Women’s Health
Benefits of Breastfeeding – Why it is Good for Mother and Baby
You have been told that breastfeeding is good for you and your baby but you would like to know more. Why is it so – how does breastfeeding benefit you and your baby? In a nutshell, if you can feed your baby exclusively on breast milk for the first six months of his/her life, you are giving your baby an early advantage in life by providing not only the correct amount of nutrition but also the ability to fight infections by increasing his immunity against diseases, and in the process benefiting yourself too.
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Miscarriage Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Outlook
Signs and Symptoms of Miscarriage
The signs and symptoms will depend upon the type of abortion.
- In threatened abortion, the symptoms may be mild such as slight bleeding or abdominal cramping. On pelvic examination, the doctor will find a closed cervical os.
- In inevitable abortion, there is likely to be persistent and severe bleeding along with low back pain and severe abdominal cramps, which may not be reduced even with pain relievers. Rupture of membranes may cause a gush of fluid to come out of the vagina. On examination, the os will be found to be open and much dilated and some products of conception may be visible or felt.
- In incomplete abortion, there will be persistent and severe bleeding but abdominal pain and cramps are less. Some products of conception are expelled by the uterus but some are still retained within it.
- In complete abortion, since all the products of conception have come out, bleeding gradually becomes less and pain ceases too.
- In missed abortion, pain is unlikely. There may be a brownish vaginal discharge but os is closed. A missed abortion may be suspected if there is loss of symptoms of pregnancy or a decrease in size of the uterus.
- In infected abortion, there is likely to be fever, chills, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, and pelvic discomfort or pain.
Miscarriage, Spontaneous Abortion, Types, Risk Factors, Causes
Miscarriage (spontaneous abortion) is a pregnancy which terminates spontaneously before completing 20 weeks or the delivery of a fetus weighing 500 grams or less (at which stage it is unable to survive outside the uterus). Unfortunately, more than 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage (early pregnancy loss) and in most cases they occur in the first trimester (first 3 months of pregnancy). This is taken to be a conservative figure, with the actual percentage being much more, since quite often in a very early miscarriage, a woman may not even know that she had been pregnant.
Ectopic Pregnancy Treatment and Prognosis, Outlook
Treatment of Ectopic Pregnancy
The treatment for an ectopic pregnancy will depend upon whether you are diagnosed at an early stage with an unruptured ectopic pregnancy or if you have presented as an emergency. Therefore being able to identify the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy and seeking immediate medical treatment is important.
An early, small unruptured ectopic pregnancy can be treated by the drug methotrexate unless there are contraindications for its use. Your doctor will monitor your HCG levels if this drug is to be used.
Laparoscopic surgery may be advisable in other cases where methotrexate treatment does not work or the pregnancy is more advanced. Salpingotomy or repair of the tube after removing the ectopic pregnancy is usually done. Chances of future pregnancies are better with this option but so is the risk of another ectopic pregnancy.
Ectopic Pregnancy Signs, Symptoms and Diagnosis
What are the Signs and Symptoms of an Ectopic Pregnancy?
At times, a woman may not know that she is pregnant and therefore may not be as vigilant for any signs or symptoms of possible complications in pregnancy. A short duration of missed periods, ranging from a few days to a few weeks, followed by irregular bleeding through the vagina could point towards an ectopic pregnancy.
An impending miscarriage could present in the same way however in a case of an ectopic pregnancy, the abdominal pain is usually more intense. If you have any vaginal bleeding or pain or cramping of the abdomen, whether you have had your periods or not, a consultation with your doctor and a pregnancy test is advisable.