Archive for December, 2007

Ectopic Pregnancy Overview

An ectopic pregnancy, or tubal pregnancy, is one that occurs outside of the womb. The most common location for an ectopic pregnancy is inside one of the fallopian tubes. This can occur when an egg is fertilized and does not implant into the uterus. The fertilized egg can attach to the inside of the fallopian tube, the ovary, the outside of the uterus or to the intestine. Fertilized eggs that implant outside of the uterus can not grow to become fetuses due to the lack of nutrients and non-accommodating organs.
Ectopic pregnancies are very dangerous. As the attached fertilized egg grows, it can damage organs and cause severe internal bleeding. For example, your fallopian tube isn’t designed to expand and accommodate a growing fetus. Therefore, if a fertilized egg implants there, it can rupture the tube. Arteries are located nearby and they can rupture as well.

The most common symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are vaginal bleeding and abdominal or pelvic pain. Symptoms can become much more severe if the ectopic pregnancy ruptures. You may become dizzy or even pass out. You may experience a fast heart rate of over one hundred beats per minute. You may become pale, clammy and sweaty. Pain will become so severe that you are unable to stand or walk. Many women go into shock when an ectopic pregnancy ruptures.

If you suspect that you have an ectopic pregnancy or ectopic rupture, then you should immediately seek medical attention as you could have an immediate life-threatening condition. First, pregnancy will be confirmed. Second, an ultrasound will be performed to confirm that the pregnancy is ectopic. This will also help locate the developing embryo (fertilized egg). If the embryo or the gestational sac is too small to be detected by ultrasound, and you are in stable condition, then your doctor may monitor you closely by performing blood tests every two to three days to follow hormone levels. When the pregnancy (gestational sac, embryo or fertilized egg) has grown large enough, the ultrasound will be repeated to locate it. If it is confirmed that the pregnancy is ectopic, then immediate treatment will be ordered.

Depending on how long the fertilized egg has been growing, your doctor may be able to treat your ectopic pregnancy with a methotrexate injection. Make sure that you discuss with your doctor what you should expect after the injection, the risks involved and how to take care of yourself after the drug has been administered. If the drug is not effective or if the pregnancy (fertilized egg) has grown too large, then surgery will be necessary to remove the growing gestational sac and embryo (fertilized egg). Remember that this is not a viable egg capable of growing into a live born fetus, and it is a definite life-threatening situation.

The surgery depends on the size and location of the implanted egg. Whether or not you want to be able to conceive again is also a consideration. Laparoscopy can sometimes be used to remove the pregnancy. Keep in mind that if it is an emergency situation or if there is extensive internal injury, then a more a more extensive surgery called a laparotomy often must be performed.

If you believe that you may be experiencing any of the symptoms discussed here, seek immediate medical care. Time is of the essence when dealing with a possible ectopic pregnancy.

Laparoscopy Endometriosis Treatment

Your infertility specialist may recommend laparoscopy to diagnose and treat endometriosis. Laparoscopy is a relatively non-invasive procedure, especially in the diagnostic phase of your infertility treatment. It can be a lot more invasive, and can be considered a major surgery when it is used to treat endometriosis.
To perform a laparoscopic procedure, your doctor will make a small incision near your navel. Your abdomen will be filled with carbon dioxide to inflate it. This allows the doctor to then insert the laparoscope and inspect your reproductive organs and abdominal cavity. The inflation gives the doctor plenty of room to look around. Your body may be tilted back during the procedure so that your intestines and other organs will shift higher up into your body. This gives the surgeon a more clear view of your reproductive organs.

The laparoscope itself is like a tiny, long telescope. It projects a light into your body so that the surgeon can look around. Your doctor may need to make a second incision near your pubic bone to insert other surgical tools. Endometriosis may be quite visible, but sometimes it is not visible to the naked eye. Your surgeon may take biopsies of tissue from your body during the laparoscopic procedure. The tissues will be examined under a microscope to confirm or deny the presence of endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a condition that causes the endometrium, normally lining your uterus, to grow outside of the uterus and attach itself to surrounding structures and organs. Adhesions and scar tissue can form inside of your abdominal and pelvic regions, causing a lot of pain, discomfort and fertility problems. Endometriosis can be mild and may not be discovered until a laparoscopic procedure is performed. If endometriosis affects your ovaries or fallopian tubes, then it can keep eggs from passing through to your uterus for implantation. Endometriosis is a progressive condition and can get worse over time.

Symptoms of endometriosis include abnormally heavy bleeding during menstruation, extremely painful menstrual cramps that last for days, back pain, painful intercourse, urination or defecation. These symptoms can be very similar to other infections or disorders. Therefore, endometriosis may be overlooked until infertility is a concern.

If endometriosis is discovered, your infertility specialist can use laparoscopy as part of the surgical treatment. A pelvis afflicted by endometriosis can also include adhesions, cysts, scar tissue and endometrial implants. Your surgeon will attempt to remove endometrial implants, drain cysts, separate and loosen adhesions and scar tissue. Laser treatment may be used to cut away adhesions, scar tissue and cysts.

Laparoscopy used to treat endometriosis is considered a major surgical procedure, but because of the small incisions made and the state of the art techniques used, there is generally a fast recovery with minimal discomfort after the procedure. Talk to your doctor and discover if laparoscopy endometriosis treatment can help you be on your way to fertility.

Stuttering Cure Tips

Are you looking for tips on how to cure a stutter? Have you had enough of living life with a stuttering problem? These are two questions that I would have certainly answered with a yes when I was a bit younger. I was one of the unfortunate children who grew up with a stutter or as some people call it, a stammer. I really hated having this form of speech impediment and was constantly looking out for a cure to stuttering. Twelve years ago when I was aged twenty-two, after having lived with the stutter for eighteen years, I finally managed to eradicate the problem. Life is so much easier now, yes I do have problems however the fact that I have managed to overcome the stutter makes it quite deal with any issues that arise.
Various people tried to make me believe that there was not a cure for stuttering. I did listen to their thoughts but would never accept what they were telling me. There view point was very defeatist and negative. That may well be their character but certainly is not mine. I had to believe that one day I would be able to speak fluently without the fear of stuttering, without this dream life would not be worth living.

I am not one of those people who are looking for a miracle. I was well aware that fluency would take a lot of hard work and a long time. This was something I was willing to do, after all Rome was not built in a day.

If you have a stutter and are wondering whether there is a cure, ask yourself a few questions. Do you stutter when you are singing? Do you stutter when you are shouting? Do you stutter when you are talking to yourself? For the majority of people who have a stutter or stammer, the answer to these questions will have been no. They were for me and this at least gave me hope.

I now had to turn this and many other ideas that I had into a cure for stuttering. This was not easy, of course, however after around eleven months I managed to succeed.

How To Purchase A Colon Cleanse Product

At one time, undergoing a colon cleanse was not an easy venture as it was a complicated procedure. These days, thanks to product innovation the ability to design a capsule form colon cleansing product has been developed. These capsules are available in a number of health food shops and also are not as expensive as one would initially assume. This is quite eye opening as the product inexpensively delivers a variety of health benefits.
The purpose of a colon cleanse is to rid the body of collected waste and food material that has not been expelled from the colon. Keep in mind, this collected waste in the colon can do great harm to your health over time. In fact, it is not uncommon for undigested material in the colon to become toxic. This is why a reliable colon cleansing product can prove helpful. In fact, it might very well be paramount to one’s health.

Many people use a colon cleanse product as a weight loss aid. Keep in mind, while flushing the system will rid the body of impurities and unnecessary water it is not a method that will flush out fat. This is a common misconception many people have about the product. But, if you are looking to lose fat it certainly would not hurt to also take a colon cleanse product while dieting as it has a number of positive attributes that go hand in hand with dieting.

They are a variety of benefits to a colon cleanse and those who use such products have noticed a solid improvement in their health. Remember, the eradication of toxic substances from the colon would be significantly helpful to one’s health. This is why the products have proven wildly popular and continue to grow in popularity and will continue to grow as time progresses.