New treatments, diagnoses for women and children with gastrointestinal disorders

New treatments, diagnoses for women and children with gastrointestinal disorders
Undiagnosed and untreated pediatric hepatitis C is a grave concern, antibiotic use in the first year of life triples the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), drugs used to treat IBD in pregnant women are beginning to show that children at nine months are slightly developmentally delayed compared to non-use of this medication during pregnancy, and drugs commonly used to treat reflux in …

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Causes of infertility

It seems like a miracle that any babies are conceived without intervention at all once you’ve read this list of the causes of infertility! Believe it or not, this list is not meant to shock you. I’m just trying to help you be informed about what to expect. Being educated is so crucial when it comes to your medical care, because then you know what your alternatives are. So, get going on the process of informing yourself with this list below.

Men and women:

· Lubricant – Yes, you heard right, lubricant. If you make use of lubricant, just confirm that your brand isn’t unfriendly to sperm. Boosting fertility could be as easy as choosing another brand.

· Drugs – Things such as over-the-counter medication, prescription medication, tobacco, recreational drugs, caffeine and alcohol can all compromise your fertility.

· Stress – You have to be aware of when you’re ovulating to plan sexual intercourse properly, but if your cycle is messed up because of tension that may make life a little more difficult.

· Timing – Timing is the key! Try to ascertain when the woman is ovulating and you’ll vastly augment your chances of getting pregnant!

· Weight – Being obese is problematic for both women and men with regards to fertility, and women who are too thin may also battle to have a baby.

· Hormones – You may have too much or too little of one or other hormone. This brings about conditions such as PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome).

· Scarring – If you have had abdominal surgery or surgery ‘down there’, there might be some scarring which might stop the tackle from working effectively. Some diseases may also cause scarring and fibroids can have the same effect as scars.

· Position – Unless you’re orbiting the earth having sexual intercourse standing up is unconstructive as the poor lads have to swim against gravity. Make life a tad easier for them and let the guy be on top.

· Illnesses – STDs and other diseases can affect your fertility negatively so have those sorted out.

· Organs etc. – Basically this is a ‘plumbing’ problem where some cavity, tube or appendage isn’t functioning effectively. For the guys this might include problems such as erectile dysfunction, for the ladies it could include things such as fibroids or endometriosis.

· Immune system issues – Sometimes the woman’s system is hostile to sperm and regards them as dangerous trespassers. Just as the woman’s body could attack sperm, the man’s system might attack his own sperm too, particularly after a vasectomy reversal and civil war is never beneficial.

Ladies only:

· Age – Egg quality decreases quite severely after 35.

· Abnormal cervical mucus – If there isn’t enough cervical mucus or it is the wrong consistency you may struggle to have a baby.

· Premature menopause – Too much exercise or eating disorders may cause the body to stop releasing eggs much earlier than normal.

Men only:

· Sperm – Who would have thought the tiny chaps could cause such a huge problem? Sperm have to be able to move well and there must be many the little dudes to ensure that at least a couple gets to the egg.

· Prostate infections – This may also cause infertility.

· Testes – If the testes are not completely developed, if they haven’t descended, or if they have been damaged then you might experience problems with infertility.

· Variococele – This is where the veins in the scrotum are enlarged and the sperm get too hot.

· Retrograde ejaculation – Sperm take a right instead of a left and wind up in the bladder rather than going out the urethra.

· Illnesses – Male infertility could also be brought about by illnesses like kidney disease, mumps or cystic fibrosis.

· Environmental pollutants – Polluntants such as pesticides and chemicals released by plastic as it degrades can damage sperm count and condition.

· Tight Undies – Tight jocks could lower your sperm count as the sperm get too hot.

As I mentioned at the beginning, this list is not intended to scare you, but to help you. Once you are aware of the causes of infertility you can figure out what action to take next.

Here is more information on Infertility Statistics. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.

What to expect at your first infertility consultation.

You could be on your way to the specialist hoping to figure out why you haven’t been able to have a baby despite the fact that you’ve been trying for what seems like forever. Or else you could still be putting it off because you’re not certain of what to expect. You won’t have any reason to keep delaying that first infertility consultation if you have an idea of what to expect, so here goes.

The specialist will want to enquire about the following:

 

• Even though you try to forget those turbulent adolescent years, you’ll have to try and recall when you started puberty, and the ladies will need to remember when their periods started. Late or premature puberty can be indications of a problem.
• Any medical conditions you have at the moment or that you have had previously are important. This includes childhood illnesses like mumps, diabetes, acne – everything! The condition itself or even the treatment for the condition could influence your fertility negatively.
• Have you ever had any operations at all? Tonsillectomy, tooth extractions, appendectomy – again, anything!
• Any regular medication (prescription or over-the-counter)? Ever had regular medication previously? Try to remember any supplements or vitamins as well.
• When did you lose your virginity? Have you been with many sexual partners? Ever been infected with any STDs? STDs can cause infertility and if girls are sexually active before 18 their cervical wellbeing could also be affected.

For the ladies:

• How long are your menstrual cycles and how many days does the bleeding last? Is bleeding very heavy (or very light)? Is cramping severe?
• Approximately how often do you do the baby dance? It’s obvious that not doing it often enough might be a problem, but doing it too frequently can reduce the quantity of sperm.
• When do you have intercourse? This typically refers particularly to the time of the month, but heck, time of day may also be important! You need to have sexual intercourse at the right time of the month to get pregnant.
• Have you already had a baby or become pregnant before? It seems like a strange thing to ask but from time to time couples do battle the second time around. Also, a history of miscarriages could also point to a problem.
• Do you use lubricant? What lubricant do you use? Any further intimacy enhancing products? Some lubricants are unwelcoming for sperm – hence the awkward questions.
• Do you or your partner have any sexual problems? Failure to reach orgasm? Vaginal dryness? Pain? Problems getting an erection? Nothing is out of bounds! Everything needs to be revealed if you are looking for an accurate diagnosis.

The doctor will also most likely also ask about your psychological wellbeing, which is a tough one, especially after that interrogation! Aim to ensure that you have shared all this information with your partner before you get to the specialist. Learning about your partner’s less than perfect past for the first time at a doctor’s room is not conducive to emotional stability!

Your specialist will possibly also do a thorough physical check up, which includes an internal for the ladies. I know it’s difficult to relax when peering at your privates, but it’s a lot less uncomfortable if you just do what you can to stay calm. Trust me, when you are in labor someday you’ll be begging for an internal so you can know how much longer you have to go!

Once he (or she) has given you a thorough health check you could need some infertility tests. This can include tests to check for STDs, ultrasound scanning, blood tests, semen analysis for the man and a pap smear for the woman. Any ‘plumbing problems’ on the lady’s part can be checked via hysterosalpingogram or laparoscopy – if it comes to that.

Was that as awful as you expected it to be? If it was, I completely understand! You might feel completely exposed, inside and out! Just bear in mind that this is to help you have a baby – and believe me when that little hand curls itself over your finger someday, this will all look very small in comparison.

Here is more information on Infertility Costs. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Infertility.

 

The Only Safe Way to Induce Labor Naturally

Many women are trying to find alternatives to the old fashioned drugs to help them through labor. Some women need a jump start on labor. So, what have scientists found? They have found a natural remedy and this is acupressure for inducing labor.

The results are in about acupressure and inducing labor. The results are amazing too. There have been women that did acupressure and with in twenty five minutes or up to forty eight hours after this, they were delivering. How quick is that response? We found it to be quite remarkable. That is a ninety three percent of women who have said that it has worked for them.

They have also said that those giving birth and that have used acupressure have found it to work almost within minutes. The shortest time was twenty five minutes and it worked. The longest was forty eight hours. But hey whatever works right? It has been known to work better for women who are on their second or third child as well. This is due to the fact that the first one is always the hardest.

Scientists have been studying this and have found that it is safe to use as well. This is better than the drugs they give you when you tell them you want medication. This is actually safer than that. So, that’s why more women are trying it.

Why are they so popular? They are pretty popular because in childbirth, this is an all natural means of pain relief. How many women out there want to be stuck with a needle more times than they have to be? They also read about the side effects of these medications that they give the woman. When you do this all naturally, you don’t have to worry.

After all is said and done, you will love the fact that you saved money. It can be hard, but now, the studies show that acupressure does work. So give it a try when you go into labor. It might be just what the doctor ordered.

When it comes to inducing labor it could be painful, why not choose a better method that doesn’t take drugs? Why not try acupressure for inducing labor? You can find out more online about acupressure for labor.

Giving birth using a midwife: Some criticisms

People basically think of hospitals and doctors when they think of having a baby delivered.  But there is a growing movement of women who are wanting to go more natural.There are some women who are actually foregoing the medication during delivery in order to have a more natural mode or nature child birth. Part of that movement of going natural is using a midwife to deliver a baby.  There are many advantages to this that we are going to look at in this article.

Some people, first and foremost, think using a midwife to deliver a baby is not safe.They think that the safest practice is having a baby with a doctor, since they have all the medical equipment needed.But this actually a false or invalid issue since most deliveries done by a midwife are only done with safe pregnancies.  In other words if there is any history of complications it will not be performed with a midwife.  Other then that as a San Diego midwife I know first hand midwives know what to do in medical emergencies.

Midwives will not be using any medication that women need, that is actually another common criticism.Because women do not actually need to have drugs for delivery that is why the premise is false.The major reason why most pregnancies take so long, as a matter of fact, are drugs.  The drugs cause the birth to stop because it is disrupting the natural delivery. I have seen first hand as a homebirth midwife San Diego how much faster natural deliveries are.So medication is definitely no longer needed and it only hinders the delivery.

Another criticism is that midwives are not doctors.It does not actually mean that they don’t know what to do medically, while that is true. All midwives definitely have to go through a very difficult licensing and certification process.  This process teaches them what medical procedures may need to be performed in certain situations.  As a certified midwives San Diego practicioner I know first hand that midwives are prepared for emergencies.

As you can see, having a baby with a midwife definitely has more benefits than with those people would have you to believe.It helps you to have a faster delivery than with medications and is definitely safer.