Credit: iStock/Onfokus When someone is pregnant, the body goes through many changes, and these can vary from person to person. Common experiences include morning sickness, swelling in the legs and feet, a faster heartbeat and increased fatigue. These changes are mainly due to the hormonal shifts and changes in the heart and blood vessels during … Continue reading How Does the Heart Adapt during Pregnancy?
Pregnancy
Turning Up the Heat: Enjoying Summer When You’re Pregnant
Credit: iStock Pregnancy affects everyone, even if you’re very healthy. Pregnant people experience a wide variety of body changes to be able to accommodate growing a baby. You may have heard someone say they have an increased appetite, random pains or even feel hotter when they’re pregnant. An increase in body temperature is normal during … Continue reading Turning Up the Heat: Enjoying Summer When You’re Pregnant
COVID-19 and Pregnancy: Disease Prevention May Be the Cure
Credit: iStock The COVID-19 pandemic continues to change our everyday lives while we await the progress of new treatments and vaccines to combat the risks of the illness. People who are pregnant and nursing are more susceptible to severe infections from respiratory viruses, such as the flu. This susceptibility may also put pregnant people at … Continue reading COVID-19 and Pregnancy: Disease Prevention May Be the Cure
Spotlight On: Preeclampsia
Lady Sybil Crawley—the feisty youngest sister of a wealthy British family on the PBS television series “Downton Abbey”—made her way into viewers’ hearts. Devotees of the show were shocked when, in a surprise twist, she died soon after giving birth. Lady Sybil died from high blood pressure during pregnancy (preeclampsia) that developed into a more … Continue reading Spotlight On: Preeclampsia
Skip the Nightcap: Your Sperm or Eggs May Thank You
Alcohol may grease the wheels in the short-term and make trying to get pregnant a little more fun, but in the it long run it could throw a wrench in fertility. Roughly 10 percent of men and women in the U.S. report having difficulty getting pregnant. Worldwide, close to 49 million couples were considered to … Continue reading Skip the Nightcap: Your Sperm or Eggs May Thank You
Research and Education Help Babies Born Too Early
A typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, but about 10 percent of babies in the U.S. are born preterm (before 37 weeks’ gestation) or premature. Less time in the womb means the infants’ organs are immature and not yet ready to function on their own. Generally, the earlier a preterm birth happens, the more likely it … Continue reading Research and Education Help Babies Born Too Early
Like Father, Like Son (and Daughter): How Your Dad’s Past Affects Your Future
What makes your father the best dad in the world? Maybe it’s his sense of humor or the times he has taken you to the movies or played catch in the yard. Or maybe it’s the fact that he made healthy lifestyle choices before you were born. Recent research suggests that your father’s health before … Continue reading Like Father, Like Son (and Daughter): How Your Dad’s Past Affects Your Future
Depression + Pregnancy = Diabetes?
Morning sickness, swollen ankles and a growing belly are just a few of the many physiological changes that women experience during pregnancy. The changes we can see are just the tip of the iceberg. Blood volume, bones, heart rate, skin and many other parts of a woman’s body function differently during pregnancy. Pregnancy-related changes can … Continue reading Depression + Pregnancy = Diabetes?
Dear Mom: Happy Mother’s Day … and Thanks for Sharing Your Bones
Warning! Understatement of the year to follow: Many fascinating changes take place in a mother’s body during and after pregnancy. One of the most interesting changes for many new moms, myself included, is breastfeeding. Often called “nature’s perfect baby food,” breast milk seems to contain an almost magical mix of essential elements—proteins, fats, carbohydrates, water, … Continue reading Dear Mom: Happy Mother’s Day … and Thanks for Sharing Your Bones