, which is harmful. 12 ounces of cooked fish is what a pregnant lady should stop at while avoiding tilefish, shark and swordfish.

Alcohol is a big no during the pregnancy as there are no exact definitions as to the damage caused. But intake of alcohol means the baby has high chances of taking up Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Babies with FAS have slower growth and learning rates and sometimes abnormal facial features. Some medicines also contain alcohols and thus they must be taken only after consultation with the physician.

It is also advisable during pregnancy to avoid bending as much as possible along with avoiding lifting of heavy weights. Unless asked by the physician, no exercises or running must be done during this period and one must also try to gain weight as it is very helpful.

Caffeine containing food or beverages is something that a pregnant lady must cut down at any costs. Even though the effects of caffeine vary from persons, but things such as nervousness, anxiety, sleeping problems and irritability are common outcomes of caffeine consumption. Caffeine is also a part of medicines such as headache, cold and allergy. Thus such pills must be first checked by the physicians and then taken.

Any kind of therapies such as sauna or hot tubs must be avoided at any cost. The reason is that these places have temperatures higher than that of the body and the overheating affects the body and its developments.

Medications, drugs and alcohol must be used very carefully during the first three months. Taking of alcohol increases the chances of the child suffering from FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). In FAS there are a lot of instances where the baby has slower growth rates followed by slow learning rates. Even abnormal facial features can be found due to alcohol.

There are also some other things that a pregnant lady must follow so as to ensure perfect health conditions for herself and the offspring. During pregnancy bending and picking up of heavy things is a strict no, along with any kinds of spicy food. It is also preferable that boiled water or highly purified water is what the mother gets and in pretty good amounts also. During pregnancy any forms of exercises or even running must be avoided as it has negative impacts on the baby. Some food habits are also required to be changed as keeping papaya and banana out of the diet is very important. Any form of mental of physical stress must be kept pretty far away as they may cause some problems.

Certain behaviors like alcoholism, cigarette smoking and use of hard drugs may complicate a pregnancy. Generally, pregnancy complications may affect the fetus, the woman or both and usually occur at different times of the pregnancy.

The biggest downside for waiting to get pregnant is the longer you wait, the harder it is to get pregnant. This is scientifically proven by the fact that after menopause, the numbers of fertile eggs in the ovary start to declining and the eggs that produced have a higher probability of having chromosomal problems that increase the risk for miscarriage and birth defects.

We don’t really recommend you on attempting to lose weight too when you are in a menopause state but if you are so want to start, we really recommend you to get on HCG diet. It is helpful.

Pregnancy complications are another concern for women well into their forties as they are more likely to develop problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure during this period of pregnancy, not to forget placental troubles and birth complications. Women well into menopause have higher chances of delivering a low-birth-weight or premature babies. Stillbirth rates are also higher, and studies show that children born to older mothers are themselves at increased risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.

This is not to forget the distant risk of having older partners whose sperm quality deteriorate with age. Conditions like Down’s syndrome and schizophrenia have been linked with genetic defects stemming from conditions where the father is too old and his sperm quality has dwindled.

There are also the financial implications where parents have to continue working to a much older age, just to take care of the little ones when many of their friends are beginning to retire. First-time mothers over 40 also have about 50 per cent chance of having a caesarean.

If one finds out that she is HIV positive specialist care and regular check ups are required during the pregnancy. Treatment is offered in the form of anti-retroviral drugs. Even in cases where one finds out late in pregnancy that they are HIV positive, modern technology ensures that it is never too late to prevent the unborn child from being affected.

Delivery by caesarean minimizes the chances of a baby being infected though if the virus is managed effectively and viral load is low then vaginal birth may not increase the risk. A midwife would clamp the baby’s cord and washes the baby as soon as possible. Since HIV can be passed on from a mother to her baby through breast milk it is recommended that a baby gets anti-retroviral medicine, by mouth, for the first few weeks of his life

Finally some points to ponder are that in cases where one partner is HIV positive fertility methods like IVF, sperm donation and artificial insemination can help reduce the risk of transmission. And men who donate their semen to infertility clinics should be tested for HIV to verify on their HIV status.

Pregnancy test may therefore be performed by using urine blood or urine. Urine test is the most popular. It involves dropping urine samples on a specially prepared chemical strip. It takes less than three minutes for the result to be out. Blood tests are done by laboratory analysis. They take a little longer than urine tests. Blood pregnancy tests are of two types: qualitative blood tests that determine whether the hormone HCG is present or quantitative blood test which measures how much of the hormone HCG is present.

Pregnancy tests can be performed for various reasons. Chief among then is to check for pregnancy, to monitor the pregnancy development during the first three months and check for abnormal conditions associated with rise in the levels of HCG. Very low levels of HCG indicate that there are problems with the pregnancy or abnormal pregnancy. These abnormalities might include ectopic pregnancy or miscarriages.

Very high levels of HCG may suggest the occurrence of molar pregnancy of the possibility of more than one fetus like twins or triplets. Currently, there are many pregnancy test kits that can be used at homes instead of visiting clinics. These test kits works by measuring the quantity of HCG in the urine. These kit are available in almost all major store and can be bought over the counter without requiring any prescription. It is appropriate to visit qualified health professional who can interpret and understand the HCG readings. Testing at home by oneself might not be enough

Sex educators too have not escaped the wrath of the critics and have been accused of being more interested in getting young people to use contraceptives than they are in dissuading them from engaging in sexual practices in the first place. Drugs have also been mentioned adversely as a factor that can influence underage children to engage in risky behaviors as those who use them have a higher likelihood to engage in sex.

In third world countries underage pregnancies are related with many social issues like lower literacy levels and poverty. Typically teenage pregnancy is usually outside of marriage and have social stigmas associated with many communities and cultures. In some societies, marriage at early ages and traditional role of females are important factors in the rate of teenage pregnancies like it is in many sub-Saharan African countries where early pregnancy is habitually taken as a blessing as it is proof of a young woman’s fertility.

Pregnancy complications as well as childbirth are the leading cause of death among young girls between the ages of 15 and. Many programs on reproductive health aimed at young children and teenagers in developing countries are often small scale and not centrally coordinated. Laws against underage marriages have reduced the practice. Despite many efforts being made to help combat pregnancies among unmarried minors, improved female literacy and educational prospects have led to an increase in the age at first birth in many countries.

Vitamins and nutrients are needed by to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Foods rich in iron ensure that the fetus has sufficient amounts of oxygen in its blood as well as over-all blood supply for both mother and child. To have a sufficient amount of iron, expecting women should eat meat, liver and poultry.

Pregnant women must also eat foods that are rich in Vitamin C which helps in repairing damaged tissue for mother and child. Vitamin C boosts the mother’s resistance and also helps in taking in iron into the body. The vitamin is easily found in citrus fruits like oranges as well as fruits and. Carbohydrates should also be on the menu as they contain vital nutrients like Vitamin B and Iron. Carbohydrates can be found grains and wheat bread.

Protein-rich foods are also important to eat during pregnancy as they help in building of the cellular structures for the fetus. Protein is a compound found in both plant and animal sources like meat, poultry and fish. For muscle development as well as bone and teeth development of the baby, a pregnant woman must eat sufficient quantities of calcium common in cheese, milk and yogurt.

Fruits and vegetables must be the staple food for any pregnant woman as these food groups contain the crucial nutrients, vitamins and minerals needed for pregnancy like Vitamins A, B, C and E as well as magnesium and potassium. Pregnant mothers looking forward to having bouncing babies should eat fruits and vegetables like spinach, bananas and kale.

Molar pregnancies are of two types: complete and incomplete molar pregnancy. In the complete molar pregnancy, the chromosomes from the mother are absent and the chromosomes from the father are doubled. In this condition, it is not possible for the normal placenta to grow. Instead, a large mass of cyst, visible on ultrasound scan, will be formed. In addition the embryo and the amniotic sac will not form.

In incomplete molar pregnancy, fertilization occurs with 23 chromosomes from the mother and a doubled set of chromosomes from the father. This gives a total of 63 chromosomes. With this number of chromosomes normal fetal growth can not occur. In incomplete molar pregnancy the placenta grows but the fetus does not develop because it lacks the right genetic sequence to survive.

Molar pregnancy is likely to occur if: the woman has history of molar pregnancy; the woman is above 40 years of age, the woman has a deficiency of vitamin A (betacarotene) or if the woman has a history of miscarriage. The symptoms of molar pregnancy include virginal bleeding which is dark brown or brick red (orange) in color, severe vomiting and nausea and a swollen belly.

Treatment for molar pregnancy is dependent on the assessment of the doctor. In most cases, a minor surgery called dilatation and curettage will be done to clear all the developed molar tissues from the uterus. In some instances the operation might be carried out in two phases. In other cases, the doctor may simply prescribe a pill to swallow or a gel to put in the virgina to make to make the molar move out by itself.