Dr. Sudha Naren Sheth Sheth

Are you in the last trimester of pregnancy and experiencing symptoms such as abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, uterine tenderness and back pain? This might be an indication of a condition called placental abruption. This is a serious, but rare pregnancy complication in women. The placenta is the structure, which develops in the uterus for nourishing the growing baby. When the placenta peels away from the inner uterine wall before delivery, placental abruption occurs. The condition can deprive the growing baby of oxygen.

Risk factors
There are several factors, which increase the risk of placental abruption. They are as follows:

1. High blood pressure: High blood pressure, be it chronic or because of pregnancy, increases the risk of placental abruption.
2. Abdominal trauma: Certain trauma caused to the abdomen such as a fall or a blow to the abdomen increases your risk of having the condition.
3. Substance abuse: Women who smoke and use drugs such as cocaine during pregnancy are more likely to have placental abruption.
4. Premature rupture of the membranes: The growing baby is supported and surrounded by a fluid-filled membrane or the amniotic sac. When the sac leaks or breaks before labor, there are high chances of placental abruption.
5. Blood clotting disorders: Any health condition which impairs blood clotting may increase the chance of placental abruption.
6. Multiple pregnancy: For women who are carrying more than one baby, the delivery of the first baby may lead to changes in the uterus. This may cause placental abruption before the next baby is delivered.
7. Maternal age: Placental abruption is more common or likely to occur among women who are above the age of 40.

Treatment
It is not possible to reattach a placenta, which gets separated from the wall of the uterus. The treatment options for placental abruption depend on several circumstances. They are as follows:

1. The baby is not close to full term: If the abruption is mild, your baby has a normal heart rate, and it is too early for him to be born, you might need to be hospitalized for monitoring. If the bleeding ends and the baby is in a stable condition, you might be able to go home and rest. In some cases, medicines are given to the baby for making his lungs mature.
2. The baby is close to full term: If your baby is near full term, and the placental abruption is less, a closely monitored vaginal delivery is undertaken. In case of a progressive abruption, an immediate delivery might be required via C section.

It is recommended for you to consult a doctor on experiencing any symptom of placental abruption. This will help you in protecting your baby from any harm.

1. Ice cream is a great source of vitamins.
Vitamin a, b, c, d and e are sound in every scoop of ice cream. Thiamine and niacine are much needed by the body too. Did you know that ice cream can save you from blood clotting too? the vitamin k in ice cream can save you from that!

2. Ice cream provides you with a lot of energy.
Because of its high nutritional value, not to mention the good protein and the carbohydrates that it contains, milk has become essential to get the energy that you need. With all its goodness, ice cream should indeed be a daily treat.

3. Ice cream contains much-wanted healthy minerals.
Calcium and phosphorus are building blocks to help keep your bones strong and healthy. Ice cream contains these two most important minerals that can save you from suffering from kidney stones.

4. Ice cream stimulates the creative thinking.
Ice cream does not only help you lessen the negative effects of stress, but it helps your body produce more happy hormones. Ice cream is made out of milk, which is a natural tranquilizer that will help your body relax.

5. Ice cream can help reduce the risk of suffering from cancer.
The calcium contained in every scoop of ice cream can reduce the risk of developing colon cancer. Since it is a catalyst for keeping your bones healthy, the calcium in milk is another good reason why you should give in to that indulgence.

There are many myths on when a woman can become pregnant and when she can’t. Women mostly believe that sex at any point of cycle will make them pregnant. But in reality ovulation is the best time to have sex to get pregnant. If you are trying to get pregnant then it is essential to be attentive to the physical changes of your body. By keeping a close eye you can easily discover physical signs of ovulation i.e. the best time for getting pregnant.

Determine when you Ovulate

You need to first detect ovulation before planning pregnancy and time your sexual intercourse in accordance with it. Every month, the hormonal changes in a women's body causes the  release of an egg. The egg later travels to the uterus though the fallopian tube. This stage is referred to as ovulation. There are many ways of knowing the time when your ripe egg is released from the ovary.

Women with regular menstrual cycle: Those women who have a regular menstrual cycle can simply calculate their ovulation period. In an average menstrual cycle of 28 days, ovulation occurs before 14 days of period. So you can easily get the date of your ovulation by deducting 14 days from the length of your cycle.
Women with irregular menstrual cycle: In case your menstrual cycle is not regular you can know your time of ovulation by using an ovulation production kit, by monitoring your body temperature and by changes in your cervical mucus.

When to have Sex to get Pregnant?

Whether you have regular or irregular menstrual cycle, the best time to have sex to get pregnant is when your mucus become slippery, stretchy and clear. Volume of mucus noticeably increases with the rising level of estrogen.

A study done by University of North Carolina to find out the better predictor of sex that will lead to pregnancy states that the day you notice fertile cervical mucus is the best day to have intercourse to get pregnant. This is because it aids the survival of sperms and increases your chances of getting pregnant. According to some researches, sex before the sixth day of ovulation increases the possibility of becoming pregnant.  

Most of couples who are trying to have baby have sex only during the ovulation period. The problem with this practice is that if you have miscalculated your ovulation date then you will only be disappointed.

Some research studies have shown that sperm quality and quantity is at peak after one to two days of abstinence from sex. And it diminishes greatly after ten days. So if you are waiting for your signs of ovulation and didn’t have sex for several days then the sperms of your partner may not be as fertile as needed for you to conceive.