Reasons for spotting during pregnancy and what you can do about it

Seeing spots of blood during pregnancy is usually a cause for concern. However, it is not uncommon. The light bleeding, which is known as spotting may occur for a number of reasons.

Bleeding during the first trimester

Spotting is most likely to happen during early pregnancy and the reasons could be many, such as:

- implantation bleeding occurs during the first month of pregnancy when the fertilised egg gets attached to the wall of the uterus.

- cervical polyps ( a tumour that form on the surface of the cervix) or yeast infection may also cause episodes of spotting.

- miscarriage may be another possible reason for spotting

- ectopic pregnancy is another cause. It is the condition in which the embryo plants itself in either of the fallopian tubes instead of the uterus.

- molar pregnancy is a rare condition associated with spotting during pregnancy. When this is the case, instead of your baby, an abnormal tissue grows inside the uterus. Sometimes it can be cancerous too.

Bleeding during the second or third trimesters

Spotting may also occur during late pregnancy and the possible reasons are listed below.

- problems related to placenta like placenta previa placental abruption can also result in spotting. These are serious conditions when the placenta either covers the cervix or it gets detached from the uterine wall respectively.

- uterine rupture is the rare and unfortunate event when a scar from a previous surgery (like the removal of fibroid or previous caesarean scar bursts open and the baby slips into the pregnant woman's abdomen.

- premature labour occurs when your body is too eager to deliver the baby, usually one month before the due date of delivery.

- vasa Previa is another rare condition when a baby who is still developing has his blood vessels entangled in the umbilical cord or placenta-crossing the cervix. It is extremely dangerous because the blood vessels may burst open thus causing the baby to bleed and lose oxygen.

Here's what you can do about spotting

It is strongly recommended that you should immediately see your doctor as soon as you detect any spotting during your pregnancy. Only a well-qualified medical expert can suggest the appropriate steps to be taken, depending on your individual reasons and symptoms related to spotting.

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Related Tip: 6 Changes You Can Expect During the 2nd Trimester of Pregnancy

Reasons for Spotting During Pregnancy

Do you know that the future health of your baby is decided  before you even conceive? Your preconception health is very important. Planning a baby is a demanding task, but if you plan it well you will have a healthier and easier pregnancy. 

These are a few tips which can do wonders

1. Relaxation at Work and Household Backup - Plan out your work schedule. You might need to change your work hours or may be change the job profile. You will also need someone to help you out with the household chores around this time.

2. Finances - Get your finances settled and insurance plan changed accordingly.

3. Lifestyle Modification - Eat healthy. Stop the intake of alcohol and stop smoking. Set aside a time for regular exercise if possible. Try to lose that extra flab and stay very active.

4. Reduce Stress - Create a support system for yourself. Engage in activities that uplift your mood.

5. Take Folic Acid -Take 400 mcg of folic acid tablet daily. It helps prevent birth defects of brain and spine in the baby.

6. Avoid Exposure to - Harmful chemicals, metals and toxic substances at workplace and home. Protect yourself from infections. Stay away from cats.

7. Up-to-Date Vaccination - Make sure your vaccination is complete. Vaccination against rubella and flu are very important. It is also important to maintain a gap of at least one month between your rubella shot and pregnancy planning.

8. Optimize your Medical Condition - If you have Hypertension, Diabetes, Asthma, Epilepsy or any other medical condition you must take complete advice from the physician. Blood pressure and sugar levels have to be under full control. The type and dose of the drug may need modifications.

9. Check Family History - Ask your parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts and cousins about any health problems in the family like genetic problems, mental retardation or malformations in babies. This can help your Gynaecologist to determine which problems to look for and how to prevent it. 

10. Visit your Doctor - Carry a record of your medical conditions, family history and a checklist of your queries. Get tested for Li Blood Group, Thalassemia, HIV, Thyroid Levels, and Blood Sugars.



Why Your Baby's Health is Decided Much Before You Even Conceive

4 Dietary Changes that can Increase Your Chances of Getting Pregnant

At times being able to conceive becomes a challenge due to certain biological reasons. Feeling positive and eating healthy naturally takes you a step nearer to getting pregnant. In case of no medical condition acting as an obstruction, consuming the right food can increase your chances of getting pregnant.

Here?s a list of supplements you can include in your diet to maximise your chances of getting pregnant.

1. Choose whole grains over refined carbohydrates: Reducing the intake of refined carbohydrates (found in milk, potatoes, corn to name a few) can reduce inflammation of the genitals, which will help increase fertility. You can still continue to have your favourite foods, but ensure they are low gi (glycaemic index- a figure used to represent the ability of carbohydrate to increase glucose in blood) carbohydrates.

You can consume whole grains, which help in reducing insulin levels that in turn reduce the risk of heart diseases and diabetes and also help lower cholesterol levels. Try having whole grain bread instead of white bread and porridge instead of sugary processed cereals to reduce your gi ingestion.

2. Harness the power of proteins: Proteins are an important part of your diet and the type of proteins you require careful consideration as they help make new hormones. Try having 25gms of vegetable protein like seeds, legumes and nuts instead of animal protein.

Add dairy foods to your diet as they are also a rich source of protein. They provide vital minerals and nutrients like magnesium, calcium and vitamin b12 to the body and at the same time are low in calories. Include milk, yoghurt and cottage cheese to your meals so that you have a minimum of three servings of dairy products a day, which is essential to meet your nutritional needs and increase your chances of having a baby.

3. Welcome good fats: Processed foods, fatty meats and takeaways are high in saturated fats including trans fats. These lead to inflammation and an increase of oxygen free radicals in the body, which decrease fertility. So, incorporate good fats in your diet in controlled quantities. Try having avocado and tomato on a whole grain toast, for instance.

4. Make folate an integral part of your diet: Folate is an essential nutrient that helps in decreasing the incidence of birth defects in the babies, while ensuring a healthy conception. Along with the prescribed supplements, try to increase its intake in its natural form. The best way to do this is by having green leafy vegetables, which are a rich source of folate. You can also have veggie sticks and vegetable soup along or green vegetable dishes to increase your folate intake.


If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on'consult.


4 Dietary Changes that can Increase Your Chances of Getting 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

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

Pregnancy is a very special time in a woman's life when there is an added focus to take care of yourself and your unborn child. The adage'you are what you eat' takes on a whole new meaning during this period as it becomes the soon to be mother's responsibility to pack in extra nutrition to nourish her growing bump. Doctors often add in a dose of vitamins to ensure that the both mother and child are well nourished. But beyond that, the food choices you make will maintain a healthy weight gain for you and your baby and eventually even help when you want to shed the extra weight after your child is born.

Here are some tips to have a perfect diet during your pregnancy

Load up on the good stuff: even if you've always been eating healthy, it is time to crank things up a notch and include more proteins, vitamins, minerals especially folic acid and iron and some extra calories for energy and increase it as you progress in your pregnancy. But eating to get more nutrients doesn't have to mean eating more in general. If you are already at a healthy weight, then you don't need extra calories in the first trimester. In the second trimester, you need about 340 extra calories a day and about 450 extra calories a day in the third trimester. The numbers will change if you are underweight or overweight.

Say no to some: during pregnancy, give a skip to food items like raw seafood and undercooked meat and poultry. This could lead to potentially dangerous infections. Other foods to steer clear from include unpasteurized milk and soft cheese. All of these are possible sources of bacteria that can be harmful to an unborn child. It is always good to give your fruits and veggies a good extra wash, as always. Try to avoid the known culprits like popular local fruits that may be laden with artificial ripeners. Also avoid food with excess oil or preservatives. 

You will also have to say a complete no to alcohol or smoking during this period. While most sites suggest that you also ditch your caffeine fix, you can best keep it less than 200 mg or 12 ounces in a day. Stick to decaffeinated tea and sodas when possible. Some other foods that have to be avoided during pregnancy are packaged food, cold drinks, preserved food items as they contain preservatives, which are harmful. Also, chinese food should be avoided as it contains monosodium glutamate, which is again harmful due to teratogenic chemical.

Diet a big no: another big no during pregnancy is dieting or controlling the intake of food to lose weight. Pregnancy is the time you actually, for once, get to legally gain weight and be happy about. Don't mess up your natural system with forced diets.

Keep the food coming: pregnancy is the time for food craving at all odd hours and the time to give into them without an ounce of guilt! if you are dealing with nausea and food aversion, try to stick to small meals throughout the day. Replace the chips with carrot sticks and the pizza slice with soup. If that sweet tooth starts acting up, give it a frozen fruit dessert or shake.

Diet in Pregnancy

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