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Cervical cancer Specialists at the CK Birla Hospital highlights some important symptoms of cervical cancer one should keep an eye on.
Symptoms of Cervical Cancer include: –
• Blood spots or light bleeding between or following periods
• Menstrual bleeding that is longer and heavier than usual
• Bleeding after intercourse, douching, or a pelvic examination
• Increased vaginal discharge
• Vaginal discharge of a different colour or smell
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Bleeding after menopause
Usually these symptoms don’t mean you have cervical cancer but you must seek the opinion of a gynaecologist and if needed, go for a screening as if you are found to have a cancer, getting it diagnosed and treated early can mean you are more likely to survive.
What do you mean by screening?
Cervical screening (which is also called a smear test) involves taking a small sample of cells from the surface of cervix. This is then sent to the laboratory to see if there are any abnormal cells which can turn into cancer if left untreated.
Cervical cancer screening is done with Pap testing (LBC- liquid base cytology) and/ or HPV testing.
Connect with one of our top gynecologists today to speak about scheduling a screening, receiving the HPV vaccination, or to discuss your symptoms. Book an appointment at the CK Birla Hospital now.
Having menstrual cramps is one of the most common annoying part of your period. These cramps can strike before or during your period.
Prevalence rates are as high as 90 percent. Initial presentation of primary dysmenorrhea typically occurs in adolescence.
It is a common cause of absenteeism and reduced quality of life in women. The problem is often underdiagnosed and undertreated.
Symptoms of Dysmenorrhea
Chances are, you know all too well how it feels. You may have:
Pain in hips, lower back, and inner thighs
When cramps are severe, symptoms may include:
Types of Dysmenorrhea
What Causes PRIMARY dysmenorrhea
Menstrual cramps happen because of contractions in the uterus, or womb, which is a muscle.
The uterine lining produces these hormone-like substances called prostaglandins at the time of shedding, that cause the muscles of uterus to contract. If it contracts too strongly during your menstrual cycle, it can press against nearby blood vessels. This briefly cuts off the supply of oxygen to the uterus. It’s this lack of oxygen causes your pain and cramping.
What Causes SECONDARY dysmenorrhea
Secondary dysmenorrhea can be caused by several different conditions. These include.
The treatment you need will depend on what’s causing your painful periods and how severe the pain and symptoms are. Many women never see their doctor about painful periods and manage the symptoms themselves at home.
SELF HELP METHODS
These well-known methods you can try at home to soothe the cramps:
1.Heat therapy -Hot compresses through hot water bottles and warm baths are a tried and tested method for pain relief. Some studies have shown to be as effective as NSAIDS and aspirin for menstrual cramp pain.
2.Ginger -It seems ginger may also be a effective as common painkillers, as some clinical trials suggest.
3.-Certain low stress workouts have been found to ease bloating, back and leg pain caused by menstruation, increasing blood circulation in the affected area while also strengthening it contributes greatly to pain relief.
4-life style changes -as to refrain from the use of drugs such as alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. All these are known to increase inflammation and worsening of pain.
WHEN TO SEEK HELP
If you have primary dysmenorrhea, you may also be able to ease your symptoms with over-the-counter painkillers.
There are also treatments that your doctor can prescribe for you such as acupressure and TENS.
If you have secondary dysmenorrhea, your doctor will try and find out what condition is causing your symptoms and will discuss your treatment options with you. This might need certain investigations like USG to reach the diagnosis.
Menstrual cramps, whatever the cause, can be treated well so it’s important that you seek out treatment from an expert obstetrician or gynaecologist.
Often stiffness and shoulder pain is inappropriately given a blanket diagnosis of ‘Frozen Shoulder’. It is not enough to blindly undergo un-targeted physiotherapy without proper diagnosis of the underlying pathology. Rotator cuff pathologies are the most common cause of shoulder pain which could also present with difficulty in moving the arm, particularly above the shoulder level and behind the back.
The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles around the shoulder generating a force couple to stabilise the otherwise unstable joint and allow efficient movement in all directions. Rotator cuff disorders could range from tendinitis (inflammation/swelling of the tendons) often leading to impingement to Partial and full thickness tears. Unattended these full thickness tears could progress leading to complete failure of the Bio-mechanics of the shoulder causing what is called as pseudo-paralysis (inability to move the shoulder). If not treated at the right time, secondary wear out of the joint can cause arthritis requiring a replacement surgery.
Timely and correct diagnosis is thus prudent in treating these conditions and avoiding further morbidity. Any shoulder pain lasting for more than a few months should not be neglected and specialist consultation must be taken to reach a proper diagnosis and timely management. Often patients come after several months/years of pain medicines and improper Physiotherapy only to learn that they have a tear in the rotator cuff at a relatively advanced stage. This can and must be prevented by a timely and proper diagnosis.
In case you are experiencing any kind of shoulder pain, then don’t wait. Connect with our expert orthopaedic surgeons, Dr. Ashwani Maichand and Dr. Praveen Tittal.
What’s the most disheartening reaction to the meal you’ve spent ages preparing? Your child not giving even one look to it. And when the meal refusals happen repeatedly, a lot of desperate parents fall into the trap of only serving food they know their child will eat – which is most likely to feature unhealthy kiddie-favourites like pizza, fries, and burgers.
However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way and there is a vast scope for improvement.
While some studies say that if a standoff over vegetables at dinner is a daily struggle with your child, there is some relief for the parents as the fussy toddler is still likely to grow up to be of normal weight and height. The point to be noted as a general rule, these toddlers have strong preferences for particular foods and are reluctant to try unfamiliar foods. Sometimes your fussy toddler would even insist on having their food presented in a particular way and can be very slow about eating it.
The most common effect of picky eating or fussy eating is a source of anxiety and stress for many parents. The consistent battles at mealtimes, combined with worry about whether the child is getting the right nutrients to grow and develop normally, can be exhausting and disruptive to family life and relationships.
Here are a few tips to be considered important if your child is a fussy eater:-
Even though this behavior is common in preschool children, they tend to grow out of it in the early school years, perhaps as they mix with their peers and develop greater autonomy.
The main objective of getting your kids to eat anything is to turn the idea of normal food on its head: To gradually introduce variety and to keep that going day after day, week after week until the experience of discovering new flavours, textures, smells, shapes and colours on the plate is the new normal.
You can gradually start to encourage variety at mealtimes by introducing small elements of unfamiliar colour, flavour or texture to trusted family favourites.
And when the time is right, change them just enough to begin to break some early assumptions about what food should be like, and just enough to get all children excited about the journey ahead.
In the education phase, parents can try helping children grow their own herbs to help illustrate where food comes from, then get them involved in cooking a meal using those herbs.
Or even accept the challenge to build a plate based on the main food groups.
Parents should think about the recipes they are well aware of, and think creatively about how they can tweak them to make them fun with colour, patterns, shapes and even by stacking or layering food.
Help equip your kids with the skills and desire to make healthy choices for a lifetime. Get in touch with our team of expert child specialists at the Department of Neonatology & Paediatrics.
Vitamin D also known as sunshine vitamin helps in keeping your bones strong. Recent researches suggest that Vitamin D protects you from a lot of health problems. Vitamin D is produced by your body in response to skin being exposed to sunlight. There are a few foods like fish, fish liver oils, egg yolks- fortifies dairy and grain products through which we can intake Vitamin D.
Symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency
Listed below are a few symptoms that can help you understand that you might have Vitamin D deficiency in your body
Causes of Vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency can occur in your bodies due to various reasons, listed below are few of them.
Who are at risk of Vitamin D deficiency?
The following are at risk for Vitamin D deficiency
Why is Vitamin D essential for our body?
Vitamin D is very important for our body as it keeps our bones healthy and strong. It is reported that people with low Vitamin D levels often face depression and fatigue, proper Vitamin D levels in your body keeps you away from such risks. Vitamin D contributes to your strong muscles and general health.
How can Vitamin D be diagnosed?
If you see any symptoms in you which are mentioned above or fall in the category of high risks, you should get your Vitamin D levels checked. Vitamin D levels can be measured with a Vitamin D blood test.
How can Vitamin D levels be boosted?
Vitamin D in your body can be boosted through a exposure to sunlight, proper diet and supplements.
Get in touch with our team of experts to get your Vitamin D levels checked.
When you’re on your period, things can be hard. Exercising, feeling positive, eating healthily-menstruation can make all these more challenging. States like fatigue, mood swings and cramps are faced by most women during periods, making it a dreaded time. And there is disturbed sleep, often caused by period pains in the abdomen, back and thighs.
Even though the symptoms of periods are different in different women, cramps are a common forerunner of that one special monthly phase. While some lucky ladies might just feel an achiness or slight tension in their backs or abdomen at the onset of their periods, other women can get shooting pains that disrupted their lives. Since your uterus is essentially one large, pear-shaped muscle, those pangs can radiate through the entire lower back and belly area and thighs. The pain may start before your period or when your period begins. Menstrual cramps last about 1 to 3 days.
What’s are the most important tips to be followed?
To help alleviate cramps further, you can follow certain yoga poses such as “Cobbler pose”, “Head to Knee pose”, ‘Seated Straddle pose”, “Seated forward bend” and “Supported Bridge pose”.
You could take mild painkillers to reduce the pain. You also can try using heating pads or taking a warm bath.
Menstrual cramps can thoroughly be a painful topic for most of us, we can pretty much expect how bad they’ll be most months. But there are a few things to be taken care of, If your cramps are so bad that you need to call in sick to work on a regular basis, or in case you experience menstrual cramps that are suddenly different from what you’re used to, or they’re accompanied by other symptoms like abnormal vaginal discharge or bleeding or the painful periods started later in life, then it calls for doctor’s intervention.
Some months are more painful than others, it’s important to know what that could mean. Any changes to your monthly menstrual cycle is good to keep track of, and if you’re suddenly in a lot of pain, or a lot more pain than usual, don’t take the risk of turning a blind eye on it, especially if you’re suddenly bleeding more heavily than usual as well.
The wisest option to realize if your cramps might be pointing to an underlying health problem is to notice if they’re suddenly more intense, or if they’re different from what you usually experience during your period. If you don’t feel any difference after taking painkiller medicines for cramps, or if the pain is lingering well past the point where you’re bleeding has stopped especially when your period is over, but the pain isn’t resolving, immediately make an appointment to see your gynecologist.
Always learn that typical menstrual cramps, no matter how painful they get, should be somehow easy to treat. If the pain you’re experiencing isn’t getting better even after your usual medications or a heating pad, or if the pain is unusual and more severe than you’re used to, it’s a good idea to check in with your doctor to realize what has changed. Your doctor will examine you to figure out any probable underlying conditions that could affect your health and fertility moving forward.
Your doctor may want to do a physical exam, pelvic exam, or tests. These can help diagnose or rule out the cause of your pain. An ultrasound test lets your doctor see if you have ovarian cysts. A laparoscopy can check for endometriosis. Learn more about endometriosis here. In this minor surgery, the doctor makes a small cut in your low stomach.
Over-the-counter medicines can reduce pain. If all is well, you may just need a stronger pain reliever. Your doctor may want you to try using birth control pills or a birth control shot. These can help make your periods less painful.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects about one in every ten women and is the most common cause of female infertility. It is typically characterized by ovarian cysts, irregular menstrual cycles and high testosterone levels. A lot is spoken about polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), infertility and pregnancy. It is believed that among the young urban female population PCOS is on the rise with almost 40 per cent of women falling prey to this condition. Of the numerous problems that women face due to PCOS – irregular, scanty periods, acne, weight gain– inability to conceive is also a major concern.
In PCOS, the ovaries are filled with numerous follicles that causes imbalance in secretion of the female reproductive hormones. In fact, women who suffer from PCOS have increased levels of testosterone that further leads to certain symptoms like facial hair, acne, breakouts, hair fall etc.
For women suffering from PCOS, it sometimes becomes difficult to get pregnant but is not impossible.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise, low carbohydrate diet and reducing stress helps improve chances of pregnancy in PCOS. A few possible treatment options available that can help women with PCOS to get pregnant are listed below:
Post conception, PCOS can cause the following complications for expecting women:
However, if these risks can be controlled well if the mother talks to her doctor to control and monitor PCOS symptoms before the pregnancy itself and take extra care during pregnancy.
Women with PCOS are advised to screen for diabetes as soon as they become pregnant and then repeat the test when they are 24 to 28 weeks pregnant. While in common cases, there is a slight increase in miscarriages in women with PCOS, the risk is mainly in the first trimester.
Keeping track of baby movements is important. The movements may change if the baby is uncomfortable or mom has not eaten in a while which means they too are also hungry. When the baby is hungry, they tend to kick and move around more than what’s usual. They relax or settle down once the mom has changed her position or has had something to eat. There are moments when babies move their arms around to familiarize themselves with their limbs and the environment inside the womb. Babies also start punching inside the womb when they do not want to settle down — this is just their way of telling mom that they are not sleepy.
At times pregnant moms experience pressure on their lower abdomen or in their rib area. If a pregnant mom experiences pressure on her abdomen, then it might be a way for the baby to say he or she is ready to be born especially if the mother’s due date is close by. But there maybe times when the mom-to-be doesn’t feel any movement inside her. In that case, she must eat a snack or have some juice. After that, it is advised for her to lay down and count for the next 1 hour. If there are no 3 minimum movements, then she must contact her doctor. It doesn’t signify that something is wrong but to get it checked is a wise decision.
Pregnant women can feel their babies’ movements from the start of the 16th week; however, some women may experience them even before this, and will continue to feel them until they give birth. Baby movements are differently felt by different mothers and say a lot about the position and mood of the baby. The type of movement will also depend on the size of the baby and how far the pregnancy has reached. Some babies tend to be comparatively more active than others but moms-to-be need not worry about this. You should just be aware of any change in the movement pattern and consult your doctor for the same.
Having one baby can be overwhelming enough – so what happens when you’re expecting two at the same time?
A woman has a comparatively higher chance of having twins if she has a family history of twins. A family history of twins on the mother’s side increases this likelihood more than a family history on the father’s side. However, this only applies if conception takes place without the use of fertility treatments.
If you’re thrilled, scared, extremely anxious (or all three), it’s natural to have mixed emotions and is understandable.
What exactly are twins?
We all know that twins mean two babies BUT there are actually three different types of twins.
Your doctor will be able to explain this to you at your appointments but in a nutshell it comes down to whether two eggs were fertilised around the same time or whether one egg was fertilised and then split into two (babies).
There are three different types of twins: –
Depending on the type of twins ; you may require fortnightly to monthly scans from as early as 16 weeks
Many mums-to-be find these extra scans reassuring, keeping a close eye on your baby’s growth and development as the pregnancy progresses.
Your doctor will also guide you regarding appointments frequency depending on the type of twins.
There are no surprises in the fact that moms who are expecting twins will have a visibly larger belly than moms with singleton pregnancy. A mom of twins is possibly to see more severe morning sickness symptoms with twins, and earlier in the gestation period. You’ll gain more weight than if you were carrying one baby but there’s no definitive answer as to how much you’ll put on.
Moms who are pregnant with twins should exercise as it will help to tone up muscles and ward off aches and pains, not to mention strengthen your body for labour . Exercises that won’t overstress your joints, such as walking, swimming, pregnancy yoga, or tai chi are suggested by the doctors during this period.
You’ll feel big and uncomfortable in your third trimester but remember that you’ll most likely deliver the babies at 37 weeks, so you won’t be pregnant for as long as you would be with one baby.
The risk of complications do increase a little when you’re carrying more than one baby.
Pregnancy complications you need to be aware of are:
You will also be advised by your gynaecologist to deliver the babies at or before 37 to 38 weeks to lessen the risk of complications at birth.
In terms of your giving birth to twins, you still will have both the options as are for delivering single baby
Luckily, despite being in a ‘high risk’ category; most mothers have healthy multiple pregnancies.
Meet our Expert gynaecologists at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, CK Birla Hospital, top maternity hospital in Gurgaon. Get in touch today!
The CK Birla Hospital is one of the first hospitals in India to offer Lamaze classes in addition to our world-class aid in obstetric healthcare. To sign up for a session, or to talk to a professional about Lamaze, contact us at your soonest convenience.
What is The Lamaze Method?
Childbirth has long been known as one of the most painful experiences a woman might go through during the course of her life. Over the years, researchers, pharmacologists, and doctors have continually searched for ways to ease this process.
In the 1940s, Soviet scientists attempted to develop a new, painless, non-pharmacological method of childbirth called the psychoprophylactic method (PPM). The method was anchored in training the mind of a pregnant woman to resist bodily pain during labour.
PPM was adapted and popularised by Dr. Fernand Lamaze, a French obstetrician, in the 1960s. Subsequently, the method came to be known as the Lamaze Method. The Lamaze Method, although no longer exactly the same as the Soviets’ PPM, is now widely recognized as a tried and tested way to help pregnant women handle and cope with their pain during natural childbirth without using pharmacological drugs.
So how does it work?
Lamaze today is based largely in simplifying the birthing process by teaching expecting mothers and their partners pain management tactics and educating them about what to expect during pregnancy and birth. Classes are taught by a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE), and typically range between one to three-hour sessions over the course of six to eight weeks.
Breathing exercises are a large component of Lamaze classes. The active concentration required to engage in these rhythmic breathing while in labour has been found to promote relaxation during childbirth. The breathing techniques also allow mothers to distract themselves from their contractions and thus alleviate some of their pain.
Other Lamaze class topics include, but are not restricted to induction of labour, when to go to the hospital, positions for birth and labour, pain medication options, massage techniques, and use of common tools to make labour more comfortable such as the birth ball, squat bars, and pillows.
The Lamaze Method also promotes “Six Healthy Birth Practices”, a system of guidelines that are designed to facilitate a safe and healthy birthing process. These are:
The Lamaze teacher encourages students to discuss all medical interventions with their caregivers so that they can make well informed decisions during labour.
Should I take Lamaze classes?
Absolutely.
Lamaze classes help build an expecting mother’s confidence, readiness, and strength. They help individuals, both mothers and their partners, be more in control of the process of childbirth.
No amount of classes and research can completely ready a person for the beautiful and tumultuous journey of parenthood. Yet, to know what to expect during childbirth and be prepared with pain management techniques allows you to stay out of the dark during the emotional, and often scary experience of giving birth.
If you are expecting, contact us to speak about Lamaze classes at the CK Birla Hospital now!
Consultant- Obstetrics and Gynecology
