Cough and colds medicine during pregnancy

COUGH MEDICINES

Cough medicines are available in two variants and these are the expectorants and the cough suppressants. Most of the time, we take the variety suited for us based on the doctor's prescription. However, there are some individuals who take the medicine based on the recommendation of a friend or a companion. In this aspect, taking of cough medicine should be taken a careful observation especially when expecting a baby or during pregnancy.

Cough medicines that are called expectorants are those that claim to lessen the frequency of cough and reduce its intensity. This helps a person to sleep better. Expectorants contain codeine and sedatives such as diphenhydramine.

Based on studies, those that contain codeine causes constipation. A pregnant woman may incur problems on this and should be wary on its effect before taking expectorants that are based on codeine.

On the other hand, there are the cough suppressants. Cough suppresssants are those medicines that are released on the market that are said to help in expulsion of the sputum and secretions produced in the respiratory tract. They are supposed to relieve the symptoms by making one cough less and breathe easier.However, these claims can be easily remedied with orange juice or any juice that have high citric acid solution.


COLD MEDICINES

Taking cold medicines during pregnancy should be taken with care. Based on studies, cold medicine preparations that has pseudoephedrine and similar drugs need to be used with caution if the mother is hypertensive or has a heart disease. They may also interfere with diabetes control. However, there is no direct effect on the pregnancy itself.

In addition, those that contains antihistamines such as chlor­pheniramine (Piriton®) will tend to make the mother drowsy.

Even colds and cough are considered to be simple sickness, a doctor's advise should still be sought to ensure that the medicine you take during pregnancy can relieve your condition and not worsen it.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is one of the pregnancy problems that a woman may experience in her life. However, this problem is genetically acquired and will show the symptoms by the late teens. We will discuss Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) to enlighten those who are confused about the condition and how it can affect an expectant mother.

The typical problems that a woman will have in this condition are the ff:

• Obesity: There is a tendency to be overweight or obese but this is by no means universal. Some women with polycystic ovaries will be of normal weight.

• Irregular menstruation: This is very common in polycystic ovaries. Periods tend to be erratic, typically going for several weeks, even months without one. This is caused by the derangement of the hormone profile in the body.

• Hirsutism: There is a tendency to increased body hair, including the very distressing facial hair. Skin changes: Acne and greasy skin can be quite prominent; again, that is an effect of high androgen activity.

• Sub-fertility: Because of erratic ovulation, a woman with polycystic ovaries may have a great deal of difficulty conceiving. There is also a slightly higher tendency to miscarry.

Because the woman's reproductive system unexplainably produces more male sexual hormones called androgen than it should be, the hormone production tends to produce imbalance in the system.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by having a necklace of small cyst around the ovary. However, removing these are infeasible and would do less benefit to the woman. Genetically acquired, this is rooted from the reproductive hormone.

Treatment to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

As of writing, there is no cure for PCOS. However, the syndrome and its effects could be managed well with proper advise from doctors.

More info about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Controlling diabetes in pregnancy

Diabetes in pregnancy can be in two forms: the classical and the gestational diabetes. If you already have diabetes before pregnancy, it is the classical. The difference is that gestational diabetes, begins and ends with pregnancy. But how to do you control diabetes in pregnancy?

Diabetes Screening

Diabetes can be confirmed with diabetes screening usually done through a blood test. Urine test could also be done but it is not as reliable means of screening and diagnostic. Another test is Glucose Tolerance Test or, more often, GTT.

GTT simply involves the person fasting for several hours overnight and taking a measured sugary drink in the morning. A series of blood samples are taken, normally every thirty minutes for the next two hours. Levels of sugar in each sample are analyzed.

Controlling diabetes in pregnancy

1. Exercise

2. Using insulin

3. Oral medication

Controlling diabetes in pregnancy varies from one person to another as the condition of pregnancy also varies. It is best to consult your obstetrician on how to make your pregnancy safe.

Diabetes in pregnancy

Diabetes is a condition resulting from the failure of the body, the pancreas in particular to produce enough insulin, which is needed for the body to absorb sugar (glucose) into cells and process it.This may cause serious metabolic problems as there is an increase in blood sugar levels associated with long term damage and failure or organ functions. This affects the eyes, kidney, the heart and other vital organ of the body. Diabetes should be maintained regularly especially during pregnancy. The treatment do not only involve the obstetrician but also the diabetes expert, and the midwife. The condition however should not create havoc or anxiety but rather the pregnant woman should have close coordinated health maintenance to achieve better result.

Since a person with diabetes have problems with insulin production, the pregnant woman will be in insulin. There are also some instances when diabetes occur during pregnancy and ends when pregnancy ends too. This is called gestational diabetes

How can a woman have gestational diabetes?

• Have symptoms of increased water intake (feeling abnormally thirsty), urinary frequency and feeling hungry and peckish more often than normal
• Woman is overweight or obese.
• Have close relatives with diabetes
• Have a history of delivering large babies in the past
• Gain an excessive amount of weight during pregnancy
• Have a previous history of gestational diabetes
• Are aged thirty or over.

In the next posts, we will discuss what to do when you are diagnose with gestational diabetes and how to minimized the effects.

Pregnancy after cancer treatment

As a person ages, he will have medical challenges that have to be overcome and one of these is cancer. Cancer is one of diseases that is hard to bear however, when determined at an early stage, it can be cured and remedied. One of its most common type is Hodgkin’s Disease. This is often seen in women ages 15-24 and in men ages 15-35. This has excellent survival rate of 90%. Other issues are not only on the cancer stage but after the cancer treatment. Fertility is the most in question and pregnancy after cancer treatment.

Cancer treatment takes the form of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. Sometimes it is a combination of all three. However, all these three have significant effect on the fertility of the cancer survivor. Although the affected region is far from the reproductive organs, the medication itself can give difficulty for a person to retain fertility.

There are available options however that can be done to make pregnancy possible after cancer treatment. These are the ff:

• Harvesting eggs before cancer treatment
• Preserving Unfertilized Eggs
• Preserving Ovarian Tissue

With this options, pregnancy could be possible after cancer treatment and establish a new life for the cancer survivor.

Abnormal fetal CTG

Obstetrics defines cardiotocography (CTG) as a technical means of recording the fetal heartbeat and the uterine contractions during pregnancy, typically in the third trimester. The machine used to perform the monitoring is called a cardiotocograph, more commonly known as an electronic fetal monitor or external fetal monitor (EFM). CTG can be used to identify signs of fetal distress.

This technology has become very helpful to determine possible fetal problems even the baby is still in the womb. However, CTG is not used in diagnosing but only to determine fetal distress.

Abnormal CTG happens when there are differences in fetal heartbeat that may increase the possibility of having Cesarean section delivery. However, to be more definitive, a sample of small blood from the baby is obtained and analyzed for possible oxygen saturation.

If the blood analysis confirms fetal distress, actions taken depend on the degree of abnormality. If the reflected distress is only mild, action such as changing the position of the mother, stopping or reducing the rate of oxytocin infusion and giving oxygen to the mother may be all that is required.

If however, a significant distress is determined, then delivery by the quickest means possible will be carried out. This may be a cesarean section but it may also be by forceps or ventouse vaginal delivery, if this is feasible.

more about abnormal CTG...

Obesity and child defects

Recent studies in 1997 shows that pregnant women who are obese have a large percentage of developing babies with birth defects. Obesity in a person can cause several complication to the person itself and when a woman is conceiving, the baby in the womb likely to have complications too. Some of the pregnancy complications are: spina bifida, heart defects, genital and bowel abnormalities and small or missing digits, arms or legs.

Spina bifida. Spina bifida as wikipedia defines is a developmental birth defect involving the neural tube: incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube results in an incompletely formed spinal cord. In addition, the vertebrae overlying the open portion of the spinal cord may not fully form and remain unfused and open. This allows the abnormal portion of the spinal cord to stick out through the opening in the bones. There may or may not be a fluid filled sac surrounding the open spinal cord.

Heart defects. One of the heart defects that can manifest with the obesity problems of the mother that can result in pregnancy complications is congenital heart disease.

Other pregnancy complications are seen physically are stunted limbs, cleft lip and palate and bowel problems like a congenital malformation of the anal opening.

It is suggested that obese mothers should regularly consult their physicians to minimize and address these pregnancy complications due to obesity.

Heartburn and stomach ulcers in pregnancy

Experiencing heartburn during pregnancy is quite normal and can be taken in ease. However, there are certain circumstances where the pregnant woman should take it seriously.

Taking of antacids in the early pregnancy is said to have an impact on the congenital diseases that may result from the medication. However, this claim is not approved yet.

The best way is to have the conservative approach. This should take the form of small frequent meals, preferably rich in carbohydrates. The expectant mother should also avoid lying flat or prolonged stooping. She may also try to lie in a propped-up position at night. If all these do not work, then medication may have to be tried.

However, medical experts say that taking antacids on the second or third trimester of the pregnancy and, when required, is safe or has no effect on the baby and can be taken with ease.

Stomach ulcers

The general rule is that peptic ulcers tend to improve in preg­nancy. It is exceptionally unusual for peptic ulcers to start or be diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy. There are some medicines that can be taken to address this condition and you may consult your doctor as to the safety of the medicines.

Chlamydia infection and fertility

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STI, STD) caused by bacteria called Chlamydia trachomatis. It is one of the most common sexually acquired bacterial infections.

Chlamydia is tagged to be a silent sexual health problem. This is for the reason that only half of the infected men of 25% of the infected women show the symptoms. Moreover, symptoms show most often long after the infection timed at 4 weeks or more.

Chlamydia as being a silent sexual problem can manifest complications including fertility.

SCREENING

Screening is recommended to women ages 25 and below against possible infections. Laboratory detection is made with Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT), such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), transcription mediated amplification (TMA), and the DNA strand displacement amplification (SDA).

NAAT for chlamydia can be done on swab specimens collected from the cervix (women) or urethra (men), on self-collected vaginal swabs, or on voided urine.

SYMPTOMS

v Vaginal discharge

v Light bleeding after sexual intercourse

v A burning sensation when passing urine

v Pain during sexual intercourse

v Light vaginal bleeding between periods

v Lower abdominal pain or discomfort

HOW DOES CHLAMYDIA AFFECTS FERTILITY?

The inflammation inside the fallopian tubes is known to cause such damage that the functional capability of the tubes is seriously compromised. This might result in permanent scarring of the tubes leading to an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy and even complete inability to conceive naturally.

HOW TO CURE CHLAMYDIA?

Chlamydia is a bacterial (not viral) infection. It is easily and successfully treated using antibiotics. It is crucial that the full course of the antibiotics is completed to ensure that the infection has been cleared from the system.

You may consult your ob-gyne to learn more about this issue or read more at pregnancy and chilldbirth answers.