Hypertension or high blood pressure is common in pregnant women, even in those who have no previous history of high blood pressure. This leads to complications in about 6 to 10% of all pregnancies around the world. High blood pressure may develop before or after conception and as such needs special medical attention.

Hypertension prevents sufficient flow of blood to the placenta and this inhibits the normal growth of the fetus. This could result in low birth weight of the child. However, if diagnosed in time and treated properly, hypertension does not affect the child's health too much. There are various types of hypertension during pregnancies, such as:

Gestational hypertension: This type of hypertension is developed about 20 weeks after conception. There is no abnormality in urine or any signs of other organ damage (as is common with hypertension during pregnancy) but the condition can worsen and complicate very quickly. Pregnant women below the age of 20 and above the age of 40 are often diagnosed with high levels of blood pressure. Women who have heart or kidney conditions before pregnancy and women carrying more than one child are also likely to develop gestational hypertension.
Chronic hypertension: Chronic hypertension is high blood pressure which develops around 20 weeks before conception and does not normalize within 12 weeks after childbirth. The patient may also have been suffering from high blood pressure for a long time but the complications appear only during pregnancy because high blood pressure rarely exhibits symptoms without an associated condition.
Chronic hypertension superimposed with Preeclampsia: Women who have hypertension before pregnancy may develop even higher blood pressure levels during pregnancy. This leads to several health disorders like frequent headaches, fatigue and depression.
Preeclampsia: Preeclampsia is often a serious complication of gestational pregnancy and affects about 5% to 7% of all pregnancies globally. Gestational pregnancy does not always develop into preeclampsia but it needs to be diagnosed and treated in time to avoid the complication. Women who have conceived for the first time or have a history of hypertension in the family are at a greater risk of preeclampsia. The symptoms of the condition are throbbing headaches, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting, pain in the upper abdominal region and shortness of breath.

Types Of Hypertensions Experienced During Pregnancy

A woman's body needs a lot of nourishment. There are many vitamins and minerals that ensure a healthy body. However, as you reach puberty and age more, a few nutrients become vital for healthy functionality, reproduction as well as vitality. On this International Day Of Action For Women's Health, 28th May, learn more about the women's health so that you or women around you stay healthy.

Here are top 6 nutrients that are a must for women of all ages.

1) Vitamin B12 - Women suffer from extreme fatigue as soon as they reach late 20s or mid-30s and vitamin B12 has proven to be extremely efficient in not only curbing the feeling of fatigue, but also in promoting swiftness and alertness in the body.

2) Vitamin D3 - Lack of vitamin D3 is detrimental for breast and ovarian cancers which plague a large number of women. This vitamin  also builds immunity against certain autoimmune diseases and provides adequate strength to muscles, bones and teeth.

3) Iron - Adequate levels of iron in the body ensures that you never run out of energy and are always active. In addition, iron plays an important role in maintaining efficient functioning of the brain.

4) Vitamin B6 - Vitamin B6 mainly promotes the maintenance of a healthy and regular sleep pattern and protects against sleep-related disorders such as insomnia. It also helps in the correct regulation of your appetite while maintaining hormonal balance, thus protecting you from mood disorders.

5) Folate - Women who are expecting or have recently given birth certainly benefit a great deal from adequate consumption of folate. These women are highly vulnerable to a number of spinal and brain defects which are effectively prevented by the nutrient. It also helps to make the body highly resistant to colon and breast cancers.

6) Calcium - Calcium is like a wonder drug for all women as it solves a majority of problems which hinder their daily life. It plays an important role in maintaining a stable blood pressure and is extremely efficient in controlling certain noxious symptoms of PMS. It is important also to maintain their bone density as they age.

If you have any questions on women health, please click on 'Consult.

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6 Nutrients Women Need The Most

Nutrition for you will never be as important to you as it is during pregnancy, because while eating you have to think not only about you, but also the development of your unborn child. However, merely eating is not enough you have to eat right. Here is your guide of what to eat and what to avoid, during pregnancy, so that your child gets the best nutrition.
Things to eat: 
1. Whole grains- whole grains, which can be found in food items like cereals, whole-wheat breads and pastas, are rich in folic acid, iron and fibers. Make sure you incorporate ample amount of whole grains in your diet to remain healthy during pregnancy.
2. Beans- beans are extremely nutritious for pregnant women, as they contain protein, fiber, iron, folate, zinc and calcium, which are much needed for the development of a healthy baby.
3. Fish- incorporate enough fish in your diet because they contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, for example, is exceptionally good for health since it contains less mercury than other fish.
4. Eggs- eggs are rich in protein, and is also a good source of other nutrients like amino acids, vitamins and minerals, including choline which is crucial for the baby's brain development.
5. Berries- berries contain vitamin c, calcium, folate and fiber, which is important to your diet, besides being a delicious addition to your meal.
6. Low fat yogurt- sweetened yogurt is extremely bad for your health, but a cup of plain, low fat yogurt contains copious amount of calcium and is also a good source of proteins.

Things to avoid: 
1) soft cheese- soft cheese, like feta, blue cheese, brie, etc. Are made of unpasteurized milk, which contain listeria bacteria which might be fatal for you and your child. Hence, they are best to avoid.
2) undercooked or raw food-raw meat may contain toxoplasma and other bacteria. Raw eggs in sauces like mayonnaise, uncooked dough, desserts like tiramisu and salad dressings are also harmful for you. Fish in sushis or self caught fish may also contain harmful bacteria and parasites or chemicals released from nearby factories. Do ensure that your meat and fish are thoroughly cooked while dining out as well.
3) unpasteurized juices- there is always a risk of juices, which are squeezed and unpasteurized, being contaminated with e-coli or salmonella, which can be very harmful for you.
4) pre-dressed poultry- poultry that has been dressed and stuffed at the market often run the risk of being contaminated by the juices of slaughtered poultry, proving to be best breeding grounds for bacteria.
5) unwashed fruits and vegetables- toxoplasma can breed on unwashed raw foods, which also cause harm to your health, mainly in the prenatal period.
6) alcohol, coffee and unpasteurized milk- these beverages have been deemed unsafe for pregnant ladies since they can cause severe health damages.

Nutrition Tips for Pregnant Women

Menstrual cycle is an integral part of a woman's life. Isse mahilao ki reproductive shakti ka pata lagta hai. A typical menstrual cycle has a timeframe of about 28 days. Lekin kuch ladies mein yeh timeframe 35 days tak bhi ho sakta hai. Every female has different cycle. Usually, it is 11th to 14th day, counting from 1st day of the period, are the most fertile days.

Periods are important because it signifies the childbearing age of a woman. In a normal menstrual cycle, the innermost lining of the uterus starts to thicken to prepare itself for embedding of a growing foetus. In the absence of a foetus, the lining breaks down and results in periods.

Aap periods ke baad kitne din mein pregnant hote hain ye aapke menstrual cycle ki length pe depend karta hai. Typically, in a woman with a normal menstrual cycle length of 28 days, ovulation happens around the 14th day.

Ovulation ke waqt aapki ovary ek mature egg release karti hai. The released egg sits in the Fallopian tube to meet a sperm for fertilization, jiske turant baad aapki pregnancy start ho jaati hai. While a sperm can survive in the uterus of a woman for up to three to five days, female egg sirf 12 to 24 hours ke liye available rehta hai.

Yadi is timeframe ke beech sperm, egg se mil jaata hai toh aapke pregnant hone ke chances zyada hote hain. While it may not be a great idea to try getting pregnant after ovulation, egg release hone se pehle agar aap koshish karein toh pregnancy possible hai.

Therefore, periods hone ke baad se 12th to 16th day pregnancy ke liye kaafi crucial hote hain. In case you have unprotected sex during these days, then there are bright chances that you may get pregnant in this window.

There are certain signs of ovulation that indicates that your body is the most fertile in those particular days. For example, ovulation ki date ke aaspaas aap abdominal bloating, pet ke ek side mein dard aur increases sense of smell mehsus kar sakte hain.

In addition, there is an excessive production of clear cervical mucous, which closely resembles egg white. Agar aap ye symptoms experience karein to iska matlab hai ki your ovulation date is near and you can try and get pregnant around this time.

One way to determine your individual fertile period is to keep a record of your menstrual cycle (for eight or more months, if possible). Select your shortest cycle (say 27 days) and subtract 18 from it. The resulting number nine is your first potentially fertile day. Subtract 11 from your longest cycle (say 30 days) and you get 19. This marks your last potentially fertile day. So if the cycles you measured over several months were between 27 and 30 days long, you would be most fertile somewhere between days 9 and 19. 

This is still a very wide window of opportunity. You can narrow it further by charting your basal body temperature (your morning temperature before getting out of bed). For most women, it ranges from 96 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit. When your temperature rises slightly (four- to eight-tenths of a degree), it usually means you have ovulated within the past 12 to 24 hours. 


Periods Ke Kitne Din Baad Pregnant Hote Hai

How to know if you're pregnant

There are two main ways of finding out if you are pregnant - getting your blood tested, and doing home pregnancy urine test. In order for these tests to give you a clear picture, you need to wait until the right time i.e. until you've missed your period. However, there are several early signs of pregnancy that can give you an indication that you might be expecting.

1. Shortness of breath - Do you find yourself losing your breath on the stairs or when you walk for a long period of time, more than you usually do? This could be a sign of pregnancy since the fetus needs oxygen, leaving you feeling a little breathless even when you mildly exert yourself.

2. Sore breasts - If your breasts suddenly start feeling a little heavy or you feel like they have grown and your areolas seem slightly darker, it could be one of the first signs that you are pregnant.

3. Fatigue - The increase in hormones in your body during a pregnancy could lead to you feeling a lot more tired. If you end up exhausted after a normal day this could be because women tend to feel extreme tiredness during their first trimester of pregnancy.

4. Nausea - Around 6 weeks into a pregnancy (sometimes earlier), women tend to feel nauseous. This usually subsides as you enter into your second trimester. Feeling nauseous could be a sign of pregnancy. You can treat it by eating things that help settle your stomach like crackers and soda.

5. Frequent Urination - If you notice yourself needing to urinate more than usual, it could be a sign of pregnancy. This happens because your body is now producing extra fluids that cause your bladder to work extra.

6. Headaches - An early sign of pregnancy is experiencing frequent headaches. This happens because your body is now suddenly dealing with a lot of excessive hormones. To deal with the headaches make sure you take a pregnancy safe painkiller instead of a normal one.

Everybody has a way of expressing itself if only we take the time out to listen. If we really pay attention to these tiny reactions, detecting a pregnancy early, that is even before you skip that period is possible



How to know if you're pregnant

Caesarean section or C-section is fairly common today and most mothers do not realize that once their incision has healed completely, the scar tissue problems can still occur. Unfortunately, there are no instructions for how to heal and care for C-section scars after they go home. The general post-operative instructions from hospital include a list of activities to avoid like lifting heavy articles and driving.

Caesarean scars can cause pain well after they've healed. This happen at the site of incision, but in other areas as well. It's important to remember that the scar you see on a mother's lower abdomen is just one spot that scar tissue has formed. There are also internal scars which can spread throughout the body over a time period. This scar tissue can cause lingering pain and dysfunction well after delivery.

When our body tissue gets damaged, scar tissue forms. After a C-section, scar tissue forms along the abdomen and uterus as part of the natural healing process. Caesarean scars can be painful and mothers feel pain or tightness in their scars when they are reaching, leaning, lifting or standing up straight. The scar can cause muscle, connective tissue, and nerve damage in areas adjacent to scarred area. Over time this can lead to pelvic pain, bowel problems like constipation and irritable bowel syndrome and painful sex.

C-section scars are typically located in an area where they can entrap nerves. This can cause pain and also create an urgency or frequency to urinate. The best thing for a new mother is rest and recovery and doing too much, too soon, after a caesarean is a health risk. It is important that to keep incision clean, eat well and avoid lifting heavy articles to support healing. It is recommended that mothers have lymphatic and myofascial massage two days prior to surgery and as soon as possible post-surgery. Lymphatic massage is a light massage assisting in drainage and allows the collagen to align with the incision.

At three months post-caesarean mothers can begin scar tissue release therapy that involves massaging of the scar tissue so it becomes softer and more flexible like the surrounding skin and internal tissues. It needs to be done with three dimensional focus, slowly and gently separating the adhered tissues in all directions. The scar tissue release therapy painful with a burning sensation for some mothers, while some only feel mild discomfort or no pain at all.

Regardless of the age of the scar, one could get benefits from scar tissue release therapy from injuries to burns to surgical scars. Surface and internal scarring from surgeries could be contributing to many of the issues. Sometimes scarring is just a piece of the puzzle of your pain and so a pelvic floor physiotherapy in addition to scar tissue release therapy is recommended. The scar tissue release therapy reduces the appearance of C-section scars. It softens tissues and increases circulation, which all lead to a lightening in colour of the C-Section scar.

Tips to Deal with Caesarean Section Stiches

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