Are your pregnant or planning for motherhood? Then you should be well aware of Preeclampsia, and the associated dangers of high blood pressure during pregnancy. But first, you need to understand a little about blood pressure in general. Blood pressure is the pressure exerted on the walls of blood vessels by the blood gushing through them. This pressure is necessary to ensure the regular flow of blood through the vessels. Without this pressure, the distant areas and micro circulation units tend to lose nutrients. But when this pressure increases, it damages the vessel walls, releasing certain substances called clotting factors. These clotting factors initiate the clotting of blood, that leads to the blockage of micro vessels in circulation. This is the reason for heart attacks and strokes. In a normal person, blood pressure is regulated by various factors. But when this regulation fails and blood pressure becomes abnormal, it becomes a silent killer. What is blood pressure during pregnancy? If you have understood the above mechanism, the blood pressure during pregnancy is simply the elevation of blood pressure in a pregnant woman, who otherwise has a normal blood pressure. What is Preeclampsia? When you are pregnant, you have a fast growing fetus that depends on you for nutrition, support, and growth.

The Calendar Based Method of Family Planning is a contraceptive method that aims to prevents unwanted pregnancy without the use physical barriers like condoms. Using this method, the time to engage in sexual intercourse is determined by monitoring the woman’s period, and thus understanding when she is least fertile, and when she is most fertile/productive. If you are a woman planning to use this method, then you can track your menstrual cycle for six months to a year. This will give you an idea about which days you are fertile, and which days you are infertile. You can then avoid pregnancy by having sex only during those days of infertility. What is the basis of this method? The lifespan of an egg or ovum is short. Many things need to fall into place at the same time for a normal fertilization. The fertile period for any woman doesn’t last more than 5-6 days. Even within that period, when the egg is released from the ovaries, if it doesn’t get fertilized by male sperm within 24 hours of its release, it will run down through a vaginal opening in the form of menstruation. The egg, after it’s release, travels through the fallopian tube; and if there is male sperm present which can fertilize the egg, then the woman conceives.

Many women of reproductive age observe blood spots other than the usual monthly periods at least once, and sometimes frequently, in their lifetime. This is clinically known as spotting. Most of the time it is normal. But sometimes, it is associated with serious medical conditions. But the fear factor associated with spotting is higher when it occurs during a woman’s pregnancy. Women who are pregnant sometimes observe spotting or vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. This may be normal in some cases, but nevertheless requires immediate attention. Read on to learn all you need to know about spotting during pregnancy. What is spotting? Spotting is a lighter version of the monthly bleeding in a woman. Most of the time you don’t need to wear any sanitary napkins or tampons to control the blood flow as it is minimal. Most of the time, it is unnoticed or noticed only when you are going to use the washroom. You might just find a few drops of blood in your underwear if you are spotting. Spotting happens in women before and after periods and stays for few days, and that is quite natural. But if it is going on in between the menstrual cycle, or if you observe irregularity in your periods with spotting/heavy spotting, then you must consult a doctor immediately.

Excited to be pregnant & welcoming the new addition to your family? Congratulations! But there are many important things you need to take care off before you have a child. One such thing is the choice of who will conduct your labor. The most important aspect of your pregnancy is the delivery. How and where you deliver is crucial, as most maternal and fetal deaths take place during the process of delivery. This calls for extra caution when it choosing a midwife. Who are midwives? Midwives have existed since the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. They were the ones responsible for conducting labor.  But their role is still the same – to conduct delivery.  However, they have their limitations too. They cannot perform a cesarean section when there is a necessity for one. In any case, most of the time, the decision to go for a C-section, or normal delivery, is made long before; but sometimes the decision will be taken on the delivery table when the labor becomes difficult. Types of midwives: Certified midwives: Certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives They have some medical training They are not certified, nurses. They are affiliated with OB offices. Certified nurse-midwives: Certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives They have some medical training They become certified nurse, after undergoing additional training They are affiliated with OB offices.

If there is a time in your life in your life where you need more electrolytes than ever than it is during pregnancy. The reason being that changes during pregnancy lead to the alternation of the water and electrolyte imbalance. The increased frequency of urination also leads to your losing electrolytes. And losing electrolytes makes you lose more water as well. How do these electrolyte mechanisms operate? Here is a simple way to understand this. There are two main chemical elements that form a part of this electrolyte system – Sodium and Potassium. Sodium is responsible for retaining water inside the cells, while potassium does the reverse. All the cells of the body, including the heart, contain this sodium potassium pump. If this pump fails, it will be fatal for you. During pregnancy, due to frequent urination, these elements are lost, leading to dehydration. If the dehydration is profound, you will go into a state of shock. That’s why, along with water, you need to replenish electrolytes too. How will I know if I need more electrolytes? Certain physical signs and symptoms can be used to identify electrolyte deficiency: You will feel thirsty all the time Feeling thirsty all the time is a feature of diabetes, but you will feel the same way when you have electrolyte deficiency.