Pregnancy Information

Exercise during pregnancy appears to be safe even for African-American women at high risk for pregnancy complications, a new study suggests.

The study, which focused on poor, urban African-American women, found that “exercise participation did not increase or decrease the risk of low birth weight or preterm birth," said co-author Suezanne Orr, Ph.D.

“There is not much information about exercise participation in this population. Most of the research has been on middle-aged white women," said Orr, with the Department of Health Education and Promotion at East Carolina University, in Greenville, N.C.

The study, which appears in the current issue of the journal Ethnicity and Disease, looked at 922 low-income African-American women receiving prenatal care at five Baltimore clinics between 1993 and 1995.

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Pregnancy Test

I still remember the day my wife found out that she was pregnant. We were returning home from a movie (coincidentally a movie about kids!) when on an impulse, my wife decided to purchase a home pregnancy test kit. We had been trying to start a family for quite some time and it was sheer coincidence that she chose that day to buy and use the pregnancy test kit. We came home, she went into the rest room to administer the test and we both sat and watched with glee as the two lines (indicating a positive test) materialized on the stick. The pregnancy test had worked, and confirmed her pregnancy and we would soon have our baby! But we wanted to be doubly sure and decided to read up on pregnancy tests. We were especially concerned about how accurate the results of such self administered tests were and whether these pregnancy tests were reliable at all. The information we found as comprehensive. Basically there are two kinds of pregnancy tests. First, there is the blood test (which cannot be done at home; you need the services of a healthcare facility or a trained healthcare services provider to get the results from this sort of a pregnancy test). The next, the one we had used, is the urine based home pregnancy test, which can be done in the safety and security of your home. In order to administer this test, the female places the test stick (or container in some cases) in her urine stream. Some variations of this pregnancy test may call for a few droplets of urine to be dropped into the test container. There is a short waiting period, and viola! The pregnancy (or the lack of it) is instantly revealed. The pregnancy test is able to do this because it seeks out a special hormone (the human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG) that the woman produces during her pregnancy. If the hormone is present in the urine stream, the woman is pregnant and the test is positive. If there is no discernable presence of the hormone, the woman is not pregnant and the test is negative. However, it so happens that if the pregnancy test is carried out very early, the body would not have started production of the hormone. Hence, at least two tests, spaced over a couple of weeks are advisable. Although most home pregnancy tests are considered to be at least 97% to 99% accurate, there are a number of things that can interfere with their results. Since pregnancy tests work by looking for signs of the pregnancy hormone, any drug that has sizable quantities of this hormone will vary the results of the pregnancy test. In such cases, you will have what is commonly known as a ‘false positive test’. This means that the pregnancy test will show you as being pregnant, although you are not. But there is still an element of surety attached to a negative test. Because even if you are using drugs that contain the pregnancy hormone (to treat cases like infertility) a negative test means no pregnancy. Most other over the counter drugs, antibiotics and even alcohol or other stimulants will not have any impact on the test results of a pregnancy test.

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Pre-natal Vitamins Information

Prenatal Vitamins The importance of prenatal vitamins for pregnant women has been a hot topic for quite some time. Women are now encouraged to take them before getting pregnant to prevent birth defects, as well as throughout the pregnancy and breastfeeding to ensure a healthy baby. Prenatal vitamins are a supplement to the diet and should not be substituted for healthy food choices. There are many over the counter prenatal vitamins available in addition to those prescribed by a physician. Absorption rates can vary between over the counter brands, or there may be too much or too little of an essential vitamin or mineral. The prenatal vitamins prescribed by physicians are usually of better quality and have greater absorption rates. All types of insurance plans cover most prenatal vitamins so that they are affordable and accessible to women. At the first prenatal visit, prenatal vitamins should be prescribed if the woman has not already started taking them. There are many different vitamins available and the health care provider can recommend which prenatal vitamins are appropriate. Side effects such as nausea are common, and can be alleviated by taking with food, and not on an empty stomach. If the vitamin can still not be tolerated, the physician can prescribe another in its place. It is an important part of prenatal care a woman should adhere to on a consistent basis, an easy step to help prevent nutritional deficiencies and neural tube defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly. In a recent study, the March of Dimes found that only two-thirds of women aged 18-45 were getting an adequate amount of folic acid during pregnancy. There is not enough folic acid in fortified foods, making it difficult for pregnant women to get sufficient folic acid from their diets alone. The average prenatal vitamin contains the recommended 400 mcg of folic acid, and when taken daily is the easiest step toward preventing neural tube defects. Additional calcium is important as well. According to established nutritional guidelines, the average woman requires 1200 mg per day, and when pregnant, this amount increases to 1500 mg per day. The amount of calcium in a daily prenatal vitamin is not sufficient, which is why the diet must be supplemented with other forms, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and green leafy vegetables to name a few. Folic acid is another important nutrient during pregnancy, and is most often contained in the prenatal vitamin in a sufficient dose. Of course, if there is a history of folic acid deficiency, a higher dose would be required. Too much vitamin A can also be detrimental, which is why the use of prenatal vitamins and diet should be discussed with the prenatal health care provider. If a woman is considering pregnancy, she should consult her obstetrician or midwife to discuss diet, general health, stress, and others factors to be considered. Prenatal vitamins are an important part of a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, and should not be left out of the discussion. The importance of taking a daily prenatal vitamin cannot be stressed enough, its your baby's future.

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Infertility Treatments

Infertility Treatments Many couples find themselves seeking infertility treatments because they have not been able to get pregnant within a reasonable amount of time on their own, usually considered to be a year or more of unprotected sex. Infertility treatments have become more progressive over past years, and have resulted in successful outcomes for couples desiring to have children. It may take more than one attempt in many cases, which can run into tens of thousands of dollars for some couples, if insurance coverage is not available. Only a handful of states across the nation require health insurance carriers to cover infertility treatments, leaving couples who want to have a baby having to finance the whole expense. For such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or gamete intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT), this could be as much as $8–10,000 each attempt. Some couples even take out second mortgages on their homes to provide the funds to pay for infertility treatments. When couples first decide to consult a professional for infertility treatment, there are many questions that they want answers to right away; they want to know who has the problem. These concerns can usually be addressed quite easily with a few simple tests. Women may simply have a hormone imbalance that affects her chances of getting pregnant, which can easily checked and treated. The first thing checked from the male partner is the sperm assay, to make sure that enough are being produced. If the count is low the chance of the sperm penetrating the egg is decreased. Further evaluation of both partners will be needed if nothing is found with the initial testing, at which time the couple will probably be referred to an infertility specialist. Treatment for infertility does not have to involve complicated technical procedures, and in many cases can be resolved with hormone treatments and/or surgery. If couples do proceed with more extensive infertility treatment, they should take the time to research the infertility clinic, the reproductive endocrinologists on staff, that clinic’s success rates for various procedures and how much they cost, what insurance plans they accept, and what services are included and not included for the quoted cost. Infertility treatments usually are based on the couple completing one cycle from beginning to end, but of course can vary depending on each individual case. Many couples find success with infertility treatments, and though results are not guaranteed, it is an option that is available. Infertility treatments are the answer to many couples’ dreams, to have a child of their own, no matter the cost, whatever it takes.