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It is a well-known fact, that individuals who lead a more health-conscious lifestyle with a high protein diet, rich in antioxidants, have high fertility rates and likely to conceive sooner than others. This also includes a well maintained physical and mental health. A well balanced and nutritional pre-pregnancy diet is an essential aspect for men and women to support successful conception. Men and women need to be very much aware of what they are and are not eating, to increase fertility and thereby increase their chances of having a baby.
Pre-conception nutrition guidelines for women and men:-
Folic acid: Prevents any serious congenital disabilities of the spinal cord and the brain.
Iron: Iron in the blood increases fertility. Make sure to include iron-rich foods in your diet.
Fish: Fish with lower levels of mercury is a safer choice to intake pre-and-during pregnancy.
Caffeine: Some believe that large amounts of caffeine can have an impact on fertility and could also be a cause for miscarriages during pregnancy. It is best to consume caffeine in moderation.
Hydrate: Drink plenty of fluids and low-fat dairy. Reduce the intake of alcohol or carbonated beverages.
Zinc: Increases the sperm count and improves fertility in men. This mineral also effectively reduces stress.
Folate: An important mineral that men should consume to increase fertility. Dark green vegetables like broccoli and spinach, beans and lentils are high in folate.
Calcium: Increases the mobility and motility of the sperm. Calcium-rich food like milk and yoghurt should do the trick.
Both men and women should maintain a healthy BMI level between 20 to 25. Elevated BMI in men usually reduces fertility due to lower testosterone levels. Elevated BMI in females leads to problems with egg formation and embryo implantation.
In addition to the above, vitamin D must also be consumed along with food that is extremely rich in antioxidants such as blueberries, raspberries, oranges, spinach, beets, broccoli, walnuts, pistachios, and barley. It is also best to let your doctor know if you are taking any additional dietary or herbal supplements that are meant to boost your fertility.
Eating in the right quantities and at the right time is important. Skipping meals frequently or starvation can promote infertility in women.
Not only through a controlled and well-balanced diet, but one can also increase fertility by staying physically active on a regular basis. Mild to moderate aerobic exercise no more than 4 to 6 hours per week is regarded as healthy. An intense level of workout that reduces a woman’s body fat can have problems with proper reproductive hormonal functioning during ovulation. Excess body fat can also result in the same. It is important to maintain a body fat of 20% of total body weight, in women.
For men to increase their level of fertility, it is important for them to reduce or entirely stop their intake of nicotine, alcohol or drugs, which may cause erectile dysfunction and reduce the natural sperm count.
An effective nutrition program that has been customized specifically to your needs is deemed extremely valuable. Consult our fertility experts to maintain a balanced diet.
A range of treatment options is available for childless couples to help them conceive. Treatment varies with the patient’s age, duration of infertility and most importantly, the factor causing infertility. Here we shall discuss the options available specifically for women.
Problems with ovulation, pelvic infections, damage to fallopian tubes or uterus, hormonal imbalances or problems with the cervix are common causes of infertility in females. Age can contribute to infertility because as a woman ages, her fertility naturally tends to decrease.
Fertility drugs are given to regulate hormones help in releasing more eggs during the ovulation cycle thus increasing the chances of getting pregnant. There are a few side effects like hot flashes, ovarian cysts, nausea, cervical mucus and mild depression. This is one of the most cost-effective female infertility treatments available.
Blocked fallopian tubes, fibroids, endometriosis, intrauterine adhesions are some of infertility causing conditions that can be treated successfully with surgery. They help remove or correct abnormalities to help improve the patient’s chances of conceiving. These can be managed with laparoscopy or hysterectomy on a daycare basis.
IUI is a procedure where the concentrated amount of sperm from the spouse or a donor is placed inside the uterus directly when the patient is ovulating. This is to increase the count of sperms that reach the fallopian tubes and subsequently increase the chance of fertilization. This is a short OPD procedure.
Read: Intrauterine insemination (IUI) Treatment
The eggs from the ovaries are combined with the sperm from a partner or donor in a laboratory. When the eggs are fertilized and the embryos are formed, the embryo or embryos created are transferred to the patient’s womb. The surplus embryos can be preserved for the future as well.
Your doctor can suggest you the right procedure, and in fact, it all begins with the drugs. Later, when you are not able to conceive even after medication, IUI and IVF are suggested. But, in women, where the problem is not simple, IVF and IUI can be given even at the early stage. In major cities like Delhi and NCR, lots of tests and pregnancy ultrasound in Gurgaon are conducted before this.
Visit our fertility consultants at the CK Birla Hospital to know more.
Also, read: Planning to start IVF? Here is what you need to know
Does your kid often reject food or is too choosy on what he/she wants to eat? You are not the only one facing this though this doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Picky eating is usually common in toddler and preschool years. The constant worry whether your child is getting enough nutrition and the stressful meal times can have a huge impact on your day to day life.
Labelling “picky eating” as a bad behaviour is very easy. But it is important to understand the child’s perspective. Fussy or picky eating is just another step in the process of growing up and becoming independent. Understanding their little minds is essential.
Once you know the answers to the above questions, it would be easier to handle your fussy eater.
Children grow in phases and their needs can change on a daily basis. Some days what you might perceive as the minimum requirement for the kid is totally different than what he/she actually needs. It is recommended that sometimes the kids be put in charge of deciding how much they should eat. But to have that mindset, you need to be confident that they are healthy and thriving. It is important to get their height, weight and BMI periodically assessed by a paediatrician so that you can have that reassurance.
The following tips might help you get out of the vicious cycle of picky eating.
Let them be independent
Post infancy, babies learn a lot of new things and it is a time of constant change. Its only obvious that they seek “sameness” as much as possible. Consistency helps them feel safe and secure. You can help them try variety by giving them some power. Encourage self-feeding. Offer them safe finger foods. Give them a spoon to hold while you are feeding them. Let your child decide which foods to fill their plates with.
Respect your child’s appetite
Sometimes the child is not that hungry. Do not force a meal or snack. Do not bribe your child. Serve small portions to avoid overwhelming your child.
Stick to the routine
Serve meals and snacks at about the same time every day. Do not fill him/her up on juice, milk or snacks. Keep mealtimes short (20-30 mins). Put healthy foods where they can reach easily when hungry. Make family mealtimes a priority. Maintain a calm and pleasant attitude throughout a meal. Avoid distractions such as television, cell phones etc during meal times.
Be patient with new foods
Repeated exposure (usually >10 times) is required before he/she takes the first bite. Serve new foods along with your child’s favourite foods. Keep serving him healthy choices until they become familiar & preferred. Try introducing new or non-favourite foods at times different than meals so that they don’t associate the table with unpleasant experiences. Offer only one new food at a time. Make sure that at each meal, there is something your kid knows & likes. Let him/her spill a little. Accept age appropriate mess.
Don’t be a short order cook
Preparing a separate meal for your child after she rejects the original food doesn’t help. Give him/her what the rest of the family is eating in toddler sized portions.
Make food fun!
There can be several visually interesting ways of serving food items. Catchy names like Doraemon’s pancakes or chhota bheem’s carrots will help a lot. Indulge in imaginative rebranding, eg. broccoli is dinosaur’s food. Serve a variety of brightly coloured foods. Create new tastes by pairing low fat dressings & dips with vegetables. Let them be the grocery pickers. Let them help you prepare meals. When they help in making food, chances are very less that they will reject it.
Stop having unrealistic expectations
Your little one’s stomach and clenched fist are of same size. Often, there is a lot of confusion when pediatricians urge you to feed your children a varied diet, including fruits & veggies, to help with their development, but at the same time, they tell you not to worry if your child refuses to eat certain foods. As a parent, your job is to provide your child with healthy food choices & pleasant meals. Leave it to your child to decide which of these healthy foods to eat & how much to eat.
Be a role model
Eat healthy. Avoid showing disgust or disinterest when trying new foods in front of your children.
Remember, you are not alone. Picky eating is temporary. Your child will outgrow it. You just have to be patient. But if you feel that your child is not able to swallow properly or has any health issues or is not growing properly, consult an expert in paediatrics.
At the CK Birla Hospital, we also provide routine paediatric care including vaccinations, management of infectious diseases, advices on nutrition, growth, development and child behaviour.
Visit our consultants to know more.
We asked our experts to expose some of the most common myths about oral contraception.
One of the myths, that is prevalent across the globe, is that pregnancy is delayed when you are on contraceptive pills for months. On the contrary, you can get pregnant as soon as you stop taking the pill. A woman can get pregnant within a week, after stopping the pill. Infact, oral contraceptive pills reduce the likelihood of infertility ; specifically because of all the good effects mentioned below
The pill can also reduce or help prevent:
Another popular misunderstanding is that oral contraceptive pills result in weight gain. Hormonal disturbances can cause weight gain but the pills are not directly responsible for it. There is also cyclical weight gain that is due to fluid retention; this is more noticeable in some than others. The NHS has published several papers and studies to show that there is little medical evidence that the latest contraceptive pills cause women to gain weight. The most important factor in weight gain is a poor, high-calorie diet and lack of exercise.
A difference by a couple of hours is not going to make any difference. If you stick to the same time, the only advantage is that you will not forget taking it. If you miss one pill (late by up to 24 hours), take a pill as soon as you remember and take your next pill, of the day too. Even if that means taking two in one day.
Minor side effects can be breast enlargement, cramps, pains in the legs, headache and nausea. The hormone levels present in these pills isn’t too high, and they can be safely used for years. Before rushing to change formulations, never forget that there might be another, non-pill related explanation for these side effects.
Condoms are 98% effective. But using 2 at the same time will not cut the risk of 2%. On the contrary, they rub against each other and tear off easily.
Same goes for baby oils; these oils destroy over 90% of a condom’s strength after only 15 min of contact.
Ask a gynaecology specialist for a safe contraceptive when breastfeeding, because it is not going to cut down the chances of getting pregnant. The absence of periods during the initial days of motherhood is also believed to prevent pregnancy, which is not true. If your baby is 6 months old, you have resumed periods, or your baby has started top feed; consult an expert gynaecologist and start another method of contraception.
Contraceptive pills can protect you against endometrial and ovarian cancer. There is no data suggesting that oral contraceptive pills causes depression or any other psychiatric disorder.
Women who are obese, who smoke, are under age of 35 years and are diabetic can also resort to pills and UTI to prevent pregnancy.
Being on your period is not going to stop your chances of getting pregnant. The sperm will live in the body till 7 days. The moment your period ends, and the eggs are produced, there are high chances of getting pregnant.
ECP is meant to be taken immediately after unprotected sex. But many women who do not have pills ready take it the next morning, and still, they are effective. In fact, a few pellets are active even if taken after 5 to 6 days after sex. We should be aware that abdominal pain after EC pill can be due to pregnancy in the fallopian tube. Consult your gynaecologist if you experience any discomfort or pain after taking ECP.
Visit our consultants at the CK Birla Hospital to know more.
As much as technology has been a boon to generations, it is also a curse that makes us more dependent and easily submissive to the virtual world. Children today are more restless and on a constant lookout for dynamic entertainment. And they do find it, faster than ever, by clicking on a video or immersing in an engaging game. Rightly said, kids these days learn to use gadgets even before they know how to speak.
By over-exposing them to the virtual world, parents inadvertently push their children towards unhealthy consequences. This happens when a gadget replaces human touch to calm a tantrum, or boredom is quick-fixed with a gaming app. Smartphones have become the modern pacifier. For young children, the digital screens seem to be a magical world to explore. They constantly ask for a smartphone to go back to the “magic land”, eventually getting addicted to it.
Undeniably, smartphones and laptops open a world of knowledge too. Albeit the advantages, too much screen time comes with long-term side effects. Children are likely to become overweight and prone to lifestyle problems early in life. For such issues, parents can visit a child specialist or paediatrician to seek advice. At the same time, psychological harm such as aggressive behaviour, decreased energy level, deflecting from play and learn, social anxiety and insomnia present deeper concerns and could require specialised attention.
One must consider that for little children, imitation is a major development milestone. Parents’ behaviour and lifestyle are common subjects in role play games. Naturally, keeping a child away from gadgets would be virtually impossible if the parents are hooked on to tablets and smartphones. So as a concerned parent, what steps could you take in managing your child’s screen time?
Steps to manage your child’s screen time: –
Visit our expert paediatric consultants at the CK Birla Hospital to know more.
Your gynaecologist wants you to open up about your health concerns so that he/she can offer you the best care and treatment methods. After all, it’s your own body, and you know it the best.
At the CK Birla Hospital in Gurgaon, awareness and care is our utmost priority!
Here are some things which your gynaecologist might want you to be aware of: –
Keep a watch on the discharge
Itching, irritation and abnormal discharge do not always mean that you have an infection. There could be other reasons as well. If over the counter medication does not help, please contact your gynaecologist. Having clear and ordourless discharge is quite normal, as is having the consistency of discharge changing throughout your menstrual cycle.
Are you having painful periods?
Periods can be associated with cramps and discomfort, but it does not mean the pain should stop you from doing your everyday activities. So ask your gynecologist for advice and support.
Birth control methods
Various birth control methods exist, and you need to opt for the one you’re most comfortable with. If you do not want to opt for a barrier method such as a condom or taking the contraceptive pill, you might want a long-term solution such as an intrauterine device or a skin implant.
Personal hygiene
Your private parts have hair as nature knows hair fights infection. Your gynecologist never minds, how groomed the area is as it is not associated with hygiene. Another thing women relate to the cleanliness of their private parts is the use of sprays, douche, and wipes. Your vagina maintains a pH balance itself and these hygiene products can mess with the normal balance. Check with your gynaecologist before using such products.
Regular pap smears
Regular Pap smears are the way of diagnosing of cervical cancer at the earliest. But, not all abnormal pap smears mean cancer. They can be treated even before cancer is diagnosed. When you are scheduled for the yearly pap test, you don’t have to cancel your appointment because of your period. If it is light bleeding, then you can always attend your appointment. However, this is not the same in case if you are being tested for an infection.
STD and Pap smear are not same
Do not think that pap smears are automatically screening for STDs too. If you think you are at risk of a sexually transmitted disease, consult your doctor without hesitation for confidential advice and treatment.
Be honest about your sex life
Your sex life can be the cause of a few infections, and there are chances of STDs too. So be honest with your gynaecologist about your gender preferences or having multiple partners. This helps the professional to arrive at the right conclusion. The gynecologist is not there to judge your morality but to decide the best treatment for you.
Discuss your fertility
Your fertility decreases as you age and goes alarmingly low when you are above 35. But do not think that IVF should be the only way to give birth when you are over 35 years of age. Individual cases can vary. So, if you are trying to get pregnant, or postponing your pregnancy, check for the options available.
The bottom line
Just be clear about these things with your gynaecologist and feel comfortable with them. While the doctor can diagnose and treat the problem, your cooperation to find the underlying issue and get the treatment done in the required amount of time matters the most.
Visit our expert gynaecology consultants at the CK Birla Hospital in Gurgaon to know more.
Travelling is a nightmare for many women in India, majorly because of the lack of clean restrooms. Trains, restaurants, and the other public washroom options aren’t the cleanest and have chances of spreading Urinary tract infections (UTI) in women.
Corporate offices mostly have common washrooms. The sad part is, to avoid infections, women control their pee. This, in fact, could aggravate the chances of UTI.
Here are a few symptoms of UTI to look out for: –
What data says?
Women are more prone to catching UTI’s compared to men due to the anatomy of their urinary tract. In India, 10 million people are affected by urinary tract infections in a year. And 1 in 2 women contract UTI, while 1 in 5 get affected by it for the second time.
A UTI is usually easily curable in its early stages, but its important not to self medicate or delay contacting a doctor. A delayed or inadequate treatment can cause it to come back again, or even complicate it to involve your kidneys.
The good news is that simple measures and timely action can help prevent a UTI or its recurrence.
Preventive Measures for UTI
What can you carry?
Conclusion
UTI’s can be prevented by good hydration, maintaining hygiene and taking simple measures while using public washrooms. If you still feel an increase in your frequency of peeing, or a repeated urge to pee or pain or burning while passing urine, please seek help from your doctor. It is important to give a urine sample before taking any antibiotics. We, at the CK Birla Hospital in Gurgaon, have experts who specialize in diagnosing UTI infections, provide medication to prevent repeated infections, and deal with special situations like a urinary stone or UTI if you are planning for pregnancy or already pregnant.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition among women of child-bearing age in which estrogen and progesterone hormone levels are out of balance. This imbalance causes the growth of cysts on a woman’s ovaries which can affect her menstrual cycle and fertility. Consulting a gynaecologist in gurgaon at The CK Birla Hospital will help reduce the severity of PCOS symptoms. Here are some diet and lifestyle changes you should carry out if you are suffering from PCOS.
Many research studies have shown that it takes a modest amount of weight loss of 5 to 10 kg or 5 to 10% of initial body weight to reduce insulin resistance by about 50% and restore ovulation. Our multispeciality hospital in gurgaon will be happy to help you in dealing with PCOS.
AND STAY PCOS FREE!!!
Most women dread the word menopause. It affects women in completely different ways, but the most common symptoms include hot flushes, sweating, insomnia, anxiety, impairment of memory and fatigue.
Long term consequences can include a decline in libido, osteoporosis, heart disease, even dementia – all linked to reduced estrogen levels. Consulting a reputed hospital can be of tremendous help.
It has been noted that eating and avoiding certain types of foods can make menopause a lot more bearable. The CK Birla Hospital recommends the right diet, exercise, adequate sleep, and learning to relax — you will find you have more energy to enjoy your life.
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Make an appointment with our expert nutritionist and health doctors at The CK Birla Hospital.
