Women's Health and Pregnancy

Dr Pallavi Vasal, a Consultant Obstetrics and Gynecology at W Pratiksha Hospital, Gurgaon answers comprehensively to a wide range of questions on Ovarian Cancer - signs, screenings and risks, specifically with endometriosis, cysts and breast cancer.  #AskTheDoctor Series. 1.   Ovarian Cancer does not exhibit easy to spot signs and symptoms. So what should women watch out for? Most women have very few symptoms but you may experience one or more of the following: Lower abdominal…

Porrselvi was very excited about her pregnancy and was looking forward to it. Strong and sharp abdominal pains in the third month of her pregnancy changed all of that. Find out what caused these pains (it affects more women than you would believe) and how she dealt with it. The pregnancy glow, the much clichéd idea, was what I had in mind when I found out I was pregnant. I did not have much of a morning sickness, it was more of a motion sickness. So, naturally I was thrilled that my body was…

Dr. KR Vasudevan, Director Liver Transplantation, PSRI Hospital talks about the major risks for a liver disease and how to keep our liver healthy. Also, are herbs and supplements safe for the liver?  #WorldLiverDay NonAlcoholic Liver disease or NAFLD is the most common cause of Hepatic disease around the world. Why is that? Increasing opulence has brought about changes in life style. Availability of processed food and decreasing physical activity has resulted in accumulation of body fat.…

It was ad in a newspaper that familiarized Anju Gupta, 54, an Indian settled in Canada, to QiGong, a Chinese system of physical exercises and breathing control that helped keep her fibromyalgia in check. Read how she came out a winner. My problem began soon after I migrated to Canada in 1995. Besides, the pressures of settling in a new country, I had a baby to look after. My son was barely six weeks old. It was very stressful time for me. The only saving grace was that I began to steadily shed…

An interview on a wide range of issues - from survival rates of breast cancer to quality of life, from the use of chemotherapy to breast reconstruction - with Dr. Vinay Deshmane, Consultant in Surgical Oncology & Breast Diseases and Medical Director and Jnt. Hon secretary of the Indian Cancer Society  1.    Has the survival rate of Breast Cancer changed in India in recent years? Why is that? There is paucity of data on survival rates of most cancers including Breast…

On World Kidney Day, Dr Jayesh Lele, earlier National Secretary, Indian Medical Association, helps us understand why women are more likely to have an increased risk of kidney diseases than men. The theme for World Kidney Day 2018 is  ‘Kidneys & Women's Health: Include, Value, Empower’. It aptly highlights the importance of women’s kidneys health and the need to create awareness amongst women as well as give them equal access to healthcare all over the country. Researchers have shown…

PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) affects millions of women.  As little as 5-10% weight loss can help make your cycle more regular. Meenu Agarwal, a clinical dietician based in Singapore shares dietary guidelines for managing PCOS. PCOS is a common endocrine system disorder among women of reproductive age. It is a condition in which a woman has enlarged ovaries that contain small fluid-filled cysts — called follicles — located in each ovary. According to the PCOS Foundation: PCOS is…

Dr Divya Parashar, Head of Rehabilitation Psychology, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, New Delhi, shares about her own battle with weight issues and how her loss of the extra kilos also invited flak. This is me, 12 years ago, when we were packing to return to India, and a few months after I had just turned 30 and started on a journey to regain my health by losing a whole lot of weight. Weight that was playing host to a few medical conditions: PCOD, Metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, pre-…

MHR, as she prefers to be referred to as, has been battling Behcet’s Syndrome, a rare auto-immune disease for the last 17 years. Having been through various stages of pain, depression and hopelessness, body image issues she has tried ayurveda and yoga, to get some relief. She is keen to spread awareness on auto-immune disorders and wishes that doctors not treat her as guinea pig. First diagnosis I was diagnosed with Behcet’s Syndrome in 2001, after an illness of over 6 months. I was 23 then. I…

Dr Gayatri Deshpande, senior gynaecologist, cautions against infection of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) transmitted mainly through sexual contact that can cause painful and highly contagious genital warts resulting in a range of cancers in both men and women and advises safe sex to reduce risks. What is Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection and how do you get it? This is an infection caused by Human Papillomavirus which is a DNA virus. One can catch this infection by sexual contacts which may…