Gaining Weight Tips

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age. Polycystic means “many cysts,” and PCOS often causes clusters of small, pearl-sized cysts in the ovaries. The cysts are fluid-filled and contain immature eggs. PCOS affects one in 4 women.

What are the causes behind it?
While the exact cause of PCOS is unknown, doctors believe that hormonal imbalances and genetics play a role. Women are more likely to develop PCOS if their mother or sister also has the condition.
Overproduction of the hormone androgen may be another contributing factor. Androgen is a male sex hormone that women’s bodies also produce. 

PCOS Symptoms
PCOS is a syndrome disease defined by a collection of signs and symptoms. The symptoms of PCOS that one patient experiences can be very different from the symptoms of another patient. If you have two or more of the following symptoms, you need to have a thorough checkup to determine if you need PCOS treatment:

• Irregular or missing menstrual periods
• Infertility
• Excess or unwanted body or facial hair growth
• Thinning hair on the scalp
• Weight problems, often including weight gain around the waist
• Skin problems, including skin tags, darkening skin and acne

Does PCOS increase weight?
The answer is a ‘YES’. Most PCOS patients are overweight and are asked to exercise which helps control the symptoms but a lot many people have a completely normal body type.

What are the risks associated with PCOS-related weight gain?
No matter what the cause, weight gain can be detrimental to your health. Women with PCOS are more likely to develop many of the problems associated with weight gain and insulin resistance, including:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Sleep apnea
• Infertility
• Endometrial cancer

Many of these conditions can lead to heart disease. In fact, women with PCOS are four to seven times more likely to have a heart attack than women of the same age without the condition.

Benefit of Weight Loss with PCOS

Modest weight loss will not cure PCOS, but it will help. Weight loss can restore the normal function of the ovaries and result in normal hormone production. This may, in turn, lead to improvements in symptoms of PCOS, such as excess hair growth, acne or scalp hair loss.

Protect Yourself From Weight Gain

• Eat Right: A healthy diet low in complex carbohydrates, moderate protein and low fat is important, as this can help regulate blood sugar levels. 
• Exercise: Start doing low-to-moderate activities like walking or swimming for 30-to-90 minutes per day because exercise (even without weight loss) has been shown to lower or get rid of insulin resistance.
• Lose Weight: The more overweight you are the more likely you are to be insulin resistant whether you have PCOS or not. Losing just 5% of your bodyweight will help lower your insulin resistance.
• Avoid Stress: Don’t over stress yourself as it increases the blood pressure level in your body and can’t help to resist with PCOS. So, try to stay as calm as possible.
• Get more sleep (at least 7-to-9 hours in a day): Not getting enough sleep can also make your insulin resistance worse, which in turn acquires you the weight.

DIET:

• Cereals: Barley, quinoa, oats, oatmeal, muesli, bran flakes, whole wheat porridge, brown rice, multigrain bread
• Pulses: Yellow moong, green moong, chana dal, beans, whole pulses
• Dairy products: Skimmed or toned milk, soy milk, tofu, paneer, yogurt
• Fruits: Berries, plums, peaches, oranges, papaya, pears, watermelons, apples
• Nuts: Walnut, almonds, flaxseeds
• Vegetables: Carrots, peas, broccoli, lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, onions, cauliflower, celery, spinach

Polycystic ovarian disease - It is a common female endocrine disorder occurring in reproductive age group from 15 to 45 years. It affects 1 in every 5 women. Insulin resistance is central to the pathogenesis of pcos and indians are known to have high prevalence of insulin resistence

Three main features of pcos:

• Irregular periods - Which means ovaries don’t regularly release eggs (ovulation)

• Excess androgen - High levels of male hormone in your body which may cause physical signs such as excess facial or body hair

• Polycystic ovaries - Your ovaries become enlarged and contains many fluid filled sacs which surround the egg (follicle)

If you have atleast two of these features you may be diagnosed of pcos

Signs and symptoms:

• Irregular or no periods
• Difficulty getting pregnant
• Excessive hair growth on face, chest, back
• Weight gain
• Hairloss from the scalp
• Oily skin or acne

Pcos is associated with an increased risk of developing metabolic problems like -

• Type 2 diabetes
• Hypertension
• High cholesterol 
• Heart disease
• High uric acid

What causes pcos?
Exact cause is not known, it may have a multifactorial cause like insulin resistance, hormonal imbalance, genetics

Resistance to insulin - Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control the amount of sugar in the blood. It helps to move glucose from blood to the cells where it is broken down to produce energy.
Insulin resistance means body’s tissues are resistance to the effects of insulin. The body therefore has to produce extra insulin to compensate.
High levels of insulin cause ovaries to produce too much testosterone, which interferes with the development of the follicles and prevents normal ovulation.
Insulin resistance can also lead to weight gain which can make pcos symptoms worse, because having excess fat causes the body to produce even more insulin

Hormone imbalance - Many women with pcos are found to have an imbalance in certain hormones that includes increased estrogen, decreased fsh, decreased progesterone, increased lh, increased testosterone, low levels of shbg, raised levels of prolactin. The exact reason is why these hormonal changes occur is not known. It’s been suggested that problem may start in the ovary itself, in other glands that produce these hormones or in the part of the brain that controls their production. The changes may also be caused by the resistance to insulin

Genetics - Sometimes pcos runs in families. 

Diagnosis -

• Hormonal evaluation
• Ultrasound scan
• Blood test to screen for diabetes and cholesterol

Treatment -
Pcos can’t be cured but the symptoms can be managed

Life style changes

• In overweight women by losing excess weight by exercise and healthy balanced diet
• Medication
• For irregular periods contraceptive pills to induce regular periods or induce period every 3-4 mnths to reduce long term risk of developing endometrial cancer
• Fertility problems:
• Short course of ovulation induction medication. If no response then ivf
• Metformin

Weight gain can be one of the most dreaded experiences. It brings in a lot of contemplation and regret. Following a healthy diet along with a strict regimen of exercises is the recommended method to lose weight.
However, this is not so easy to achieve. It is often difficult to stay committed to such healthy lifestyle habits. Secondly there is usually some disturbance at the level of metabolism which needs medical treatment. This is where the Homoeopathic Treatment has proved to be highly effective in reducing weight.

Causes of weight gain-

There are a lot of causes responsible for gaining weight-

• Lifestyle changes

• Eating more than necessary

• Lazing around and avoiding physical activities

• Consuming flatulent food items like rice, potatoes, eggs etc.

• Improper body metabolism- improper breakdown of sugar, fats and proteins

• Stress which in turn results in hormonal imbalance

• Certain medical conditions can make one prone to weight gain

Role of Homeopathy-

Homeopathy believes in the principal that “like cures like”. It believes that the body is capable of curing anomalies on its own when supported appropriately with Homoeopathic treatment which boosts body’s natural healing capacity.

The preparation of homeopathic medicine-

When Homeopathic medicines are recommended for the patients, they are always given in small doses. It is prepared mainly from plant extracts and minerals.

When it comes to losing weight, homeopathic medications activate the metabolism of the body and burns more fat. You are also advised to follow a balanced diet with adequate amounts of protein, fibers, vitamins and minerals. Fruit and vegetable consumption should be high, along with 7-8 glasses of water.

Although there is no miracle cure for losing weight, besides being determined and hardworking yourself, homeopathy is can augment weight loss by addressing the underlying issues.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age. Polycystic means “many cysts,” and PCOS often causes clusters of small, pearl-sized cysts in the ovaries. The cysts are fluid-filled and contain immature eggs. PCOS affects one in 4 women.

What are the causes behind it?
While the exact cause of PCOS is unknown, doctors believe that hormonal imbalances and genetics play a role. Women are more likely to develop PCOS if their mother or sister also has the condition.
Overproduction of the hormone androgen may be another contributing factor. Androgen is a male sex hormone that women’s bodies also produce. 

PCOS Symptoms
PCOS is a syndrome disease defined by a collection of signs and symptoms. The symptoms of PCOS that one patient experiences can be very different from the symptoms of another patient. If you have two or more of the following symptoms, you need to have a thorough checkup to determine if you need PCOS treatment:

• Irregular or missing menstrual periods
• Infertility
• Excess or unwanted body or facial hair growth
• Thinning hair on the scalp
• Weight problems, often including weight gain around the waist
• Skin problems, including skin tags, darkening skin and acne

Does PCOS increase weight?
The answer is a ‘YES’. Most PCOS patients are overweight and are asked to exercise which helps control the symptoms but a lot many people have a completely normal body type.

What are the risks associated with PCOS-related weight gain?
No matter what the cause, weight gain can be detrimental to your health. Women with PCOS are more likely to develop many of the problems associated with weight gain and insulin resistance, including:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Sleep apnea
• Infertility
• Endometrial cancer

Many of these conditions can lead to heart disease. In fact, women with PCOS are four to seven times more likely to have a heart attack than women of the same age without the condition.

Benefit of Weight Loss with PCOS

Modest weight loss will not cure PCOS, but it will help. Weight loss can restore the normal function of the ovaries and result in normal hormone production. This may, in turn, lead to improvements in symptoms of PCOS, such as excess hair growth, acne or scalp hair loss.

Protect Yourself From Weight Gain

• Eat Right: A healthy diet low in complex carbohydrates, moderate protein and low fat is important, as this can help regulate blood sugar levels. 
• Exercise: Start doing low-to-moderate activities like walking or swimming for 30-to-90 minutes per day because exercise (even without weight loss) has been shown to lower or get rid of insulin resistance.
• Lose Weight: The more overweight you are the more likely you are to be insulin resistant whether you have PCOS or not. Losing just 5% of your bodyweight will help lower your insulin resistance.
• Avoid Stress: Don’t over stress yourself as it increases the blood pressure level in your body and can’t help to resist with PCOS. So, try to stay as calm as possible.
• Get more sleep (at least 7-to-9 hours in a day): Not getting enough sleep can also make your insulin resistance worse, which in turn acquires you the weight.

DIET:

• Cereals: Barley, quinoa, oats, oatmeal, muesli, bran flakes, whole wheat porridge, brown rice, multigrain bread
• Pulses: Yellow moong, green moong, chana dal, beans, whole pulses
• Dairy products: Skimmed or toned milk, soy milk, tofu, paneer, yogurt
• Fruits: Berries, plums, peaches, oranges, papaya, pears, watermelons, apples
• Nuts: Walnut, almonds, flaxseeds
• Vegetables: Carrots, peas, broccoli, lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, onions, cauliflower, celery, spinach

Struggling to get back in shape? Contact these top 10 dietitians in Gurgaon that are expert in treating any kind of metabolic disorders like diabetes, hypertension, weight issues, dyslipidemia and PCOS with the help of diet. Diet has a major role and what you eat reflects in your health, skin and brain. A healthy and balanced diet most of your problems at a bay. Here are top 10 dietitians in Gurgaon:

1. Dr. Deepti Tiwari

Post Graduate In Food Science & Nutrition, BSc - Home Science, Diabetic Educator

Consultation fees: ₹600

Ms. Deepti Tiwari is amongst the senior dietitian and nutritionist in Gurgaon. She has over 17 years of experience and is currently HOD of  CK Birla Hospital for Women, Gurgaon. Before that she has worked with some of the other reputed hospitals like Artemis Hospital and W hospital. She is a member of Indian Dietetic Association. Her areas of expertise are diet for weight loss and management, Renal (Kidney) Diet, Diabetic Diet and diet to treat hyperlipidemia. 

2. Dt. Riti Bhagat

Post Graduate in Clinical Nutrition

Consultation fees: ₹600

Dt. Riti has over 10 years of experience and is known for her skill in understanding the patient's anatomy and body type, which helps in customizing their diet. She currently practices at Eatomatic (Wellstar Clinic), Gurgaon. She has treated many cases of weight loss, metabolic - hormonal disorders and clinical cases with simple diet changes in your daily eating habits. Her diet plans are very effective, easy to follow and customized as per your goal. In a span of 10 years she has conducted over 100 workshops in MNCs to make people understand the importance of eating right and indian foods and their benefits.

3. Ms. Anju Sharma

Post graduate Diploma in Diet and Nutrition, Diabetes educator

Consultation fees: ₹400

Dt Anju has an experience of 15 years. She is a senior dietitian at Medanta The Medicity, Gurgaon and was previously associated with Max Hospital, Gurgaon. She believes in tailored Nutrition remedies for her patients. Her areas of special interest are weight loss and other disease condition like diabetes. She can also be visited at Diet clinic, Gurgaon.

4. Dt. Ashoo Arya

Diploma in Dietetics, Health and Nutrition (DDHN), B.Sc Home Science

Consultation fees: ₹1000

Ms. Ashoo holds an experience of more than 4 years and in such a small time she has delivered a lot. Her patients have got very good result not only in just weight management but also in conditions like diabetes, cholesterol management. At Nutri Health Diet Clinic, Gurgaon you can get customized diet plans from her in fields like weight loss & wellness, Diet for PCOS, Diabetes, healthy heart or cholesterol management, or anemia. She also plans kid friendly diet for overweight kids.

5. Dt. Sheela Seharawat

B.Sc.(Hons), P.G.Dietetics

Consultation fees: ₹750

Dt. Sheela Seharawat is the founder of Diet Clinic Health Care Pvt. Ltd with more than 35 clinics across India. She has mentored so many dietitians in her field and has won several awards . She designs her diet plans in a scientific manner and that are practical to follow.

6. Dt. Niti Munjal

PGDND, FAN, Diabetes Educator

Consultation fees: ₹500

Dt. Niti Munjal has 10 years and is a leading of nutritionists. She is skilled at weight loss and weight gain as well as follow up diet in weight management. She has also worked with companies like DSM, Terumo India, NIIT, EVOK, Bhartiya International, Dr.Lal Path Labs, and schools like DPS, Mothers Pride, Salwan Public School and Kidzee in NCR to emphasise on healthy living and food audits. She currently practices at Diet & You, Gurgaon.

7. Dt. Vandana Verma

Bachelors Of Physiotherapy, Diploma in Nutrition and Health Education

Consultation fees: ₹500

She has masters in physiotherapist as well as a dietitian. Her areas of special interest are sports nutrition. With 7 years of experience she runs her own clinic called Fitness4All. She keep herself up to date with all kind of diet trends that float in the market, and can help you sort any kind of query. Her specialities are weight loss treatment, customized diet plans and schemes, nutrition assessment service, child nutrition ketogenic diet plans, and sports nutrition.

8. Dt. Ashu Gupta

M.Sc - Dietitian / Nutrition

Consultation fees: ₹1500

Dr. Ashu Gupta is a Consultant nutritionist with 14 years of experience. She has received many awards like Developing Country Sponsorship Award at 17th World Congress in Canada, Best Dietician in Gurgaon by Global Lifestyle Awards, 2014, and research work done at AIIMS on affluent school kids in Gurgaon in her career. She is a member of Indian Dietetic Association. She specialises in child nutrition, adolescent obesity and weight loss treatment. 

9. Dr. Kritika Bhola

Diploma in Diet and Nutrition, DNHE, BHOM, MD - Alternative Medicine

Consultation fees: ₹500

Dr. Kritika Bhola has over 9 years of experience and runs her chain of clinics called Cure well Therapies, with currently more than 3 clinics. She believes eating right can cure every problem. Her diet plans comprise of natural foods and no medicines or supplements are included. Her diet specialisation are diabetes, high Cholesterol, weight loss and weight management plans. 

10. Dt. Divya Chadha

Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, Diploma in Diet and Nutrition

Consultation fees: ₹500

Divya Chadha is one of the most dynamic nutritionist, who specialises in DNA diets. She specialises in weight management, clinical nutrition, child nutrition, & sports nutrition. In such a short span of time in the industry, she was nominated for the Great Achiever Award (Dedicated to PT. Dindyal Upadhyay) for outstanding individual achievement and distinguished services to the nation. You can consult her at Health And U By Divya Chadha.

Be aware of the three primary mind-body types. There are three primary doshas in Ayurveda: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. You can review the qualities of each dosha to determine your dosha or take an online Dosha quiz to determine your dosha. If you have addictive eating behaviors or an eating disorder, you may have an underlying Vata imbalance as part of your mind-body type.

• Though some people may use Ayurvedic as a tactic to lose weight, it is not designed as a weight loss program. Rather, Ayurvedic focuses on ensuring you have a mind-body balance through your diet and your eating habits to have a more healthy lifestyle and way of thinking.

Recognize the qualities of a Vata mind-body type. If your primary dosha is Vata, you are very focused on movement and change and possess an energetic and creative mind. Your require balance and stability in your life and low stress to feel energized and enthusiastic about life. But you are also prone to anxiety and insomnia.

• Vatas tend to have irregular eating patterns, especially when feeling stressed or overworked. You may also be guided by food cravings for comfort foods like chocolate, baked goods, or pastas, rather than a consistent and healthy meal schedule, and you may be prone to skipping meals. You can have extreme eating habits that involve lots of snacking and stress eating or missing meals entirely. Your eating is often centered around stress and you may use eating as a way to deal with feelings of anxiety and imbalance.

Understand the qualities of a Pitta mind-body type. A Pitta dosha tends to be full of intensity for food, experiences, and knowledge. Pittas enjoy being challenged and using their intellect to learn new things. When you feel imbalanced or stressed, you tend to develop heat related issues in your body like heartburn, ulcers, hypertension, and inflammatory conditions. This heat can also manifest in your personality, as you may be prone to frustration, irritability, and feelings of anger.

• Pittas crave order and predictability with their eating habits and diet, with structured meal times three times a day at the same time every day. You focus on stability and control in many aspects of your life, including eating, and may feel annoyed or grouchy if your meal schedule is thrown off or you eat later than usual. Pittas tend to overeat as a way to express anger, literally swallowing their anger, through eating too much at every meal. You may also view overeating as a way to rebel against stressful situations or larger issues in the world.

Get familiar with the qualities of a Kapha mind-body type. This mind-body type tends to have a natural propensity for physical strength and endurance. You may be naturally athletic, with a calm personality and the ability to use critical thinking and retain information quickly. However, you may be prone to weight gain, fluid retention, and allergies if you are feeling imbalanced. You may also exhibit an aversion to change and an overall stubborn demeanor. Kaphas tend to hold on to experiences, relationships, and objects long after they stop being useful or necessary.

• Kaphas usually have a natural love of eating and can become addicted to food. If you are feeling imbalanced, you may eat constantly, before and after meal times. You may use food to hide your intense emotions and as a way to avoid confrontation with others or with your own feelings and emotions.

It is now known that not getting adequate restful sleep at nights can contribute to an increasing waist line. There are several reasons for sleep disturbances. Good sleep hygiene, avoiding caffeine before bedtime, lowering the lights, having a routine that helps you settle down is all important when it comes to a good nights sleep. If sleeplessness is still a problem a psychiatrist could help you 

Protein is the key for muscle building, this will help you gain weight. Help yourself to nuts and dairy products.

The problem of obesity or weight gain is increasing by leaps and bounds among the people of almost all the age groups. This rising health issue is not only a reason for a bad figure and body shape but is also a major cause of in-numerous diseases. Especially, women are being affected by sudden weight gain in stomach and thighs because of several reasons. It is surprising to know that these reasons are not special or unknown but related to their daily life and living style.

Let’s explore the top 7 possible causes of weight in women:

Compromising on sleep

Maintaining a balance between work and family demands for compromises and the biggest sacrifice which women make here is proper sleep. Getting ready for work, making lunch, daily household chores, getting kids ready for school, everything leads to a lot of tiredness. To eradicate it, you need sufficient hours of rest. Studies have proved that lack of sleep increases the levels of Ghretin- a hunger hormone which leads to overeating and this results into excessive weight gain in a short period of time. Sleep is as important as a good diet to stop gaining extra calories. So, if you are also not taking a deep sleep, start it right away!

Depression

Depression and obesity are intertwined, symptoms of both the problems affect each other. If you have put on a lot of weight it can lead you to depression and vice versa. So, which one came first, no one exactly knows. When depression sets in, it affects your weight severely, the appetite control centre of the brain loses its power to decide how much to eat. This illness is most common among the women as they are stressed and sometimes get tensed very quickly. This issue if not treated at early stages can later give birth to serious diseases like diabetes, heart problems, thyroid and many more. You need to address this, before it takes a serious turn!

Menopause

At the age between 45 to 55 menstruation ceases in women and this is known as Menopause. But what it generally brings in is obesity. Studies show that about 35% of women aged between 50 to 55 are obese. The fat at the waistline increases after menopause and this is the major reason of weight gain. The lower levels of estrogens makes them eat more and remain physically inactive, all these processes ultimately increase the fat storage hence making them overweight. This problem is to be considered seriously before you are affected by any fatal disease.

Thyroid

Many more women than men suffer from thyroid and weight gain. This is because they undergo a lot of stress that finally affects their thyroid function. Mostly in this case the problems occur within the thyroid gland and appear later with a large imbalance in hormones. Thyroid, weight gain and menopause are therefore interrelated issues. If not cured at the earliest, it can be detrimental.

PCOD/PCOS(Polycystic Ovarian Disease/Syndrome)

Polycystic ovarian disease or Polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition in which a female’s hormones are imbalanced. This disease has affected 5% to 10 % of women between the age group of 12 to 45 causing, irregular menstrual periods or even difficulty to conceive. If not treated on time it can lead to high insulin levels, obesity and ultimately heart diseases. The weight gained due to PCOD is difficult to lose. Hence it should be cured before this condition becomes disastrous.

Pregnancy

This happens most of the time that women put on weight when they are expecting. Moms to be need to take care in this condition otherwise excessive weight gain can lead to many serious issues during their delivery. Bring obese at the time of pregnancy will not expose you to some extremely fatal diseases but can affect your baby too. Obesity increases the risk to miscarriage, birth defects, premature birth, stillbirth and a lot more.

Finishing Remaining Food

Yes, this is the biggest and the most common cause of obesity, especially in women. With the fear of wasting their own cooked food, most of the women try to finish whatever is left over, hence giving obesity an easy way to devour them completely. Excessive unnecessary eating leads to the collection of fats and calories in the body. Not just this, the in between hunger pangs and food cravings also makes them eat more than needed, paving way for extra carbs.

These are the 7 leading causes of weight gain and obesity that portray how risky and harmful this problem has become, especially among women. If you fall under any of these categories, don’t wait till the situation becomes beyond control.
Smell the coffee before it gets cold!

With the average BMI on the rise and the age of first time pregnancy gradually crossing 30 in the urban areas, there are a lot of women who face the issue of being overweight. Pregnancy brings with it a bout of weight gain, and in overweight women, this only adds to the problem. A BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight; a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.

Obesity brings with it a lot of complications for the baby and the mother. Some of them have been listed below:

Baby

1. Fetal loss: Excess weight increases chances of miscarriage.
2. Preterm birth: This is also in part due to the complications associated with increased weight during pregnancy.
3. Still birth: This risk increases with obesity.
4. Birth defects: The risk of birth defects like heart defects and neural tube defects increase with obesity.

Mother

1. Gestational diabetes: The woman gets diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy and may require a cesarean section.
2. Preeclampsia: Increased blood pressure can develop in women who are overweight. If not treated, this could even turn into a fatal condition.
3. Sleep apnea: This is a breathing disorder with loss of breathing for short periods of time.

Some of the suggestions one must follow in order to manage weight during pregnancy include the following:

1. Do a weight check when you plan for pregnancy. It is always easier to achieve weight loss and then go for pregnancy than vice versa.
2. Check the BMI and ensure it is brought down to the 20 to 25 range before pregnancy.
3. Once pregnant, constantly monitor your weight. It should be correlated with the growth of the baby to ensure the weight gain is normal.
4. Plan your meals. Get a nutritionist’s help to plan out a detailed meal chart. Remember that though most people believe that you need to eat extra during pregnancy, it is not true. You only need to eat about 300 calories extra per day, which is sufficient for the baby’s growth. More important is to ensure the baby receives the required nutrients, including folic acid, calcium, iron, etc.
5. Stay active during pregnancy. While hard-core gymming is off limits, regular yoga and brisk walking are ideal for keeping yourself flexible and to ensure an active lifestyle.
6. Undertake lifestyle changes like quit smoking and avoid excessive drinking to keep a check on your weight.

It is very important to constantly stay in touch with your doctor and monitor your weight regularly. Even slightly more than desirable weight gain should immediately be brought under control to avoid complications for both, the mother and the baby.