Part IV: Dealing with Health Problems in Specific Groups in .NET

Encoder QR-Code in .NET Part IV: Dealing with Health Problems in Specific Groups

Consider whether any of these causes of failure to conceive may apply to you: Blocked tubes: If you ve ever suffered from a pelvic infection (such as infection of your fallopian tubes, which is called salpingitis), your tubes may be blocked, impeding an egg from travelling from your ovaries to your womb Sometimes, a previous ectopic pregnancy outside your womb or a termination of pregnancy may also play a role See your GP for further assessment and to discuss the management options Hormone problems: Irregular or infrequent periods suggest that you may suffer from a hormone imbalance, which may affect your fertility A condition called polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, is the most common hormone disorder affecting women in their reproductive years and often presents with fertility problems Check out Managing PCOS For Dummies by Gaynor Bussell and consult your GP for advice if you have PCOS and are having a hard time conceiving Long-term illness: Some chronic illnesses such as diabetes, thyroid gland disorders or chronic infections can affect your fertility See your GP for further advice if you suffer from any of these illnesses and you re trying without success for a baby Stress: Sometimes, couples can get into a real rut (pun not intended!) about trying for a baby Instead of enjoying sex, intercourse may become a matter of routine when sex is dictated by the diary rather than because you both feel in the mood Try to take your time even if your reason for having sex is for you to become pregnant your partner is likely to have an increased volume of ejaculate when he s more aroused, and your sexual organs may become more receptive if you take it slowly, don t rush and are more stimulated Other stresses in your life, such as worries about your job or money, may also adversely affect your fertility Generally speaking, if you ve been pregnant in the past and particularly when you ve had one or more babies, the chances of any medical causes are less compared to when you ve never been pregnant, although you may still want to get checked out by your doctor If appropriate, your GP can arrange further investigation and refer you to a fertility expert If you want to read up about this topic, check out the Patient UK (www patientcouk) or the NHS Choices website at wwwnhsuk/ conditions/infertility/pages/introductionaspx, which have additional useful information about infertility

For the majority of women, pregnancy is an exciting and longed-for experience Although you may feel tired and exhausted at times, the chances are

that you re going to enjoy your pregnancy Unfortunately, for some women the opposite can be true being pregnant can seem like an ongoing struggle If you re pregnant, you re likely to have already seen your GP and/or midwife, and you ve probably already been given information about common pregnancy problems Therefore, I cover here only those issues that can be tricky to deal with, because they re not always obvious and are potentially serious for you or for your baby or both Thankfully, not many of these conditions exist, but the ones in this section are worth knowing about

When you re pregnant, your baby normally grows right inside your womb But in an ectopic pregnancy, for various reasons your fertilised egg doesn t reach your womb Instead, it implants outside the womb, commonly in one of your fallopian tubes, and because the tube doesn t have enough room for the baby to grow you may develop abdominal pain The main complication of an ectopic pregnancy is a rupture of a blood vessel, which can lead to severe bleeding into your abdomen and make you very unwell very quickly, and so urgent assessment is essential Seek medical advice if any of the following symptoms apply to you: You re about six weeks or so pregnant and suddenly develop lower abdominal pain, particularly if this pain affects one side only You lose dark blood (which may look like prune juice) from your vagina You feel faint or have collapsed call 999 straight away These symptoms don t necessarily mean that you have an ectopic pregnancy plenty of other potential causes can be to blame they just mean that you need to seek medical help urgently for further assessment just to make sure For further information, check out the Ectopic Pregnancy Foundation website at wwwectopicpregnancycouk