The Importance of Planning for Pregnancy

So here's the deal: most women plan on having a child one day, preferably when it is conveinent for them. However, it is becoming more and more common for women (even young women) to experience some sort of delay when it comes to the time it takes to conceive. This "new" trend is blamed in part on the declining diet in American women, poor recollection of when their last menstrual cycles were, and the fact that women are simply starting to have children later in life than they used to (because of the desire to have an education, so kudos to those ladies!) There are some things that can assist you when the time comes to make a baby.



1.) Keep track of your menstrual cycles-this way you will know your most fertile days, also, you can over do it when trying to conceive :)



2.)Get into the best shape possible within 6 months before getting pregnant- being in shape and eating healthy helps keep blood pressure under control, and also helps decrease chances of miscarriage.



3.)RELAX-stress (believe it or not) can play a huge part in your fertility, so if you are stressed out about the amount of time it is taking you to conceive, you could actually be causing your body to stop ovulating.



Even though three steps seems too easy and insubstantial, it can make a HUGE difference on the time it takes to get pregnant, and how healthy your pregnancy is. Typically, if it has taken a woman under 32 longer than a year to get pregnant, gynecologists recommend that they see a infertility doctor to help out with the process a little bit (InVitro Fertilization is not the only way to get pregnant if you are experiencing fertility problems, there are other less risky procedures and medications that can be ordered for you).



If anyone has any questions about what I wrote, or would like to see one of the topics I mentioned in more detail, just let me know. Also, if my vocabulary is hard for anyone to understand, just tell me (sometimes it is hard for me to judge what is common knowledge and what isn't since we communicate that way at work)



Salam, take care everyone and encourage your friends to take a peek and share their thoughts with me.



Zawjat Marouane

Yearly Gynecological Exam

Salam Everyone!





I would like to focus mainly on the health and wellbeing of women, so the first step to health is getting a yearly check up. The basic components of this exam are:

• Basic Lab Panel: This checks your cholesterol, blood count, blood sugar, and other extremely important factors that could send out a red flag to your doctor if there is anything off.


• Pap Smear: While being uncomfortable, and a bit nerve wrenching, the pap smear can be literally a life saver. The main thing this checks for is abnormal cell growth on your cervix. Cervical cancer is known as the silent killer among women because there aren't really any symptoms present until it is advanced. The pap smear will check for the growth of this every year so hopefully if there is anything unfortunate present, it will be caught in time.


• Pelvic Exam: The pelvic exam checks for lumps, bumps and pain in your pelvic area around your uterus, ovaries, and vagina. He or she will typically ask you if you have any pain or bleeding after sex (so be HONEST, she is a doctor, if she asks it is important to tell the truth).


• Clinical Breast Exam: Breast cancer is another "silent killer" among women simply because it is not caught in time. One way to keep up on the health of your breasts is to have the doctor examen them once a year, since they know exactly what is to be worried about and what is not.

All of those occur at the doctor's office, however, there are some things that you need to keep track of at home so you can see the doctor sooner if necessary, here are some examples of what you need to keep up on at home:

• Record your monthy cycle: You need to have a little calendar or journal to write down the first and last day of your monthly period, and make notes on whether or not your bleeding was heavy, moderate, or light. It may also be helpful to note the amount of cramping you have had, the doctor may be able to help with that as well.


• Do Monthly Self-Breast Exams: This is what makes the clinical breast exam worth your time. Nobody knows your breasts better than you do! This way, if the doc finds something in your yearly you will know if it is new, old, or normal for you. See this link for instructions on how to complete this :http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/types/self_exam/bse_steps.jsp?gclid=CPT0kpGU85kCFRFMagodIwWNQg.*

Well, that was my two cents on the start to basic heathy woman tips. If you have any topics you would like for me to elaborate on or any suggestions for topics you would like to see, just let me know!

Salam,

Zawjat Marouane

*www.breastcancer.org