Dr. Sreenath

A panic attack is the result of a sudden enormous burst of fear and anxiety. The heart tends to beat faster and breathing becomes difficult. A person gets a feeling of going crazy and dries up. If the treatment is not taken on time, this condition can aggravate to panic disorder and such other problems. It is totally curable if the symptoms are addressed properly. 

Symptoms of panic disorder:
Panic attacks can lead someone to panic in any place. It takes only 10 minutes to reach its peak and typically lasts for 25-20 minutes. A patient is a prime candidate of a panic disorder if he frequently suffers from the following symptoms:

1. The discomfort of the chest
2. Profound sweating
3. Hyperventilation
4. Fear of losing control of life
5. Feeling of detachment from the surrounding
6. A choked feeling
7. Heart palpitation
8. Sudden cold flashes and tingling sensation

Apart from the above symptoms, if a patient suffers from anxiety in between panic attacks in anticipation of another panic attacks, he could be suffering from panic disorders. it is often witnessed that patients suffering from panic disorder avoid certain situations and places.

What causes panic disorder?
Panic disorder results from frequent panic attacks and the cause of the latter are not very clear. It is believed that certain life transitions such as divorce, getting married, acute stress, the death of loved one can result in panic attacks. A person has higher chances of getting this disease if it runs in the family. Some medical conditions that can cause panic disorder are hyperthyroidism, use of stimulants such as cocaine, caffeine and mitral valve prolapse.

How it can be treated?
1. Behavioral treatment: Cognitive behavioral therapy is widely considered as one of the effective treatments for panic attacks. This form of treatment effectively focuses on thinking patterns and behavior that triggers panic attacks. It helps you to look at your apprehensions in a better light. Another method of treatment for panic disorder is called exposure therapy. This method exposes a patient sensation of panic in a controlled environment. The trick is to deal with it in a much better way. For instance, you might be asked to cross the road. When you successfully manage to do it without getting crashed, you are less likely to panic in foreseeable future.
2. Medication Treatment: Medication can address the problem temporarily, but is not a good solution for long term. Certain medication such as antidepressants and Benzodiazepines are prescribed by doctors with time duration of every 1-2 hours. These are anti-anxiety drugs and gives immediate relief from panic attacks. However, it should be ensured that these medicines are only consumed once a doctor prescribes it. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychiatrist.

Always make sure that you use the therapeutic hot agents when the injury is in the chronic stage. They can also be used prior to physiotherapy or exercise to decrease muscle tension and increase flexibility.

IVF or In vitro fertilization is a form of fertility treatment where the sperm and egg is combined, in a laboratory. IVF is one of the most common fertility treatment procedures, which involves high technology and are undertaken by many couples all over the world. If you have ovulation problems or problems with the quality of egg and blocked fallopian tubes or in case your male partner has low sperm count or high mortality, you can undertake IVF to become pregnant.

The process of IVF involves the following steps and methods:

1. Ovarian stimulation: Before your menstrual cycle begins, you should take a gonadotrophin. This is a fertility drug which will stimulate your ovaries for development of multiple, mature eggs for fertilization process. Taking synthetic hormones like cetrorelix and leuprolide also help in ovaries stimulation.
2. Development of follicle: You must visit your doctor frequently while having the medicines for a checkup of your blood hormone levels. Getting an ultrasound done for regularly measuring your ovaries is also very important. This will allow your doctor to monitor the development of follicles.
3. Trigger shot: You will be given a trigger shot injection after the follicles are ready. This injection causes full maturation of the eggs and makes them ready to get fertilized. The eggs can be triggered after 36 hours of trigger shots.
4. Gathering of the eggs: You will be given an anesthetic by the doctor and an ultrasound probe will be inserted through your vagina for observing the ovaries and follicles. A thin needle is inserted through the vaginal wall and the eggs are removed from the follicles.
5. Fertilization: Your eggs will be observed once more before being combined with your partner's sperm and being incubated overnight. Fertilization occurs during this time and abnormal eggs are not fertilized. Three days after the eggs are retrieved, some of the successfully fertilized eggs turn into embryos made up of six to ten cells. After five days, some of these embryos become blastocysts made of fluid-filled cavities and tissue, which begin to develop and separate into the baby and the placenta.
6. The most viable embryos are selected to be placed in your uterus. The doctor places one to five embryos in your uterus by the insertion of a thin tube or catheter through the cervix. The embryo implants in the walls of the uterus and slowly develops into a baby. The chances of pregnancy are higher in case of multiple embryos.

IVF is a successful and quite a common fertilization process. It is an old procedure used and has been in use for a very long time. The track record of IVF is impressive and more improved techniques are being developed every day. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an IVF Specialist.