Women's Health and Pregnancy

Jassu Sekhon. 40 from Mumbai delivered a pre-term baby of 1.1Kg at 30 weeks. She shares her experience of what her baby had to go through and what she as a mother did to make her prematurely born baby stronger. Please tell us about your delivery and birth of your baby? I delivered my baby 2.5 years ago via caesarean section in a room full of doctors, with my partner by my side and listening to FM radio. Our daughter was pulled out and handed to me. One of the doctors pulled down the green…

A recent study1 by the Women’s Health Institute at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, USA reviewed the effects of paternal age on fertility, pregnancy and the health of children. While women are known to have a ticking clock for reproduction, men are not subject to a similar timeline. Dr Ameya Sirsat, a leading Fertility Specialist from Mumbai guides us through these recent study results and what it means for men in relation to their reproductive health. Is there a “biological clock”…

Neetu,43 has struggled with various symptoms of Hypothyroidism, be it weight gain, fatigue, lethargy over the years. She has tried to manage it with a combination of medications and lifestyle changes. But its not been easy. She candidly shares her challenges here. #YouAreNotAlone There was a steady pattern of unwanted weight loss and instead of feeling energetic; I was becoming more lethargic and listless. Thinking it was a hormonal issue because of heavy period flow that month, I went to see…

Nisha Suchak, 40, who is living with the von Willebrand Disease, which causes heavy menstrual bleeding and other bleeding problems, recounts some of the life threatening situation that she has had to battle. I have had a bleeding disorder since I was an infant. My knees and elbows would turn black and blue and would pain severely for several days every time I would get a bruise. Once, when I was 3-years-old, I fell on my face while running at home and my nose began to bleed. Most nosebleeds are…

Certain common day symptoms which last long may be signs of something serious. It is best to not ignore these. Dr. Shital Raval lists 13 such symptoms that women should not ignore. Women often tend to sideline their health over everything else going in their lives. After a long day it is common to have achy joints, tiredness, general feelings of malaise etc. all of which usually subside after a good night’s rest. However, if there are symptoms that are lasting, unexplained and do not subside…

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…