Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Saturday, April 19, 2014

How to Treat Yeast Infection During Pregnancy Naturally

Yeast naturally exists in the vagina and our intestinal tract and occurs when you have an overgrowth and ultimately the yeast takes over causing an imbalance which then results in yeast infection. Pregnant women are even more prone to this because their bodies are producing extra estrogen and other hormonal changes are taking place. If you have diabetes or high blood sugar or if you have taken antibiotics, then that exasperates the situation even more.
Please do not take any oral anti fungal medications over the counter or prescribed. They are generally not safe for pregnant women. Consult your doctor on what is safe and use some tips below to help treat it naturally.
Ways you can treat yeast infections during pregnancy naturally :
1. Wear only cotton underwear, avoid taking baths, only use natural unscented personal care products, and avoid sugars and refined foods.
2. Eat foods rich in Lactobacillus acidophilus, a friendly bacteria that exists naturally in our body and helps fight excess yeast among other benefits. L. Acidophillus boosts the immune system, provides the correct balance in your gastrointestinal tract, helps with urinary tract infections, reduces chances of ulcers, and helps balance cholesterol. It is a great supplement to take even if you are not pregnant. 
Foods rich in this friendly bacteria are yogurt, fermented pickles like sauerkraut and kimchi, miso soup, tempeh, kefir, and fermented cheese. Kefir, traditionally popular in certain regions of Europe is quickly gaining popularity in the US. It is basically fermented milk and has stronger beneficial bacteria then yogurt. You can also make or buy kefir made from coconut water or juice.
3. In addition to eating foods rich in L. Acidophillus, taking a probiotic supplement is very beneficial especially if you have been on antibiotics. You can also use a liquid form of a probiotic and use it as a suppository to naturally help treat vaginal yeast. Saturate a light tampon with the liquid probiotic, insert and leave it in for 2-3 hours. This is completely safe for pregnant women as a means to treat vaginal yeast during pregnancy. I do not recommend douching with commercial products but you can do a douche with dissolving powder form of probiotic in water.
4. Using anti-fungal extracts and oils to use as natural suppositories can also be very helpful. Tea tree oil and grapefruit seed extract are powerful and effective. Make sure you do dilute it in water. You can add about 10-20 drops of oil/extract to 2 cups of water.
5. One midwife has treated many of her pregnant patients with hydrogen peroxide. It safely kills the pathogenic organisms that exists in the vagina. You can buy 3% hydrogen peroxide at any drug store, it comes in a dark brown bottle. Place small quantity in a small cup and fill a syringe with it. You can dilute the hydrogen peroxide with 1 or 2 parts water if you are experiencing extreme irritation, otherwise no need to dilute. In a shower or over the toilet, take your time slowly and gently to insert the hydrogen peroxide into the vagina. You can do this safely once a day for a week.
If some of the natural therapies are not working for you (some women have deep rooted issues like diabetes and other health problems where recurrence continues despite many natural effective therapies), then i highly recommend working with a naturopathic doctor to come up with a natural solution.

Source
Read more ...
Thursday, April 17, 2014

10 Easy tips how to get pregnant easily and naturally

There are actually a host of reasons why women do not get pregnant. With the complexities of both the male and the female reproductive system, reasons for not conceiving are innumerable. But there are still ways to increase your chances of getting pregnant.


Tip # 1. To get pregnant faster have sex three times a week.

Having regular sex is the best way to get pregnant. Couples often try to time everything perfectly for ovulation but do not have sex when they think they are not ovulating. It is true that sex that is not within the time of ovulation will not result in pregnancy. However, because women do not always ovulatewhen they think they will, having sex three times a week will help to a woman cover her bases, so to speak, and not miss an opportunity to get pregnant.

Tip # 2. To get pregnant faster use an ovulation prediction kit or fertility monitor.

Using an ovulation kit to predict when you are ovulating will improve your chances of getting pregnant. For many women charting or other methods of ovulationprediction are too confusing. Ovulation prediction kits work by reading LH surges prior to ovulation. They are relatively easy to use and are generally accurate for predicting ovulation.

Fertility monitors, such as the Clear Blue Easy monitor, are also a worthwhile investment if you would like to get pregnant faster. Fertility monitors are similar to ovulation prediction kits in that they read changes in LH but they also read changes in other hormones and don't require any guesswork for couples. They are easy to use and will tell you when the best time to get pregnant is.

Tip # 3. To get pregnant faster have sex before ovulation (not after).

Sometimes couples get confused about the best time to have sex in relationship to ovulation. You have a small window of time each month to get pregnant. After a woman ovulates the egg will survive approximately 24 hours. Sperm, on the other hand, will live for up to three to five days. This is why having sex two to three days before ovulation willincrease your chances of getting pregnant. Don't wait until the day you ovulate to have sex. Your partner's sperm will last longer than your egg and you don't want to miss anopportunity by waiting.

Tip # 4. Don't rely on the Calendar method for predicting ovulation.

A lot of couples have heard to have sex around day fourteen of your cycle. This is based on the calendar method and assumes that you have a regular 28-day cycle and ovulate mid-cycle. Although this is better than just picking an arbitrary day to have sex, it is not a veryaccurate way to predict when you ovulate. Many women do not ovulate on day fourteen and knowing precisely when you ovulate will help you time intercourse better. Ovulationprediction kits, looking at previous months bbt charts, or watching for signs of ovulation will help you to determine when you ovulate.

Tip # 5. If you want to get pregnant faster, don't rely on fertility charting alone to predict ovulation.

Fertility Charting is great for tracking your cycle but it does have disadvantages. By the time you can see ovulation on a bbt chart, you have already ovulated. It is good to chart so you can track your cycles, see if you ovulate the same time each month, and also so you can look back on your cycle and see if you timed things right. But if this is your first cycle trying to get pregnant or if you are not ovulating at the same time each month, an ovulationprediction kit would be more helpful.

Tip # 6. Before you start trying to get pregnant see your doctor.

Make sure you are in good health and have had a regular check up from your OBGYN or medical provider. Untreated infections, sexually transmitted diseases, or poor health can affect your chances of getting pregnant. Its good to see a doctor as well as start taking prenatal vitamins prior to trying to conceive.

Tip # 7. When trying to get pregnant, don't smoke, drink alcohol, or abuse drugs.

This may seem like common sense but many women do try to get pregnant while smoking, drinking or using drugs. Smoking, drugs, and alcohol can affect your fertility. It will also affect your unborn child. It is important to stop smoking or using drugs and alcohol before getting pregnant and not wait until you find out you are pregnant.

Tip # 8. To get pregnant faster have enjoyable sex.

Sometimes when couples are trying to conceive, sex becomes a job or function of reproduction and is not as enjoyable. Plan a romantic evening or try something different to spice things up. How you are feeling sexually may factor into your chances of getting pregnant. Some researchers believe that having an orgasm during sex increases your chances of getting pregnant. For women, the spasmic movements of orgasm will help pull the sperm into the uterus and for men a better orgasm may increase the man's sperm count.

Tip # 9. Have sex in positions that keep sperm inside the vagina longer.

The missionary position is a good position to use when trying to get pregnant. Avoid positions where the woman is on top. Gravity will allow sperm to leak out with these positions. Also try placing a pillow under your hips to help tilt your pelvis and keep the sperm in longer. Don't get up right after sex. Try to relax and allow the sperm to stay in the vagina as long as possible.

Tip # 10. There is no such thing as trying too hard to get pregnant.

Most couples get pregnant within a year of trying. If you have not gotten pregnant within a year consult your doctor for advice.

If you have tried everything to increase your chances of getting pregnant and found no success, don't lose hope. Did you know that there are changes you can make in your life to solve fertility problems and increase your chances of getting pregnant, no matter how hard you've tried before.

Source
Read more ...
Saturday, April 12, 2014

May I Reuse A Digital or Home Pregnancy Test ?

Can you reuse a pregnancy test is a question many women. Perhaps the test you used this morning didn't give you the answer you wanted. Perhaps you're asking this question because you think you used a pregnancy test incorrectly and did not receive the correct result because of your mistakes. There are an infinite number of reasons a woman might ask if you can reuse a test, but the answer is always the same.
Will A Used Pregnancy Test Work?

In short, the answer is no. A used test will not work at any time, even if the result on the test is negative. Pregnancy tests are very specific and very scientific, even if they seem like nothing more than a stick that ends up covered in your urine responsible for your tears of either heartbreak or happiness.

Pregnancy tests are used to detect the pregnancy hormone that is present in your urine when you become pregnant. How does it do this? It does this with the absorbent tip on the end of your test. You might not think this small part of your test is all that important, but it is. This small part is actually more than a piece of test on which you urinate. It's medically designed so that it can detect a very specific chemical in your urine. If that chemical is present, then you are pregnant. There are test strips and chemicals inside every test designed to look for this pregnancy hormone. For this reason, you cannot use a test a second time. Once it's been used, the chemicals have been compromised and the chances of your test working a second time are not good.

May I Reuse A Home Pregnancy Test?

No, you cannot reuse a home pregnancy test. Once it has been used one time it is no longer capable of detecting pregnancy hormones in your urine. Those little lines you look for in hopes of seeing a second one appear are equipped with dye that changes color when it is met with the pregnancy hormone. If you are not pregnant and you use that test, you might think that you can reuse it because the dye was not used. However, even though the dye was not used does not make this a test worth using again. This is an invalid test you should immediately discard.

One of the main reasons for this is something called an evaporation line. Once you use a test, the lines are only valid for a short period of time. After this time, the urine inside the test and on top of the lines begins to evaporate. This leads to evaporation lines. These are lines that show the shadow of the actual test strip because it's been contaminated with urine. By reusing a home test, you might actually cause evaporation lines to appear darker, which can be easily mistaken for a positive pregnancy test result.

May I Reuse A Digital Pregnancy Test?

Much like any other test, you cannot reuse a digital test. There are so many reasons why you cannot. For one, it is highly unsanitary to play with a used pregnancy test that is covered in urine. It's filthy. Secondly, the test is now invalid. And invalid test, no matter for which reason it is considered invalid, is not going to provide you with an accurate pregnancy result.

Invalid digital tests are not going to provide you with an answer. Once the dye in the test is met with urine and the digital test says that you are not pregnant, the "not" in front of pregnant is not going to disappear. Using the test a second time, even if you do have enough of the pregnancy hormone in your urine to detect on the test, is not going to magically make the not in front of pregnant disappear. It's simply an invalid test.

What you can do with a used digital pregnancy test, however, is get rid of it immediately after you use it and see the results. You no longer need it. There is no reason to hold onto a test like this in hopes that you will get a different result later. Even if you are pregnant enough to detect at a later date, it's not going to show up on this particular test. Throw it away and buy a new pregnancy test.

All Pregnancy Tests Can Only Be Used Once

There's a lot you might not know about home tests. They seem like sticks that you urinate on. That can't be overly important, can it? How can something you use the restroom on be important? Well, it is. There are chemicals and scientifically designed traits in each pregnancy test that are used to detect pregnancy using the hCG levels in a woman's urine. When those levels are high enough to detect, a test will issue a positive result.

When they are not high enough to detect or they simply are not there, no test will detect them.
Despite seeming like simple objects, pregnancy tests are complicated. They will not work a second time. Once they have been exposed to your urine, they no longer possess the chemical needed to react to the hCG in your urine. If your test can't detect it, it won't appear.

If you want to take another pregnancy test, consider simply buying a new one. If you want to reuse a test because you've already taken so many and spent so much money on them, head to your nearest pregnancy resource center or health department. They will issue a test free of charge. It's a brand new test that's never been used. You can count on those results. Just remember, pregnancy tests are only 99 percent accurate when you use them on or after the first day of your missed period. Otherwise, they are less accurate based on the fact that hCG levels in all women's bodies are uniquely different. Can you reuse a pregnancy test? No, you cannot reuse a pregnancy test.
Read more ...
Monday, April 7, 2014

Unusual and Strange Early Pregnancy Symptoms

Early Pregnancy Symptoms - You must have heard of those common pregnancy symptoms and must have been mentally prepared for them. But, are you prepared for one of those highly unusual very early pregnancy symptoms ? At times, pregnancy symptoms can be extremely varying and unpredictable. Those symptoms raise height of anxiety and confusion, making it very difficult for women to detect their pregnancy. Many expecting mothers also get confused if those symptoms indicate complications or not, while some even fail to notify their doctors being unaware of their influence on pregnancy. Hence, getting familiar to the strange early pregnancy symptoms is important for all women who are expecting.


Unexpected Pregnancy Symptoms That You May Expect During Pregnancy

Many pregnant women report that they have not come across any of those prevalent pregnancy symptoms like fainting or dizziness or even bleeding. Dies it mean, they were not sent any signs of pregnancy by their body. Probably, they have been. Probably, they have failed to comprehend those signals as positive signs of pregnancy. Therefore, as soon as you get to know what unusual early pregnancy symptoms you are likely to come across, you will be prepared for them and can consult your doctor, accordingly. A list of those symptoms is given below :

1. Spider Veins - Appearance or the veins surrounding chest and upper arms getting prominent is one of the very unusual early pregnancy symptoms. This is one symptom what most women hate and fret over. However, doctors suggest there is nothing to get apprehended about the spider veins as it simply results from an increased blood flow in the body and then being carried over to different vital areas of the body.

2. Nasal Congestion - If you feel your nose to get clogged during pregnancy, you should know it happens due to nasal congestion. This is regarded as one of the unusual early pregnancy symptoms that may lead to having discomforting nights as you have felt during flu. You nose may often bleed even if during a perfect weather with no signs of cold. Consult your doctor to detect pregnancy.

3. Metallic Taste - You may feel metallic taste often during pregnancy. Metal tastes are considered one of the unusual early pregnancy symptoms and are caused due to hormonal changes in your body.

4. Flatulence - Flatulence or arousal of gases are the most embarrassing early pregnancy symptoms. To avoid this symptom, get your diet chart corrected by a specialist.

5. Production of Excessive Saliva - Many expecting mothers feel excess of saliva in their mouth. These excessive saliva productions lead nausea symptom even more discomforting and make it very hard for pregnant mothers to deal with these unusual early pregnancy symptoms. Your mouth may drool even when you are sleeping.

6. Cramping in legs - If you happen to wake up in pains in your legs at midnight, you should include this among early pregnancy symptoms that is not very common. Blame on scarcity of calcium in your body or other causes during pregnancy, talk to your doctor to find ways to reduce it.

7. Facial Hair And Pigmentation - Though women do not hesitate to spend bucks for removal of facial hair, but they may face an increase in facial hair along with facial pigmentation during the course of pregnancy. These are unusual early pregnancy symptoms, but not rare. Therefore, instead of chemical usage, consult with your doctor to alleviate these problems.

Whenever you face any of the unusual early pregnancy symptoms, do not delay, and rush to your physician about its effects on your pregnancy or to reduce discomforts of those symptoms.

Source
Read more ...
Sunday, April 6, 2014

7 Very Early Signs of Pregnancy That You Might Be Pregnant

Early Pregnancy Signs - Indeed, the only way to find out if you are pregnant or not is to take a pregnancy test, but often it may not be the right time to get accurate results. However, if you stay watchful for the following early signs of pregnancy, then you will know beforehand what to expect from the pregnancy test that you will be taking, and these 7 Early Pregnancy Signs :

1. Fatigue
Perhaps the most common symptom of early pregnancy is extreme fatigue that cannot be explained. If you believe that you may be pregnant, then avoid drinking caffeinated beverages to treat it. Instead, take things easy and give your body as much rest as you can.

2. Food Aversions
You could be pregnant if looking at food makes you gag and wince. Such food aversions are reported by many women as one of the first early pregnancy symptoms. An increase in the levels of the hormone beta-hCG hormone is regard as the cause of these food aversions.

3. Frequent Urination
Growth of the uterus and the pressure this puts on the bladder in early pregnancy can trigger the urge to urinate more frequently. This is one of the early signs of pregnancy that cannot be avoided, but you can get a little more sleep if you go to the bathroom before you go to bed.

4. Nausea & Vomiting
One of Early Pregnancy Signs that you might be pregnant includes nausea and vomiting, which can be blamed on the fact that hormone levels tend to rise in early pregnancy. Morning sickness is only an indication of growing pregnancy and you can reassure yourself that it will probably pass after 19 weeks.

5. Sensitivity to Smells
During the early stages of pregnancy, you may start getting queasy because of smells were pleasing and those that were never pleasant but still never did so before. For some women who are not sure whether they are expecting or not, this can be a tip-off.

6. Shortness of Breath
If you have just become pregnant, one of the early pregnancy symptoms is that you may feel a bit short of breath, perhaps even through pregnancy. This is because extra oxygen is needed for the growing embryo; however, if the breathlessness gets really concerning, it would be better to consulting with a doctor.

7. Swelling & Tenderness in the Breasts
Another early sign that you might be pregnant is changes in your breasts, especially swelling and tenderness. The best thing that can be done is to wear a better bra, perhaps a sports bra for more support.

Early Pregnancy Signs tend to vary from one woman to another, but the above early signs of pregnancy are typically experienced by most women who are expecting.
Read more ...