Archive for October, 2008
Sex is considered to be safe during all stages of pregnancy when the pregnancy is normal, when there are few risks for complications like pre-term labor or miscarriage. Mostly expectant mothers find fluctuations in their moods and desire during some stages of pregnancy. Many women feel uncomfortable during sex due to their enlarged bodies during pregnancy. It is always best to consult your doctor to suggest regarding sex during pregnancy, generally it is safe to have sex, as the baby is protected by the amniotic fluid in the womb of the mother by the abdomen and by the mucous plug which seals the cervix which helps in guarding the infections.
There can be few situations when your health care provider can indicate you to avoid sex, they can be engaging in oral sex, engaging in sex with a partner who has sexually transmitted disease such as HIV, herpes or genital warts as the mother can contract the infection which can be dangerous to be unborn baby. Some other reasons cited by the doctor to avoid sex can be vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, leakage of amniotic fluid, history of miscarriage, history of premature birth or labor, low lying placenta, incompetent cervix or carrying more than one fetus.
Some experts suggest to completely avoiding sex during late weeks of pregnancy as the semen contain a certain chemical, which may provoke contractions. There are certain times like when women carries twins or more babies it is best to avoid sex during the third trimester. It should also be avoided if a woman experiences early labor pains or have a history of premature births or labor.
Many women find a lesser desire for sex due to hormonal imbalances, tender breasts, fatigue, nausea, frequent urination and exhaustion. While some women can find an increased crave for sex during their pregnancy. Good communication between the partners could be of great help to satisfy each other during the pregnancy period.
Certain positions of sex could be changed during pregnancy as a safety measure. The traditional missionary position should be avoided after four months of pregnancy as the weight of the enlarged uterus puts a lot of pressure on the major vessels carrying blood. Other positions of sex like side by side can be a good alternative. Oral sex should be avoided during pregnancy as blowing into the vagina can be very harmful for the mother and the baby.
When the baby is born the couple has to wait until the postpartum checkup to resume their sex life, as the genital organs of a woman takes some time to heal after delivery. Doctors advise to have sexual intercourse after about 6 weeks as the vagina gets ample time to heal. If you are not enjoying sex then other options can be thought of like self-stimulation or oral sex. Sexual intercourse can be painful or discomforting for the first few times after pregnancy due to the dryness in the vagina. However this problem disappears after some days or else few lubricants can be used to over come the dryness.
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+ Lesbian Pregnancy
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+ How to Conceive a Baby Boy
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Lesbian pregnancy can be possible through the process of artificial insemination, which is done by inserting sperms in a woman’s uterus to make her pregnant. This process has become quite popular and easy for the lesbian couples, which receive sperm from a donor who is known to them or from a semen bank.
Before starting a lesbian pregnancy the mother to be is thoroughly counseled then screening for HIV, Hepatitis B, cytomegalovirus is conducted by health care providers, which is followed by immunization. Lesbians are at an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases like HPV, Genital warts and herpes virus as these can transfer from one woman to another. Pap smears is performed on women to cut down the risk of cancer. Pap smear test can detect the abnormal changes of cells in the cervix of a woman, which can turn cancerous if left untreated. Early detection of these abnormal cells can help in curing it with ease.
After screening the woman for various diseases the next step follows is of choosing the donor. There are some ways like using fresh semen or frozen semen. It is recommended to use fresh semen, as it is more vigorous than frozen semen, which takes much time to get a woman pregnant. But using semen, which is quarantined for about 6 months is better as it is a good way to cut down the risk of infections because there are few tests conducted on the semen and it takes about 6 months to know whether it is free of infections. Women can make a choice when selecting an unknown donor like the characteristics of the donor can be known but they cannot meet the donor personally. Many women prefer to choose a known donor like a close friend or a relative, as they know the characteristics and the medical history of the person very well.
Before inseminating the quality of the semen is checked thoroughly and quarantined for about 6 months and then the proceedings follow. The semen contains serum, which is introduced into the uterus of a woman with a device known as straw, where the fusion of gametes takes place after the ovulation resulting in the offspring. Along with semen some antibiotics are also injected into a woman to avoid any infections later on lesbian pregnancy. Artificial insemination is the best alternative to natural copulation and it helps a great deal to the lesbian couples to get success on lesbian pregnancy. This was earlier done in animals to select certain traits and characteristics but now it have become very common among human beings.
When insemination is done at home women can take the sterile container, which contains fresh semen and draw it into a syringe of 3ml and inseminate themselves through vagina. But it is better to do it under the supervision of an expert or at a clinic of a doctor. Very often it is seen that there are many cases of infertility in lesbian women. Age also plays an important role as many lesbian women plan their lesbian pregnancies in their late thirties or early forties when their biological clocks stops ticking. In addition to these if there are any pregnancy complication like ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages then it can be really painful and emotionally draining for the couple. There can be certain sexual activities, which should be avoided in a lesbian pregnancy. The health care provider is the best person to suggest further more.
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When an embryo starts to develop outside the uterus then ectopic pregnancy occurs. Some places where it can occur are cervix, ovary, and abdomen, but the common place for an ectopic pregnancy is in the fallopian tubes, it is also know as tubal pregnancy. Uterus is the best place for an embryo to develop as it is considered as a nurturing tissue. Fallopian tubes have tiny hairs on the inside, which wave in slow motion as to push the egg towards the womb. When the movement of the fertilized egg through the fallopian tubes is blocked to the uterus or sometimes when the tiny hairs in the fallopian tubes get damaged then ectopic pregnancy occurs.
Some of the symptoms of ectopic pregnancy can be frequent urination, vomiting, breast tenderness, nausea or even some missed periods. There can be extreme pain in the pelvic region or abdomen. There can be vaginal bleeding, pain in the lower back and low blood pressure. Ectopic pregnancies can also be caused due to birth defects of fallopian tubes or a ruptured appendix. Usage of contraceptive pills, which has estrogen and progesterone, may also slow down the movement of fertilized egg through the fallopian tubes, ultimately resulting in ectopic pregnancy. In rare cases the morning after pill is also shown as a cause.
Few risk factors of ectopic pregnancy are test tube baby, history of ectopic pregnancy, tubal surgery especially women who have been operated on their tubes and termination of pregnancy. Pelvic inflammatory disease is also one of the main risk factors as it increases the risk by many folds.
When it is confirmed that a woman is pregnant or if the urine test is positive a HCG test is conducted. This blood test is known as Human chorionic gonadotropin. It is done to know the level of hormones produced by the placenta. After observation if the HCG levels are low then it is a good sign as to diagnose the ectopic pregnancy. Few tests are done and then the doctor conducts a pelvic exam to find the areas causing pain and whether there are any masses in the abdomen. Vaginal ultrasound is the option used to determine whether there is a fetus, which is in the process of developing. Even after the ultrasound there are chances of ectopic pregnancies coming positive, as it may not detect the pregnancy sometimes.
There are some options for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy. The doctor monitors the location and size through some tests and suggests the best option. When there is an early ectopic pregnancy it can be dealt with a dose of methotrexate, which is administered through injection. Methotrexate dissolves the egg, which is fertilized and makes the body compatible to reabsorb it. This is a simple treatment where there is no risk of scarring the pelvic organs. When a pregnancy develops more or when it has crossed the initial stage, surgical method is used to terminate it as it may risk the mother’s life. There are some surgical methods used to terminate such pregnancies. If at all an ectopic pregnancy ruptures, laparotomy is done to stop the blood loss. The abnormal pregnancy is then terminated and the damaged tissues are repaired. In few cases, the fallopian tube is removed. There are surgeries like mini-laparotomy and laparoscopy, which are used when ectopic pregnancies are not ruptured.
Some preventive measures can be taken to avoid ectopic pregnancy like early diagnosis and treatment of STDs and intercourse with multiple partners should be avoided to cut down the risk.
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Lesbian Pregnancy
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Pregnancy is a period when women need to do some mild stretching exercises to keep one-self healthy. Yoga can be practiced during pregnancy as it is an ancient and good form of exercise for the body and people also attain peace in the mind. An expert should be consulted before starting any form of exercise and certain exercise poses should be avoided during pregnancy as to avoid any discomfort.
They are a lot of mild exercises in yoga, which can help women in having a natural childbirth, and there are also some postures, which can be useful in getting into shape even after childbirth. There a lot of breathing exercises involved in yoga, as it can work wonders in calming of the mind and body and it can have a positive effect on the unborn baby. It can help in eliminating the morning sickness, nausea and other discomforts. It can also lessen the labor pains by practicing certain postures, which can help in relieving stress around the pelvic area. Prenatal yoga classes are very common these where women can share their thoughts about pregnancy and they can help out each other while exercising. It’s a great way of relieving stress, which is the main reason for a woman’s mood swings.
Few poses of the yoga, which can be practiced during the third trimester of pregnancy are Half Butterfly and Full Butterfly. By practicing these postures the hip joints loosen up and the tiredness of the legs disappear, overall it helps in delivering smoothly. Sleeping Abdominal Stretch pose is a form of yoga, which helps in curing constipation and stiffness of the spine is removed. Shoulder rotation is also very useful as it can help in relieving the tension from the neck area. Yoga also helps in building stamina and energy in a woman and also at the same relieves several discomforts and pains. Drinking lots of water during exercising is a plus point as to avoid dehydration.
During pregnancy there are a number of changes found in a woman’s body, the shape and weight changes and different exercises are followed at different times but at any time during pregnancy walking and swimming are the best exercises. When exercising the blood flow increases in the muscles and there is decreased blood flow and oxygen supply to vital organs, so exercise should not be vigorous or strenuous, it should be mild and a little warm up is necessary before exercising. After completing the exercises you should have lots of water as to avoid dehydration. It should be noted that at any time during exercising the heartbeat should never cross more than 140 beats/minute.
Whenever there is a feeling of tiredness, pain in the abdomen or shortness of breath is felt the exercise regimen should be stopped immediately. Weight training should be avoided, as there is a risk of spraining a muscle. Standing for long periods should also be avoided. Loose fitting cotton clothes should be worn while exercising and a good pair of comfortable shoes should be used. An obstetrician is the best person to suggest the suitable exercises for pregnant women. It is observed that when a mother follows a daily routine of exercising the baby is born stronger, healthier and also there is better neurodevelopment in the baby.
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