Posts Tagged ‘Womb’

Ovulation Calendar – Predicting Fertile Period

Comments: 0March 22nd, 2011 by admin



Ovulation calendar helps women determine the most fertile period of their monthly cycle. This is determined in order to plan or avoid pregnancy. To make use of this calendar, a woman must understand the process of ovulation.

Phases of a Woman’s Cycle

It is important to understand what happens during the cycle. There are three phases that constitute a complete menstrual cycle. They are: pre-ovulation phase, ovulation phase and luteal or post-ovulation phase.

The period or the cycle starts with shedding of the lining of the womb. This is the first day of the period and the first day of bleeding. At this time, the eggs present in the woman’s ovaries start developing or maturing. In preparation to receive a fertilized egg, the lining of the uterus starts thickening. This is the follicular or pre-ovulation phase. This phase is not very fertile but there are chances of conception taking place. This phase lasts for an average of 10-12 days.

During the ovulation phase, ovulation is most likely to occur and hence it is the most fertile period in a cycle. In this phase, the developed egg or follicle bursts open and is released into the fallopian tube. This usually happens mid-cycle, say on the 14th day of a normal 28-days cycle. 2-3 days before and after ovulation are the most fertile days.

In the post-ovulation phase, the egg is either planted in the uterus after being fertilized with a sperm or it is not fertilized. If it is not fertilized, the follicle breaks down and again sheds the lining of the uterus, which has gone unused. Thus the cycle begins again.

Usage of Ovulation Calculator

To use an online ovulation calculator, simply enter the first day of your last period, the average total duration of your cycle and click on ‘view Calendar.’ This will give you your personal dates of ovulation and the most fertile days.

Changes during Ovulation

Besides being aware of your fertility with the help of an ovulation calendar, a woman can know about the same, through some less obvious but significant changes in her body during the cycle. These are:

Basal Body temperature charting: The body temperature of a woman increases at the time of ovulation. The woman should chart her body temperature at the same time of the day for about two months. She will notice a pattern, where the temperature will be higher by 0.4 to 0.6 degrees, around mid-cycle. This indicates the ovulation phase of her cycle.

Cervical mucus analysis: A woman can predict ovulation by observing the color, consistency and volume of cervical mucus. At ovulation, cervical mucus or fluid, will increase in volume, will be more sticky and stretchy, and will look white or creamy in color.

Cervical position: Just before and during ovulation, the cervix is very high up. It feels wet and is wide open. At other times, the position changes to low and it feels dry and closed.

So, if a woman is aware of her fertility period, she can plan sexual intercourse at such a time to conceive. On the other hand, if a woman wishes to use this knowledge as a natural birth control method, she can avoid sexual activity during this time to avoid getting pregnant.

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Herpes and Pregnancy – How to Safeguard Your Unborn Baby

Comments: 0January 27th, 2010 by admin



Herpes and pregnancy can occur at the same time. In fact 20% to 25% of pregnant women worldwide have genital herpes – some are active and some are asymptomatic.

Although the mothers-to-be are not at risk, the unborn baby may be in danger.

The degree of risk the baby faces is dependent on three major factors:
The herpes infection timeline. Whether antibodies are present in the mother-to-be. Whether there has been enough time for antibodies to develop in the baby before the onset of labor. Let me explain:

As a result of a herpes primary infection, the system produces antibodies to the particular type of virus involved.

If a woman contracts herpes, approximately six weeks after the primary outbreak the resultant antibodies in her system will prevent infection of an additional form of her particular HSV infection.

What’s more important regarding herpes and pregnancy, after six to nine weeks, the baby will acquire antibodies via the placenta.

Once that has happened, it is extremely difficult for cross infection to occur while the infant is still in the womb. It also makes it unlikely that the baby will become infected if the mother happens to be in the viral shedding stage during birth.

The Herpes Infection Timeline

There are three possible scenarios if herpes and pregnancy coincide:
If the woman had herpes before becoming pregnant, antibodies will be present in her system and she will transfer them to the fetus. If the mother is in the viral shedding stage during labor, there is less than a 1% chance of the baby becoming infected during vaginal birth. If primary infection occurred shortly before, or during the first trimester of pregnancy, the unborn baby is at risk. Since it takes approximately 6 weeks for antibodies to appear, there is a 3% chance of the infant becoming infected by viral shedding during vaginal birth. In rare cases, transmission could occur via the placenta. In this instance there is a 5% possibility of the baby being born with serious birth defects. If primary infection occurred during the second or third trimester of the pregnancy, this situation presents the highest risk of transferring the virus to the baby during vaginal birth. In this scenario, if the virus is shedding during labor, there is an up to 50% chance of the infant acquiring neonatal disease. Therefore a Caesarian section, rather than vaginal birth is essential. In the case of a first outbreak during pregnancy, the doctor should call for a “Western blot” blood test in order to:

a) Identify the type of virus.

b) To tell whether the outbreak was a non-primary first occurrence, or a primary outbreak.

Since the immune system is suppressed during pregnancy, 80% of herpes positive pregnant women will experience an average of 3 outbreaks during the gestation period.

Herpes Treatment During Pregnancy

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend daily suppressive antiviral therapy to be given to herpes positive women from the 36th week of pregnancy.

This limits HSV recurrence and shedding during childbirth, thereby reducing the need for caesarean section.

Since the drug ‘acyclovir’ was subjected to a clinical study of 1000 pregnant women in which there were no increases in birth defects, it remains the drug of choice during pregnancy.

For women infected during the second or third trimester, daily suppressive treatment with antiviral herpes medicine as described above, should be considered. For others, this antiviral therapy is recommended during the final 10 days prior to delivery.

This will all but eliminate the chances of viral shedding while giving birth.

Herpes and Pregnancy – Vaginal Delivery or Cesarean Section?
Vaginal birth presents the greatest risk of cross transmission between mother and child. If lesions are detected on either the cervix, inside walls of the vagina, urethra or on the vulva prior to delivery, a Cesarean section would be necessary. As a safety precaution, women infected during the second or third trimester of pregnancy should seriously consider opting for a Cesarean section. This would virtually eliminate the chances of the baby becoming infected by viral shedding. If a woman has oral herpes lesions, they should be covered with an occlusive dressing before vaginal delivery. In other cases there is less than a 1% chance of the baby suffering from neonatal disease, so a vaginal delivery would be the logical option for most women.
Herpes and Pregnancy – Precautions During Pregnancy

If both you and your partner appear to be herpes negative, the following is worth discussing:
Since 90% of herpes positive victims have never had a primary outbreak, both of you should consider having a herpes blood test.

This would be a sensible precaution against unwittingly transmitting the virus either way during the shedding process. Alternatively, you might both consider taking daily antiviral medication throughout your pregnancy.
A latex condom should be used during vaginal, anal or oral sex in order to reduce the chances of transmission. Skip all sexual contact if either you or your partner has a herpes outbreak or experiences prodromal symptoms (tingling, itching or pain in the area of an impending outbreak). If either of you has oral herpes, avoid skin-to-skin contact with the infected area. Abstain from sex altogether during the third trimester of your pregnancy.

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