Low Blood Pressure or Hypotension in Women

If your feet and hands go numb after prolonged sitting or lying down or if your vision go blur when transferring from sit-to-stand or from lying down to sitting, this can be an indication for you to see a heart specialist. You might be dealing with low blood pressure or postural hypotension.

Your body needs to put the best effort against gravity to pump up the necessary blood that is required for you to stand. This causes a decline in your blood pressure. The sudden drop in blood pressure can cause dizziness, blurred vision, and uncomfortable feeling all over your body. You must seek immediate medical attention if you have a fainting spell upon rising.

What Low Blood pressure?

• Pregnancy - Right from the moment your urine pregnancy test turns positive, you will witness hypotension as your blood vessels start to dilate.
• Dehydration - Any spike in temperature, exhaustion due to heat, or chronic diarrhea and vomiting can lead to dehydration thereby lowering your blood pressure.
• Heart conditions - Continuous low blood pressure can be a result of heart condition. Unusually slow heart rate is a common cause of hypotension.  
• Severe blood loss - Any severe blood loss, whether menstrual loss or accidental injury, can lower your blood pressure, and you can end up having a life-threatening shock.  
• Medication-induced - Certain antihypertensive and antidepressants are known to cause hypotension.

 Preventing Hypotension 

• Engaging in cardio exercises such as brisk-walking, swimming, jogging, or bicycling or doing aerobic exercises can help improve your blood circulation and lower the chances of hypotension.
• Try to stay away from heat exhaustion when outdoors as extreme temperatures are known to cause dehydration and lowering of blood pressure.
• Replenish yourself with lots of liquids to stay protected from adverse effects of dehydration and hypotension. Add a little salt for increased water retention in your body.
• A 3-step-approach for any postural changes will be your best bet to prevent hypotension episodes. Or you can slow down your movements to prevent dizziness and fainting spells. 

“When did you last check your BP?”

Health Tips for Pregnant Women

First of all, hearty congratulations!

Being pregnant is a thrilling experience and having a baby born out of your own flesh is the most miraculous thing that can ever happen. But it can also become quite overwhelming. Pregnancy is a time of uncertainty with all sorts of questions arising in your mind. Plenty of info and facts are swimming around to get into your head. It might seem like all and sundry has an advice or opinion about you and your baby. The best way to keep away from confusions, contradictions, myths and information-overload is to educate yourself from reliable sources.

If you are healthy during pregnancy and afterwards too, then that will be an icing on the cake for you, your child and your spouse. After all, you can take care of your family only when you are healthy yourself. So, if your urine pregnancy test comes positive or if you are planning to be pregnant, then, certainly there are things that you must keep in the back of your mind.

Healthy Eating for To-be-moms

For a healthy pregnancy, you need to eat a balanced diet which must include foods from a variety of sources including vegetables, fruits, whole grain foods, milk & dairy products, meat, as well as fish. Have a fruit along with a fistful of dryfruits within 10 minutes of waking up & before going for your morning walk. Enjoy a nutritious breakfast after an hour. You’ll feel great!

On an average, 5-6 servings in a day are sufficient. In between your meals, grab a fruit or yogurt or even a glass of milk to supplement your diet with necessary nutrients and most importantly, calcium.

How to Relieve Nausea, Vomiting, Heartburn and Constipation Symptoms

• Small portion size meals with lots of liquid in between meals.
• Avoid foods that are high in fat, spicy, and have a strong odor. 
• Eat slowly & chew thoroughly.
• Avoid reclining immediately after meals.
• Eat whole-grain foods and exercise regularly.

Some More Health Tips during Pregnancy

• You must abstain completely from smoking and drinking all through your pregnancy, as there is no safe amount and also no safe time to smoke or drink alcohol.
• Try to be regular with some physical activitythroughout your pregnancy period as it helps to improve your mood-swings, facilitates proper weight gain, reduces stress, promotes sound sleep, increases muscle tone, builds stamina for forthcoming labour and delivery.
• Create a healthy and pleasant atmosphere as being a happy mother guarantees for a healthy baby.

My Period Is Late..! What does that mean?

No doubt, periods might be one of the most hated things that happen to you every month. Yet their absence or delay is even more bothersome since you need regular periods to enjoy a perfectly healthy gynecologic health. Are you watchful of your periods occurring regularly? Does your period date move back and forth from the expected date every month? Late menses is surely an indicator of some issue grounding roots in your body. Now let us try and get down to that root.

Below are some factors that can potentially cause late periods:

• Stress: Increased stress affects your entire well-being and causes decrease in GnRH hormone levels that is responsible for ovulation. This delays periods.
• Pregnancy: If delayed period is followed by unprotected sex, it is high time you undergo a self-pregnancy test.
• Breastfeeding: While breastfeeding, your irregular menstrual cycles will take a small cycle of time to return to regular menses.
• Anorexia or Weight Loss: Some eating disorders such as anorexia or unintentional weight loss can cause delay in your periods.

When to Consult a Doctor!

• If you are missing your periods for more than 3 months in a row.
• When your periods become irregular or erratic.
• Your period lasts more than 7 days.
• You have unusually heavy flow, wetting more than 12-15 pads or tampons in a day.
• The time gap between two periods is either less than 21 days or is more than 35 days.
• If you notice spotting on the days in between two periods.
• Unbearable pain during periods.
• Feeling feverish or sick during periods.

Are you a victim of late periods? What is the probable cause in your case? Consult a doctor for answers. After all, what is the point of harboring that fear in your heart?