Dr. Ramandeep Kaur

Uterine fibroids are frequently found incidentally during a routine pelvic exam. There's no single best approach to uterine fibroid treatment — many treatment options exist. If you have symptoms, talk with your doctor about options for symptom relief.

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-

1. High blood pressure
2. Premature births
3. 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.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Vaginal fungal infection, otherwise called candidiasis, is a typical female condition. Fungal infections are brought on by the growth Candida. This growth is connected with extreme itching, swelling, and irritation. Every fungal infection is distinctive. Therefore, your doctor will recommend a treatment that is best for you. Medicines are by and large decided depending upon the seriousness of the infection.

A particular type of yeast called Candida albicans brings about most of the fungal infections. These fungal infections are effectively treatable. In case you are having repeating infections or issues disposing of an infection with ordinary treatment, then an alternate form of Candida may be the cause. A lab test can tell your doctor which sort of Candida you have. Here are a few ways with which you can deal with vaginal fungal infections:

Simple infections
For simple fungal infections, your specialist will mostly recommend the following treatment(s):

1. A one to three-day application of an antifungal cream, balm or tablet Normal antifungal medicines is butoconazole (Gynazole), miconazole (Lotrimin), Monistat, and terconazole (Terazol). These medicines can be either prescribed or available over-the-counter.
2. A solitary intake of oral medicine, for example, fluconazole (Diflucan).
3. Women with simple fungal infections need to follow up with their specialist to make sure whether the medicine worked. A follow-up will likewise be important if your symptoms return within two months.

Complicated infections
Certain types of Candida will not react to simple treatment and will require a more forceful strategy. In case you meet one of the following criteria, your specialist will more likely tell you that your fungal infection is an extreme one.

Conceivable medications for extreme or complicated vaginal fungal infections include:

1. 14-day cream, balm, tablet, or suppository vaginal treatment
2. A few measures of fluconazole (Diflucan)
3. Long-term medicine of fluconazole (Diflucan) that is taken once a week for six weeks.
4. Treatment of your sexual partner or use of condoms while having intercourse.

You can treat vaginal fungal infections with regular cures in case that you might want to abstain from taking physician-recommended medicine. These are some mainstream normal cures:

1. Tea tree oil cream
2. Garlic or boric acid vaginal balms
3. Plain yoghurt taken orally or applied into the vagina

Here are some normal strategies for counteractive action:

1. Abstain from wearing tight jeans, underwear, tights, or stockings
2. Abstain from utilising female antiperspirant or antiperspirant tampons or cushions
3. Try not to roam around in wet clothes, particularly swimsuits
4. Eat an all around adjusted diet
5. Eat yoghurt or eat foods with lactobacillus
6. Wear soft clothing, for example, cotton, cloth, or silk
7. Abstain from sitting in hot tubs
8. Wash clothes in warm water
9. Abstain from using hot water bags
10. Throw away old underwear as often as possible

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

First-trimester screening is a prenatal test. It is conducted to get early information about a baby's risk of certain chromosomal conditions. It can detect conditions like Down syndrome (trisomy 21) and extra sequences of chromosome 18 (Trisomy 18).

It is usually conducted in two steps:

1. Blood test
2. Followed by USG

Initially, a blood test is conducted to ascertain the levels of two pregnancy specific substances in the mother's blood. The blood is tested for pregnancy associated plasma protein and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). Thereafter, a USG is done to find out the size of the clear space in the tissue that is present at the back of the foetus’s neck.

The screening is done between weeks 11 and 14 of pregnancy. The doctor is able to gauge the risk of your baby having Down syndrome or Trisomy 18 by using your age and results of the test. This screening is quite helpful and can guard you against deadly consequences in the future. Down syndrome is known to cause impairments in the mental and social development of the child. Trisomy 18 gets often fatal by age 1. However, first screening doesn’t find out the risk of neural tube defects.

It is the first screening done in pregnancy. It can be done before any other screening. Thus, the results are known at an early stage. You will get time to think about the future consequences can help you in deciding your course of action and the decision to either continue or terminate the pregnancy. You will be ready to know and decide whether you will be able to live and take care of a baby with special needs. You can conduct other screenings later in pregnancy. You must know that first-trimester screening is treated as being optional. It can detect the risk and cannot tell you whether your baby has the problems in real or not.

Often women get worried about the test and it’s after effects. However, there is no need to worry. It will not harm your pregnancy. The foetus remains untouched and safe during the screening. It will not lead to any miscarriage or any other complication.

A practitioner will collect your blood by inserting a needle into your veins. The blood is then sent for testing to the lab. You can resume your usual daily activities. The ultrasound will need you to lie on your back on a table and the technician will put a transducer on your abdomen. The sound waves will be changed into digital images that the technician will refer to. You can get back to your normal routine as soon as the test is over.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Travelling during pregnancy - Is it safe?
Pregnancy places some restrictions on the expectant mother, and one of them is limiting travel so much so that most women do only the required and essential commutes and skip any other travel, including vacations and business travel, completely until delivery. However, with the lifestyle changing for the woman so radically, this is being revisited. The doctor’s current advice is that unless there are potential complications expected or significant concerns, it is completely safe to travel.

The first trimester especially is a little tricky for travel, with the morning sickness. The second trimester is considered more ideal for travel, as the morning sickness and the feeling of being pregnant is sunk in, so the mother is comfortable. The third trimester is fine too, but the chances of fatigue are higher, and so travel is better avoided.

Read on to know some significant things to remember whether you are on a plane, train, or road during your pregnancy.
Car:

1. Always buckle yourself up as soon as you enter the car. Use both the seat belt and the lap belt.
2. Keep the air bags turned on.
3. Try to avoid travel time of four hours at a stretch.
4. When stopping for breaks, try to walk around a bit and stretch so that you do not feel the strain of sitting for long hours.

Plane:

1. Most airlines allow women to travel during the first eight months of pregnancy.
2. Some airlines do allow for travel during the ninth month, if the doctor approves it, or if there is an attendant with the expectant woman.
3. It is okay to walk through airport screening during pregnancy. There are some women who are apprehensive about this aspect.
4. Similarly, the cabin pressure in the commercial planes reduces but does not bear any significant impact for a pregnant woman.
5. Select an aisle seat, as it allows for easy seating and getting up.
6. Walking to the restroom and back should be carefully managed. The aisle is quite narrow and care must be taken to avoid hurting yourself.
7. Use the seats for providing support when walking through the aisle.
8. Especially, in turbulent stretches, try remaining seated, bearing in mind the safety aspects for yourself and the baby.

Other modes:

1. Traveling by bus is safe, but trips to the restroom would be difficult.
2. Trains are generally considered safer, as there is a lot of room for movement. Restrooms are available anytime, which is another major advantage.
3. Sea travel is also considered safe, but seasickness could add to nausea.
4. For long-term sailing, check with the cruise provider or the boat facility about the availability of a healthcare provider on the ship.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!