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.

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6 Nutrients Women Need The Most

What skin differences can you expect when you're pregnant?

During pregnancy, quite a few changes occur inside a woman's body. It is quite common for some of these changes to surface outside. Skin changes are quite common in pregnant women, and pinkish streaks on the stomach and a sudden glow on the face are commonly observed. Although not all women experience the same skin changes, there are some changes which are quite common during pregnancy. Some of them are:

1. Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are the most common and usual skin changes that occur during pregnancy. Nearly 90% of all pregnant women are likely to experience stretch marks. Stretch marks are the reddish streaks that run down the abdomen or breasts of a pregnant woman. Exercising and applying lotions rich in the vitamin can help in preventing such marks.

2. Mask of pregnancy

Melasma, commonly known as the mask of pregnancy, causes dark splotchy spots to appear on your face. Fluctuations in hormonal activities during those nine months can lead to an increase in pigmentation. These spots usually occur on the forehead and cheeks. Nearly 50% of all pregnant women encounter signs of melasma.

3. Pregnancy Glow

During pregnancy, the body produces 50% more blood; hence, there is a greater circulation of blood in the body, and the increased blood flow causes the face to appear brighter. The body also produces a lot of hormones that cause the glands to overwork, which renders the face shiny.

4. Acne

Hormonal fluctuations in the body can cause the oil glands to secrete more oil, which can cause a breakout. In case of pre-existing acne, the condition may heighten and, thus, get more inflamed.

5. Spider and Varicose veins

Increased blood circulation can cause minute, reddish blood vessels to protrude outwards. These veins usually appear on the face, neck, upper chest and arms. Varicose veins refer to the thick, bluish veins that appear on the legs. This happens because the body compensates for the extra blood that flows to your baby.



What skin differences can you expect when you're pregnant?

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

One of the most common queries faced by doctors dealing with pregnancies are risks associated with having sexduring the gestation and post-partum periods. Such doubts arise from both genuine concern and also from several superstitions and myths.

As a matter of fact, having sex during pregnancy is perfectly normal and safe. However, keeping in mind the changes the woman is going through, there are a few specific do's and don'ts you need to follow while having sexduring pregnancy.

Do's
1. Be aware: Pay attention to the doctor's evaluation of the expecting mother's condition. Many pregnancy risks can be predicted at an early stage. Abstain in case of predictions pointing to a risky gestation period and/ or delivery. Get yourself tested regularly, so that there is no possibility of transmitting infections to the expecting mother.

2. Enjoy foreplay: Pregnancy normally results in increased sensation in the erotogenic zones. Foreplay is a great way to relieve a woman's tension and she will enjoy your touch more than ever.

3. Pay attention to your partner's needs and reactions: Women have to go through a lot during pregnancy like fatigue all the time, along with sudden nausea and extreme mood swings. So, paying more attention to your partner's needs and reactions will help make the act more enjoyable for both of you.

Don'ts
1. Don't go for multiple partners: Multiple partners increase the risk of infections. It is not advisable to have sex with multiple partners during this time.

2. Don't Use sex toys: Use of sex toys during pregnancy is discouraged as it increases the risk of infections.

3. Don't Try risky positions and maneuvers: Please keep your desires for exotic positions in check. Risque behavior can lead to injuries.

4. Don't Keep yourself ahead of her: It is perfect idiocy to keep your desires ahead of the needs and desires of the love of your life. By putting yourself ahead of her you will not only negatively affect her mental health, but her physical health as well.

5 Do not mix drugs with intimacy: Use of intoxicants during her pregnancy to enhance your senses will put the healthy growth and delivery of the child in jeopardy. A number of birth defects in children are the result of using intoxicating substance use during pregnancy.

Dos and Don'ts of Sex During Pregnancy

4 Exercises That'll Help You During Labour

There are technical ways in which you can get your body all set for labour. Although you may not know how your labour will progress, you can ease the pain that you experience during childbirth to a significant extent by doing these four exercises:

1. Kegel exercises: These exercises target the muscles that provide support to your bladder, uterus, urethra and rectum. By strengthening the muscles of the pelvic floor, these exercises help in improving the flow of blood to your vaginal and rectal area. Kegel exercises involve contracting of the muscles of your pelvic floor as you would do if you had to prevent passing urine or stool. It is also known to reduce the duration of the pushing stage of childbirth, which is the second stage. You can do the exercises sitting or standing and in either of the two ways-

Slow Kegels: For this, contract the muscles of your pelvic floor and hold them for 3-10 seconds. Release and repeat the exercise for ten times.

Fast Kegels: To be able to do this, you need to contract and loosen up your pelvic muscles 25-50 times. Do the set for about 4 times with 5 seconds interval between each set.


2. Squatting: Practising squatting during your pregnancy can help in preparing your pelvic muscles for labour. While strengthening your thighs, it opens up your pelvis for an easy descent of the baby. So, here's what you should do:

1. Begin by standing behind a chair for support with your feet wide apart

2. While contracting your abdominal muscles, relax your shoulders and chest before lowering your tailbone towards the floor

3. While inhaling and exhaling deeply, push into your legs and go back into a standing position


3. Pelvic Tilt: This exercise helps in strengthening the muscles of your back, pelvis and thigh regions while improving posture. Ensuring your pelvic joints remain flexible, it eases the pain experienced during delivery. 

Here's how it's done:

1. Get down on both your hands and knees while keeping your head in a parallel position with your back

2. While arching your back, pull in your stomach

3. Hold this position for a few seconds before releasing

The exercise needs to be repeated 3-5 times - all the while maintaining a strong hold on your back and stomach.


4. Tailor pose: The tailor pose is designed to help relax your hip joints as well as open up the pelvis. It also helps in improving your body posture while easing the aches that occur in the lower part of your back. For this, you need to perform the following steps:

1. While keeping your back straight, sit comfortably on the floor

2. Placing the soles of both the feet together, press your knees gently towards the floor

3. Keep the position for 10-15 seconds
You can repeat the exercise for 5-10 times.





4 Exercises That'll Help You During Labour

12 Changes in your body you can expect during the second trimester of pregnancy

The second trimester (starting from the 4th and lasting through the 6th month) of pregnancy is considered to be the easiest for a woman. During the second trimester of pregnancy, you can expect several changes in your body and baby. Here are the changes to expect:

Increased energy: Many women find that they have more energy during the second trimester, after the fatigue of the first trimester.
Quickening: Around the middle of the second trimester, you may feel your baby moving for the first time. These movements, called quickening, are often described as fluttering sensations.
Growing belly: As your baby grows, your uterus will expand and your belly will start to become more noticeable.
Changing breasts: Your breasts will continue to grow and may become more sensitive. You may also start to produce colostrum, a pre-milk substance that will nourish your baby in the first few days after birth.
Changing skin: As your skin stretches to accommodate your growing belly, you may develop stretch marks. You may also experience changes in skin pigmentation, such as darkening of the areolas or the appearance of a line down the center of your abdomen.
Increased risk of miscarriage: While the risk of miscarriage decreases significantly after the first trimester, it is still possible during the second trimester. Most miscarriages occur during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Backaches: The additional weight that you gain during these past few months begins to bear down on your back, making it achy and tired. For relief from pressure, there are certain things that you can do such as using a chair that offers strong support to your back; sleeping on the side with a pillow placed in between your legs, and wearing shoes that come with solid arch support. 
Bleeding gums: Hormonal changes occurring during this period bring about a greater flow of blood to the gums, making them extremely sensitive and prone to bleeding. The gums don t remain tender for long and return to their normal form after delivery. But during these three months, make sure to use toothbrushes with softer bristles and be gentle when flossing.
Congestion and bleeding of the nose: In addition to making your gums tenderer, hormonal changes also bring about the swelling of mucous membranes that line your nose. These changes can lead you to have a stuffy nose as well as may even cause your nose to bleed very easily. To clear any nasal congestion that may occur during this period, you should use natural methods or saline drops obtained from a chemist. 
Hair growth: Pregnancy also sees your hair growing rapidly due to the action of the hormones on the hair follicles. Additionally, you also experience hair growth in places where hair is sparse. To remove unwanted hair, you should stick to tweezing or shaving, waxing and the use of depilatories aren t recommended by medical experts as they aren t considered safe for the baby.
White vaginal discharge: White vaginal discharge during this time is very common. The discharge ensures that harmful yeast or bacteria don t breed in your private areas. But if the discharge takes on a foul smell and a green or yellow color, you should immediately consult a gynaecologist as you may be down with a vaginal infection.
Leg cramps: A very common occurrence during the second trimester, leg cramps usually last through the last leg of pregnancy, which is the third trimester as well. The reasons behind their occurrence may be hormonal, weight-related, or deficiency of magnesium and calcium.
It's important to remember that every pregnancy is different, and you may experience different changes or none of these changes at all. It's always a good idea to discuss any concerns you have with your healthcare provider.

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12 Changes You Can Expect During the 2nd Trimester of Pregnancy

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