Women's Wellness by Dr Sadia Lanker

14/05/2024

All pregnant women should be vaccinated !

21/10/2023

MMR vaccine during childhood prevents rubella and protects against it for life.
Babies born to women who have received vaccination are protected from getting rubella for 6 - 8 months.

There is no proven link between MMR and autism ( American academy of pediatrics / CDC ).
1. Get a vaccine if you have not had two doses of MMR vaccine after 12 months of age.

2. Ensuring you're immune especially in non-pregnant woman of childbearing age.All women in preconceptiin period should be screened for rubella infection.

3.MMR vaccine is not given in pregnancy and women who receive vaccination shoukd avoid getting pregnant for 3 months .

4.Rubella serological testing involving IgG shoykd be used to assess the immunity before,during and after pregnancy. Testing for IgG avidity differentiates past and recent infection.

20/10/2023

Rubella in pregnancy .

This is the disease caused by a virus and like any viral illness,it produces low grade fever,flu,rash and neck swelling.The disease is self limiting and takes 3-5 days to settle. Now a days beacuse of getting MMR vaccines in childhood as per the NIP scheducle , rubella has vecome less common.

If the mother gets rubella during first 12 weeks , there is 85 % chance that the baby suffers from congenital rubella syndrome( CRS ) involving eye problems, hearing loss and heart diseases.
If she gets rubella in second trimester or third trimester, there is 50% and 25 % chance that baby would be born with congenital anomalies .

THERE IS NO TREATMENT FOR RUBELLA INFECTION. THE DAMAGE THAT HAPPENS TO THE FETUS WILL LAST FOR THE WHOLE LIFE.

Now what should you do to prevent getting rubella in pregnancy?

Wait for my next post.

01/06/2023

Eversince the birth of the world's first IVF baby ,Louise Brown in July 1978, infertility treatments have come a long way to assist couples who cannot conceive naturally. But despite the startling numbers of IVF sucess stories , IVF in many parts of the world is still being misunderstood by people especially in our state.
Let's clear few myths about the IVF .

MYTH>> IVF is only because of female infertility
FACT>>Infertility is a couple problem. There are special types of IVF which are done for male infertility like ICSI/TESE .

MYTH>>IVF babies are born weak
FACT >> IVF babies are as healthy as a naturally conceived babies.

MYTH>>IVF babies are born abnormal
FACT>>The incidence of congenital anomalies in IVF and naturally born babies is similar.

MYTH>>IVF women should be on bed rest for the whole pregnancy
FACT >>The rest reqyired for your body depends on your health condition. Some care is needed at the time of implanting the eggs in the uterus.

MYTH>>IVF always leads to twins
FACT>>While it's true that ART has increased the twin pregnancies but the advanced ART techniques can be used for elective single embryo transfer.

MYTH>>IVF works only for young couples only
FACT[> It works well for older couples as well.

MYTH>>IVF pregnancies always lead to cesarean delivery
FACT>>The need for C.section in IVF is similar to the natural pregnancy.

MYTH>>IVF guarantees in the first cycle
FACT>>There is no such guarantee, Globally the sucess rate of IVF is only 40 %. It depends on many factors like age,lifestyle,quality of sperms /eggs etc.

MYTH>> IVF treatment is costly
FACT>> IVF costs in highly specialised centres of india ranges between 1.5 to 3.5 lacs .Now the costs are affordable and transparent.

MYTH>> Fertility drugs cause cancer
FACT>>No research has shown that the fertility injections cause so.

13/04/2023

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to wide range of physical and psychological symptoms that begin 2 weeks prior to the menstruation and cease by the end of periods.

It affects 40% of women with 3-4%women affected by severe symptoms called Premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

Aietiology of PMS is poorly understood and mostly involves the imbalance in ovarian hormones and chemical neurotransmitters like serotonin.

The symptoms include : Body , Mind and Spirit.

Body >>fluid retention, oedema ,fatigue ,joint or muscle pain,headache ,weight gain, bloating, breast tenderness ,altered bowel habits and changes in appetite.
Mind>> Poor concentration, insomnia or depression
Spirit >> Anxiety ,mood swings, crying,irritability, social withdrawal.

The diagnosis is by clinical history taking and record of symptoms in DRSP chart. There is no cure for for PMS.Talk to your treating physician about the symptoms thoroughly. It can be managed by :

Lifestyle changes : Exercise for 30 minutes reduces stress / anxiety .
Dietary changes : incorporate healthy diet with fruits ,vegetables,whole grains and diet rich in complex carbohydrates and calcium/ magnesium.
Supplements (calcium/vitamins and magnesium ).
Medications like NSAIDs, SSRI's and OCP's under the supervision of your doctor.

22/03/2023

PCOS MYTHS AND FACTS !

18/03/2023

07/03/2023

Women get more Urinary tract infections than men because they have short urethra ( tube which brings urine out of the bladder) , allowing the bacteria to enter urethra and bladder more easily.
UTI's can't always be avoided but it's pilossible to reduce the risk of getting one.
1. Drink plenty of oral fluids 6-8 glasses/day as it flushes out bacteria out . You can also drink green tea,milk or smoothies.

2.Avoid holding urine for longer than 3 hours as this can encourage bacterial growth. This is even more important in pregnancy.

3.Avoid scented feminine products pads /tampons, powders as they can cause an imbalance in vaginal bacterial flora.

4.Consume cranberries or crabeberry juice for preventing UTIs. They contain proanthocyanidins which prevent bacteria to adhere to the urinary tract.

5.Take probiotic .Probiotic are live microorganisms that can increase good gut and urinary tract bacteria e.g. lactobacilli strains. Take fermented foods such as yogurt and supplements.

6. Get antibiotics prescribed by the doctor if you have symptoms of UTI.

22/02/2023

Secondary prevention is when you detect a disease early, prevent complications and improve quality of life.

Here are 10 essential screening tests to be taken by the women folks :

1.Blood pressure screening
AHA says if your BP is below 120/80 mmHg, then have it checked once in 2 years starting at 20 years. For women 40 or more with obesity, annual screening is recommended.

2. Cholesterol check
Take this test if you're 20 years or more once in 5 years (NIH) . Normal levels of cholesterol in your blood should be less than 200 mg /dl.

3. Blood sugars
Women with no comorbidities should start getting blood sugars checked once in 3 years starting at the age of 45 years. Fasting blood glucose should be

17/02/2023

What is PERIMENOPAUSE and what do you need to know about it?

Many women experience an array of symptoms as their hormones fluctuate during the months or years leading to menopause ,which is the natural end of menstruation.

Perimenopause refers to the declining ovarian function,around the age of 40 ( may happen earlier as well) and ends a year after the menopause. It can last upto 6 or more years.

Problems encountered during perimenopause may be :

1.Hot flashes / night sweats lasting for 5-10 minutes .
2.Abnormal bleeding patterns (heavy periods, irregular infrequent periods).
3.Mood disturbances irritable,anxious or even depression, even forgetfulness.
4. Sleep disturbances.
5.Urinary changes and vaginal dryness.

Seek a comforting advice or doctor's help.
Talk to your specialist so that she/he can educate to help you manage this transition phase.

"With a little help ,you can coast into menopause."