Infant and adult weight interact to determine urinary incontinence risk

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medwireNews: A woman’s weight at birth together with her weight in adulthood influence the risk of incident urinary incontinence, results of a nationwide twin study suggest.

The Swedish research, published in International Urogynecology Journal, found that the combination of low birthweight and being overweight as an adult was associated with a near-doubling in the risk for urinary incontinence and stress urinary incontinence.

“[O]other studies are needed to confirm the association, which in the future may form an essential part of individual preventive counseling”, write Giorgio Tettamanti (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm) and colleagues.

The researchers analysed information on 14,094 female participants in the Swedish Twin Registry who were born between 1959 and 1985 and re-evaluated in 2005. In all, 9.3% of the women were born small for gestational age (<10th percentile) and 42.7% had a low birthweight (<2500 g).

The prevalence of urinary incontinence at the point of re-assessment did not differ according to birthweight or whether the women were born small for their gestational age. This was true for urinary incontinence overall and for specific incontinence subtypes (stress, urge, mixed).

However, women with low birthweight who were overweight or obese in adulthood had the highest prevalence of overall and stress urinary incontinence. These conditions were also highly prevalent among women born after 42 weeks’ gestation.

In analyses that adjusted for a range of confounders, the risk of urinary incontinence was significantly increased in women who had a low birthweight and were overweight as adults (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.84). These women also had a significantly increased risk of stress urinary incontinence (aOR=1.83).

Tettamanti and colleagues note that, according to the developmental origins of adult disease theory, intrauterine growth restriction may alter the programmed development of metabolic and endocrine pathways and systems.

Also, studies have shown that maternal nutritional restriction and low birthweight affect the number and composition of skeletal muscle fibres and muscle strength in the offspring.

As a consequence, women with impaired muscle development caused by intrauterine growth restriction may have weaker pelvic floor and detrusor muscles and carry a higher risk of lower urinary tract dysfunction. “Such a predisposition could be exacerbated by environmental factors later in life, resulting in urinary incontinence”, they propose.

medwireNews (www.medwirenews.com) is an independent clinical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Limited. © Springer Healthcare Ltd; 2014

http://www.medwirenews.com/45/105615/Gynecology/Infant_and_adult_weight_interact_to_determine_urinary_incontinence_risk.html

C-Section Births

If you are pregnant and may have a caesarean delivery, you should definitely consider the recovery process.  Caesarean procedures are necessary for some pregnant women, but it takes a toll on your body.  Postpartum depression is one symptom that may occur.  If you show any of the following signs, you may be suffering from postpartum depression:

• severe mood swings
• severe fatigue
• no appetite

• If you think you could be in a state of depression; you continue experiencing signs and symptoms, you have trouble caring for your baby or completing daily tasks, or you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, contact your health-care provider.

For more information contact an OB GYN in Long Beach CA (http://www.gyn-emergentcare.com/gynecologists-services-long-beach) today or click this link to read more:

http://www.gyn-emergentcare.com/the-latest/item/90-great-insight-on-post-c-section-health-enhancement

Lakewood OBGYN

Are You Pregnant? | Early Signs of Pregnancy

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Your body undergoes several changes in the early stages of a pregnancy.  If you recently learned that you are pregnant, here is what you have already experienced:

When a male ejaculates, the sperm moves its way through the cervix, into the uterus, and up into the fallopian tubes. If an egg is present, it is fertilized there, where it moves down to the uterus and continues to grow.

Hormonal changes will begin and affect nearly every organ in the woman's body. These hormones include human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), progesterone, estrogen, oxytocin, prolactin and relaxin. Signs and symptoms may appear as early as a week after conception, but this varies from woman to woman. Some signs include:

• Breast changes: Pregnancy hormones can make breasts tender, sensitive and sore. Breasts may feel enlarged, heavier or fuller. Nipples may also begin to protrude and darken, and veins on the chest may become more pronounced. The flood of progesterone can even cause unwanted hair on your breasts.
• Fatigue: The first stages of pregnancy can cause shortness of breath, as the growing fetus needs oxygen. Feeling tired and exhausted is another sign of pregnancy, and may progress throughout the pregnancy as the progesterone hormone increases.
• Morning sickness: Despite the moniker, morning sickness can happen morning, afternoon or night. This usually happens six weeks into a pregnancy, but can happen earlier for some women. Pregnant women may also notice that smells and scents that were previously unnoticed can cause now cause nausea. It is believed that this is caused by the rising HCG levels — women with higher HCG levels tend to have more nausea.
• Frequent urination: During pregnancy, the body creates extra fluids, meaning increased urination.
• Headaches: Changing hormones can cause headaches. If you take something for the pain, make sure it's pregnancy safe acetaminophen instead of ibuprofen. You may also experience dizziness or fainting.
• Body aches: Thanks to a flood of the hormone relaxin, your body's ligaments begin to loosen in preparation for the baby, causing lower back pains. You may also experience cramps as your uterus begins to stretch.
• Cravings or aversions: Pregnancy can cause all kinds of food issues, such as cravings or aversions. Hormonal changes can make your once-favorite foods make you nauseous, or foods you once hated may suddenly seem delicious.
• Digestive issues: Extra progesterone can slow down your digestive system, causing constipation or bloating.
• Mood swings: The changing hormones can cause an emotional rollercoaster. Apologize to your loved ones in advance and promise them that the mood swings will eventually stop!
• Bleeding: It may seem like a period, but spotting is a sign of pregnancy. This is lighter than a normal period, and a few days earlier than it may be expected. This is caused by implantation bleeding as the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall, causing slight vaginal bleeding.

Not all signs of pregnancy are negative — some women experience the pregnancy "glow" with radiant skin, thanks to the rising estrogen levels. There are a number of more telling signs, like missed periods, and of course, a positive pregnancy test. However, late periods can be caused by a number of other medical reasons, not just pregnancy. Stress, overexertion, weight problems, or sexually transmitted diseases may cause your body to skip your menstrual cycle.  If you missed a period recently, you should take a pregnancy test.

http://www.livescience.com/44550-early-signs-pregnancy.html

If you have any questions or concerns please visit a Lakewood OBGYN today.

A Gynecologist in Long Beach, CA Explains the Causes and Symptoms of Endometriosis

Safe OTC Medicines for Pregnant Women

When you get a headache, do you normally head to your medicine cabinet?  Most people do, and in most cases this is completely acceptable.  However, if you are pregnant you make want to think twice about the over the counter medicines you take.  Remember, whatever you consume can affect your baby's overall health.  

It is extremely important for women to be cautious when consuming over the counter medicines during a pregnancy.  This is why our Long Beach OBGYN Clinic (http://www.gyn-emergentcare.com/) decided to offer you a list of OTC medicines that are safe to take if you are expecting a baby.  These medicines are intended for pregnant women who need relief of general aches and pains without harming their baby.

To learn more about this topic and to read a full list of safe medicines for pregnant women please click the link below:

http://www.gyn-emergentcare.com/the-latest/item/85-find-out-which-medicines-are-safe-for-you-to-take-during-pregnancy

Uninsured women gain access to free gynecology care in Madison

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After watching an uninsured patient who could not afford treatment die from cervical cancer, Katherine O’Rourke resolved to create a gynecology clinic to offer free accessible to preventative care for low income women.

Cervical, endometrial and uterine cancers are extremely preventable when women have access to the proper gynecological care, O’Rourke said.

Share the Health is a clinic based out of Madison Women’s Health, located near a bus line on Research Park Boulevard, O’Rourke said. The clinic is open the third Thursday evening of every month and is available to patients who are 18 or older, live in Dane County or bordering communities, are below 300 percent of the federal poverty level and do not have insurance, she said.

It was important to offer services to women at a time and place that was convenient to them, O’Rourke said.

She said the idea for Share the Health was developed a little more than a year ago when she approached Mary Landry and inquired about where uninsured women in the Madison area have access to advanced gynecological care. O’Rourke found no such resource existed.

Landry told her none existed and said she thought it was “very sad and very unfortunate.”

O’Rourke and Landry said they reached out to various primary care free clinics in the area and asked if they could provide free gynecological care at their sites.  Landry said they received negative responses because these clinics did not have the types of facilities to accommodate the necessary procedures. 

Landry said they realized they needed to set up a new clinic and they decided to model it after the free women’s health clinic at Loyola University of Chicago, where O’Rourke had done her training.

O’Rourke said she wanted to give medical students the chance to get involved, learn about gynecology and have the chance to care for patients.  Share the Health has collaborated with a large portion of the Madison community, including Meriter Women’s Health, Meriter Hospital, OB-GYNs in the area and University of Wisconsin hospitals and clinics, she said.

http://badgerherald.com/news/2014/02/03/uninsured-women-gain-access-free-gynecology-care/#.Uv0WPWRdVQY

Why are Prenatal Appointments Important?

As a gynecologist in Long Beach, CA I know that pregnancy can be a special and confusing time for a women.  Finding out that you are expecting is only the first incredible thing to happen during the amazing journey ahead.  I suggest that you make an appointment with your health care provider as soon as you take a positive pregnancy test.  It is important to begin your pregnancy in a healthy manner with help from a physician.  

To read more about this topic please visit our blog:

http://www.gyn-emergentcare.com/the-latest/item/58-an-gynecologist-explains-the-importance-of-routine-prenatal-visits

A Long Beach Obstetrics & Gynecology Medical Group Talks About Menopause

Colds During Pregnancy Linked to Asthma in Children

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German researchers followed 526 children in a fairly affluent urban setting in Munich. They interviewed parents during pregnancy, then again when the child was 3 and 12 months old, and then yearly up to 5 years of age. Questions concerned symptoms of asthma and other allergies, general medical history and environmental and socioeconomic factors. The study appears in theFebruary issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

After controlling for parental allergies and smoking, animals kept at home, the presence of older siblings and other factors believed to affect the risk for asthma, the researchers found that the risk increased with the number of colds. Women who had had three or more colds were more than twice as likely to have a child who had asthma by age 5. A mother’s use of antibiotics or Tylenol had no effect, protective or otherwise.

The lead author, Sabina Illi, a researcher at Munich University Children’s Hospital, cautioned that the study was observational and not a clinical trial, so did not prove that having colds during pregnancy causes asthma in children. “Is it truly the upper respiratory infection that affects the child? If a mother tries not to get a cold when she’s pregnant, will it help?” she said. “We don’t know.”

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/05/colds-during-pregnancy-linked-to-asthma-in-children/?_php=true&_type=blogs&hpw&rref=health&_r=0

Long Beach OBGYN Medical Center 855-376-2496