If a pregnant woman has gonorrhea, she may give the infection to her baby as the baby passes through the birth canal during delivery. This can cause blindness, joint infection or a life-threatening blood infection in the baby. Treatment of gonorrhea as soon as it is detected in pregnant women will reduce the risk of these complications. Pregnant women should consult a health care provider for appropriate examination, testing and treatment, if necessary.

The bacteria that causes syphilis can infect the baby of a woman during her pregnancy. Depend­ing on how long a pregnant woman has been infected, she may have a high risk of having a stillbirth (a baby born dead) or of giving birth to a baby who dies shortly after birth. An infected baby may be born without symptoms of disease. However, if not treated immediately, the baby may develop serious problems within a few weeks. Untreated babies may become slow developing, have seizures or die.

The possibility of transmission must be considered when a woman with hepatitis C is deciding whether to have children. For infants who have received the hepatitis C virus from their mother, brief elevations of liver enzymes may occur, but no chronic liver disease has been reported. There have been no reports of cirrhosis in newborns, infants or child due to mother-to-child hepatitis C infection.

Preeclampsia is responsible for 15% of premature births in the US each year. It is the leading known cause of preterm birth. According to the March of Dimes, in 2001, 476,250 infants were born prematurely...over half from unknown causes. Preeclampsia represents 30% of the known causes of prematurely--or approximately 70,000 premature births.

Many substances including alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs of abuse can have negative effects on the developing fetus because they are transferred to the fetus across the placenta. For example, nicotine has been connected with premature birth and low birth weight as has the use of cocaine. Whether a baby's health problems, if caused by a drug, will continue as the child grows, is not always known.

Chlamydia is the fastest growing sexually transmitted infection and the most common. It often goes unnoticed and therefore can be left untreated. It often does not produce any symptoms in its early stages. It is very easily treatable but if it is left untreated, it can lead to more serious health problems. These include pelvic inflammatory disease (infection of the uterus and fallopian tubes), which can lead to infertility problems.

Pregnant women can have some light irregular bleeding during pregnancy, but it should not be like a “normal” period. Some women can confuse this for their period because often it can come right around the time she was expecting her normal period. The irregular bleeding or spotting that can occur during pregnancy is often a dark brown color or a light pinkish. It should not be enough bleeding to fill pads or tampons over a few days.

It is very common, affecting around 1 in 10 young men and women; particularly women between the ages of 16 – 19 and men aged 19 – 24. Condoms can prevent it being spread, but unprotected sex, or a split in a condom, can pass it from partner to partner.

More and more women are waiting until their 30s and 40s to have children. Actually, about 20% of women in the United States now have their first child after age 35. So age is an increasingly common cause of fertility problems. About one-third of couples in which the woman is over 35 have fertility problems.

Pregnancy is serious business. So is bipolar disorder. When those two conditions combine, it can be challenging for someone who is expecting a baby. It can even be deadly if that person doesn't seek help-and the right kind of help. Click here for more information. Find out a surefire way to beat drug and/or alcohol addiction if you are dealing with bipolar disorder. Click here fore more information.

Perhaps, a Hep C positive mum has only a 5% chance of passing the Hepatitis C virus to her baby when it is being born (A one in twenty risk). Babies born to Hep C positive mums should only be tested at around 18 months old to make sure that any antibodies from the mum will have cleared away.

While the pregnancies of women with epilepsy are high risk, the vast majority ? 90 percent ? result in the birth of a healthy baby. A well-planned pregnancy with early prenatal care (even prior to conception) is important, as certain AEDs are associated with a higher incidence of birth defects . Medication is usually continued to control seizures, but at lower doses or reduced from multiple AEDs to one, if possible.

A woman usually becomes pregnant after having sexual intercourse. This is where a man puts his erect penis inside a woman’s vagina. The friction caused by moving his penis in and out of her vagina will cause him to get increasingly excited until eventually he ejaculates (or ‘comes’) and releases a sticky white substance called semen.

No! Pregnancy is usually a healthy time in a woman’s life. You need to exercise to stay in shape for the athletic event of giving birth. Most activities that you pursued before pregnancy can continue, with a few modifications. Avoid excessive bouncing, avoid possible trauma to the abdomen, take special care to remain hydrated, and avoid letting your core temperature and pulse rate get too high. Lisa Stone at Fit for 2 is also a great resource for exercise during pregnancy.

Internal cleansing/detoxification is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women. A fetus or newborn baby should not be exposed to the toxins eliminated from the mother’s body while cleansing. The mother should wait until her baby is weaned completely.

All potentised homeopathic medicines are safe for pregnant woman. Since pregnancy is a special period the medicine should be taken only after proper consultation. I have been suffering from a skin disorder for the past 6 years for which I have been taking homoeopathic treatment but the problem doesn’t seem to disappear permanently. It keeps recurring.

Yes, if the physician feels that the situation warrants it. Scanning during the first trimester, however, is generally not advised.

Approximately one-quarter to one-third of all untreated pregnant women infected with HIV will pass the infection to their babies during pregnancy or childbirth. But this risk is significantly reduced if the mother is treated with AZT (during pregnancy, labor, and delivery) and her baby receives AZT during the first six weeks of life.

Your diet during the nine months of pregnancy directly impacts the development of your baby -- including teeth. Because your baby's teeth begin to develop during the second trimester of pregnancy, it is important that you receive recommended amounts of calcium, protein, phosphorous, and vitamins A, C, and D. Consult your physician and dentist for information about proper diet nutrient levels during your pregnancy. [TOP]