If you're pregnant and you're a smoker, there's never been a better time to quit. While you're probably familiar with the potential health problems smoking causes for you---including increased risk of heart attack and certain forms of cancer---you...
When you are pregnant, everything you're exposed to also affects your developing baby. By maintaining a healthy diet and abstaining from smoking, alcohol and drugs while pregnant, you can help ensure that your baby will be born healthy and strong....
Listeriosis is a bacterial infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes. Healthy people rarely become infected with listeria, but pregnant women are 20 times more likely to get the illness. According to the American Pregnancy Association, the...
During pregnancy, most mothers strive to learn as much as possible about nutrition and how to eat a healthy diet. Surprisingly, some healthy foods can also pose a risk to the fetus if not prepared properly. Food-borne infections can be more...
Three membranes, called the meninges, lie between the brain and the skull and cover the spinal cord. Infection of the meninges is called meningitis. Viral meningitis is usually self-limiting and rarely leads to complications. Bacterial...
While the term "radiation" is quite generic, encompassing such phenomena as radio waves and visible light in addition to damaging rays, high-energy radiation has the potential to cause significant biological harm. In particular, ionizing...
Placenta previa, which occurs in one in 200 births, can be a serious complication of pregnancy. Placenta previa means that the placenta, the organ that supplies nutrients to the growing fetus, implants low on the uterine wall, partially or...
Herpes impetigo is the common name for impetigo herpetiformis, an acute pus-producing skin disease that usually onsets during the third trimester of pregnancy, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Although herpes is a viral...
Prosciutto is generally named on lists of foods that pregnant women should avoid. This meat, often served cold, poses a slight but serious risk to the woman and her unborn baby because it can cause a food-borne illness called listeria. According...
Goldenseal, Latin name Hydrastis canadensis, is an herb that gets its name from the golden-yellow scars seen when the root breaks off, which resemble a wax letter-seal. The roots and rhizomes of the plant were traditionally used by Native American...
Gestational diabetes is a usually temporary form of diabetes. During pregnancy, the placenta produces hormones that interfere with insulin, making it harder for the insulin to work, according to the University of Michigan Health System. If you...
Hyperbilirubinemia causes jaundice in babies. Extra red blood cells from fetal circulation are broken down by the liver when a newborn begins breathing air. This process creates bilirubin, which gives the skin a yellow pigment within a few days of...
Ginseng refers to any of 11 species of plants with fleshy roots that grow primarily in North America and Asia. Ginseng has been part of traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years to treat a variety of illnesses, usually administered in...
As of 2010, the pregnancy and birth rates among adolescents are significantly high in the United States as compared to other developed countries, states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unfortunately, the complications in teenage...
Pregnant women need to watch their dietary intake more carefully than they might have before getting pregnant. Anything you ingest has the potential to affect your baby. Steak, which is a good source of iron and protein, is perfectly safe to eat...
While you are pregnant, proper nutrition is necessary for your baby to develop properly; however, the safety of the foods you consume can also impact your baby's development. Due to hormonal changes, pregnant women have a higher risk o contracting...
Eating lean meat during pregnancy is a way to get the protein you and your unborn baby need. Your little one requires plenty of protein for proper growth, and lean meats supply a healthy dose. It is important to eat your meat well-cooked, because...
The whole of a person's DNA, called the genome, consists of components called nucleotide bases. The bases link together to form a series of base pairs, and the sequence of base pairs codes for thousands of genes required for growth and survival....
While most women should get about 45 g of protein each day, pregnant women should get an average of at least 70 g of protein each day, according to the medical advisory board at BabyCenter.com. Drinking a protein shake may not only help these...
A healthy, well-rounded diet includes proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. Pregnancy is an especially important time to obtain optimal nutrition from your diet since your developing baby receives all of its nutrition from...
The Children's Hospital in Boston reports that between 10,000 and 15,000 children have growth hormone deficiency in the United States. Growth hormone, a protein produced by the pituitary gland, is one of the hormones critical for normal growth in...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five women are obese at the time they become pregnant. This indicates a critical health issue because researchers have established a relationship between obesity and serious...
If you are pregnant, you probably want to take every precaution to ensure a healthy baby. You will discover that there are several guidelines regarding your diet, supplementation, exercise regimen and exposure to certain chemicals or bacteria. As...
The herpes simplex virus, also known as HSV, comes in two forms, HSV-1 and HSV-2. These variants show a preference for the site of infection, with HSV-1 being more common as an oral infection and HSV-2 being more likely to infect the genital area....
Smoking can shorten your life by 10 years, according to Teen Health. This is just one of the reasons why it isn't a good idea to smoke. Not only can smoking harm your health, but also that of your spouse and children because they will be exposed...
Diovan, the brand name for valsartan, is classed as an angiotensin II receptor antagonist. The medication is prescribed for people with high blood pressure and, according to MedlinePlus, for heart failure in patients who can't use...
Bacteria intestinal infections can cause serious complications in pregnancy. Raw eggs can spread salmonella bacteria as well as listeria or Toxoplasma gondii, the bacteria that causes toxoplasmosis. Sunny-side up eggs often have a loose, uncooked...
Bowtrol Probiotic is a bacterial supplement manufactured by Ultra Herbals, the distributors of a variety of herbal and dietary-related products. This particular blend is intended to help balance the natural concentration of bacterial flora within...
Palmitoyl-transferase deficiency is a metabolic disorder associated with a defect in certain naturally produced bodily enzymes that prevent long-chain fatty acids from being broken down properly and brought into your cells for use as an energy...
