Women and girls who’ve had an unplanned pregnancy in the past are at risk of future

Researchers found that of 542 women and teenage girls enrolled in a study to encourage contraceptive use, those with a history of unplanned pregnancy were twice as likely as other women to have another unplanned pregnancy over the next two years.

Age and education emerged as the strongest risk factors for an unplanned pregnancy; teenagers were three times more likely than women older than 24 to have an unintended pregnancy, and women with less than a high school education had a similarly elevated risk.

But even with those and other factors considered, a history of unplanned pregnancy remained linked to a heightened risk of future ones, the researchers report in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

About half of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, a figure that represents a “serious public health concern,” write the researchers, led by Lindsay M. Kuroki of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

For example, they note, compared with other pregnant women, those with unintended pregnancies are less likely to get early prenatal care and more likely to smoke, drink or use drugs. As a result, their babies are at greater risk of problems like low birthweight and prematurity.

Women who get pregnant after weight-loss surgery tend to be healthier and less likely to deliver a baby born with complications compared to obese women, researchers said.

An obese woman who has weight-loss, or bariatric, surgery also may increase her chances of getting pregnant in the first place by normalizing her menstrual cycles and hormone levels, the researchers found.

Obese women are more likely to have difficulty getting pregnant, but after the surgery “there is some suggestion of increased fertility,” Dr. Melinda Maggard, a surgeon and researcher at the Rand Corp think tank in Santa Monica, California, said in a telephone interview.

Bariatric surgery alters the digestive system’s anatomy and reduces the volume of food that can be eaten and digested.

The most common form is gastric bypass, which makes the stomach smaller and permits food to bypass part of the small intestine.

While losing weight naturally is preferable, weight-loss surgery does reduce the risks of pregnancy-related problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure that can harm the mother and her newborn, said the RAND researchers who analyzed data from 75 earlier studies.

By this time, you enter into the phase where any indication or pain can be the labor pains.

So, from this week onwards, you should be very careful in each and every thing that is happening with you.

There are some changes that take place in you and your baby during this week.

What are the physical changes that occur in your body during pregnancy week 32?

You must be very careful about lightheadedness during these last weeks of pregnancy.

Your blood tends to pool in your lower limbs thus resulting in low cranial blood pressure. So, it is better to watch out for the head conditions and get up for small walk after sitting for prolonged periods.

Are you beginning to waddle? Relaxin is the pregnancy hormone, mainly responsible for the softening of hip joints that make you to move differently. Large uterus does not support your walk and it discards your posture and causes you to have swayback look.

During this period, you should be aware of some potential complications such as placenta previa. This is a very serious condition, but it is most common in pregnant women who have more than one child. In this condition, the placenta blocks or slightly blocks the cervix.

Most of the pregnant women experience heartburn at some point or other during their entire pregnancy period.

Heartburn during pregnancy takes place due to number of reasons like increased levels of body hormones, poor diet and many more.

However, it is quite possible to avoid it during pregnancy. Just follow these simple tips.

1. Avoid foods that trigger heartburn. These foods include citrus fruits, tomatoes, mint products, spicy foods, fatty and fried foods and also chocolate.
2. Don’t rush to complete your meals faster. Chew thoroughly and take your own time to eat food.
3. Smaller and frequent meals are highly recommended during pregnancy. It can help your stomach to feel full and also prevents heartburn.
4. Drink a glass of milk after having meals because calcium has amazing soothing properties and potentially prevent heartburn after eating meals, particularly at nights.
5. Alcohol should be completely avoided at all costs, as it is very harmful for you and also for your unborn baby as well. It also leads to heartburn and potentially puts at various health risks.
6. Avoid tightly fitted clothes and prefer loose clothes.

When you are pregnant, physical fitness is essential for your body and mind, but you should be very careful that you will not cross the limit.

Physical activity and exercises makes your delivery easier and also makes child care less tiring for you.

However there are some restrictions that you have to follow during pregnancy. Some of the most common physical activities that you should avoid include

Don’t start new exercise routine

Usually for pregnant women, it is not recommended to begin new exercise routine, particularly during first trimester because overheating of body can have effect on fetus development.

Avoid activities that cause physical harm

Any type of physical activity that can possibly put you at risk of physical harm is not recommended. Skiing, horseback riding, kayaking and all other extreme sports are obvious no’s for pregnant women.

Avoid activities that involve high altitudes

Activities such as mountain climbing, skydiving, rock climbing, etc involve high altitudes and they should be essentially avoided by pregnant women.

This is because of the reason that high altitudes alters the oxygen level in your body and possibly triggers premature child birth.

Stay away from rides at fairs

Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who gain more than the Institute of Medicine-recommended amount of weight are at increased risk for undesirable outcomes, including preterm delivery and cesarean delivery, research shows.

These women are also more likely to require medical therapy to control their diabetes.

A “paucity” of information exists about the association between pregnancy weight gain and outcome in women with GDM, diabetes that develops during pregnancy and resolves after delivery, the study team notes in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

To investigate, Dr. Yvonne W. Cheng, from the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues performed a study in which they reviewed the medical records of 31,074 women with GDM and single pregnancies.

The women were enrolled in the Sweet Success California Diabetes and Pregnancy Program, which provides comprehensive educational, nutritional, psychosocial, and medical services offered by a multidisciplinary team.

One third of the women had weight gain below the IOM guidelines, based on their prepregnancy weight; one third gained weight within the guidelines, and the remaining third gained weight above the guidelines.

According to Cheng and colleagues, the women who exceeded the recommended weight gain, were more likely to have a primary cesarean delivery compared with the women in the other two groups.

By pregnancy week 31, the only important body organ that remains less developed in your baby is the lungs.

Eyelashes and eyebrows are already developed. This week also there are various changes that can take place in you and your baby.

What are the physical changes that occur in your body during pregnancy week 31?

Squeezed stomach, swollen feet, contractions and tightened muscles are the most common conditions that you experience during this time. Colostrum or pre-milk can start leaking from your breasts.

For some pregnant women, it is thin and watery and for others it is thick and yellowish. If you won’t experience these conditions, don’t feel panic. This is completely normal.

Are you feeling anything that can be suspected as contractions? Braxton-hick contractions are the part of the second half of the pregnancy and they become more frequent during the third trimester of your pregnancy.

These are false labor contractions and don’t confuse with them as premature labor. These contractions are not painful, but you will feel little uncomfortable with them.

If you observe the contractions 4-6 times in an hour or you notice any changes in your vaginal discharge, then immediately call your health care provider.

As far as pimples are concerned, there are many reasons to get pimples during pregnancy.

At times, pregnancy brings on acne or even it makes worse if you already have. These particular changes in your skin conditions are mainly due to higher levels of androgens in your body.

Androgens prompt the sebaceous glands in your skin to get bigger and improve the production of excess sebum in your skin.

As a result, you can get pimples and even acne during pregnancy. Here are few steps that you can take to control pimples during pregnancy.

1. Get enough sleep: When you are pregnant, plenty of rest is very essential to keep yourself fit and healthy. It also helps to keep skin healthy and look refreshed.
2. Use mild soap or cleanser: Gently wash your skin with mild cleanser or soap twice in a day. Don’t scrub your face with wash cloth; rather use your hands to wash gently.
3. Drink lots of water: Keeping your body hydrated is very essential, particularly when you are pregnant. So, drink lots of healthy fluids particularly water to get rid of pimples during pregnancy.

Women who have had two or more induced abortions have a reduced risk of pre-eclampsia by 60 %.

It is not currently understood to what degree physical activity during pregnancy protects against pre-eclampsia, compared to previous studies.

Reduced risk for pre-eclampsia among women who have aborted

One study shows that women who have had two or more induced abortions reduced their risk for pre-eclampsia by 60 percent.

That is, they are as well protected against pre-eclampsia as women who have previously given birth to a child.

Women who have had one termination previously, have an approximately 16 % reduced risk for pre-eclampsia compared with women who have never had an abortion. There was no protective effect linked to having had a miscarriage previously.

Information from 20,846 women was studied. All the women were first-time mothers, and some had previously had miscarriages or abortions.

The results indicate that every normal pregnancy, even if it ends before birth, to some degree will protect against pre-eclampsia in a later pregnancy, almost like a vaccination.

The mechanisms for this effect are currently unknown, and more research is necessary. Miscarriages do not appear to protect against pre-eclampsia.

Several factors, such as older age and high weight gain, are known risk factors for pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy-related blood pressure disorders.

Now a new report suggests that social factors - including living in a rural county - may also increase the risk of pre-eclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), according to the research.

“Our study showed an increased risk of developing pre-eclampsia and PIH associated with living in a rural area,” comments lead researcher Rebecca Moore, MD, of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado.

“The reason for this increased risk is unclear, but may possibly be associated with maternal poverty and social deprivation.”

Using birth certificate data on infants born in Colorado from 2000 to 2006, the researchers analyzed risk factors for pre-eclampsia and PIH in more than 362,000 mothers. All of the women were free of chronic medical conditions at delivery.

Women with pre-eclampsia develop rapid increases in blood pressure, along with kidney damage. Pre-eclampsia is a very common condition and the third most common cause of maternal death in the United States.

The cause is unknown and there is no known cure, although the problem usually resolves after delivery.