Why Get A Flu Shot
- Pregnant women who get the flu are at higher risk of hospitalization, and even death, than non-pregnant women.
- Severe illness in the pregnant mother can also be dangerous to her fetus.
- When you get your flu shot, your body starts to make antibodies that help protect you and your baby against the flu.
- Antibodies can be passed on to your unborn baby, and help protect the baby for up to six months after he or she is born.
Supplement Use During Pregnancy
Discuss any supplements you take or plan to take during your pregnancy with your doctor.
While prenatal vitamins are recommended to support levels of essential vitamins and minerals, like folate, other supplements may pose risks to your baby. They may also interact with medications youre already taking.
Note that just because something is labeled all-natural doesnt always mean its safe. Supplements are by the FDA in the same way as prescription drugs. Approach them with caution and discuss using with your doctor before starting any.
How Is A Urinary Tract Infection Diagnosed How Do Healthcare Providers Test For A Uti In Toddlers
After interviewing you about your childs history and performing a physical examination, the healthcare provider may order the following tests:
- Urine tests like the leukocyte esterase and a urine culture to test for the presence of bacteria or white blood cells.
- Blood tests looking for infection or kidney function.
- Ultrasound or CT of the kidneys and bladder.
- Voiding cystourethrogram , which evaluates the bladder and urethra to detect vesicoureteral reflux .
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Treating A Yeast Infection During Pregnancy
It’s safe to treat a yeast infection with over-the-counter vaginal creams or suppositories that contain miconazole or clotrimazole.
Dont take an oral fluconazole tablet to treat a yeast infection during pregnancy. It may cause birth defects.
If you think you have a yeast infection, call your doctor before using over-the-counter medications to treat it.
Diagnosing A Yeast Infection During Pregnancy
If you are experiencing symptoms of a yeast infection while you are pregnant, contact your doctor immediately.
Although yeast infections are not known to cause negative effects on a pregnancy, they are more difficult to control and symptoms may be extremely difficult to deal with, especially during your third trimester.
There are also other infections that can feel the same as a yeast infection and that may be a danger to you and the baby in pregnancy.
To diagnose you, your doctor will take a sample of your vaginal discharge to analyze in a laboratory. This is done to confirm that a yeast infection is present and determine the severity of the infection.
Diagnostic testing is also used to determine that you do not have a bacterial infection in the vagina called a Bacterial Vaginosis or you do not have an STD such as Chlamydia, Gonorrhea or Trichomoniasis.
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Do Guys Get Yeast Infections
Guys can get an infection of the head of the penis from the same yeast that causes vaginal infections. Guys who have diabetes or are on antibiotics for a long time are more likely to get this infection. A guy with a yeast infection may not have any symptoms or the tip of the penis may get red and sore or itchy. Some guys might have a slight discharge or pain when peeing.
Guys who are not circumcised need to take extra care to clean properly beneath their foreskins. The warm, moist folds of the foreskin are the perfect environment for yeast to thrive. Keeping the area clean and dry may help prevent an infection. If symptoms do show up, a doctor can treat the infection.
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Can I Take Cold Medicine While Pregnant Or Breastfeeding
There are certain cold medicines that are considered safe to take while you are pregnant or breastfeeding. The safety of using over-the-counter cold medication while pregnant or breastfeeding depends on the specific medicines within the products, how far along you are in your pregnancy, and any other medical conditions you may have. You should only use cold medicines for the shortest time possible to help with your symptoms. Always be sure to check with your health care provider or pharmacist before taking any over-the-counter cold medicines during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
The American Pregnancy Association recommends limiting the amount of over-the-counter cold medicines you take and trying certain home remedies to alleviate symptoms. They promote washing your hands regularly, drinking plenty of fluids, getting ample amounts of rest, eating well, and only using medications to treat the symptoms you are experiencing. As a home remedy for sinus congestion, they recommend using a humidifier, keeping your head elevated on a pillow while resting, and/or using adhesive nasal strips. For sore throat, they recommend sucking on ice chips, drinking warm herbal tea , or gargling warm salt water.1
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How To Prevent Yeast Infections During Pregnancy
While you cant control your hormones , you can take a few steps to prevent yeast infections during pregnancy. Some tactics to try:
- Excess moisture can exasperate an imbalance, making your vagina a more welcoming environment for fungal growth. Wear cotton undergarments that allow your genital area to “breathe.”
- Try sleeping without underwear or pajama bottoms at night to allow for increased air flow.
- Take showers instead of baths .
- Never douche or use vaginal sprays or deodorants.
- Avoid sitting around in a wet bathing suit.
- After showering or swimming, make sure your genital area is completely dry before putting on your underwear and clothes.
- Take antibiotics only when prescribed by your doctor and use them exactly as directed.
Adding yogurt containing live probiotic cultures might also help to keep symptoms at bay, and you can ask your doctor whether they recommend a probiotic supplement.
Some women with chronic yeast infections also find it helpful to cut back on foods that feed yeast, such as sugar and baked goods that are made with refined flour.
Are There Any Self
- When washing the area around your vagina , use a soap substitute, such as an emollient wash, rather than soap and wash the area no more than once a day . Ask your pharmacist if youre not sure what to use.
- Take showers instead of baths, and use an emollient moisturiser on the skin around your vagina .
- Avoid using products that might irritate your skin, such as perfumed wipes or panty liners, vaginal deodorants, douches, and perfumed shower gel . Vaginal douching is likely to make things worse, not better .
- Try probiotics . Eating live yoghurt may help your symptoms to get better alongside treatment because they help “good” bacteria to thrive . Some women use live yoghurt as an ointment for their vagina, too .
- Wear cotton underwear thats not too tight-fitting. Avoid wearing tights if possible .
- Use unscented lubrication during sex to make it more comfortable and to relieve any symptoms of pain or tightness .
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Increase In Vaginal Discharge
The amount of vaginal discharge and cervical mucus you secrete may increase throughout pregnancy. Hormonal changes causes this as well as the softening of the cervix and vaginal walls.
Discharge is designed to protect your vagina from infection, but it can irritate the skin of the vulva, making it red and itchy.
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Yeast Infection: Causes During Pregnancy
In pregnancy, the increase of estrogen hormone makes a woman more prone to yeast infection than at other times in a womans life. More than 80% of infection is caused by yeast species called Candida albicans. Hormone changes will cause an imbalance of pH in your vagina and it makes the environment more favorable for the yeast to grow. If you do not control your blood sugar level or if you are diabetic, high sugar content in the vagina secretions will even create a better living environment for the yeast to grow.
During pregnancy, your vagina discharge will be changed too. Yeast infection will cause changes in terms of the color and smell of your discharge. Read this to differentiate the vaginal discharge during pregnancy.
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How Can A Yeast Infection Be Prevented
Prevention is always better than cure. It is best to prevent the infection from happening in the first place rather than to cure the damage done by it. To prevent a yeast infection from happening, you should try to consume food that is rich in probiotics, or taking a supplement with cranberry in it might be of great help as well. Other than these, some other preventive measures are:
- avoiding very tight clothes
- saying yes to underwear made of pure cotton
- after a shower or a bath one should dry themselves thoroughly
- wet swimsuits should not be worn for too long
- avoid using scented products to clean your vagina
- avoid douching
- must take foods that contain probiotics like yogurt, sauerkraut, etc
- steer clear of high levels of sugar in your diet
When Is A Longer
If you have a complicated vaginal yeast infection, its a good idea to talk to your doctor. He or she may recommend using a treatment over a longer period of time. A vaginal yeast infection is considered to be complicated if it causes more severe symptoms such as widespread, painful swelling in the vagina and on the outer genitals or if the infection recurs more than four times per year. Yeast infections are also considered to be complicated if theyre caused by a weakened immune system, for instance due to an HIV infection.
When treating complicated vaginal yeast infections, an initial treatment is typically followed by maintenance treatment. In the initial phase of treatment,
- creams or suppositories are used for 1 to 2 weeks, or
- instead, one oral tablet is taken every three days for about a week.
This is usually followed by maintenance treatment, where you take one antifungal tablet per week over a period of six months. If you cant take tablets for instance, due to a pregnancy or interactions with other drugs you can use only creams or suppositories for the whole treatment period.
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What Complications Are Associated With Yeast Infections
In nonpregnant women who have a normal immune system, yeast infections rarely lead to serious complications.
Even in pregnancy, yeast infections dont usually cause harmful effects in the mother. However, you can pass the yeast to your baby during delivery.
Most babies who develop a yeast infection have it just in their mouths or diaper area. However, though rare, a yeast infection in babies can become very serious, because their immune systems arent yet well-developed. It can spread through the infants body and affect breathing and heart rhythm, for example. This happens most often in babies who have other things affecting their immune systems, such as prematurity or an underlying infection.
Yeast infections can also cause body-wide infections and serious complications in women who have a weakened immune system because of conditions such as HIV.
From Cold And Cough To Hemorrhoid And Nausea We Break Down Safe Otc Medications To Take While Pregnant
Its the dead of winter and you cant sleep, because youre 7 months pregnant and your baby has decided to be nocturnal. You know you need sleep, because lack of good rest inhibits your immune system. This stresses you out, because your spouse has a nasty cold, and youd rather avoid it.
Your spouse is resting peacefully in the guest room because he has a plethora of over-the-counter medications at his disposal.
But not you. Youre pregnant, and your OTC medicine choices are extremely limited. So, you hope to stay healthy amid the stress and discomfort of pregnancy. Not to mention its cold and flu season.
Then, you realize. Your nose is running. Your sinuses feel clogged. Youre getting sick.
Your first instinct is to want to grab those great medications your spouse is taking. But you know you have to be careful.
In no time, youre miserable with symptoms of the common cold. Youre desperate for relief, but you know the safety of your baby is paramount.
Advanced Womens Healthcare is here to help with a comprehensive list of safe over-the-counter medications to take during pregnancy. Always consult your doctor for the best personalized choices for you.
Pregnant women: Dont forget to get your flu shot at AWH Dallas!
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What Is A Yeast Infection
Yeast infection occurs when the normal levels of acid and yeast in the vagina are out of balance, which allows the yeast to overgrow causing an uncomfortable, but not serious, a condition called a yeast infection.If you have never been diagnosed or treated by a physician for a yeast infection and have some of the symptoms, you should see your physician first for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Other infections have similar symptoms, so you want to make sure that you are treating the infection correctly. There are also treatments that are not appropriate during pregnancy.
Does A Cough And Cold During Pregnancy Affect The Baby
When you become pregnant, your immune system is likely to change. As a result of these changes, you may contract a cold or cough at some point during your pregnancy. In addition, your illness may last longer. The good news is that even though you probably feel fatigued, the symptoms of a cold or flu are not typically dangerous to your baby. However, it is important to take the necessary measures to avoid contracting a cold or cough during pregnancy and to treat it once you get one.
- Get ample rest Take naps, sleep through the night, and sit down to relax. These are great ways to give your body much-needed downtime. Learn more about the importance of bed rest during pregnancy.
- Drink plenty of fluids Drink water, juice, or broth to add necessary fluids back into your body.
- Eat well Even if you cannot stomach larger meals, try eating small portions often.
- Reduce congestion Place a humidifier in your room, keep your head elevated on your pillow while resting, or use nasal strips.
- Alleviate your sore throat Suck on ice chips, drink warm tea, or gargle with warm salt water.
It is best to reduce the number of over-the-counter medications you take. Many medications you normally would use to treat the symptoms of your cold are not safe to take during your pregnancy. The following is a list of medications that pose little risk to your baby during pregnancy however, it is best to consult with your doctor before taking any medications to relieve your symptoms.
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Cough Medicine For Pregnant Women
During the 9 months of pregnancy the woman should be extremely careful about her overall medical condition because every virus can cause unexpected damage to herself or her unborn baby. Still, sometimes it is just impossible to keep viruses away. If you accidentally catch cold and you are coughing so bad that medical treatment is needed. Then you start asking yourself: What cough medicine to take? Are the cough medicine for pregnant women safe? Wont they harm the baby? These are all reasonable questions which deserve special attention.
Uterine Infections During Pregnancy
An infection in the uterus can be dangerous for a variety of reasons. The infection may affect the placenta, harm the developing baby, cause premature labor, or lead to birth abnormalities.
Uterine infections can also make labor more dangerous and difficult. Some individuals experience organ failure and other life-threatening complications.
Uterine infections often develop when bacteria from the vagina travels to the uterus, so an untreated vaginal infection is a risk factor for uterine infections. A person is more susceptible to uterine infections if their membranes rupture during an extended labor.
Treatment includes antibiotics and may require hospitalization. If a fever develops during labor, a doctor or midwife will monitor the fetus. If the symptoms are severe, the doctor may recommend a cesarean delivery.
During pregnancy, the body undergoes a long list of changes. Some of these changes might not result in any feelings of uneasiness or discomfort, but some negative changes can make you feel extremely uncomfortable. As the body experiences so many changes in the hormone levels during pregnancy, it can sometimes result in an imbalance in the normal PH of the vagina. As a result, you might experience a yeast infection, which is most common during pregnancy.
A yeast infection causes severe itching of the vagina and abnormal vaginal discharge that looks very thick in texture, just like cottage cheese.
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How Serious Is A Yeast Infection During Pregnancy Center
A yeast infection, also referred to as vaginal candidiasis, is a fungal infection caused by a type of fungus called candida. Even though a yeast infection is not a threat to you and your child, it can cause you extreme discomfort. Read more: How Serious Is A Yeast Infection During Pregnancy? Article
Yeast Infections During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, the body undergoes a long list of changes. Some of these changes might not result in any feelings of uneasiness or discomfort, but some negative changes can make you feel extremely uncomfortable. As the body experiences so many changes in the hormone levels during pregnancy, it can sometimes result in an imbalance in the normal PH of the vagina. As a result, you might experience a yeast infection, which is most common during pregnancy.
A yeast infection causes severe itching of the vagina and abnormal vaginal discharge that looks very thick in texture, just like cottage cheese.
Vaginal itching is probably the worst to deal with during pregnancy as you have to constantly fight the urge to scratch yourself, which makes leading a normal day to day life difficult.
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