Archive for the ‘Women’s Issues’ Category

Effect of Menopause on Body Weight

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Menopause marks a major life transition for women. A woman’s body stops producing estrogen and the body’s entire hormone balance changes. During the years immediately before and after menopause, many women experience mood changes, fatigue, and a general lack of energy or motivation.

Women also tend to gain weight and, regardless of weight gain, notice a change in their body shape toward a thicker waist and a more apple-shaped body resulting from the lack of estrogen. The hormone changes that go along with menopause are linked to a type of overweight called android obesity the accumulation of fat at the waistline.

This explains why many menopausal women complain that they are losing their waist seemingly without eating or exercising any differently. One group of researchers, however, found that reduced physical activity but not increased food intake appears to be a predictor of weight gain during the menopause years. It could be that because menopausal women may feel less energetic, they don’t put as much effort into their physical activity The best advice is to be prepared for these changes with an action plan for avoiding weight gain or regain.

The weight gain and increased waist circumference that are associated with menopause can be prevented with long-term lifestyle changes that include diet and physical activity. A study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh found that premenopausal women who reduced their caloric intake by about 1,000 to 1,500 calories per week and increased their physical activity did not gain weight and even reduced their waist circumference in the years around menopause.

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Weight gain during Pregnancy

Monday, May 12th, 2008

The weight gain of pregnancy poses a challenge to many women. Weight is an important medical aspect of pregnancy, so it is carefully monitored as part of prenatal care by an obstetrician. The key to managing weight during the years when you are having children is to follow your doctor’s instructions during the pregnancy or pregnancies, then get back to your prepregnancy weight after each delivery.

Women who gain excess weight during pregnancy and fail to it afterward are more likely to develop obesity later on. With an obstetrician’s approval, including a program of moderate intensity physical activity during pregnancy is generally recommended. After giving birth, breast-feeding and exercise may be beneficial to control weight. A structured weight-loss program may also help.

In a study that compared a structured weight-loss program that included a sensible approach to eating and exercise with a do-it-yourself approach in the year following pregnancy, the women who participated in the structured program lost over 15 pounds and 6% of their body fat.

The women who tried to lose the weight on their own lost nothing. The researchers concluded that women who were overweight going into the pregnancy were unlikely to lose the weight that they gained during the pregnancy without the help of a structured program.

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Pregnancy Exercise

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

Doing some exercise can ease the amount of pain a woman has to suffer during normal labor. Pregnancy exercise stretches the pelvic floor of the would-be mother and the muscles can adopt enough tension during the process of delivery. If you were leading a sedentary lifestyle before getting pregnant, it is useful to evaluate your pregnancy exercise plan by the concerned gynecologist before you start. You must not do vigorous exercise during pregnancy as the fetus needs added calorie to develop normally inside the womb, but if you do not belong to the high risk group, you can jolly well follow an exercise program.

If you were doing some kind of exercise regimen before you got pregnant, you can continue to do so with some precaution. Controlled exercise does not increase the risk of miscarriage. If you are starting the program with a view to improve your health during the time of pregnancy, you must start very slowly and always be careful not to over apply yourself. You must listen to your body’s demands. You will get natural signal when you should stop or reduce the intensity of your exercise schedule.

You must not exercise to the level of collapse or started breathlessness. This is a sigh when you and your baby have reached the level of reduced oxygen level. Avoid rocky territory when jogging or running. The joints become more lax during pregnancy due to hormonal action. You may not control your balance if the terrain is not so flat. Always warm up before you start and cool down yourself after the exercise program is finished.

The most comfortable pregnancy exercises are aerobic exercises that do not require weight lifting. Using a static cycle and swimming are two best options that can be continued throughout pregnancy. Gentle walking and basic step routine aerobic exercises are recommended during the last three months as the growing fetus restricts mother to go for any complex exercise. Always consult your doctor before doing any changes in the ongoing exercise program. A specialist can guide you what is the best for you and your baby.

Do not engage in the contact sports like tennis, badminton or football. Even gentle push to your abdomen can become fatal for both the mother and the child. After the first trimester (three months), do not engage any kind of exercise that should be done lying on your back. The weight of the fetus may block the abdominal aorta (the main blood vessel that carries purified blood from the heart to the abdominal structures as well as the growing baby). Avoid standing for a long time.

Stay away from exercising in extremely hot weather; you will be fatigued in no time. The best time for exercise is early in the morning or late in the evening. It prevents you to get exhausted within short span. If you are doing exercise indoors, you must ensure the room has proper ventilation or you can think of putting an air conditioner to keep yourself cool. Your diet must contain at least three liters of fluids everyday. You must avoid taking alcohol.

The importance of adequate diet is indispensable. You must take a well balanced diet. Usually, during pregnancy one has to take more than 300 Kcal of extra diet. This is essential for the proper development of the fetus. Always eat healthy diet that is full of fresh green leafy vegetables and complex carbohydrates.

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Birth control pills and acne

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

You are taking birth control pills for a long time. One fine morning you notice a tiny cyst like lesion on your face. You ask your friend, what it could be. And she says it may be acne. Can it be true? Well, let me tell you yes, most certainly it could be acne. Birth control pills have potentiality to promote the formation of acne.

At times we do not consult our doctor before buying or taking a low profile medicine which is readily available over the counter. After a couple of days or months, we discover some kind of disease process has started within our body. Because of this, we have to accept many other complications and our purse loses weight.

Birth control pills, Oral Contraceptive Pills or simply OCPs, are one of the most infamous medicines in this class. OCP is actually a combination of two major naturally occurring hormones – progesterone and estrogen. Interestingly, doctors frequently prescribe estrogen creams for the treatment of acne. Estrogen is a gonadal hormone and it benefits the outcome of acne by suppressing the production of androgens from the ovary. The mechanism involves inhibition of a specific hormone secretion from the pituitary gland situated in the skull – called gonadotropin. Cyclical treatment along with added progestin is quite effective to manage the case.

Now let us discuss the matter in depth. How does acne formed and what is their outcome. Acne is of two types, Acne vulgaris and Acne rosasea. Acne vulgaris is the predominant form of Acne and most commonly found. It is mostly seen in the adolescents and the teenagers owing to increase sebum production from the sebaceous glands present in the epidermal layer of the skin. The production of sebum increases during puberty, reaches its highest level during adulthood and then gradually decreases with age. Androgens like testosterone accelerate its production from the sebaceous gland. Small sized cystic lesion, named comedones, become visible in the follicles of the hair due to blockage of the follicular opening. This is because of the deposition of sebum and other keratinized materials. Then some bacteria play their role. Bacteria dissolve these sebum and other materials to produce free fatty acids which are corrosive to the already vulnerable skin. This in turn gives rise to inflammation inside the cyst and in due course the cyst ruptures. The end result is what we see as acne.

Now, we must know that estrogen has its own side effects. These include decreased sexual desire (libido), increase in the size of the breast and others. Sometimes the enlargement of breast occurs in the male also (feminization). Women, those who have stopped menstruation, have a 5-10 times increased risk of developing cancer of the uterus. Even there is information of breast cancer also. Long time therapy with birth control pill increases the risk of formation of gall stone by twice. Use of estrogen cream in the men is out of question. Estrogen has the power to suppress the growth of the children if prescribed. Breast tenderness is very common during long term use of birth control pills. In addition, there are various other grave complications if birth control pills are used for prolonged time. There is episode of heart attack due to blockage of the blood vessels that supplies nutrition to the heart muscle, obstruction of long veins of legs, arms and lungs, increase in the blood pressure, increase in the cholesterol level – to name a few.

For the treatment of acne, you need to use the estrogen cream for a long time. So consult your doctor and do accordingly to his advice.

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Will You Consider Drinking Aloe Vera juice Everyday?

Friday, March 21st, 2008

Aloe vera juice has been used for centuries as a kind of healthy drink. In fact, there are a lot of people who drink aloe vera juice in a regular basis. You may what to know the benefits of drinking this juice. Let us discuss about this issue in detail.

Scientists find that aloe vera contains more than 75 nutrients. It can help to ease the problems such as swelling and itching. There are even studies showing that it may help to improve blood circulation!

As a matter of fact, more people are drinking aloe vera juice nowadays. According to people who take the juice regularly, they experience less constipation after drinking the juice in a regular basis. One thing you may not know is that there are even some aloe vera capsules which can have identical function as the juice. Of course you may still stick to the juice if you do not really like the idea of taking capsules.

There are even people who drink aloe vera juice in order to treat IBS. Although there are only a few researches on the healing power of aloe vera juice on IBS, people who take it as remedy to IBS generally agree that it is one of the most effective ways to treat IBS. Of course more studies and researches will be need in order to fully reveal the healing power of it on IBS.

You may want to ask if there will be any side effect if you drink aloe vera on a daily basis. It can be sure that side effects are very rare. However, it is recommended that pregnant women and women who are breast-feeding should stay away from it. If you are in this case and really want to take aloe vera juice, be sure to check and discuss with your doctor before doing so. This is because the body of pregnant women is extremely vulnerable.

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