REPOST: Am I having a boy or girl? Fun ways to tell!

Thinking about the new baby inside you is very exciting.This Parenting.com shares exciting ways to give you clues about your baby's gender.

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Our super-cool gender predictor gives you just-for-fun ways to guess the gender of your baby, from Chinese birth calendars to morning sickness to Drano. Plus, try our fun Chinese Gender Predictor tool!

The suspense is torturous: am I having a boy or a girl? An ultrasound technician can tell you, but they can be wrong. Until the Big Reveal, here are some entertaining, sometimes weird ways to predict your baby's sex.

Highs and Lows

This one you can do just by looking south: if you're carrying high, break out the pink. If your bump is low, you're carrying a boy.

Be Still My Beating Heart

Next time your OB pulls out the Doppler to listen to baby's heartbeat, ask her to tell you what the heart rate is. According to legend, 140+ beats per minute indicates a girl, and below 140 a boy.

Sweet and Sour

Craving ice cream every single day? Some people believe this means it's a girl. If you have to have salty or sour stuff, then it's a boy.

Chinese Birth Chart

This ancient method uses your age at conception and the month you did the deed to determine gender.

Potty Time

This one's a little out there. Pee in a cup (you've been doing it at all your prenatal appointments anyway, haven't you?), mix a tablespoon of Drano in, and watch to see if it changes color. Green = girl, and blue = boy.

Even and Odd

Legend has it that the Mayans determined a baby's sex by looking at the mother's age at conception and the year of conception. If both are even or odd, it's a girl. If one's even and one's odd, it's a boy.

Unlocking the Mystery

This is one for a friend to try. Place a key in front of your preggo friend and ask her to pick it up. If she grabs it by the narrow part, she's in for sugar and spice and all that. If she picks it up by the round part, it's snips and snails.

Spot On

If you're breaking out like crazy, blame it on your girl babe. The belief goes that girls steal their mother's beauty, hence, those annoying zits.

Nice Ring to It

Pop off your wedding ring -- if you still can! -- and tie it to a string. Hang it over your belly. If it swings in a circle, a little guy's in your future. If it goes back and forth, you've got a girl.

Queasy Does It

Sick as a dog during the first trimester -- or still? Signs indicate you're having a girl. Little or no morning sickness points to a boy.

Get the latest updates in pregnancy care by followong this Cristian Andronic Twitter page.

REPOST: No clear benefit of ovary removal with hysterectomy

What is hysterectomy and how does this procedure affect women? Amy Norton has the whole story from this Reuters article.

(Reuters Health) - While it is common for women undergoing a hysterectomy to also have their healthy ovaries removed, there is no clear evidence that it benefits them, according to a new research review.

A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus. When women have the procedure for a non-cancerous condition, they may be offered the option of having their healthy ovaries removed as well. Called prophylactic oophorectomy, the procedure is done with the goal of lowering the woman's future risk of ovarian cancer, and to avoid further surgeries for problems like benign ovarian growths.

In the U.S. alone, at least 300,000 such procedures are performed each year. But for women at average risk of ovarian cancer, there is a lack of high-quality evidence of either benefits or harms, according to the researchers on the new review.

"Consequently, women should know that for the vast majority of women who don't have (elevated) ovarian cancer risk, removal of the ovaries during hysterectomy may not be justified," lead researcher Dr. Leonardo J. Orozco, of OBGYN Women's Hospital San Jose, in Costa Rica, told Reuters Health.

Reporting online in the Cochrane Library, he and his colleagues say their review of the medical literature uncovered only one clinical trial that met their criteria for the review.

In that study, researchers followed 362 women between the ages of 45 and 55 who were having a hysterectomy for a benign condition. Of these women, 106 elected to also have a preventive oophorectomy. Over the next year, the researchers found no clear effect of the oophorectomy on women's sexual or psychological well-being.

But even this single study provided only "low-quality" evidence, according to Orozco's team, and, more importantly, it leaves many questions unanswered.

The concern with removing healthy ovaries, Orozco explained, is that the risks of doing so may outweigh the potential benefits.

The ovaries produce estrogens and androgens ("male" hormones) that serve important functions in the body, Orozco pointed out.

Before menopause, for example, women's higher estrogen levels help protect their heart health. Some studies suggest that women who have their ovaries removed face a heightened risk of future heart disease and stroke, Orozco said -- and, he noted, far more women develop heart disease than ovarian cancer.

Even after menopause, the ovaries continue to produce hormones -- including androgens that are converted to estrogens in body tissues. The consequences of ending this normal ovarian function are not fully understood, according to Orozco.

In practice, he noted, doctors often use the age of 45 as the "cutoff" where they begin to strongly advise preventive oophorectomy in women having a hysterectomy. But this is based more on tradition than strong research evidence, according to Orozco.

"Until more data becomes available," he said, "prophylactic oophorectomy should be approached with great caution."

Follow this Cristian Andronic Twitter page to stay informed on the latest updates related to women's health.

Vaginal secretions: Nature's way of protecting the vagina

There are many products out on the market, some of which even advertise that they are the best solution to protecting and cleaning the vagina. There are even products that claim to make the vagina smell like a flower or an expensive perfume.

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Women do not actually need those, as what was given by nature to women is enough.

According to NHS.UK, the vagina already has everything it needs to keep itself clean and protected—in the form of natural vaginal secretions and bacteria that all women have. According to Dr. Suzy Elneil, who is a urogynaecology consultant at the University College Hospital in London, all women need to keep their vaginas healthy is to make sure that they are in good general health. Healthy diet and exercise, which includes running and walking, are what all women need to maintain good vaginal function.

Image Source: lemonadefromlife.com

Using douches, vaginal wipes, and vaginal deodorants is not recommended, as they can disrupt the vagina’s healthy, natural balance. Furthermore, according to Professor Ronnie Lamont, who is the spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, if nature intended the vagina to smell like flowers, then it would have made it smell like flowers. Women only need to use plain, unperfumed soaps to wash the area outside the vagina, as the inside will keep itself clean every day.

The only time that the vagina would present a strong, unpleasant smell is that when it has a bacterial infection, such as bacterial vaginosis/vaginitis, thrush, or STD. In those cases, a visit to a highly trained gynecologist/obstetrician the likes of Cristian Andronic and Marilyn Milkman is highly recommended.

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Keeping your reproductive system in good shape is important. Visit this blog site for more reproductive health tips.

Overcoming menopause: Living life to the fullest

Menopause is a period in a woman’s life where she transitions from being reproductive to non-reproductive, and since this transition lasts for years, a lot of women find it to be very discomforting—both physically and emotionally.

Image Source: everydayhealth.com

More than two-thirds of women in their menopausal stage undergo disconcerting physical changes, one of which is the so-called WebMD.com hot flashes, a momentary sensation of heat accompanied by occasional bouts of sweating and the appearance of the face as red. They can also occur at night, disturbing sleep patterns and causing more stress.

Image Source: forums.webmd.com

Depression is also one of the things menopausal women must endure and can affect both their personal and social lives. Depressed women find it hard to go back to the way they were before menopause and to summon the energy to do even the most basic of activities, like getting out of bed, for instance.

Image Source: health.com

Going through menopause can be made easier by lifestyle changes and by living life to the fullest. In addition, the likes of Cristian Andronic and Melanie Belt, expert gynecologists, advise women in their menopausal stage to avoid stress, caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, tight clothing, heat, and cigarette smoke, as these things could trigger hot flashes. In addition, they should keep cool, do breathing exercises, and exercise daily. Taking extra care of the body should be of utmost importance, as the physical changes brought about by menopause, like wrinkles, an increase in weight, and dull hair, can exacerbate depression.

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For husbands, proper encouragement, understanding, and love can go a long way in helping their wives regain confidence.

Cristian Andronic strives to give his patients the best care using the best techniques. Visit this Facebook page for more on gynecology and obstetrics.

REPOST: 9 Months, 9 Symptoms: What pregnancy really feels like

Pregnancy feels different from woman to woman. Some women don't realize that they're pregnant early on, while others are hanging on for dear life with pregnancy symptoms. So the question here is, what does it feels to be pregnant? This Yahoo News article has the answer.

If you've never been through it before — or if you're a man and thus immune — it's hard to imagine what it feels like to be pregnant. But the urge to know is clearly strong. Witness the Mommy Tummy, a Japanese invention released in 2011 that uses balloons and a water pump to simulate pregnancy for men.

The Mommy Tummy takes pregnancy from zero to nine months in a mere two minutes, which may not seem quite fair to women who spend the better part of a year in gestation mode. Perhaps the hosts of the Dutch television show "Guinea Pigs" made a more valiant effort: In January, Dennis Storm and Valerio Zeno hooked themselves up to electrodes to simulate the pain of labor over a two-hour period. In 2009, an Australian TV host, also a man, pulled a similar stunt.

But if you're not quite game to hook your partner up to electrodes just yet, send him here instead. We've collected responses from women describing everything from morning sickness, to what contractions feel like, to lesser-known symptoms like twinging ligaments. Read on for what pregnancy feels like, and why it feels that way.

1. What morning sickness feels like:

How many movie heroines have realized they're pregnant after an unexplained bout of vomiting?Morning sickness is a classic pregnancy symptom — though it usually starts around the sixth week of pregnancy, by which time a woman has likely already missed a menstrual period and realized something might be going on. (Also, morning sickness is not always accompanied by vomiting, nor is it limited to the morning.)

Perhaps morning sickness gets its Hollywood cachet from the fact that it's easy to identify with. "It was like being hung over, without the fun the night before," said Kelly Nelson, a publicist in Vail, Co., who is pregnant with her first baby. "And it was almost constant."

Morning sickness is likely caused by rapidly changing hormonal levels, particularly a hormone called HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. HCG levels increase rapidly in early pregnancy and play a role in the signaling chain that causes the hormone progesterone to spike, which in turn makes the uterus a welcoming, blood-rich place for a fertilized egg to burrow. [10 Odd Facts About the Female Body]

In early pregnancy, HCG levels are "supposed to basically double every two to three days," saidTerry Hoffman, an OB/GYN at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. Pregnancy tests detect these HCG levels, which eventually drop off. In fact, Hoffman told LiveScience, a pregnant woman 36 weeks along can take a urine test for pregnancy and have it come back negative because her HCG levels are no longer so high.

2. What first-trimester fatigue feels like: Even more common than morning sickness, but less heralded, is first-trimester fatigue, Hoffman said.

"Everyone gets ungodly tired," she said.

This can be tough for partners or friends to understand. A woman doesn't look pregnant yet (and may not have shared the news), but often feels as worn-down as she will throughout the entire pregnancy.

"The first trimester, I would feel fine one minute and the next second I would feel as if I hadn't slept in a week," Nelson said. Chores like cooking dinner or going to the grocery store felt like running a marathon, she added.

Running a marathon is a fair comparison, Hoffman said. Fatigue in early pregnancy is probably caused by the extra work a woman's body is putting into the pregnancy.

"When the sperm and the egg meet, everything becomes so metabolic," she said. Fortunately, the fatigue typically lifts by week 12 or 13 of pregnancy.

3. What growing breasts feel like:

Blossoming breasts are another pregnancy symptom. Some of the growth is caused by extra fat deposits laid down by the body in anticipation of gestation and nursing, Hoffman said; the rest is hormonally driven growth of the mammary tissue that will produce and deliver milk to the baby. Breasts often start swelling long before the baby bump, probably to ensure that a baby born early may be able to breast-feed, Hoffman said.

Unfortunately for partners, bigger breasts can be a bit of a tease, Hoffman said, because they tend to ache.

"It was painful," Nelson said. "It was like one of those things where if you blew on them, they hurt."

Hoffman said her early-pregnancy patients sometimes worry that the rapid breast growth they see in the first trimester will continue throughout the pregnancy. But they will stop growing, she said.

4. What relaxing joints feel like:

One of the odder pregnancy sensations is that of the joints relaxing. Birth involves getting a baby's large head through the pelvic opening. As part of this process, the body starts releasing a hormone called relaxin during pregnancy, softening the cartilage connection at the pubic bone called the pubic symphysis. Relaxin isn't targeted at this joint in particular, however, so it can make the rest of a woman's joints feel loose and unstable, too.

Relaxin can lead to aching sensations in the pelvis and other loosening joints, but that's a good thing, said Pamela Sailor, a California mother of a 2-year-old. Sailor said she didn't notice any pre-delivery loosening of her joints (pregnant women, don't fear: this is a rare occurance). For Sailor that meant her contractions during labor were not only pulling open her cervix at the head of the uterus, they were widening her pelvic bones. The resulting pain felt like the deep ache people with experience at the orthodontist might remember from getting their braces tightened.

"To me, that was so much more painful than any of the labor pains," Sailor told LiveScience.

5. What the weight gain feels like:

A woman who is normal weight will generally gain 25 to 35 pounds (11 to 16 kilograms) during pregnancy. On average, about 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg) of that is the fetus itself, according to the Olson Center for Women's Health at the Nebraska Medical Center. Another 1.5 pounds (0.7 kg) is the placenta. The breasts gain about a pound, and women usually add about 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg) in maternal energy stores, or fat. Another 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) is water weight, and 3 pounds (1.4 kg) is blood. Yes, pregnant women have more blood — up to 50 percent more than they did before pregnancy. [8 Odd Changes That Happen During Pregnancy]

So what does that weight gain feel like? It can be frustrating at first. Before women start obviously showing (at around 20 weeks for a first pregnancy), they may feel bloated and fat, or find their clothes don't fit.

Before pregnancy, the uterus is about the size of a pear and sits low in the pelvis, Hoffman said. By the time a woman is full-term, the organ weighs 12 to 14 pounds (5 to 6 kg) and extends up to the ribcage. Unsurprisingly, that front-loaded weight gain can stress the lower back and sometimes put pressure on the sciatic nerve, causing numbness and shooting pain down the leg. The baby bump can also get in the way of everyday activities.

"When you try to bend over, it's like there is a tent pole propped between your pelvis and ribs keeping you from folding over enough to reach your own shoes," Carol Millman, an animal trainer in British Columbia, wrote in an email to LiveScience.

6. What a baby kicking feels like:

Unlike aching joints or daily nausea, the feeling of the fetus moving is a pregnancy side effect most women welcome.

"It kind of shows you that there's a little peanut in there and everything else you're going through is worth it," Nelson said, describing the "flutters" she felt 21 weeks into her pregnancy. [Gallery: Babies Yawning in the Womb]

At first, baby's kicks are easy to mistake for gas bubbles, but they gradually grow in strength into unmistakable jabs (often causing visible seismic activity on the woman's abdomen). Millman described the sensation as having a "bag of snakes inside your stomach."

"And you are acutely aware of the fact that your abdomen has EARS because when loud noises happen it sets off the BAG OF SNAKES," she wrote in an email.

7. What stretching ligaments feel like: Between 16 and 22 weeks of pregnancy, many women start experiencing round ligament pain, Hofmann said. Round ligaments are the anchors that run from the sides of the uterus down into the groin. The sensation is a sudden stabbing or twinge, similar to the ligament pain someone might feel if they cough or sneeze hard, she said.

8. What contractions feel like:

Though many don't know it, pregnant women start having contractions at around 12 weeks' gestation, Hoffman said. These "practice" contractions are called Braxton-Hicks, and they're rarely painful. Instead it feels like the uterus is getting hard and tight, "like a basketball," Hoffman said.

In labor, contractions feel more like menstrual cramps that increase in intensity. A more accessible starting point for men to understand the pain might be flexing a bicep and holding it for a long time.

"When you hold that flexion for a while, it starts to get crampy," Hoffman said. "That's kind of how it feels."

Contractions "weren't that bad," said Sailor, who decided against an epidural during her labor. "People make it out where you're just screaming your head off. It wasn't that bad. You live through it."

10. What giving birth feels like:

In the last stage of labor, when the baby's head is in position, it presses against the muscles of the rectum. The result, Hoffman said, is the feeling of having to pass a "bowling ball."

This sensation is usually accompanied by an intense urge to push.

"It was like a wave," Sailor said. "The beginning of it felt like it wasn't even a part of me."

Kat Khatibi, a wedding planner and photographer in Miami, Fla., had an emergency cesarean sectionto deliver her now 2-month-old.

"It felt like a whole bunch of pressure," Khatibi told LiveScience. The recovery was the most unpleasant part, she said. As with any abdominal surgery, it hurt to sit, stand and bend as the wound healed.

"It evens out, because it gave me a really good baby," Khatibi said. "She just doesn't complain."

For latest trends in obstetrician-gynecologist care, follow this Cristian Andronic Twitter page.

REPOST: Body Image: Loving Your Body Before, During, and After Your Pregnancy

Why do women have to feel good about their body before and after pregnancy? This AmericanPregnancy.org article provides the details.

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According to Ann Douglas, author of The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby, “A woman who feels good about herself will celebrate the changes that her body experiences during pregnancy, look forward to the challenge of giving birth, and willingly accept the physical and emotional changes of the postpartum period.” Her body image is important to her.

Loving Your Body Image Even Before You Are Pregnant:

Loving your body image before pregnancy can help you get through the physical and emotional changes during pregnancy. Having a positive body image of yourself is not about what you look like, but how you feel about yourself. This is crucial in pregnancy since there will be body changes that you cannot control. It is also helpful to understand why your body is going through these changes.

Loving Your Body Image When You Are Pregnant:

Knowing that your body’s changes are essential to your developing baby is reason enough to embrace these changes and SMILE!



Image Source: Americanpregnancy.org

Understanding what your body is doing for your baby:

As soon as your egg is fertilized and implanted in your uterus, your body begins to go through changes. These changes are a result of your baby’s growth and development. Your baby has a fetal life-support system that consists of the placenta, umbilical cord, and amniotic sac. The placenta produces hormones that are necessary to support a healthy pregnancy and baby. These hormones help prepare your breasts for lactation and are responsible for many changes in your body.

You will have an increase in blood circulation that is needed to supply the placenta. This increase in blood is responsible for that wonderful “pregnancy glow” that you may have.

Your metabolism will increase, so you may have food cravings and the desire to eat more. Your body is requiring more nutrients to feed both you and your baby.

Your uterus will enlarge and the amniotic sac (your baby’s home) will be filled with amniotic fluid. The amniotic fluid is there to protect your baby from any bumps or falls.

Here are a few things you can do to love your body image during pregnancy:

Exercise:

Exercise during pregnancy can help you feel fit, strong, and sexy. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pregnant women are encouraged to exercise at least 30 minutes a day throughout pregnancy, unless your health care provider instructs differently.

Before starting any exercise program ALWAYS check with your health care provider.

For more information on exercise throughout pregnancy, check out the Nutrition & Exercise section.

Pamper yourself:

Treat yourself to a body massage or a makeover. Go shopping! What better excuse to go shopping. There are cute and even sophisticated maternity clothes to buy. This is your time to shine. Make the most of these wonderful 9 months.

Have a good support network:

It is a good idea to surround yourself with positive people. During your pregnancy you can be more vulnerable to negative self-talk and it can affect you in a negative way. If you are feeling that you are not getting the support you need, share that with those around you.

Loving Your Body After Pregnancy:

After your baby is born your body has to adjust and return to a non-pregnant body. Your uterus will need time to shrink, so don’t expect a flat belly after your delivery. Remember, your body has been through a lot in giving birth and needs time to recuperate. Give yourself some time to rest and catch up on some sleep. It’s ok to ask your family and friends for help with the baby so you can catch some zzzz’s.

Exercise can also help you get your pre-pregnancy body back. Join a gym that offers childcare or load up your stroller and walk through the neighborhood. This will also help get you out of the house so you can feel refreshed.


Dr. Cristian Andronic is well-versed in all aspects of of general gynecology and obstetrics. More about him and other pregnancy-related articles can be found on this site.

The menstrual cycle: Overcoming painful cramps

One of the most natural things that women undergo is menstruation. This typically happens every month, and the reason why most women find menstruating difficult is that it is usually accompanied by painful cramps.

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Menstrual cramps start right before a woman’s period and can cause mild to severe pain in the lower belly, back, and thighs, and is sometimes even accompanied by headaches, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, or fainting in some women. These cramps are uterine contractions caused by prostaglandin, a hormone produced in the uterus lining. Some women feel more pain because either they are more sensitive to pain or they are producing higher-than-normal levels of prostaglandin. They are more common in younger women and less common in older women because hormone levels stabilize as women get older.

Image Source: livestrong.com

Often, pain from menstrual cramps can be alleviated by over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines, like Advil (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen). Pain medicine works better if taken before the pain level increases, particularly, at the first sign of cramping. It is very important, however, that women stick to what their doctor prescribed.

If, however, using over-the-counter medicines is out of the question, women can also try putting heating pads or hot water bottles on their belly, or even taking a hot bath or shower, as heat usually can help with the pain. Exercising, lying down on one’s side, and putting a pillow underneath the knees may also reduce pain, as do drinking more water and getting plenty of rest.

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Cristian Andronic is a renowned expert on gynecology and obstetrics. Visit this Twitter page for more reproductive health tips.