|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Your doctor will probably discuss with you the symptoms he will want you to report. These symptoms, or warning signs, may or may not indicate serious complication. If you experience any of the warning signs, notify your doctor immediately. Do not worry about bothering him. It is his job to answer your questions about your physical well-being. A warning sign should be taken as an indication of possible illness, infection, or threatened miscarriage. However, it is just as important that you remain clam as it is that you recognize the sign and act on it, since nothing may wrong. Just speaking with your doctor can be reassuring. Genital sores, vaginal discharge, and other genital discomforts are warnings of Venereal or sexually transmitted diseases. Your baby will be at risk if you contract a venereal disease while pregnant. Not only gonorrhea and syphilis are serious, but the herpes virus and chlamydeous can also cause serious problems if the baby becomes infected. Inform your caregiver for any current or previous problems or venereal diseases so that he can test you and trot you if necessary during your pregnancy. In addition, recent studies indicate that pregnant women who have been exposed to HIV, the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), are at risk for passing the virus to their unborn children. It is important that you be tested for HIV early in your pregnancy because early treatment may decrease the risk of transmission to the fetus. Another condition that you should be aware of is toxoplasmosis, a disease that is contracted by eating raw or rare meat or by coming in contact with an infected cat, particularly the feces of such a cat. Toxoplasmosis can cause brain damage, malformation, blindness, or death in an unborn child. Therefore, while you are pregnant, you should avoid changing act's little box and eating meat that is not well cooked. A food item that could cause serious problems for pregnant women is soft cheese. Any soft cheese including feta, mozzarella, goat, brie, Camembert, blue, veined, and Mexican - could contain a bacteria called listeria that causes miscarriages and stillbirths. This lethal bacteria may also found in raw and undercooked meat, poultry, and seafood, as well as on raw vegetables. Two other foods in which listeria has been found are hummus dip and taboule salad. Listeria can be killed only be heating to the boiling point. Cold or freezing temperatures do not destroy it. The symptoms of listeria infection include fever, chills, and other flu-like complaints, plus headache, nausea, and vomiting. They can occur 2 to 30 days after ingestion. Although information on this bacteria in not widely available, listeria is very dangerous, so products that could be contaminated with it should be carefully avoided during pregnancy. Dr. Boris Petrikosky, chief of maternal fetal medicine at Northshore University Hospital on Long Island stated that listeria is " the No. 1 food borne infection that kills fetuses." The following guidelines can help reduce your chances of ingesting this harmful bacteria: Avoid all soft cheeses. Use only pasteurized dairy products. Eat only thoroughly cooked meat, poultry, and seafood. Reheat any ready-to-eat grocery store or deli items. Thoroughly wash raw vegetables. Wash hand's, countertops, and all utensils after handing uncooked foods. Listeria is not harmful to healthy adults, but it is very dangerous to the elderly and to people with weakened immune systems, as well as to pregnant women and their fetuses. The precautions used to avoid listeria infection will also help prevent food poisoning from E. coli and salmonella bacteria. Always cook meat especially hamburger, until there is no pink and the thermometer register 1700F. Poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 1850 F. Several other situations have been cited as possibly being hazardous during early pregnancy. For example, one investigation showed that the employees in a semiconductor plant who worked in the room where computer chips were etched with acids and gases had a miscarriage rate of 39 percent, which is nearly twice the national average. Some concern also exists about a possible correlation between exposure electromagnetic radiation and miscarriage. Sources of this radiation include computer monitors and video display terminals, electric blankets, waterbed heaters, electric cable ceiling heat, and power lines and substations. No conclusive evidence to support this concern. Other possible risks are to women who handle the chemicals used in dry cleaning and in hair dyes and permanents. In addition the use of hot tubs saunas by pregnant women has been associated with birth defects and fetal death. Further studies are needed to determine whether any danger actually exists in these cases. Until then, you may want to avoid these situation.
|
|
