SharedPregnancy.com

Question by Katie: How did doctors confirm a twin pregnancy in the 1960′s?
I’m researching for a story and was wondering how twins would be confirmed back in the 60′s. I know ultrasounds weren’t widely used even my sister who had twins in 1983 said she never had an ultrasound and didn’t find out she was having twins until she delivered, but this can’t always be the case.

Best answer:

Answer by thing one AND thing two:)
They didn’t:) Sometimes the doctor could feel around, and take an ‘educated guess’ that she was going to, but they were never really positive. Luckily they had ultrasounds when I had mine! Can’t even imagine…
Meg

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

There comes a point in a couples lives where they both sit down and decide “ok we want to get pregnant”, and then comes the point (very shortly after) where they have to sit there and ask themselves….”but can we?” If you’re a couple who’s been surprised with a pregnancy, than you’ve already been blessed with the gift of easy conception!

In the modern world we live in today, it has become obvious that more and more couples are having a more and more difficult time getting pregnant and conceiving. Leaving many couples wondering how to get pregnant faster…or for that matter, even conceiving at all. Of course I can’t give you the answer on whether or not you can and will end up finally getting pregnant, but what I can do for you is help you along the way, and give the tips, advice, and support of a mother who’s gone through it all before, and knows what can help and what simply doesn’t work. I can also say from experience, that just because doctors, friends or family say it’s time to give up hope, or that it just darn near impossible to get pregnant faster, or conceive at all, doesn’t mean that it’s all the case.

I want to mention that before I go any further into this article that I can not possibly provide you with all the answer you seek from one short article alone, so please do look through my author profile to find many more articles regarding this specific topic we’re talking about today and many others on pregnancy and conception.

Something to consider when trying to get pregnant faster…

Probably one of the most overlooked and important issues when one is trying to conceive, is the natural ph and bacteria balance within the vagina itself. Remember that your body has a natural way of keeping things in line and working properly, and if you mess it up, then you’ll find it much harder to conceive and get pregnant.

The natural and healthy bacteria that live within your vagina actually act as shield or fortress against other harmful bacteria and fungi. In fact, the leading cause of yeast infections are bacteria in balances within the vagina. Upsetting this can also cause a serious issue during your ttc stage. If you let the bacteria balance get out of hand you can end up with the most common problem within the vagina called “BV (bacterial vaginosis)”. This condition is caused by altering the natural order of things within the vagina and causing the bacteria “Gardnerella vaginalis” to get out of hand and over grow.

There have also been signs that BV can associate itself with ectopic pregnancy and pelvic inflammatory disease.

Very few women and couples actually understand this, and it’s one of the leading reasons for fertility issues, and yet very few women know they are or could be affected by BV. If you’ve been experiencing a sort of thin milky like discharge that also comes with a strong and rather unpleasant odor, then it’s time to see your doctor. This condition WILL strongly affect your ability to conceive and your fertility. You should also see your doctor right away, but stay calm as this isn’t a very serious condition and can easily be treated with a prescription of antibiotics.

I can’t stress to all you couples and women out there how often these basic issues are overlooked, and become an issue with your conception and pregnancy efforts. There is far more to understand and knowledge to acquire on how to get pregnant faster, so please do read my other articles written on the subject, so that you don’t have to go through years, and years of trial and error.

How to Get Pregnant Faster – Advice From a Real Mom

If you notice light spotting during your pregnancy, get to your doctor as soon as you can, even if the bleeding stops. More than likely this is just a normal sign of pregnancy, however it could be something more serious.

Different women may need different treatment, so the first thing your doctor should do is give you an evaluation.

This could mean you need to take a few tests like a physical, an ultrasound, and blood tests. When these tests come back normal, your doctor will know for sure you and your baby are healthy and make sure there are no complications.

Go to the Emergency Room right away if your bleeding and/or experiencing any kind of pain.

Whats the difference between bleeding and spotting?

Spotting is very light bleeding, similar to what you may have at the very beginning or end of your period. It can vary in color from pink to red to brown (the color of dried blood).

What causes this spotting during pregnancy?

Sometimes, even your doctor won’t be able to tell you the reason for your prenatal spotting or bleeding.

These are the most common causes of bleeding or spotting during pregnancy:

Sex

When you have intercourse, more blood goes to your cervix, so it’s normal if you see some light spotting after sex. Some women could develop a cervical polyp (a benign growth on the cervix), and not even know about it, but this could be the reason you are seeing blood after intercourse.

Pap smear or internal exam

After a pap smear or other kinds of internal exams, you may also notice this light spotting, and for the same reason – more blood is flowing to the cervix.

Implantation bleeding

Before you even take a pregnancy test, its possible to experience bleeding, even this early in a pregnancy. Doctors aren’t for sure but they believe this is caused by the fertilized egg trying to burrow into the uterus.

Miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy

If spotting is followed by abdominal pain and cramping, this may be a sign you are having a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. Its important to let your doctor know about any signs of blood or spotting, because a miscarriage could be life threatening, not only for you but also the baby.

Studies show about 25% of pregnant women show some spotting during early pregnancy. About half of those end up being a miscarriage. You should get an ultrasound between your 7th and 11th week of pregnancy. And if it shows a strong heartbeat in the baby now, the chances of your pregnancy continuing normal are higher than 90%.

Infections

Sometimes your spotting may be totally unrelated to your being pregnant. Your cervix may get irritated and become inflamed because of vaginal infection (yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis) or even an STD. An inflamed cervix is known to cause spotting after sex and certain tests.

Placental problems or premature labor

Bleeding or spotting in the 2nd or 3rd trimester could be a sign of a more serious problem like placenta previa, placental abruption (placenta separates from uterus), late miscarriage (week 13 to mid-pregnancy), or premature labor.

Even if you see bleeding in the 1st trimester, this could be a sign of some other problem with the placenta. In studies, there has been a bigger chance of later complications in women who experience early pregnancy spotting, such as early delivery or placental abruption, especially if there is a lot of bleeding.

Nearing labor

When you get close to giving birth your cervix dilates and you may pass your mucus plug. It may be colored red from blood, this is why they call it the “bloody show.”

Anytime past 37 weeks you may pass your mucus plug, and this is normal. But if it looks red like there’s a lot of blood, make sure you call your doctor.

Note: If your blood is Rh-negative, you’ll need a shot of Rh immune globulin if you have vaginal spotting or bleeding unless you know for sure that the baby’s father’s blood is also Rh-negative or it’s clear that the bleeding is not coming from the uterus.

Is it Normal to Experience Spotting During Pregnancy?

Many women decide that they do not want to have any children or that they are finished having children at a certain point. This is when they usually make the decision to pursue female sterilization, otherwise known as having their tubes tied. While most people believe that this is a permanent fix, did you know that a tubal ligation is not necessarily a 100% guarantee that a woman will not get pregnant?

More than 15 million women in the United States in the age group of 15 to 44 are considered to be surgically sterile (this includes women whose partner has a vasectomy too). 26% of this same age group have had tubal ligation. This is usually a highly effective method of preventing pregnancy. It is also very convenient and eliminates the need for the woman to use additional contraceptive methods. Most doctors would tell you that the effect of having your tubes tied is permanent.

The failure rate of tubal ligation is less than 1% within the first year following the surgery. However, it might surprise you to know that 10 years after having female sterilization performed, there is still an overall pregnancy rate of 1.8%. Your chances of getting pregnant are actually greater 10 years after the surgery than in the first year. For women who are 33 years old or younger, they are more than three times likely to get pregnant than women above that age. This is called unintended pregnancy and can occur after getting your tubes tied.

Getting pregnant after a tubal ligation is cause for concern. The reason why it is a concern that a woman gets pregnant after having her tubes tied is because the chance of it being a tubal, or ectopic, pregnancy can be as high as 50%. Obviously, this can put the mother’s life in danger. The best way to handle this is using a drug to remove the embryo from where it is in the fallopian tubes (the usual spot for an ectopic pregnancy though not the only one).

If the pregnancy cannot be removed in this manner or the woman was too late in getting to her doctor, then surgery will be needed and she will lose the fallopian tube where the embryo is stuck/implanted. The best thing to do if you start having symptoms of being pregnant after having your tubes tied is to get to your doctor as quickly as you can.

While there can be arguments on both sides when it comes to female sterilization, there is some evidence that getting your tubes tied may help protect against getting ovarian cancer. Researchers do not know why there is such a protective effect after female sterilization.

Beyond the risks of getting pregnant and that pregnancy being ectopic, there are risks as with any surgery such as infection and bleeding. You would be better informed to also learn about the possibility of post tubal ligation syndrome and the potential for guilt and remorse following the surgery as well.

It is important that a woman really think through her options before getting her tubes tied. If she has any inclination to ever get pregnant again, the simplest method is to wait before getting female sterilization and use some other type of birth control.

What Are the Risks of Female Sterilization (or Having Your Tubes …

Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved.

Lawmakers are wasting taxpayers’ time and money by pursuing seven anti-abortion measures this legislative session, an attorney for a New York group that successfully challenged anti-abortion laws passed each of the past two years says.

More Info ANTI-ABORTION MEASURESSeven bills are advancing through the legislative session. They are similar to those contained in two bills that were passed earlier by the Legislature but were ruled unconstitutional by the courts because the measures each contained more than one subject. the Senate bills have passed a House committee and are awaiting action by the full House of Representatives and the House bills have passed a Senate committee and are awaiting action by the full Senate. Bills that are similar to measures contained in the 2009 law are:• Senate bill 1890 would forbid an abortion based solely on the sex of the child.• House bill 3284 would require doctors to report detailed information about abortions to the state Health Department, including the age, marital status and education level of patients.Bills that are similar to measures contained in the 2008 law are:• Senate bill 1891 would protect employees who refuse to participate in abortions.• SB 1902 would make it illegal for a person other than a qualified physician who is physically present to administer the chemical abortion pill, RU-486, for the purposes of inducing an abortion.• House bill 2780 would require a woman be given a description of ultrasound images of her unborn child and be offered those images before getting an abortion.• HB 3075 would require certain signs to be displayed in an abortion clinic.• HB 2656 would ban lawsuits that claim a baby would have been better off aborted. There’s a “good chance” the Center for Reproductive Rights would file legal challenges to one or all the measures if they win legislative approval and are allowed to become law, said Jennifer Mondino, a staff attorney for the center.”We’ll definitely seriously consider bringing a lawsuit against any or all of them,” she said.”It’s a matter of concern to the people of Oklahoma that the Legislature would be spending so much time trying to pass through all of these different anti-abortion bills when it’s very clear that they raise significant constitutional problems,” she said.House Speaker Chris Benge defended the measures, which have won easy approval and appear coasting toward final passage.”Our motivation is the respect and sanctity of life in the womb,” said Benge, R-Tulsa. “We’ve been very vocal and out front about how important we think that is.”I believe the value of life has been diminished (since abortion was made legal in 1973) and we’re going to try to do everything to restore the value of life,” Benge said. “We think we can do that through these legislative efforts.”Gov. Brad Henry signed the 2009 measure but vetoed the 2008 bill, mostly because it contained a provision that would require women to view an ultrasound of their unborn babies before getting an abortion. Legislators overturned it.It’s not known what Henry will do with this year’s version. the governor has a policy of not commenting on pending legislation until after he has a chance to review it.”We obviously have concerns about the bill, but will withhold judgment until we see a final version,” said Paul Sund, a spokesman for Henry.The seven measures earlier were included in two bills, each of which won legislative approval but were knocked out by the courts. some slight modifications have been made in some of the bills, but they basically are the same and have the similar intent as the earlier measures.Five measures were part of a bill that won legislative approval in 2008. the state Supreme Court earlier this month upheld an Oklahoma County judge’s decision who ruled it violated a requirement in the Oklahoma Constitution that legislation deal with a single subject.Two measures were contained in a bill passed last year. An Oklahoma County judge ruled last month it also was unconstitutional because it violated the state constitution’s single-subject rule.The Center for Reproductive Rights filed lawsuits against both bills.Mondino said her group, in addition to questioning the single-subject rule, also raised a number of constitutional claims that the measures would interfere with a woman’s right to an abortion and her privacy. But the courts didn’t address those, she said.The issues were included in court papers so the state “is very well aware of them,” she said. in the lawsuit challenging the 2009 bill, the group also raised the issue of “the incredible expense to Oklahoma taxpayers that was going to be involved in enforcing the law that we were challenging.””If I was a resident of Oklahoma I would be really upset that my legislators were taking too much time and really in essence wasting taxpayer money trying to push through these anti-abortion laws,” Mondino said.Additional litigation will cost the taxpayers more money, she said.The cost of time spent by staff attorneys with the attorney general’s office is not calculated on individual cases, said Charlie Price, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office.An abortion law expert was paid about $75,000 for work defending the 2008 bill, Price said. the state hasn’t received a final bill for work done on the 2009 law. A $100,000 cap was placed on both contracts, he said.Benge said it was unfortunate that the courts ruled the 2008 and 2009 bills were unconstitutional because of the single-subject rule.”I do not understand their rationale for saying that that violated single subject,” Benge said. “Had they not ruled it unconstitutional on that basis, the bill would have been law and we wouldn’t have to run these individual bills.” Leave a CommentView the discussion thread.comments powered by DisqusNews Photo Galleriesview all OKC Thunder vs. LA Lakers: Friday, March 26, 2010

NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Friday, March 26, 2010. Photos by Nate Billings, the Oklahoman

OHP Trooper Barry Rowland pleads in case: Friday, March 26, 2010

View photos from the plea deal involving Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Barry Rowland Friday, March 26, 2010.

OU students celebrate Arbor Week

University of Oklahoma students and staff hold an indoor picnic and plant trees at Kraettli Apartments for Arbor Week in Norman, Okla. Photos by Steve Sisney

Daily Published Photos: March 25, 2010

View pictures from the Oklahoman.

Anti-abortion bills may be challenged

I am just wondering what are the signs of an ectopic pregnancy? and how long usually until your IU/L levels reach 25 for a home pregnancy test? I heard they are usually lower than a normal pregnancy.

I am about 12 days late. and have mild cramping on my right side, kinda like Im getting my period but has been happening for maybe 5 days but still no period. my eyes went blurry about 3 days ago, but I put it down to being run down and the heat, but maybe this is a sign?? I have just done my 4th pregnancy test (over 1 week) and they are all negative.

Any help or info would be great. I am booking a doctors appointment tomorrow. Thanks for your help.

Ectopic pregnancy? Signs and IU/L levels?

Pregnancy deaths increase after abortion ban in Nicaragua

Under Nicaragua’s no-exception abortion ban implemented last year, researchers say that at least three women have died because of complications during pregnancy, while 12 reported cases have yet been analyzed.

The Associated Press detailed the story of one victim, 22-year old Olga Reyes. in her case, the fetus grew outside of her uterus and was unable to survive, prompting excessive bleeding that eventually endangered the mother.

Reyes’ husband expressed concern over the limitations Nicaraguan doctors face. “Doctors feel if they interrupt a pregnancy, their liscenses can be revoked,” he said through a translator. “They are threatened.”

The law was passed last year with support from institutions like the Roman Catholic Church, which asserts that medical advances, not abortion, can alleviate complications of pregnancy.

Read the whole report HERE.

The following video is from The Associated Press, broadcast on November 6, 2007.

Pregnancy deaths increase after abortion ban in Nicaragua