Preconception counselling is consulting a medical professional to stay in good health during pregnancy and to avoid complications: be it related to physical, mental or emotional health.

Preconception counselling is the perfect opportunity to prepare for events during your pregnancy and plan how you are going to handle your health during it.

Here is what you can expect at preconception counselling and why it is necessary:

Your reproductive history, (previous pregnancies, if any) would be discussed alongside any use of contraceptives or sexually transmitted diseases to prepare a health plan for the pregnancy.
You will need to discuss with your doctor any previous surgery you have had because that affects the plans and procedures of surgery in the future.
If you are under any medication while you are planning for the pregnancy, you need to discuss that with your doctor. Those medications, depending on your body s reaction to them, can affect the health of the baby and may lead to congenital diseases in some cases.
You need to discuss your weight with your doctor and achieve your ideal weight as this is going to be a very important factor influencing your health conditions during pregnancy.
Your doctor will discuss what you usually eat and make a diet plan for pregnancy that you must follow strictly.
Your doctor shall prescribe physical examinations to evaluate the status of your organs and prescribe medications if required.
Lifestyle is also what you and your doctor are going to discuss, especially if you have a history of excessive alcohol consumption, smoking or drug abuse.
You are also going to be checked for vaccinations so that it would be easier to allocate vaccinations during and after pregnancy.

Preconception Counselling - Know Its Importance!

There are a number of ways in modern day medical science for helping couples conceive, in case they are not able to do so in a natural way. Apart from IUI, IVF and other forms of artificial insemination, one such way is ovulation induction. In this procedure, the ovaries are stimulated to release an egg which can maximize the chances of natural conception, or even through IUI. This is an effective process that works well, provided there are no other infections and diseases at play. It basically works by stoking the relevant hormones with the help of tablets and injections. Let us find out more about the process.


Varied Tests: Before embarking on the process, the doctor will conduct a number of tests to ensure that you are capable of conceiving by natural means or even with artificial insemination. These tests help in making sure that there are no other ailments in the picture, which may hamper the process of ovulation induction or affect the ovaries in general.


Ovulation Cycle: Thereafter, the doctor will take blood samples in order to study the exact ovulation cycle that the body follows. These blood samples will be studied to measure the level of hormones at different stages so as to find out the most opportune time when the situation may be congenial for the ovulation induction to begin. A transvaginal ultrasound will also be carried out so that the doctor may study the development of follicles within the ovaries. These follicles usually line the ovaries. This ultrasound will also study the thickness and appearance of the womb s lining. 


The Ovulation Induction Cycle: The ovulation induction cycle will begin with tests that will happen starting from day one to day four. Once the tests have ascertained that the body is ready to go through the process with maximum chances of conception, the process will begin on fourth day. On this day, the patient will be given medication like Clomiphene Citrate. This medicine is also usually given to patients who are undergoing IUI or artificial insemination as it is said to increase the likelihood of conception. The Follicle Stimulating Hormone injection will also be given to the patient on the same day. 
After the Medication: Once the medication and injections have been administered, the patient will have to go through a test to study the hormone levels in the body. This usually takes place around day 10 or 11. Thereafter, two weeks later, the patient will go through an ultrasound to find out if the ovulation is about to begin. 


Time: While this is an effective method, one must remember that the ovulation results may take time for women who do not have normal menstrual cycles.

Is Ovulation Induction Effective?

A woman s body goes through a number of changes during her lifetime and therefore, it is always better to undergo regular health check-ups at proper intervals to ensure that all organs of her body function well.

Endometriosis is something, which every woman is likely to have heard about. However, not many women are aware of what it exactly is. Even fewer know about what they should look out for when it comes to having endometriosis or understanding what it means to be suffering from it. Is it not a lot better to be informed about all of this?


The condition of endometriosis is when the tissue that is supposed to be inside the uterus also known as the womb and lining starts existing outside it. What effectively happens is that the lining of the uterus, known as the endometrium, finds itself to be trapped in the pelvic area.


Some amount of discomfort is usually experienced by women who are menstruating. However, when a woman has endometriosis, the amount of pain is pretty persistent, sometimes extending to a month-long duration. Some women also suffer from excess bleeding.


Unfortunately the symptoms are not only limited to this. Women who are adversely affected by endometriosis usually find having sex painful as well, ironic as it is supposed to provide pleasure.

Also fertility is the primary function affected by it. There are so many complications in this regard. It is said that about 50 percent of women who have endometriosis have trouble getting pregnant and carrying a baby. Effectively, as sad as it is, endometriosis has the potential to take away the entire prospect of motherhood from a woman.


In addition to this, a fair number of cases, show that the symptoms, which are experienced worsen over the course of time. So, what this means is that the lifestyle of the woman may be severely affected as the symptoms get progressively worse; which is just one of the reasons why treatment is something, which should be resorted to sooner than later.


One of the lifestyle changes which may be beneficial in reducing the severity of endometriosis includes a change in your diet. Increased intake of green vegetables and fresh fruits along with a reduced consumption of red meat is definitely worth a try. Regular exercising is also helpful in treating the condition.


Endometriosis - What are the Symptoms and Consequences of it?

According to the preconceived notion, drinking alcohol is harmful to the body. It is partly true. Drinking alcohol is harmful to the body, but only in huge proportions. In fact, despite popular belief, drinking alcohol is also good for health.

Here are 8 alcohols that are secretly keeping you healthy:

    Beer: The most common alcoholic drink, beer is loaded with antioxidants called phenols. This protects you against suffering from heart diseases. Beer also lowers the risk of acquiring high blood pressure and helps maintaining it.
    Red Wine: Apart from being a classy drink and having the same benefits of beer, the additional brownie points of red wine is that it helps in increasing life span by generating longevity genes. It also increases good cholesterol and reduces bad cholesterol in the body.
    Ethanol: Ethanol reduces the risk of wear and tear in the brain neurons. Any damage to the neurons may lead to Alzheimer's or dementia. Hence ethanol helps to prevent any harm to the brain cells.
    Vodka: Vodka helps in clearing bad breath as the high alcohol content kills all bad odour bacteria present. It also helps to reduce stress and disinfect wound. It improves the health of the skin and stimulates hair growth. Toothache is also another issue which Vodka can work wonders on.
    Whisky: Whisky helps to numb throat pain when it is gargled in a mixture with warm water. It stimulates weight loss. Whisky also helps in preventing dementia. Other benefits of this drink that it prevents diabetes and cancer. It also helps to keep the heart healthy, increases the level of good cholesterol and terminates blood clots. Whiskey is believed to be one of the healthiest drinks among the alcoholic beverages.
    Tonic: The combination of gin and tonic is very useful while treating malarial infection as it contains quinine; which is used for the treatment of malaria.
    Brandy: Brandy is one alcoholic drink which is full of healthy antioxidants. It has anti ageing properties; hence is very good for the skin. Brandy also reduces the level of bad cholesterol in the body. It also helps in the treatment of bladder and ovarian cancer as well as sore throats and cough.
    Rum: Rum increases life longevity. It is very beneficial for the heart. It also functions as a blood thinner and helps in increasing the level of good cholesterol. Having this wonderful drink occasionally also guards you against osteoporosis and common cold.

8 Alcoholic Drinks That Might Secretly Keep You Healthy

Chlamydia is a Sexually Transmitted Disease. It is generally found in men and women under the age of 25. Researchers have found that in the United States about 2.9 million individuals develop this disease every year. 

Here are things that you must know about the disease:

What is it all about?
It is caused due to bacterial infection and is transferred sexually. You can be infected with disease by having vaginal, oral or anal sex with the patient. You must be aware of the fact that you can develop chlamydia even if your partner doesn t ejaculate inside your vaginal tract. If you had suffered from this disease in the past, you can still get it again by having unprotected sex with an infected person.

What are the symptoms of this disease?
There aren t any obvious symptoms for this disease. Most of the patients show no sign of developing this disease. Thus, you never get to know when you were infected actually. However, some patients do reflect some symptoms after 4 to 5 days of infection. These symptoms include abnormal penis or vaginal discharge and painful, burning urination. Men can also develop a bleeding rectum.

How do you know for sure that you are infected?
Well, you can get yourself tested to confirm about the infection.

What happens if you don t get treated?
If the patient doesn t seek medical help, he or she is posing threat to his or her health. Women may develop pelvic inflammatory diseases, infertility or ectopic pregnancy. In men, it can cause pain and fever as the infection spreads along the tube carrying sperm.

Is there any treatment?
This disease is curable. But it is important to avoid sexual contact with anyone during the period of treatment or medication. First, you need to undertake the test to confirm the infection. You shouldn t have sex for seven days after the treatment is over. It is advisable to get yourself tested thrice in a year.

Chlamydia - Things You Must Know About It!

Ectopic pregnancy: Causes and symptoms

Ectopic pregnancy happens if the egg implants itself in the fallopian tube in place of the uterus. That's why this form of pregnancy is called a tubal pregnancy as well. Many a time, it may also implant itself in the belly, ovary or the cervix. If the egg is allowed to develop in the fallopian tube, it brings about the bursting of the tube, leading to instances of heavy bleeding.

What really causes this condition?

In this type of pregnancy, the cause isn't always easy to arrive at. In many cases, certain conditions have been found to bring about this pregnancy and these are:

- Damages to the fallopian tubes in the form of scarring and inflammation due to a preceding medical infection, condition or surgery

- Imbalances in the body's hormone levels

- Abnormalities in the genes

- Birth defects

- Medical problems that have an effect on the shape and condition of the reproductive organs and fallopian tubes

- Though it's rare, ectopic pregnancy can occur while using an intrauterine device or system for birth control

- Inflammation of your reproductive system such as pelvic inflammatory disease

How do you know that you suffer from one?

In terms of signs that will help you to easily identify whether you're having an ectopic pregnancy, the initial signs are:

- Light bleeding from your vagina

- Pain in the abdomen or in the pelvic region, which tends to occur after 6-8 weeks of a missed period

The other symptoms of this condition reveal themselves as you progress through the pregnancy and include,

- Dizziness or fainting as a result of internal bleeding

- Shoulder pain brought on by bleeding in the abdominal region

- Signs of shock

- Worsening of pelvic or belly pain

- Heavy vaginal bleeding

Additionally, a person with ectopic pregnancy also experience signs associated with early pregnancy such as:

- Nausea

- Tender breasts

- Fatigue

- Missed period

- Increased in frequency of urination



What is Ectopic Pregnancy the Most Difficult Type of Pregnancy?

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