Women's Health and Pregnancy

This time in our Health by Numbers/Medical Tests series, Dr Shital Raval takes a look at the importance of Potassium levels in the electrolyte panel. Read the first part on Sodium Levels  POTASSIUM: Potassium is both a mineral and electrolyte. It is important for heart, muscle, digestive and nerve functioning.  The potassium test is often part of a routine or done to check on the electrolyte balance of the body. The best sources of potassium are: Leafy greens such as swiss chard,…

#MenstrualHygieneDay Menstrual hygiene is of utmost importance and the need for awareness of sanitation and cleanliness for this period for adolescent girls and women worldwide is even more so. 28th May is observed as Menstrual Hygiene Day worldwide as a reminder to the need to handle menstruation in a healthy way. The specific challenges that women and girls face differ widely, as per social norms, customs, education, geography of the region they live in as well as socio economic factors. Yet…

This time in our Health by Numbers/Medical Tests series, Dr Shital Patel takes a look at our electrolyte levels in our blood. An electrolyte imbalance, commonly caused by loss of body fluids through prolonged vomiting, diarrhoea, sweating or high fever, can result in various health disorders, like restlessness, anxiety, kidney diseases or even cardiac arrest. An Electrolyte Panel is a blood test that measures the common minerals in the body such as sodium, calcium, chloride, magnesium,…

Swati Agrawal, a fibromyalgia patient keenly wishes for more awareness and treatment for this incurable, misdiagnosed and misunderstood, invisible illness. Find out how she maintains her health. Listen to her in the video below. New Delhi, 12 May 2016: Well, you know what they say about best laid schemes of mice. In my case, that pretty much sums up Fibromyalgia. In fact, I think Robert Burns would have been impressed with how earnestly fibromyalgia made the schemes of my life go awry. Chronic…

World Ovarian Cancer Day Nearly 70 % of ovarian cancers are not discovered until they have reached an advanced stage III or later when it is more difficult to treat and can be fatal. Dr Kiran Coelho, gynaecologist and obstetrician, counsels women, particularly those at high-risk, to undergo regular ovarian cancer screening to be safe. 1. What is the rate of incidence of ovarian cancer among Indian women? The incidence of ovarian cancer has shown an increasing trend in India in the last 20 years…

When you have a health problem, it is always important to understand what it is and to learn about its causes, symptoms and prevention. So next time you visit your doctor, go prepared with a list of questions. It will help you be more informed and less stressed. To enable you to make the most of your doctor’s appointment, we bring you a new series called ‘What to Ask your Doctor’ starting with questions on Uterine Fibroids. A uterine fibroid is a benign tumor that grows in the wall of the…

Oral health is not limited to your teeth alone. Mouth ulcers or sores can develop inside the mouth, cheeks, lips and tongue that can be extremely painful. Dr Shail Jaggi informs us on causes and symptoms of mouth ulcers and offers some advice on how to keep our mouth healthy, hygienic and problem free. All of us have at some point experienced oral sores in the mouth. These are generally very unpleasant and extremely painful and will persist for a couple of days. These sores are called ulcers.…

Nearly 72,000 women die in India every year due to cervical cancer. If it goes undetected and untreated, cervical cancer can be life-threatening. We share with you the personal accounts of two cervical cancer survivors and how they have become staunch advocates of the HPV vaccine, starting with their own family and daughters. A specific type of virus called human papilloma virus (HPV) causes almost all of the cases of cervical cancer. Your doctor can screen for this virus and precancerous cells…

Cervical cancer kills one Indian woman every 7 minutes. Mridu Gupta, Chief Operations Officer, CAPED - Cancer Awareness, Prevention and Early Detection Trust, urges every woman to go for regular cervical cancer screening tests and recommends the HPV vaccine for their daughters. January was World Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. But nobody is really aware of the fact and nobody really cares. Its only another cancer in a long list of cancers, isn’t it? No. It isn’t. And you should care. Very much…

Sunrita Mitra, an academician, suffers from chronic Dysmenorrhea or menstrual pain, which almost renders her immobile. Here she talks about how she copes with it physically and emotionally. Please tell us a bit about your present condition. At the age of 50 plus, I am eagerly waiting for my menopause but I am having painful periods at regular (28 plus/minus 2 days) intervals that last for 5 to 6 days. Pain starts two-three days prior to menstrual discharge and usually the first two days are…