Vaginitis
What is vaginitis? Vaginitis is an inflammation of the vagina. Vaginitis may cause itching, burning, a bad odor, or a large amount of discharge. It is one of the most common reasons for visiting an obstetrician–gynecologist (ob-gyn).
The joy of pregnancy often brings along with it the misery of morning sickness. Despite its name, the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (the technical term for morning sickness) can occur at any time of day.
The condition usually starts before nine weeks and typically goes away by the second trimester. The severity can range anywhere from feeling mildly nauseas to having to spend quite a bit of time in the bathroom.
For an unlucky minority of women, the condition can go on for several weeks or months, and some may even feel barfy throughout their entire pregnancy. While medical experts aren’t sure of the exact cause of morning sickness, it’s a common condition that does more to interrupt your daily schedule than harm your health or that of your baby.
Severe Morning Sickness
Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy in its most severe form is called hyperemesis gravidarum, which sounds more like a spell from Harry Potter than too much vomiting. It’s a rare, serious condition in which you become dehydrated and begin to lose weight. You may be diagnosed with it if you have lost 5% of your pre-pregnancy weight and have other problems related to dehydration.
This severe weight loss and dehydration can lead to health problems for you and potentially your baby. If your morning sickness becomes this bad, you may need medical intervention and potentially hospitalization to control your vomiting and ensure you are getting enough fluids and nutrients.
What to Do to Feel Better
Some simple diet and lifestyle changes may help relieve your mild-to-moderate symptoms until they take care of themselves. (You may need to try more than one of these.)
- Take your prenatal vitamins (but not on an empty stomach).
- Eat dry toast or crackers before you get out of bed in the morning to avoid moving around on an empty stomach.
- Keep drinking fluids to help stay hydrated, as well as to keep something on your stomach.
- Avoid smells that bother you.
- Eat small, frequent meals instead of three large ones.
- Avoid your favorite greasy foods and stick to bland ones. The BRATT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, and tea) is low in fat and easy to digest.
- Try drinking ginger ale made with real ginger or ginger tea made from fresh-grated ginger.
Let us know if these don’t relieve your symptoms. There are some medications that are safe for use during pregnancy that we can give you that should help.
Other Medical Conditions
There are other medical conditions that can cause nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. These include ulcer, food-related illness, thyroid disease, or gallbladder disease. If you have these symptoms combined with your nausea, please make an appointment to see your doctor:
- Nausea and vomiting that occur for the first time after nine weeks of pregnancy
- Abdominal pain or tenderness
- Fever
- Headache
- Enlarged thyroid gland (indicated by swelling in the front of your neck)
If you have any questions at all or are feeling concerned about morning sickness, please don’t hesitate to call us and talk to a nurse or make an appointment with your doctor
Screening for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C During Pregnancy
Hepatitis. It’s one of those medical words you may have heard, but never understood. And if you’re pregnant, it’s a word you might hear at your first prenatal visit. Screening for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis
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