Women who have recently given birth and are aiming to shed the extra pounds gained during pregnancy are in for quite a struggle. You not only have to adjust your life to a new schedule but also need to recover physically from the stressful effects of pregnancy.

The ideal time for losing weight-

According to health experts, you should ideally aim to come back to your original weight in at least, 6-12 months after the delivery. Women, who are careful about their fitness levels, try to regain their original weight by the end of 6 weeks time.

As is normal in the case of losing weight, all you need to do is incorporate a healthy diet as part of your daily meal plan coupled with regular exercise. Breastfeeding also aids in losing weight post-pregnancy.

Do not rush!

During pregnancy, a woman's body goes through a lot, not just physically but mentally as well. Therefore, you need to give yourself ample time to recover. In order to do this, you should wait until your 6-week check-up to find out if you are healthy once again. Many doctors recommend waiting for a period of two months if you are planning to breastfeed your baby. This period helps to normalize the milk supply. On receiving the thumbs up from your doctor, you should concentrate on cutting down your calories.

What if you are breastfeeding? 

Women who are breastfeeding their baby, or are planning to do so should aim to lose weight slowly and gradually. Losing weight drastically will make you produce a lower quantity of milk that might hamper the growth of your baby. According to doctors as well as dieticians, breastfeeding helps the body to burn calories.

Meal plan for weight loss-

Follow a few healthy tips to lose weight slowly and safely without putting either your life or the life of your baby in jeopardy.

  Oftentimes new mothers now frazzled with the responsibility of a baby forget to eat or consume their meals very late. This should not happen. If you do not give time to yourself for meals or intend on crash dieting by not eating, you will not have enough energy, and may even fall sick.

  Try to eat smaller meals from time to time to harness more energy rather than having three big meals.
  Eating a healthy and nutritious breakfast is very important as it gives you the necessary energy that you need to perform physical activities throughout the day.
  Eat slowly with your entire focus on your meal. This way you will be able to avoid overeating.
  Avoid consuming dairy products or try to consume those, which are low in fat.
  Consume foods such as lean protein or those that are rich in fibre. You should also ensure to have them either boiled or broiled.

The only way you can become a healthier and happier version of your previous self is when you accept the fact that often it is not possible to return completely to your former self. Pregnancy is likely to leave lasting changes on your body. So, be accepting of yourself as well as realistic.

Postnatal Weight Loss - All You Should Know!

Expecting a baby is the best feeling for any woman but this may or may not be the case in teenage pregnancy. Getting pregnant at the early age can cause serious damage to her not only to her health but also her future. Any pregnancy that occurs in women under the age of 20 is termed as teenage pregnancy. It is classified as high-risk pregnancy which can cause grave danger to the mother as well as her unborn child.

Technically, a girl can become pregnant after sexual intercourse anytime after beginning ovulation. In common- speak, a girl can become pregnant after she begins menstruating.

Risks of Teenage Pregnancy
Usually what happens is that a teenager gets pregnant against her wish  She doesn t plan to but gets pregnant maybe due to unprotected sex. This increases the risk to both her and her baby.
It usually leads to a lag in her accessing and getting prenatal care. This can lead to problems later on like-

High blood pressure
Premature births
Low birth weight
Controlling high blood pressure during pregnancy and getting regular prenatal care is the single most important thing that a pregnant teen can do for her own and her baby s health.

High BP
Teenage mothers are at high risk for suffering from high BP which means they are at high risk for developing pre-eclampsia. This is a sudden increase in blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy and can be life-threatening for both the mother and the unborn baby. There are no proven ways to prevent it and most women who have signs of pre-eclampsia are monitored to lessen the harm and to avoid complications. The only way to cure pre-eclampsia is to deliver the baby. Usually, doctors manage high blood pressure in pregnancy by closely monitoring the baby, lifestyle changes by the mother and use of medicines. Compliance among teenagers for making lifestyle changes is usually low according to experts.

Premature Babies
Premature babies are also common in teenagers and these babies can have health problems at the drop of the hat because their organs did not have enough time to develop in the womb. Problems that they are prone to are-

Breathing problems
Cerebral palsy
Developmental problems
Problem with vision
Hearing problems
Feeding problems
Low-birth weight
Low birth weight babies are another risk of teenage pregnancies. These babies who weigh less than 5 pounds are at higher risk for health problems like delayed motor and social development or learning disabilities. They also become sick more often in the first days of life or develop infections.

Risks of low birth weight, premature labour, anemia, and pre-clampsia are linked to the low age of the mother and all of these are observed in teen births even after controlling for other risk factors such as prenatal care.

What can be done?
A pregnant teen, therefore, should do the following-

Get regular prenatal check-ups
Take vitamins and iron to prevent birth defects
Staying away from smoking, alcohol, and drugs to prevent birth defects
Use a condom during sex to prevent sexually transmitted diseases that could hurt the foetus
The only way to prevent teenage pregnancies is educational interventions and promotion of birth control. And both of these should be used to prevent these high-risk pregnancies.

Teenage Pregnancy - Know Everything About It!

Post pregnancy, you may experience pain due to multiple reasons. However, such pain might subside within a few weeks, but still it is advisable that one should be prepared prepared for all kinds of discomfort post pregnancy, such as the pain you endure while breastfeeding or the epidural pain. If you have undergone surgery, then there may be pain due to surgical incisions as well. One should keep herself hydrated all throughout and be patient while trying to deal with such post pregnancy pain.

Managing pain depends on the type of pain you are experiencing. Below is a summarized account of the different types of pain one might go through and how to come out of it.

    Incisions: In case the delivery occurs by the caesarian procedure, you might have to endure pain from the incisions. The pain generally lasts till all the incisions heal, so you will require pain medications to get relief from the pain.
    Uterine contractions: The uterus needs to return to its normal size after the delivery. The pain from these contractions tends to increase with subsequent pregnancies. Like incisions, pain medications will be administered to help you get relief from the pain.
    Vaginal dryness: A woman s vagina tends to be dry while she is breastfeeding. This can cause pain if you want to indulge in sexual intercourse. In this regard, lubricants (preferably water based) are a good way to treat vaginal dryness.
    Engorgement of the breast: When a woman starts lactating, her breasts tend to become fuller and thus, cause minor but persisting pain. A breast pump (used to extract milk from a woman s breasts), in this case, can relieve you of such pain.
    Back pain: Pregnancy related stress and strain can often lead to back pain. This back pain usually stems from holding the baby and breastfeeding it. If it so happens, you can consider changing your posture while breastfeeding and taking warm baths twice a day to get rid of the backaches.
    Joint pain: There may be pain in your joints such as the one in your wrists, hands and feet. This usually occurs due to all the chemical changes that your body undergoes during pregnancy. Pain medications and stretches can help ease this sort of a pain.
    Pain in the legs: Post pregnancy leg pain is caused because of all the fluids that are administered intravenously. Once the content of fluids in the body reduces, the pain tends to subside. However, any sign or symptom of blood clots or visible redness in the legs might warrant medical attention at the earliest.
    Headaches: This is the most common type of pain that can result from a pregnancy. Headaches are caused due to hormonal imbalances, insomnia and stress that you may experience. It is advisable to not take any pain medication in this regard as painkillers can interfere with your bodily hormones even more, given that headaches are usually not something to worry about. Drink plenty of water and try to get ample rest; this should take care of the pain automatically.

Post Pregnancy Pain - How best to Manage it?

Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs that develop on a woman's ovary. A patient might experience abdominal and pelvic pain, abnormal bleeding, menstrual irregularities, pain during intercourse or irregular bowel movements. These symptoms indicate an ovarian cyst developing inside you. Ovarian cysts are common in women and may develop during menstruation. In many cases, symptoms are not observed, and you may get ovarian cysts without knowing. Usually being harmless, ovarian cysts may sometimes lead to severe health conditions.

Here are 7 important things you should know about ovarian cysts:
1. You should know the reason behind the formation of ovarian cysts. When the follicle does not release the egg, it may grow bigger in size and take the form of a follicular cyst. A corpus luteum cyst may also develop, which is a cavity that gets formed after the egg is ruptured and released from the follicle. The cysts may bleed and cause pelvic pain.

2. It is important for you to know if you have an ovarian cyst. Many ovarian cysts do not show symptoms and go away by themselves. Follicular cysts do not change your menstrual cycle, but corpus luteum cysts may cause bleeding.  

3. You should know how to detect an ovarian cyst. You should visit a gynecologist regularly for diagnosis. Bigger cysts can be diagnosed via a pelvic examination. Ultrasound is also used for detection.  

4. You should have an idea about all the symptoms associated with ovarian cysts. These include fever, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms indicate that you have an infection. Sometimes, a cyst might twist an ovary, which may cut off blood supply to the ovary, causing permanent damage.

5. In case you are at a risk of twisting of the ovaries, you have to undergo a surgery. Surgery is also considered when the cyst lasts longer than three menstrual cycles and it is bigger than four inches in size. The cyst may also pose the risk of being a tumor. The common surgical procedures for ovarian cysts are laparoscopy and laparotomy.  

6. You can prevent ovarian cysts be taking birth control pills, which help in suppressing ovulation and prevent the formation of a cyst. Birth control pills may help only if you are not pregnant.

7. Ovarian cysts are more common in premenopausal women. However, these are possible in postmenopausal women as well, especially in the early postmenopausal stage.  

Sometimes, there might be chances of an ovarian cyst being cancerous in nature, which may lead to ovarian cancer. The risk of cancerous ovarian cysts increases with age. It is recommended to consult a gynecologist for the proper diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cysts in women. Pain medications and heating pads are used as alternative treatment methods for less serious ovarian cysts.

7 Things You Should Know About Ovarian Cysts

In most diseases, early detection of the disease is the key to control the symptoms, cure, reduce progression and improve prognosis. This holds true for sexually transmitted diseases too. As soon as there is a mild degree of suspicious of having contracted a sexually transmitted disease, it is advisable to go for a test. Most of the STDs can develop into serious complications over a period of time, ranging from infertility to even death.

Complications: Why early diagnosis is important: When left undiagnosed and untreated, most STDs progress to cause severe damage from sterility to cancer to even death. Listed below are some complications associated with each of the common STDs.

Chlamydia: If left untreated, can lead to epididymitis and testicles shrinking and infertility in males. This is a condition where there is pus formation in the scrotum. In women, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease which is deep-seated and unable to cure completely. This brings with it symptoms ranging from abdominal pain to uterine infections to sterility.
Syphillis: Undiagnosed syphilis can lead to blindness and deafness. It can also be passed onto the newborn and lead to severe disabilities.
Gonorrhea: If diagnosed early, it can be cured completely with antibiotics. However, if left untreated, it can lead to infertility.
HIV/AIDS: Early diagnosis can help in curtailing the disease. If detected late, then the damage is quite extensive and treatment is both expensive and cannot help restore a lot of functions. 
Symptoms of Sexually transmitted diseases: If there is a doubt of having contracted an STD, then it is very important to get tested for the same. Some of the most common symptoms are listed below.

Women: The most common symptoms in women including painful urination, burning sensation, abnormal vaginal discharge (sometimes bleeding), warts, and abdominal pain.
Men: Testicular pain, urethral pain, painful urination, pain and inflammation in the prostate, sores, fever, and abdominal pain.
Prevention: Always practice safe sexual practices. When in doubt, refrain from sex until diagnosis and treatment is complete.

Testing for STDs: Some of the standard tests include:

1. Herpes- HSV I & II - 
2. Testing HIV-- Kits and ELISA available for testing 
3. Blood test for syphilis antibodies 
4. Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea - from urine as well as swabs for culture
It is understandable that getting tested for STDs is an embarrassing situation. However, there are options available where anonymity can be maintained when getting tested for STDs. This is a wise choice to make as the risk is not just for the person affected but for the partner and in some cases even for the fetus. Early testing can help prevent complications like infertility and cancer.

STD Testing - Why You Should Never Delay?


Feeling a lump on your breasts can be a terrifying moment. 'Cancer' is the first thing that comes to mind but in reality, most lumps in the breast are not caused by cancer. Apart from cancer, breast lumps can be caused by non-cancerous growths, injuries and infections. The only way to correctly diagnose the cause of a lump in the beasts is through a biopsy. Hence, this is the first step towards treating a breast lump. From here on, treatment will depend on the cause identified.

Mastitis or Breast Infection

Mastitis is a painful infection of the breast tissue often faced by women who are breastfeeding. It can be treated with heat treatment and antibiotics. Massaging the breast while taking a warm shower or applying a warm compress. This will open up the milk ducts and should be followed by nursing the baby or using a breast pump to relieve the swelling and pain.

Abscess

Antibiotics are the first line of treatment against an abscess but this is effective only if given in the initial stage of the infection. In later stages, an abscess will need to be surgically drained.

Fibroadenomas

This is a non-cancerous tumour often found in young women. It is often difficult to distinguish between a Fibroadenoma and a cancerous tumour and hence these are usually surgically removed.

Fibrocystic Changes

In some cases, the breast itself is composed of knotted, rope like tissue. This is known as having fibrocystic breasts. If a new lump presents itself on fibrocystic breasts, a mammogram and an ultrasound are performed to evaluate the lump. In most cases fibrocystic changes do not require any medication or surgery.

Breasts Cysts

Cysts can be defined as fluid filled lumps. In some cases, these cysts become apparent at the time of ovulation and disappear after the period. In other cases, it may need to be drained with a thin needle. Cysts often recur and need to be re-drained.

Fat Necrosis and Lipoma

Fat necrosis is a lump caused by an injury to the fatty tissue in the breast. Lipoma is a fatty growth within the fatty tissue. In both these cases, no treatment is required but if it causes any problems, it can be removed.

Breast Cancer

If the biopsy reveals the presence of a cancerous tumour, you must immediately consult an oncologist. Treatment options for breast cancer include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and hormone treatment.

Treating Lumps and Pain in Breasts of Women

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