How Frequent Are Migraines During Pregnancy
The incidence and reoccurrence of migraine attacks in women vary widely. Some of them experience for the first time in pregnancy, while some women experience increasing migraine symptoms during the first trimester.
According to the American Migraine Foundation, around 50 to 80% of pregnant women experience reduced attacks . This reduction in symptoms is attributed to the increasing levels of estrogen during pregnancy.
Home Remedies For Yeast Infections During Pregnancy
Yeast infections are the bane of every woman, and especially those who are pregnant.
Pregnancy increases your risk for a vaginal yeast infection, also known as vulvovaginal candidiasis. This type of infection is caused by microscopic fungi in the Candida family, most commonly Candida albicans.
About three out of every four women will have at least one yeast infection in their lifetime and up to 45 percent will get two or more infections, according to an article published in American Family Physician in 2011 .
During pregnancy, infections caused by Candida are even more common. A 2009 study published in Canadian Family Physician found that yeast infections affect three out of four women in their lifetimes, and the infection occurs more frequently in pregnant women. Higher estrogen levels and higher glycogen content in vaginal secretions during pregnancy increase a womans risk of developing a yeast infection .
Similarly, a 2016 study published in Folia Medica reports that yeast is more likely to cause an infection during pregnancy due to hormone fluctuations .
Several studies make it clear that the reasons for this increased risk during pregnancy include a shift in the balance of vaginal microorganisms and a high estrogen level in the body. Other factors that can increase a womans risk of infection include reduced immune system activity, use of antibiotics, diabetes and an unhygienic lifestyle.
Here are the top 10 home remedies for yeast infections during pregnancy.
Do Eat Carbohydrates On Your Gestational Diabetes Meal Plan
Brace yourself: Carbohydrates are an important part of your gestational diabetes diet. They are fuel for your body and for your growing baby. The average person needs 135 grams of carbohydrates daily, but if you have gestational diabetes, that increases to 175 grams a day, says registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Meredith Nguyen, RD, who is a member of the diabetes self-management program staff at Methodist Charlton Medical Center in Dallas. Pregnancy hormones can make it hard to control morning blood sugar, says Nguyen, so you might be spreading carbs more through lunch and dinner. Eating a wide variety of foods, including whole grains, fruits , vegetables, and dairy products, will give you the carbs you need. High-fiber or low-glycemic foods will help keep your blood sugar more even and help you feel full longer as well.
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Take Epsom Salt To Soak Foot
Epsom salt is very beneficial for our body. It draws out toxins from the body and gives body relaxation. It is well known to reduce the swelling and inflammation of the body. This is one of the amazing swellings during pregnancy remedy.
How to use:
- Add ½ cup Epsom salt in it
- Soak your swelled feet in the warm water
- Let your feet be soaked for 15 minutes
- This will give you relaxation and will also help in reducing swelling.
When To Contact Your Healthcare Provider
Hyperglycemia can turn into a medical emergency like DKA and HHS that requires immediate intervention by your practitioner or a local emergency department. If you have two blood sugar readings of 300 mg/dL or more, or have blood sugar above your target range for more than a week, seek immediate medical help.
Signs of hyperglycemia include:
- Ketones in your urine
- Stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting
- Shortness of breath
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Do Get Plenty Of Sleep With Gestational Diabetes
Research published in BMC Womens Health shows a strong correlation between not getting enough sleep and the risk of gestational diabetes. Snoring is also related to poor blood sugar control, which can be a consequence of not following your gestational diabetes diet. Although many women accept that poor sleep is part of pregnancy and raising children, you should let your doctor know if youre finding it impossible to sleep well.
What Are The Complications
Gestational diabetes can cause concerns for both you and baby, but dont let it make you anxious. Here are some complications you may encounter that can be avoided by managing your health with your doctor.
Extra glucose in your body can make your baby gain weight. A bigger baby puts you at risk for having a more difficult delivery because:
Gestational diabetes also increases your risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy.
In most cases, gestational diabetes disappears after your baby is born. However, for some people, high blood sugar may persist after pregnancy. This is called type 2 diabetes.
Having gestational diabetes does put you at an increased risk of developing diabetes later on in life, too. Both you and your baby will be checked for diabetes after birth.
To make sure you decrease your risk for complications, talk with your doctor about continued care before and after baby is born.
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What Are The Causes And Risk Factors Of Pregnancy Migraines
Scientific findings state that naturally occurring inflammatory substances in the brain could cause severe migraines. The inflammation often hampers the blood vessels and nerves in the brain, causing exacerbating pain .
Some of the common triggers and risk factors of chronic migraines are as follows
- Irritation in the eye
Checking Your Blood Sugar Level
You’ll be given a testing kit that you can use to check your blood sugar level.
This involves using a finger-pricking device and putting a drop of blood on a testing strip.
You’ll be advised:
- how to test your blood sugar level correctly
- when and how often to test your blood sugar most women with gestational diabetes are advised to test before breakfast and one hour after each meal
- what level you should be aiming for this will be a measurement given in millimoles of glucose per litre of blood
Diabetes UK has more information about monitoring your glucose levels.
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Gestational Diabetes Is Manageable
Is diabetes during pregnancy serious? Absolutely! But its a manageable condition. In most cases, mamas with gestational diabetes have a little extra work to do, but theyll go on to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Follow the tips above and listen to your caregivers. And always get extra support if you need it.
Other Steps For A Healthy Pregnancy
Its not just food alone that can help you stay healthy with gestational diabetes. In addition to maintaining a well-balanced diet, there are other things you can do to have a healthy pregnancy:
- Exercise regularly. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. Dont be afraid to incorporate a wide range of activity, both for your health and for enjoyment. Just remember to speak to your doctor before starting any new exercises .
- Dont skip meals. To regulate your blood sugar levels, aim to eat a healthy snack or meal every 3 hours or so. Eating nutrient-dense foods regularly can help keep you satiated and stabilize blood sugar levels.
- Take your prenatal vitamins, including any probiotics, if theyre recommended by your doctor.
- See your doctor as often as they recommend they want you healthy.
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Diet And Exercise For Gestational Diabetes
Take these simple steps to stay healthy:
Eat a healthy, low-sugar diet. Talk to your doctor to be sure youâre getting the nutrition you need. Follow a meal plan made for someone with diabetes:
- Trade sugary snacks like cookies, candy, and ice cream for natural sugars like fruits, carrots, and raisins. Add vegetables and whole grains, and watch your portion sizes.
- Have three small meals along with two or three snacks about the same times every day.
- Get 40% of your daily calories from carbs and 20% from protein. Most of the carbs should be complex, high-fiber carbs, with fat being between 25% and 40%.
- Aim for 20-35 grams of fiber a day. Foods such as whole-grain breads, cereals, and pasta brown or wild rice oatmeal and vegetables and fruits will help get you there.
- Limit your total fat to less than 40% of your daily calories. Saturated fat should be less than 10% of all the calories you eat.
- Eat a variety of foods to make sure you get enough vitamins and minerals. You may need to take a supplement to cover your bases. Ask your doctor if they think you should take one.
Exercise throughout your pregnancy. You can exercise when you have gestational diabetes as long as your doctor says itâs OK. Being active is a good way to help manage your blood sugar. Staying fit during pregnancy is also good for your posture and can curb some common problems, like backaches and fatigue.
The Problem With Glucola
There are a lot of problems with Glucola. Some versions of the drink are cleaner than others, however they all contain ingredients most of us try to stay away from. This drink contains artificial flavors, GMO corn syrup, glycerol ester of wood rosin, and brominated vegetable oil . Yikes!
Whats more, some women report nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, and other symptoms after a Glucola test. Natural mamas who avoid processed food and refined sugar are more likely to react negatively, since their bodies arent used to all that junk .
False positives are also fairly common. In fact, 1 in every 4 women who test positive for gestational diabetes with Glucola dont actually have the condition. Similarly, many women who DO have gestational diabetes wont test positive with Glucola.
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Gestational Diabetes Tests And Diagnosis
Gestational diabetes usually happens in the second half of pregnancy. Your doctor will check for it between weeks 24 and 28, or sooner if you’re at high risk.
Your doctor will give you a glucose tolerance test: Youâll drink 50 grams of glucose in a sweet drink, which will raise your blood sugar. An hour later, youâll take a blood glucose test to see how your body handled all that sugar. If the results show that your blood sugar is higher than a certain level, youâll need a 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test, meaning youâll get a blood glucose test 3 hours after you drink a 100-gram glucose drink. Your doctor can also test you by having you fast for 12 hours, then giving you a 75-gram glucose drink and a 2-hour blood glucose test.
If youâre at high risk but your test results are normal, your doctor might test you again later in your pregnancy to make sure you still donât have it.
What Is Diabetes And What Are Its Types
Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases that cause high blood sugar levels. This may happen due to inadequate production of insulin by the pancreas or when the cells of the body do not respond to the insulin produced. Type-1 diabetes is a situation where one’s body is unable to produce insulin. It usually develops in childhood or adolescence, but it may occur at any age. The other is a condition in which the cells in the body fail to respond to the insulin produced. This is called type-2 diabetes and about 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide are of this type. Other than these two types, there is also a third kind, gestational diabetes, which affects females during pregnancy.
Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases that cause high blood sugar levels: Natural Remedies For Diabetes
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Indian Gooseberry Or Amla
Indian gooseberry or amla is one of the richest sources of vitamin C and helps your pancreas to produce optimum so that your blood glucose levels remain balanced.
How to use:
Consume raw amla every day
How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Gestational Diabetes
There are no guarantees and about half of women who get gestational diabetes dont have any risk factors. But its always a good idea to adopt healthy habits.
- Watch what you eat: Your doctor or a nutritionist can help you make healthier choices in your diet. In general, eat less sugar and refined carbohydrates . Add more fiber to your diet .
- Step up your exercise: Talk to your doctor about what activities are best for you, but typically walking, swimming, yoga and other low-impact exercise is best.
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Natural Treatment For Gestational Diabetes
Its essential to track and control your blood sugar to keep your baby healthy and prevent complications during pregnancy and delivery. You will also need to keep a close eye on your upcoming blood sugar levels. Your treatment strategies may include:
1. Diet Therapy
Eating healthy portions is one of the best ways to control your blood glucose and prevent too much weight gain, which may put you at a higher risk of complications. Doctors do not advise losing weight during pregnancy your body is working hard to support your growing baby. But your physician can help you set weight gain goals based on your weight before pregnancy.
Pregnant women need to consume a diet that provides adequate nutrition to be able to encourage their babys and their particular well-being. Its extremely important that women that are pregnant do not consume too many calories, especially empty calories that come from processed and packaged foods, junk food, baked goods, and sweetened beverages. Achieving appropriate weight gain is one of the most important ways to prevent and manage gestational diabetes. During pregnancy, excessive weight gain may lead to adverse outcomes for both the mother and baby. Plus it can even lead to childhood obesity for your little one.
2. Exercise
As an added bonus, regular exercise can help alleviate some common discomforts of pregnancy, including back pain, muscle cramps, swelling, swelling, and trouble sleeping.
3. Stress Management
4. Calcium
Problems Of Gestational Diabetes In Pregnancy
Blood sugar that is not well controlled in a woman with gestational diabetes can lead to problems for the pregnant woman and the baby:
An Extra Large Baby
Diabetes that is not well controlled causes the babys blood sugar to be high. The baby is overfed and grows extra large. Besides causing discomfort to the woman during the last few months of pregnancy, an extra large baby can lead to problems during delivery for both the mother and the baby. The mother might need a C-Section to deliver the baby. The baby can be born with nerve damage due to pressure on the shoulder during delivery.
C-Section
A C-section is an operation to deliver the baby through the mothers belly. A woman who has diabetes that is not well controlled has a higher chance of needing a C-section to deliver the baby. When the baby is delivered by a C-section, it takes longer for the woman to recover from childbirth.
High Blood Pressure
When a pregnant woman has high blood pressure, protein in her urine, and often swelling in fingers and toes that doesnt go away, she might have preeclampsia. It is a serious problem that needs to be watched closely and managed by her doctor. High blood pressure can cause harm to both the woman and her unborn baby. It might lead to the baby being born early and also could cause seizures or a stroke in the woman during labor and delivery. Women with diabetes have high blood pressure more often than women without diabetes.
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Low Blood Sugar
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When To Seek Medical Treatment
Pain Medications For Migraines
Some of the safe migraine medications your doctor might suggest are as follows :
In the first trimester and beyond
- Paracetamol/Acetaminophen helps reduce pain
- Metoclopramide treats nausea and vomiting symptoms during pregnancy
- Triptans, such as Imitrex and Amergecan, can ease migraine headaches
After the second trimester:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen and naproxen, can help. However, these can cause severe complications such as preterm birth and birth defects if consumed in the first trimester.
Some of the medications you should avoid
- Aspirin: It can cause miscarriage and bleeding.
- Opioids: These can cause severe complications, such as stillbirth, premature deliveries, and congenital disabilities.
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