affordable - The First Signs of Being Pregnant - Before You Miss a Period

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The first signs of being pregnant do not necessarily depend on having missed a period though this is by far the most common first sign of being pregnant. The majority of women will notice a missed period before any other pregnancy symptoms.

Most women will generally experience at least one early indicator that they are pregnant but it can be difficult to recognise the very first signs of being pregnant as they can be similar to menstruation or even stress. Trying to conceive a baby is one instance that will have you on high alert to the changes in your body and looking out for the first signs of pregnancy.

So what are the first signs of being pregnant?

Changes in breasts – this is probably one of the very first signs of pregnancy. Breasts may become swollen, painful and tender to the touch due to the sudden increase in hormones. There might be a tingling sensation or the breasts might be extremely itchy. The nipples might feel sore and the areola, the area surrounding the nipple may get darker. The veins on the breasts might become more obvious due to the increased supply of blood to the area in preparation for breast-feeding.

Fatigue – feeling tired can begin soon after conception and is caused by the hormone progesterone. Progesterone is necessary in preparing the lining of the uterus for implantation. Most expectant mums will experience some degree of tiredness at some stage during pregnancy but more commonly in the first and third trimesters.

Cramping – also known as implantation cramping occurs when the fertilized egg travels to the uterus and attaches itself or burrows into the uterine lining. Can be felt a week to a few days before your period is due. Some women experience slight bleeding when this happens, also known as implantation bleeding and this can sometimes be mistaken for an early period.

More frequent urination – the body produces more blood soon after conception to ensure an adequate supply to the developing baby, uterus and placenta. When this extra volume of blood is processed through the kidneys, urine and other waste material is filtered out resulting in the need to visit the loo more often. This is one of the first signs of being pregnant that you might notice. As pregnancy progresses, the need to urinate more frequently is caused by the pressure of the uterus on the bladder.

While you may or may not notice any of the above signs of being pregnant, the easiest way to confirm a pregnancy is to take a pregnancy test. There are many different ones available and they work by measuring a specific pregnancy hormone called hCG, human chorionic gonadotrophin. Early home pregnancy tests are more sensitive than others and can detect very low levels of hCG. They can also give a positive reading before a missed period.

Source by Frankie Summers

The First Signs of Being Pregnant - Before You Miss a Period

affordable - Down Syndrome - Three "Screening Tests" Are the First Step in Diagnosing Down Syndrome

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Doctors can make a Down syndrome diagnosis for a baby while the mother is still pregnant. Down syndrome is caused by the presence of an extra 21st chromosome in the baby.

Babies that don’t have Down syndrome have two 21st chromosomes and babies with Down syndrome normally have three 21st chromosomes. People usually have 46 chromosomes – or 26 pairs of chromosomes. Chromosomes are the material in our bodies that gives our bodies instructions as to how to grow, develop and work.

If you’re spending some time reading about Down syndrome you may also see it called Trisomy 21.

Pregnant Mothers Over 35 Are Particularly At Risk

In the past, mothers were given the choice of having tests to determine if their baby might have Down syndrome. Mothers over 35 are particularly at risk to have a Down syndrome baby.

Today most mothers, especially mothers over 35, are strongly encouraged to have the first set of tests, called screening tests, to see if there is any risk of Down syndrome.

Today there are so many things that can be done to help a baby with Down syndrome. Some can be done while the baby is still in the mother’s uterus and some right after birth so it’s good to know as early as possible if your baby has Down syndrome. Some mothers, though, may choose not to have these tests because they don’t want to know, before birth, if their baby has Down syndrome.

Down Syndrome “Screening Tests” are Available During Pregnancy

Three types of screening tests for diagnosing Down Syndrome are common. Screening tests cannot diagnosis Down Syndrome but they can tell your doctor if your baby has some characteristics that might indicate that your baby is at risk for Down Syndrome.

1. Ultrasound – a regular ultrasound or sonogram. Ultrasound allows your doctor to look at a picture of your baby while it’s still in your womb. There are things that a doctor can see in an ultrasound that might make the doctor think that a baby could possibly have Down syndrome. These include:

• A bone in the baby’s legs, called a femur, that’s shorter than usual


• Some heart problems


• Extra skin at the back of the baby’s neck (called “nuchal translucency”)


• Defects in the baby’s stomach or intestines


• Cysts in the part of the baby’s brain where spinal fluid is produced. These cysts are called “choroid plexus cysts.”

2. Maternal Serum Tests – tests of the mother’s blood. These tests work because a mom’s circulation system is shared with her baby. A baby makes chemicals that can be detected in the mother’s blood tests. There are several different kinds of maternal serum, or blood tests, that can be done and some are given in the first trimester (first three months) of pregnancy and some in the second trimester (second three months of pregnancy.)

3. Integrated Screening – is a combination of ultrasound and maternal serum testing. Your doctor will advise you about the best diagnostic testing for Down syndrome given your age, family history and your medical history.

What if the pregnancy tests come back with a possible Down Syndrome diagnosis?

If your doctor is concerned that your baby may have Down syndrome, he or she will probably recommend another series of tests. These tests are called diagnostic tests. To make a definite Down syndrome diagnosis a doctor needs to conduct one of several diagnostic tests that are accurate 98-99% of the time if they come back positive for Down syndrome.

Parents will want to think about whether or not they want to have diagnostic screen testing for their baby and discuss the tests carefully with their doctors. There are pros and cons to diagnostic testing and it’s essential to discuss how important it is to you and to your doctor to know for sure, before the birth of your baby, if your baby will have a Down syndrome diagnosis.

Source by Craig Kendall

Down Syndrome - Three "Screening Tests" Are the First Step in Diagnosing Down Syndrome

affordable - The Jelly Bean Study

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One of the most important components of diagnosing gestational diabetes, is the screening process. One test that has become popular, in the screening process, involve the use of jelly beans for gestational diabetes. Since many women to not see specific symptoms of this disease, diagnosis can be difficult. And since there is no certain cause of gestational diabetes, it is hard to connect the dots between symptoms and this condition.

Yes, caring for gestational diabetes when pregnant, is important, which is why testing is done. There are a number of tests that are a part of the screening. These are used essentially, to determine whether there are inappropriately high levels of glucose in a pregnant woman’s blood samples. These tests fall under the line of the non-challenge type of glucose tests.

The tests include a fasting glucose test, a 2-hour postprandial glucose test, and a random glucose test. The postprandial test focuses on the state of the pregnant woman’s blood after she has eaten. Then there is often a screen glucose challenge test performed. In the past there have been problems with this testing. Some pregnant women became nauseated or vomited, during one component of the screening.

This was generally the portion where they were expected to drink a thick, sweet cola like drink. Many of these women had problems keeping this drink down, which effected the testing process. Prompted by these troubles in determining gestational diabetes, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology stepped in.

The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology did a study on women who consumed this old cola like drink. They also looked at them in comparison to women who consumed jelly beans for getational diabetes testing. This study was very specific in its criteria. In the study there were specific types of jelly beans for gestational diabetes are used. They used jelly beans for gestational diabetes studies, made by the Brach & Brock company. They also used a certain number of jelly beans for gestational diabetes results.

In the traditional test, 50mg of oral glucose is used. This is administered in the sweet cola liquid. They found that anywhere from 10 to 15% of pregnant women vomited after drinking this liquid. So, the jelly bean alternative entered the picture. In the study women were given 18 jelly beans to eat. Use of this particular brand of candy, it equals the amount of glucose, needed in the screening process.

The traditional test required a certain period of time, before results could be checked. These pregnant women would be given tests, requiring a specific time interval for results. But women who were given the jelly bean test, results could be checked within 2 minutes of eating them. A venous plasma glucose value reading could be determined. This test unlike the ones of the past didn’t have to wait because of time restraints. The results of these tests allow you to focus on caring for gestational diabetes when pregnant, after receiving a diagnosis.

The jelly beans for gestational diabetes test did require a focus on whether a woman had eaten, or even when her last meal was. The study found that this test was a success and could be used instead of the cola drink.

Source by Sandra B Wilson

The Jelly Bean Study

affordable - Early Pregnancy Symptoms and Signs of Pregnancy

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Are you thinking that you might be pregnant? Or do you hope to get pregnant? Whatever the case is your presence here shows that you want to know about the signs and symptoms of pregnancy. This will help you to detect your pregnancy as soon s it occurs.

Following reading will give you an insight about some common signs of pregnancy that your body gives in initial few weeks of pregnancy. The following passages will advice you the signs that help in confirming pregnancy and then getting it off for taking a good start.

To know about the early signs of pregnancy, let’s assume for a moment that it has happened. Tiny embryo has indulged itself in the lining of the uterus. But the body has to give many signals. Sometimes these signals start to appear even before, missing the periods. These symptoms continue to grow stronger with each passing day and week.

The classic and the most well know alarm of pregnancy is the missed periods. The jingle bells starts to ring if the sexually active woman misses her periods. At this time if the woman goes for a pregnancy test the result would be positive. Some women may experience light bleeding during these days. This light vaginal bleeding is termed implantation bleeding. This takes place when the growing embryo embeds itself in the wall of the uterus.

At this time many women notice food cravings as well as food aversion of different types of foods. What all you have been herding about the food cravings and increased appetite of pregnant woman is always right. Suddenly the pregnant women may start to crave pasta, pickles and few other food items. At the same time some food group’s that they used to love may turn up your appetite.

Till so far no one is sure about the cause of these appetite changes. A school of thought says these changes are the nature’s way of informing that women’s body now requires full nutrients. Some women feel that they start to crave potatoes, bread and other starchy foods. Carbohydrate rich foods should be taken in the early pats of the day and in early weeks of pregnancy; this help in saving the nutrients and energy for the later days of pregnancy.

Pregnant women also feel extremely thirsty during the first few weeks of pregnancy. The extra fluid intakes help the women in increasing the supply of blood to some other liquids.

Source by Tehmina Mazher

Early Pregnancy Symptoms and Signs of Pregnancy

affordable - Why And When All Pregnant Women Should Be Tested For Gestational Diabetes

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Are you pregnant and sailing along doing fine? Let me ask you. Have you been checked for diabetes during your pregnancy? When diabetes occurs during pregnancy for the first time, it is called gestational diabetes. Pregnancy stresses the mother’s cells and chemistry in such a way that insulin resistance may develop and be manifest in the blood chemistry.

Women who develop gestational diabetes are at much higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes even if the blood chemistry return to normal after delivery. Therefore the window of opportunity for discovering if there is a problem with sugar metabolism is during the pregnancy and not afterward.

Why is this important? Not only are we in an epidemic of type 2 diabetes around the world, but the baby is at a higher risk for problems during labor and delivery if the blood sugar levels of the mother are high. One consequence of gestational diabetes is a big baby by size and weight. A large heavy baby puts increased stress on the mother at the time of delivery. The incidence of surgical delivery of the baby goes up as the size and weight of the baby increase above the norm. The same can be said for fetal distress during delivery.

If not treated, diabetes during pregnancy doubles the risk for the baby developing diabetes later in life.

Although gestational diabetes is not a secret, many pregnant women are not tested during the pregnancy. Studies show that about one-third of pregnant women were never tested for diabetes during their pregnancies. The incidence of gestational diabetes is currently 4% in the U.S. However, most researchers believe the incidence will climb higher and may even be higher now.

If a pregnant woman is pregnant for the first time and is otherwise healthy with no family history of diabetes, it is thought that a blood sugar test for diabetes should be performed after the 24th week of pregnancy. If the mother has other risk factors for diabetes, the blood test could be conducted earlier. These management details are best left to the one who is making the medical decisions during the pregnancy.

What kind of blood test? It is likely to be a fasting blood sugar test which tells the physician how the baby, mom and blood sugar are doing? Normal levels are well-established. The point that needs to be made is that an appropriate blood sugar test should be done during the pregnancy. Whether a test needs to be done after the delivery depends on the first test and risk factors. There is a new blood sugar test called the A1c hemoglobin test that is growing in popularity and may come into play in the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

Source by Robert Urban M.D.

Why And When All Pregnant Women Should Be Tested For Gestational Diabetes

affordable - How to Use a Basal Body Temperature Chart to Check If You Are Pregnant

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The basal body temperature chart (BBT Chart) can be effectively used to plan a pregnancy. Often conception takes time and in order to see a better rate of success, it is essential to chart out your fertility. BBT charting combined with cervical mucous charting and monitoring the cervical position can help achieve this. Let us understand what the basal body temperature chart is all about.

The Average Reproductive Cycle

As you know, the basal body temperature is the temperature of the body at the resting phase. For an average 28 day cycle, normally, the pattern will show about 12 to 14 days of lower temperature readings. The highest among these low temperatures would be the baseline temperature. Around the 14th day, the temperature will rise over this baseline temperature. This happens because you have ovulated. The rise in temperature remains above the baseline for the next 10 to 16 days, that is, till your next period. When you get your period, the body temperature will drop.

Prior to ovulation, a woman’s basal body temperature ranges between 97 to 97.5 degree F. Estrogen in the body keeps the temperature down, i.e. below the baseline. Once ovulation takes place, the temperature begins to rise, going from 97.6 up to 98.9 degree F. The temperature increase is due to the release of progesterone after ovulation. After a few days, you will notice that the temperature remains in the higher range, above the baseline.

How to maintain the BBT chart

Begin taking your temperature on the first day of your period. Continue till you get the next period; commence a new basal body temperature chart on the first day of the next period. You must record your reproductive cycle in this manner for several months so that you can discern a pattern and you can judge accurately when ovulation is expected.

Note your temperature on the chart by marking a dot at the appropriate place. Mark the day when you had sex. Also, note down other events that affect the temperature reading like an illness, stress, alcohol consumption, medication, etc. Connect the dots with straight lines so as to plot the temperature variations during the cycle.

Reading the basal body temperature chart

Your BBT chart will show two different temperature levels. If you are not pregnant, then between the 10th and 16th day you will get your period when the progesterone level drops. The body temperature will also come down at this time.

If you notice your basal body temperature remaining on the higher side for more than 18 days following ovulation, it is advisable to go for a pregnancy test and maybe you will see the good news.

Source by Alice Jane Johnson

How to Use a Basal Body Temperature Chart to Check If You Are Pregnant

affordable - Trouble Conceiving - Tips For Getting Pregnant

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If you feel like you’re having trouble conceiving, you’re not alone. Many couples are surprised when they discover that it can often takes months to get the “Big Fat Positive”. You make want to talk to your doctor when you have serious concerns, but if you have only been at it for a few months, here are some thoughts that might help.

Knowing the length of your menstrual cycle is necessary for getting pregnant. It is the best way to begin predicting ovulation. It is normal for the length of your cycle to change from month to month, but it is still best to keep track each month.

Your most fertile days are the few leading up to, and the day of, ovulation. This gives you about five days to work with. Lots of women decide to have sex consistently through those days, but this can be a difficult approach. The general public assumes that ovulation begins right in the middle of the cycle, but this is not true for everyone. You can begin ovulating on just about any day of your cycle. If you don’t want to use ovulation testers, the best way to get pregnant is to have sex two or three times every week. Using this method, you are more likely to chance upon the right time.

If you feel like you need to take action, you could begin mapping your Basal Body Temperature. There are kits that you can buy, complete with instructions, or you can find what you need online. You will need a thermometer that reads to the tenth decimal point and a BBT chart. Then you take your temperature every morning and keep track of your findings. A temperature spike of .4 is what you’re looking for.

Find out your definite ovulation days by purchasing an ovulation prediction kit. You pee on a stick, just like a pregnancy test, but you continue to do it everyday until you get a positive test. You should have sex that day and the next.

Your cervical mucus is an excellent predictor of ovulation. When you are most fertile, it changes to accommodate the survival and speed of sperm. Ideally, you are looking for mucus that is thick and stretchy, kind of like a raw egg white. This means that your body is ready.

The last thing you need to do is stress. Just take your time and figure out what works for your body. Don’t allow sex to become something you feel forced to do, and try not to do it too frequently. Sperm are healthiest when you wait a day or two between sex. Ask your doctor if you have trouble conceiving for longer than a year.

Source by Carrie Balli

Trouble Conceiving - Tips For Getting Pregnant

affordable - Ovulation Tests

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Instinct tells a woman that she is ready to conceive, but to be doubly sure take personal or laboratory tests. For starters, estimate the approximate time of ovulation by calculating the length of the average menstrual cycle. Begin from day one, that is the first day of the menstrual period, and the last day is the day before the next period begins. If the menstrual cycle is 28 days, then subtract 17 days, which equals day 11. Use the predictor kit on day 11 and continue testing until positive. This means that you will ovulate within 24 to 36 hours.

This sounds intimidating, but in non-medical terms ovulation is interplay of glands and their hormones. Presence of progesterone is confirmed through blood tests and if the level is higher than 20nmol/L it is indicative of ovulation having taken place. The blood test is done around 3 to 10 days before the first day of menses. Another method to test ovulation is through pregnancy ultrasound whereby the presence of a fetus is verified. For women trying to conceive it is not advisable, as pelvic ultrasound has a similar success rate as pregnancy ultrasound. Other methods of testing are checking on cervical mucous changes, basal body temperature or salivary ferning three to four days prior to ovulation.

Ovulation Tests are gaining popularity through the use of ovulation calendars or predictor kits to pin down fertile periods or avoid unwanted pregnancies. Normally women ovulate in the middle of the monthly menstrual cycle, depending on the length of the cycle. Sometimes ovulation happens twice in a month or, in an unhealthy body, plays truant. Avoid drinking too much water or frequent urination when taking an Ovulation Test, as it limits accuracy.

For urine Ovulation Testing an early morning urine sample is ideal, as it contains the maximum concentrated hCG presence. If testing during the day, do not urinate 3 to 4 hours before test. The response time for a home Ovulation Test is about five minutes. Since the LH surge at time of ovulation is brief, one should test at right time of month and day.

Another method of Ovulation Test is through test strips with control color bands and intensity baselines for reference. Certain medicines have an adverse effect on test results, especially fertility drugs or pills. Consult your doctor or wait for two menstrual cycles before monitoring LH levels. For maximum effect, store test kits at room temperature and read instructions carefully before doing a test. Other tracking devices are Basal Body temperature thermometer and mini microscopes for testing saliva or cervical mucus. An understanding of your ovulation cycle will help identify the testing methods.

Source by Elizabeth Morgan

Ovulation Tests

affordable - How To Read And Interpret A Blood Sugar Levels Chart

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You may be getting diabetes type 2 – and not even know it. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you should have your blood sugar tested if:

-You urinate too frequently

-You feel consistently thirsty

-You lose weight for no reason

-You have fatigue or blurry vision

Any of these symptoms could mean diabetes or pre diabetes, and you should ask your doctor to check your blood sugar levels. Here are some of the tests that your doctor may run:

-Hemoglobin A1-C (abbreviated as HbA1c) – sometimes called glycated hemoglobin, a common screening test that evaluates how your blood sugar has been over time.

-Fasting Blood Glucose or FPG- a blood sugar test taken at least eight hours after a meal, sometimes called a fasting glucose level.

-Oral Glucose Tolerance – you drink a bottle of measured glucose and then your blood is taken in hourly intervals to check the blood sugar levels over time.

All of the tests above will have to be ordered by your doctor; you can’t do these with any home testing. The first test that is normally run is the fasting glucose, and then the other tests like the HbA1c and tolerance tests are run if the first test is abnormal.

If you are pre-diabetic, you may have an abnormal result for the fasting glucose, but the follow-up tests may be normal, as your blood sugar levels have not raised up enough to show up on every test.

The Sugar Levels Chart

Here are the normal ranges for the three lab tests above:

Normal Values

-Hemoglobin A1C(%): Around 5

-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): below 99

-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): below 139

Pre-diabetic Values

-Hemoglobin A1C(%) – 5.7-6.4

-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): 100-125

-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): 140-199

Diabetic Values

-Hemoglobin A1C(%) – 6.5 or more

-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): 126 or more

-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): 200 or more

Source: American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes-2012.

Your health provider will take other factors in consideration when making a diagnosis – not just the lab results. All of your clinical signs and symptoms, your family history and past diagnoses will affect your provider’s final determination.

Here are some other important points to consider:

-Anyone over the age of 45 should be tested for pre-diabetes.

-If you are obese and have any of the symptoms listed above, you should be tested even if you are younger than 45 years old.

-If you have pre diabetes, you are at risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes within 10 years.

-Pre-diabetes patients can avoid full Type 2 diabetes easily with subtle changes in diet and exercise.

Disclaimer: This information in this article was derived from information found in medical journals and the mainstream media that provide reports on health. None of the contents of this article should be relied on as medical advice. For treatment information specific to your condition, consult your medical doctor.

Source by Carl Ringwall

How To Read And Interpret A Blood Sugar Levels Chart

affordable - Necessary Tests in the First Quarter of Pregnancy

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Pregnancy is a major change in a woman’s life, on the one hand the physical and mental changes characteristic of this period. First trimester of pregnancy and the first 12 weeks, is the most important and decisive stage in the future child’s harmonious development.

Unfortunately, over 60% of all pregnancies do not survive more than 2-3 months, or stop evolution or progress to miscarriage, without taking into account the multitude of voluntary abortions “on demand”. Misconduct are the main causes that induce changes in chromosomal abnormalities incompatible with survival.

The first eight weeks are crucial for embryonic development. Drug administration or action of various external factors on embryo or zygote stage (before day 20), have the effect of “all or nothing”, that kills the embryo.

Organogenesis occurs between 3-8 weeks, extremely important period in which various external agents (drugs, parasitic and bacterial agents, physical agents, etc..) Acting on products of conception may have an effect malformation. The consequences of this process are the abortion, lethal malformations, metabolic or functional defects that will manifest later in life.

Of these, blood counts, transaminases (SGPT, SGOT), glucose, uric acid, urea, creatinine (blood measurements) allow shaping haematological and biochemical status of pregnant women. Pointing out any pathologies, previously known or not, should be taken to enable treatment decisions and monitoring throughout the pregnancy.

Routine HIV antibody detection is performed (Ac HIV) and Treponema pallidum (VDRL) for the diagnosis of HIV, syphilis, respectively. Active infection with Treponema (syphilis) in the first three months of pregnancy can result in miscarriage, but not actually a rule. Regardless of when the contamination occurred, treatment is mandatory.

Detection of hepatitis C virus infection is by detection of specific antibodies (anti HCV Ac). In this case their decision to continue the pregnancy is difficult and depends very much on the woman, and the results of investigations. In any case, pregnancy can seriously aggravate the disease.

Determination of hepatitis B virus antigen (HBsAg) is done only in situations where this analysis was performed by more than three months ago from when they make these determinations. As with C virus infection, pregnancy can hasten the evolution of viral hepatitis B, resulting in death. Vaccination in pregnancy is not recommended.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection can sometimes result in miscarriage, but when this does not occur – can cause serious infections to the mother and fetus. Ideally, detection and treatment of infection to be made in preload.

Another important investigation is represented by vaginal secretion. The vagina can confine a number of bacterial agents, most frequently coming from the large intestine, inducing a series of symptoms (leukorrhea, pain with intercourse, local itching, etc..) And abortion complications that may culminate in the first quarter. These infections once detected, is easily treated with specific antibiotics.

Source by Yoan Vivian

Necessary Tests in the First Quarter of Pregnancy

affordable - Does Testing To Determine Your Ovulation Time Influence Whether You Have A Boy Or Girl Baby?

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I often hear from folks who are trying to become pregnant with a certain gender and have head that it is very important to find out exactly when they are ovulating so that they can attempt to conceive at the optimal time for the gender that they are hoping for. Some of them wonder if taking the test is going to have an effect on this process.

I heard from someone who said: “I know that I need to take an ovulation test in order to find out when I am ovulating if I want to become pregnant this month. But does the test hurt anything? Does it delay or influence ovulation? Would it have any influence over the sex or gender of my baby?” I will try to address these concerns below.

What An Ovulation Test Does And Doesn’t Do: Essentially, an ovulation test either tests your urine or your saliva for hormones (like luteinizing hormone) that increase when you approach ovulation. You get a positive reading once this hormone is present to signal you that ovulation has taken place and that this is now an ideal time to become pregnant. The test itself is only testing your bodily fluids. But it doesn’t have any effect whatsoever on what is going on inside of your body. Sometimes, certain things can delay or affect your ovulation like stress, illness, or doing anything that might alter your hormones. This sort of testing doesn’t cause any of these factors, however. So it is perfectly safe.

The one thing that this sort of testing might do is allow you to get a very clear picture of when you have or have not ovulated. And this information can be extremely valuable when you are trying to get a certain gender. For example, for a boy baby, it is much more preferable to have conception sex after ovulation has occurred. But if you want a girl baby, then you want to have conception sex before ovulation and before you get a positive result on the test. Obviously then, having more information about your ovulation is vital to helping you carry out this sort of precise timing. Urine predictors are fine for pinpointing when ovulation has already happened. But I find the saliva predictors to be better when you want to know when it is approaching. In other words, the urine predictors are fine when you want a boy. For a girl, saliva predictors make it easy to see the window where ovulation is approaching, but hasn’t yet happened.

But to address the question posed, testing for ovulation doesn’t affect your cycle and it doesn’t do anything internally to influence whether you ultimately become pregnant with a boy or a girl. However, it will help you with your timing. And your timing is very important when you are attempting to conceive at a certain time to get a certain gender.

Source by Sandy Dean

Does Testing To Determine Your Ovulation Time Influence Whether You Have A Boy Or Girl Baby?

affordable - Pregnancy Tests - When Is A Home Pregnancy Test Necessary?

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So you believe you are pregnant!! In the first instance many women decide to make use of a pregnancy test kit which can be used at home. These products can be purchased from your local pharmacy. They are not too pricey, but they do differ in price, so check around for the right deal. A home based pregnancy test kit, as the name indicates, is in simple terms a test used to give a sign as to whether or not you are expecting a baby. It should be regarded as no more than a solid indication as to the feasibility of showing positive for a pregnancy. Although accuracy and reliability claims from the manufacturers are high, there are many variables in the utilisation of these kits in your own home and there is invariably the likelihood of a false report. So always keep this in mind. Because these are home based tests, carried out without the regulations present when tests are completed by an accredited medical practitioner or regulated laboratory, there is often the likelihood of a false reading. Before seeing a doctor, many women want to have an idea as to whether or not they are pregnant, which is why an at home pregnancy test is very popular.

What if the test kit indicates positive! If the outcome of the home pregnancy test lead you to believe you are pregnant, then you will want to check with your doctor to make sure the results are correct. I fully appreciate that you will need to know for sure whether you are undoubtedly pregnant. Your doctor will be able to give you an absolute judgement as to whether you are pregnant or not. Following this verification and depending upon how far your pregnancy is, your doctor will commence a sequence of checks and examinations and you will then feel you really are pregnant!

When must I take the pregnancy test? In most instances it is beneficial to know if you are pregnant as early as it is feasible. You and your unborn boy or girl will need medical care and consideration during the period of the pregnancy and an early evaluation is crucial

What are the signs or symptoms of pregnancy? You may well be asking how do I have an idea when I may possibly be pregnant? How do I realise when to obtain the home pregnancy kit? These are genuine questions specifically if this is your 1st pregnancy. It can be difficult to recognise symptoms of pregnancy, which is why it is important to find out about the possible indicators of pregnancy as early as practicable. Among them, is an increased hypersensitivity to certain foodstuffs and smells, ongoing morning sickness, general feelings of listlessness, overtiredness and mood swings. You should consider having a pregnancy test following the beginning of any or all of these symptoms. A positive result could modify your whole life and almost definitely you will need to make modifications in your lifestyle. This article is to be used to aid women who believe they might well be pregnant. Once you actually consider you are pregnant, probably following a home pregnancy test, you should talk to your doctor and undertake a pregnancy test which is under the control of your doctor and always adhere to the proposals of your doctor.

Source by Mike J Matthews

Pregnancy Tests - When Is A Home Pregnancy Test Necessary?

affordable - What is Perimenopause FSH?

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If you are in your mid to late thirties up to your early fifties, it is very likely that you have heard the phrase “perimenopause FSH.” Someone who knows nothing about what those two words mean may come to the conclusion that it’s something complicated. The truth is, however, that it’s simply the common term used by some women when they refer to the closest thing there is to a perimenopause test.

As you may or may not know, perimenopause is the transition period that a woman goes through between her regular menstrual cycles and the complete cessation of her menstrual cycles. During this transition, a woman’s sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, are going through unpredictable fluctuations, causing uncomfortable occurrences more commonly known as perimenopause symptoms.

There is no specific medical exam or test that a woman can take in order to confirm whether or not she is perimenopausal. Doctors usually ask women to do a series of tests, which should point out a trend or all point in the same direction (so to speak.) From the series of tests and observations of symptoms, doctors can conclude whether or not a woman is in the stage of perimenopause.

Among these tests is the FSH test. FSH stands for follicle stimulating hormone. It is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. In a normal menstrual cycle, it increases each month, triggering a woman’s ovaries to produce eggs. If a woman is suspected to have perimenopause, FSH tests can be given in order to see what the levels of FSH are in her body. High FSH levels can indicate perimenopause. While this will have to be confirmed with other perimenopause tests as part of standard procedure, most trends show that high FSH levels means the woman has reached perimenopause.

So, when women say “perimenpopause FSH” they are either referring to the test or to the results of the test. Women can use the term so commonly and casually because like a pregnancy test, an FSH test can be done at home. You either drop urine into a small section of the test stick, or you dip a portion of the test stick into a disposable cup of your urine. After a few minutes, a band or two bands should show up on the results area of the test stick. Sometimes the entire stick changes color. Your test box should tell you which color will indicate high levels of FSH.

Usually, women take the perimenopause FSH test once they start experiencing a few perimenopause symptoms like skipped periods or hot flashes. Once they get a positive or high result, women must go to a doctor for further testing. A doctor will usually take positive FSH result, look at medical history, and consider other factors of lifestyle and heredity. Remember, however, even if an FSH test comes out “negative”, it doesn’t mean a woman does not have perimenopause. If a woman continues to have perimenopause type symptoms, she should see a doctor.

Source by Maggie Rahn

What is Perimenopause FSH?

affordable - Ovulation Tests

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Instinct tells a woman that she is ready to conceive, but to be doubly sure take personal or laboratory tests. For starters, estimate the approximate time of ovulation by calculating the length of the average menstrual cycle. Begin from day one, that is the first day of the menstrual period, and the last day is the day before the next period begins. If the menstrual cycle is 28 days, then subtract 17 days, which equals day 11. Use the predictor kit on day 11 and continue testing until positive. This means that you will ovulate within 24 to 36 hours.

This sounds intimidating, but in non-medical terms ovulation is interplay of glands and their hormones. Presence of progesterone is confirmed through blood tests and if the level is higher than 20nmol/L it is indicative of ovulation having taken place. The blood test is done around 3 to 10 days before the first day of menses. Another method to test ovulation is through pregnancy ultrasound whereby the presence of a fetus is verified. For women trying to conceive it is not advisable, as pelvic ultrasound has a similar success rate as pregnancy ultrasound. Other methods of testing are checking on cervical mucous changes, basal body temperature or salivary ferning three to four days prior to ovulation.

Ovulation Tests are gaining popularity through the use of ovulation calendars or predictor kits to pin down fertile periods or avoid unwanted pregnancies. Normally women ovulate in the middle of the monthly menstrual cycle, depending on the length of the cycle. Sometimes ovulation happens twice in a month or, in an unhealthy body, plays truant. Avoid drinking too much water or frequent urination when taking an Ovulation Test, as it limits accuracy.

For urine Ovulation Testing an early morning urine sample is ideal, as it contains the maximum concentrated hCG presence. If testing during the day, do not urinate 3 to 4 hours before test. The response time for a home Ovulation Test is about five minutes. Since the LH surge at time of ovulation is brief, one should test at right time of month and day.

Another method of Ovulation Test is through test strips with control color bands and intensity baselines for reference. Certain medicines have an adverse effect on test results, especially fertility drugs or pills. Consult your doctor or wait for two menstrual cycles before monitoring LH levels. For maximum effect, store test kits at room temperature and read instructions carefully before doing a test. Other tracking devices are Basal Body temperature thermometer and mini microscopes for testing saliva or cervical mucus. An understanding of your ovulation cycle will help identify the testing methods.

Source by Elizabeth Morgan

Ovulation Tests

affordable - How To Read And Interpret A Blood Sugar Levels Chart

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You may be getting diabetes type 2 – and not even know it. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you should have your blood sugar tested if:

-You urinate too frequently

-You feel consistently thirsty

-You lose weight for no reason

-You have fatigue or blurry vision

Any of these symptoms could mean diabetes or pre diabetes, and you should ask your doctor to check your blood sugar levels. Here are some of the tests that your doctor may run:

-Hemoglobin A1-C (abbreviated as HbA1c) – sometimes called glycated hemoglobin, a common screening test that evaluates how your blood sugar has been over time.

-Fasting Blood Glucose or FPG- a blood sugar test taken at least eight hours after a meal, sometimes called a fasting glucose level.

-Oral Glucose Tolerance – you drink a bottle of measured glucose and then your blood is taken in hourly intervals to check the blood sugar levels over time.

All of the tests above will have to be ordered by your doctor; you can’t do these with any home testing. The first test that is normally run is the fasting glucose, and then the other tests like the HbA1c and tolerance tests are run if the first test is abnormal.

If you are pre-diabetic, you may have an abnormal result for the fasting glucose, but the follow-up tests may be normal, as your blood sugar levels have not raised up enough to show up on every test.

The Sugar Levels Chart

Here are the normal ranges for the three lab tests above:

Normal Values

-Hemoglobin A1C(%): Around 5

-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): below 99

-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): below 139

Pre-diabetic Values

-Hemoglobin A1C(%) – 5.7-6.4

-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): 100-125

-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): 140-199

Diabetic Values

-Hemoglobin A1C(%) – 6.5 or more

-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): 126 or more

-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): 200 or more

Source: American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes-2012.

Your health provider will take other factors in consideration when making a diagnosis – not just the lab results. All of your clinical signs and symptoms, your family history and past diagnoses will affect your provider’s final determination.

Here are some other important points to consider:

-Anyone over the age of 45 should be tested for pre-diabetes.

-If you are obese and have any of the symptoms listed above, you should be tested even if you are younger than 45 years old.

-If you have pre diabetes, you are at risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes within 10 years.

-Pre-diabetes patients can avoid full Type 2 diabetes easily with subtle changes in diet and exercise.

Disclaimer: This information in this article was derived from information found in medical journals and the mainstream media that provide reports on health. None of the contents of this article should be relied on as medical advice. For treatment information specific to your condition, consult your medical doctor.

Source by Carl Ringwall

How To Read And Interpret A Blood Sugar Levels Chart

affordable - Necessary Tests in the First Quarter of Pregnancy

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Pregnancy is a major change in a woman’s life, on the one hand the physical and mental changes characteristic of this period. First trimester of pregnancy and the first 12 weeks, is the most important and decisive stage in the future child’s harmonious development.

Unfortunately, over 60% of all pregnancies do not survive more than 2-3 months, or stop evolution or progress to miscarriage, without taking into account the multitude of voluntary abortions “on demand”. Misconduct are the main causes that induce changes in chromosomal abnormalities incompatible with survival.

The first eight weeks are crucial for embryonic development. Drug administration or action of various external factors on embryo or zygote stage (before day 20), have the effect of “all or nothing”, that kills the embryo.

Organogenesis occurs between 3-8 weeks, extremely important period in which various external agents (drugs, parasitic and bacterial agents, physical agents, etc..) Acting on products of conception may have an effect malformation. The consequences of this process are the abortion, lethal malformations, metabolic or functional defects that will manifest later in life.

Of these, blood counts, transaminases (SGPT, SGOT), glucose, uric acid, urea, creatinine (blood measurements) allow shaping haematological and biochemical status of pregnant women. Pointing out any pathologies, previously known or not, should be taken to enable treatment decisions and monitoring throughout the pregnancy.

Routine HIV antibody detection is performed (Ac HIV) and Treponema pallidum (VDRL) for the diagnosis of HIV, syphilis, respectively. Active infection with Treponema (syphilis) in the first three months of pregnancy can result in miscarriage, but not actually a rule. Regardless of when the contamination occurred, treatment is mandatory.

Detection of hepatitis C virus infection is by detection of specific antibodies (anti HCV Ac). In this case their decision to continue the pregnancy is difficult and depends very much on the woman, and the results of investigations. In any case, pregnancy can seriously aggravate the disease.

Determination of hepatitis B virus antigen (HBsAg) is done only in situations where this analysis was performed by more than three months ago from when they make these determinations. As with C virus infection, pregnancy can hasten the evolution of viral hepatitis B, resulting in death. Vaccination in pregnancy is not recommended.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection can sometimes result in miscarriage, but when this does not occur – can cause serious infections to the mother and fetus. Ideally, detection and treatment of infection to be made in preload.

Another important investigation is represented by vaginal secretion. The vagina can confine a number of bacterial agents, most frequently coming from the large intestine, inducing a series of symptoms (leukorrhea, pain with intercourse, local itching, etc..) And abortion complications that may culminate in the first quarter. These infections once detected, is easily treated with specific antibiotics.

Source by Yoan Vivian

Necessary Tests in the First Quarter of Pregnancy

affordable - What is an EOS Blood Test?

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EOS or eosinophil is a type of white blood cell that helps your immune system. These white blood cells increase when you have allergies, parasite infections, asthma, and reactions to drugs such as inflammation. Eosinophils represent only a small percentage of the total cell population in your body but they are important indicators in determining if you are battling any of the diseases mentioned above or to diagnose other medical conditions like early stage Cushing’s disease or acute hypereosinophilic syndrome.

Normally, blood test like CBC or complete blood count will include information about the amount of eosinophils in your blood. In particular, a complete blood count includes a WBC (white blood cell) differential. The WBC differential checks the different types of white blood cells including eosonophil, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and basophils. The functions of the other wbc’s differ from each other but their common function is to protect the body from infections. The results of a WBC differential will indicate the presence (in percentage) of the five different types of white blood cells, whether each type has increased or not.

Another blood test that involves identifying eosinophils is the Absolute Eosinophil Count. Similar to the CBC, a blood sample will be taken from you and tested. The presence of eosinophil is determined using a stain called eosin. Under a microscope, a blood smear is stained with eosin (a red dye) and the technician counts the number of eosinophils for every 100 cells.

The absolute eosinophil count is computed by multiplying the eosinophil count and the total white blood cell count. This specific test is not normally done or requested by your health provider primarily because it is very specific to eosinophil. However, if a previous blood test result showed certain abnormalities and your health provider suspects the possibility of a certain diseases, he may ask you to undergo an absolute eosinophil count. The Absolute eosinophil count, for example, helps diagnose the early stages of Cushing’s disease and acute hypereosinophilic syndrome.

Source by Jessica Watson

What is an EOS Blood Test?