We would certainly advise women who come in for a pre-pregnancy check to maintain their weight i.e. less then 30 Body Mass Index. Being within the optimum body weight increases the chances of fertility, and reduces the chances of complications during pregnancy. For more information, visit care.com

There is no set limit as far as exercise for obese women is concerned. It depends on the flexibility of the mother, and the availability of a good physiotherapist who can guide the obese mother to exercise safely. For more information, visit care.com

Obesity certainly affects the success rate of IVF. This is mainly because the body fat always interferes with the medications used. The type of drugs or the dosage need to be altered in an obese woman, therefore making the chances slightly complicated. For more information, visit care.com

Obesity definitely affects the course of labour and delivery. During labour, managing a patient who is obese becomes difficult because the doctor might not be able to detect the heart rate of properly. Assessing the position of the baby clinically might also pose a challenge. Also, conducting a C-section in an obese woman might be complicated. For more information, visit care.com

Early pregnancy symptoms such as vomiting or giddiness may not be altered in obese women. However, due to the thickness of the abdominal wall, the feeling of the baby moving will be altered and the mother might not be able to appreciate the movement of the child too well. For more information, visit care.com

Obesity is defined as any Body Mass Index of more than 18.5-24.9 and any woman with the BMI of above 25 will have certain problems conceiving a baby. The most common condition is what we call Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which affects the ovulation in a woman. Also, once they conceive, the chances of miscarriage and development of other issues like hypertension or Diabetes is high in these women. For more information, visit care.com

Bariatric surgery will be useful for women who have a body mass index of over 35, since it will be difficult for these women to lose weight through dieting and exercise alone. The only issue after Bariatric surgery is that it alters the absorption of certain nutrients, so they will require a lot of care and monitoring in nutrition so that they don't develop any nutritional deficiencies that could affect them or the growing foetus during the pregnancy. For more information, visit care.com

The foetal ultrasounds are probably more for an obese mother because checking the foetal heart through regular doplers is extremely difficult due to excess abdominal fat. Monitoring the growth of the foetus is also difficult by just taking abdominal measurements as this can have errors. Therefore, they will have to be monitored mainly through ultrasound examinations. For more information, visit care.com

Yes, there are non hormonal methods for managing abnormal uterine bleeding, especially for those cases that are cyclic and predictable in nature. These are NSAIDs (non sterioidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and tranexamic acid. These can be given to younger patients who do not want hormones to given cyclically. This should be the first line of therapy while treating abnormal uterine bleeding. For more information, visit care.com

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Preconception Counselling means a woman who is trying to get pregnant seeing her doctor before planning her pregnancy, so that courses can be taken to improve the outcome of her pregnancy. It aims at detecting any medical problems that the woman has, which may affect her pregnancy. For more information, visit care.com

In Cloudnine Hospital, we encourage the husband to accompany the wife during all pregnancy visits to the hospital. This care should also continue during labour. There is more bonding and participation between the couple during labour. Ideally, the partner should remind the pregnant woman to relax and encourage her to be strong. For more information, visit care.com

What happens with the water breaks during pregnancy? When there is a gush of fluid, women are advised to wear a napkin and confirm if it is a urine leak or a water bed break. If the napkin is wet, and clear it is normal. If the water bed breaks and there is a greenish discharge then it is an indication that the baby has passed stool. Immediately inform your doctor and go to the hospital where your doctor will advise you on the next course of action. For more information, visit care.com

When a woman is in an active phase of labour, continue with your regular deep breathing exercises or walking or yoga. However, if the pain is too much to bear, the pregnant woman can discuss pain relief options with the doctor. Dr. Chitralekha Dambekodi explains the various types of pain relief options. There may be side effects of these medicines which could cause drowsiness in both the mother and the baby. For more information, visit care.com

Is it safe to schedule your baby's delivery ahead? If the pregnancy is normal or it is a low risk pregnancy, it is advised to wait till the due date and have a natural delivery. However, planned delivery is advised when there are medical or surgical reasons in the case of a high-risk pregnancy. Dr. Chitralekha Dambekodi explains when to plan your delivery in this video. For more information, visit care.com

Dr. Chitralekha explains that active stage of labor is indicated by the dilation of the uterus - 4cm or 6 cm and so on. The pregnant woman might also be moved to the labor room by the doctor. For more information visit care.com

If you notice cramps or contractions are increasing every 10-15 minutes, or if relaxing, sleeping or taking a bath doesn't not help decrease the cramps then it certainly could be labor. For more information visit, care.com

If cramps are increasing Dr. Chitralekha of suggests relaxing by sleeping or having a hot shower. If the cramps subside after doing these, then they are false indications of labor. If they persist, then the pregnant woman could be in labor. Examinations at the hospital could also identify definite signs of labor. For more information visit, care.com

Usually labor pains are a little stronger version of period pains. In women who don't have very strong period pains, maybe from 36 weeks, pregnant women might experience some cramping and backache, especially when the baby is kicking hard or while exercising. When the cramps increase or the intensity is getting more stronger then it could be that labor has begun. Dr. Chitralekha Dambekodi explains how to identify labor through various symptoms experienced by a pregnant woman. For more information, visit care.com

A common anxiety for women with PCOD is whether they would be able to conceive a child. In general, they are advised to adopt a healthy lifestyle and invest time in regular exercise, walking, swimming and any form of exercise that helps them keep fit. They are also advised to consume foods rich in Vitamins like green vegetables which results in the normal restoration of hormones in their body. For more information visit care.com

When it comes to special investigations in high-risk pregnancies, a base line screening test of blood investigations is done in the beginning of the first trimester to see if pre-existing medical conditions are adequately controled. This could detect genetic defects in the baby. An ultrasound test could also reveal if the growth of the baby is happening consitently with the pregnancy. For more information, visit care.com

Treatment options in PCOD/PCOS is not curative, it is largely focused on controling symptoms, managing problems and preventing complications. In general, the common advice to all PCOD patients is to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, consuming foods with low glycemic index. They are also encouraged to be active through Yoga or jogging etc. Dr. Rashmi Chaudhary takes you through various treatment options for patients with PCOD. For more information visit care.com

The symptoms of PCOD normally manifests as soon as a woman begins menstruating, but its symptoms and severity varies. In younger women there is usually irregular periods, abnormal skin discoloration, unwanted hair growth and they often display hyperandrogenism which is accompanied by deeping of the voice, excess hair growth and more. In mid-age groups of women PCOD could also cause infertility. In older age groups of women the symptoms usually decline but the body mass index increases. They could be more prone to cardiovascular dis

Twins or multiple pregnancies do come under high-risk pregnancy because there is always increased risk of complications. This could be pertaining to the mother and can cause Anaemia, or growth restrictions in the babies and a chance of a pre-term delivery. For more information, visit care.com

PCOD adversely affects fertility in women. Dr. Rashmi Chaudhary, Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician, explains that the condition is either a state of oligo-ovulation or anovulation, where patients with PCOD ovulate very infrequently or they don't ovulate at all. For more information visit care.com

PCOD being a state of endocrine abnormalities, it predisposes a woman to many complications like Type 2 Diabetes mellitus, Hypercholesterolemia, Acne, Hypertension and more. Pregnant women suffer from early pregnancy complications like chemical pregnancy, incomplete abortions, pre-term labour and more. In the later part of the pregnancy they might also suffer from Gestational Diabetes. For more information visit care.com

PCOD/PCOS patients most commonly display abnormal or irregular menstrual cycles. This is caused due to the disturbed hormonal status. PCOS patients have a very high level if Luteinizing hormone (LH) levels from the beginning of the menstrual cycle. The Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) levels will be low, and a very high level of testosterone. This leads to irregular formation of the female sex hormones. Dr. Rashmi Chaudhary explains how irregular periods and PCOD are linked. For more information visit care.com

In a situation where it is a high-risk pregnancy, planned elective Caesarean is the safest option since there might be associated complications that could arise during a natural delivery. Hence, a planned Caesarean is a safer bet. For more information, visit care.com

The basic reason why pregnant women develop hypertension or Preeclampsia during pregnancy is abnormal development of the placenta. If there is not enough blood supply to the placenta, and hence the blood supply to the baby will be affected. If the placenta does not function properly there will be growth restriction, or stunted growth, in the baby. This might result in low birth weight in the baby. In certain cases if the mother has too many complications, an early birth might be advised which could result in a premature baby. For more information visit care.com

Some of the warning signs of cold and cough are high grade fever, hacking cough, irritability, chills, poor feeding and difficulty in breathing. All these symptoms warrant admitting the child for treatment. For more information, visit care.com

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and healthy diet are crucial before planning a pregnancy so that the pregnancy outcome is excellent. Any defeciencies in the body should be taken care of before getting pregnant. Indian women typically have a Vitamin D, Calcium and Folic Acid and doctors would be able to advise how to take care of these defeciencies during the preconception phase in order to handle the pregnancy in the best way possible. For more information, visit care.com

Once the delivery is completed, the woman will be monitored regularly and even after discharge she will be asked to monitor the blood pressure at home. Usually, the BP will come back to normal either a few months or few weeks after delivery. The woman is advised that she is at risk of developing preeclampsia in her next pregnancy and she will be advised to make certain lifestyle changes to keep it at bay. If the blood pressure during pregnancy was due to chronic hypertension, and the blood pressure is not normalized then she will be asked to continue taking medicines even after delivery. For more information, visit care.com

Eclampsia is a rare but very serious condition affecting women that results in severe convulsions or violent shaking of the body during pregnancy. 1 in 200 women might have Eclampsia. Certain symptoms like vision blurring, headaches and upper abdominal pain alert the doctor of an Eclampsia case. In rare cases, the convulsion might occur without any warning signs. Eclampsia can happen during the pregnancy and 30% of the time the stress of labour and increasing blood pressure might also lead the pregnant woman to throw a fit. Dr. Harsha Reddy explains what happens during Preeclampsia that could lead to Eclampsia. For more information visit care.com

Hypertension in pregnancy is common, it occurs when the blood pressure is higher than normal. Any high blood pressure recorded during pregnancy is considered to be potentially dangerous, both to the mother and the baby. Gestational hypertension, Preeclampsia, Eclampsia and Chronic Hypertension are some of the disorders caused by hypertension during pregnancy. Dr. Harsha Reddy, , describes the various disorders that can occur due to hypertension in a pregnancy. For more information visit care.com

Treatment of hypertension in pregnancy depends on what type of hypertensive disorder the pregnant woman has. In the case of chronic hypertension, where the hypertension was present prior to the pregnancy, medicines will be continued. In case some of the medicines could lead to abnormalities in the baby, doctors recommend a change in medication. Organs such eyes, heart and kidneys will be monitored during the course of the pregnancy. It's important to monitor the baby as well during this period. In the case of a Preeclampsia case, the treatment depends on the level of the blood pressure, the duration of the pregnancy and the condition of the baby. The ultimate treatment would be to deliver the baby in good health. If the BP is extremely high, the woman's organs and the baby's health might be affected. In such a case the doctor might choose to prematurely deliver the baby. Dr. Harsha Reddy, explains how hypertension in pregnancy can be treated. For more information visit care.com

The main causes of a high risk pregnancy would be medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes, thyroid, pre-existing PCOS, auto immune diseases, kidney malfunctions. Then there are factors like age above 35, lifestyle modifications and obesity.

There are high chances of a pregnancy being a high-risk one if it's after 35 years of age. The problems include age-related medical complications, other medical issues like hypertension, diabetes, etc. and lifestyle. Watch the video to understand it better.

Any situation in a pregnancy that adversely affects the health of the mother or the baby is called a high rish pregnancy. Preeclampsia is associated with abnormal placental development which leads to narrowing of the blood vessels supplying various organs of the woman's body. Some of the complications that a pregnant woman might have are Convulsions caused by Preeclampsia, temporary shut down of the functioning of the kidneys and thirdly, the HELLP Syndrome where the liver is affected. Dr. Harsha Reddy, , explains what could occur during a high risk pregnancy caused by hypertension. For more information visit care.com

Women who have PCOD or PCOS usually have irregular menstrual cycles. The Luteinizing Hormone (LH) are very high in the beginning of the menstrual cycle, and even higher than the Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). In a normal woman, this is the reverse. There is an increased level of testosterone which causes irregular ripening of the endometrium. This results in irregular menstrual cycle and irregular bleeding. For more information, visit care.com