Women's Health and Pregnancy

For International Women's Day, in line with the UN Women’s theme for 2019 we highlight a few women innovators and social entrepreneurs who have contributed to "Think equal, Build smart & Innovate for a change." We asked these three women entrepreneurs and innovators what drove the innovation and how it benefits the community.  Aditi Gupta, Founder - Menstrupedia Making it cool for young girls to talk about menstruation We created Menstrupedia to fight the widespread unawareness…

Dr. Jayanti Mani, Consultant – Neurology at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, addresses the concern that women with epilepsy cannot have children and breastfeed their baby. With the correct advice on medications, pre-planned pregnancy and proper monitoring most women with epilepsy can safely have normal children, she says. Is it safe for women with epilepsy to get pregnant? With advances in epilepsy therapies and comprehensive care by neurologists and obstetricians, it is now safer than ever…

There is a significant increase in young people with eating disorders from developing countries who take concerns about food and body weight to dangerous extremes. Dr. Mangala of SCARF, Chennai shares how you can spot an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia and binging and seek timely assistance to save precious lives. Eating disorders are behavioural disorders characterized by abnormal eating habits, causing psychological and physiological disturbances. These persistent abnormal eating…

Pooja Mehta Nandi, 40, reflects on how she never ever let epilepsy seizures overpower or crush her - through school, work, marriage or motherhood. Read her motivational account. I have been getting seizures since I was a child. Not random seizures, but those that had a fixed pattern of occurrence. Every time I had fever, I would get a fit. Right through my childhood, the two would invariably come together. As I had no other health problem, and my convulsions would stop as my fever subsided, my…

Dr Kanika Chaudhuri, practicing consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Singapore talks of the Risks of Gestational Diabetes and how to control diabetes before, during and after pregnancy As the age of childbirth goes up due to changing demographics, we are seeing more patients with pre-existing diabetes and the incidence of Gestational diabetes mellitus (diabetes developing in pregnant women) is also on the rise. Both these conditions need multi-disciplinary management to…

Cervical cancer refers to cancer that originates in the cells lining the cervix, which is the organ connecting the uterus and the vagina. There are two main types of cervical cancers: The most common is squamous cell carcinoma, arising in the squamous (flattened) epithelial cells that line the cervix. The other is adenocarcinoma, which starts in the mucus-producing gland cells of the cervix.  The human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is the leading cause of cervical cancer.…

Tara Sharma* 23 is a Delhi-based young woman who shares her experiences of trying to tackle Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) with all its symptoms of acne, facial hair, painful periods, and weight gain. Please tell us a bit about your condition, as in what you are suffering from? I am suffering from a hormonal imbalance called PCOS- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome which is caused due to excess male hormones (androgen levels) in females. I was diagnosed in early 2017, about one and a half years back…

First time mothers are often very stressed about many different things. In one study on Indian women, 70% felt breastfeeding was a challenging experience. We speak to Dr Zinal Unadkat Shah, a Pediatrician and Lactation Consultant from Mumbai on the effect of stress on lactation. How does stress affect lactation physiologically? Whenever a woman takes stress, it increases the hormone cortisol in the body. Cortisol levels in turn work on the pituitary gland thereby reducing the hormones prolactin…

In recognition of Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7), Dr. Shital Patel reiterates the many benefits of breastfeeding babies.  Breastfeeding is known to be beneficial for not only the mother and child but for the society as a whole. It is the most natural and ideal way to feed babies. The World Health Organization recommends that mothers exclusive breastfeed (no other food or water, only breastmilk) for the first 6 months and then along with complementary foods till age 2 years and beyond. For…

Dr. Snehil Mishra, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Hinduja Healthcare Surgical Hospital, dispels the fallacy that heart disease is a man's disease. On the contrary, it is the number one killer of women with symptoms in women being different than men.   Are women at a higher risk for heart disease than men? The risk of heart disease in women is significantly underappreciated due to under reporting as well as lack of awareness. In most Western countries, the incidence of heart…