CRAMPS IN THE LEGS
A leg cramp is a pain that comes from a leg muscle. It is due to a muscle spasm which is when a muscle contracts too hard. It usually occurs in a calf muscle, below and behind a knee. The small muscles of the feet are sometimes affected.
A cramp pain typically lasts a few minutes. In some cases it lasts just seconds, but in some cases it lasts up to 10 minutes.
Who gets leg cramps?
They are more common in older people. About 1 in 3 people over the age of 60, and about half of people over the age of 80, have regular leg cramps.
What causes leg cramps?
Unknown cause (idiopathic leg cramps)
Secondary causes
In some cases, the cramps may be a symptom of another problem. For example:
Some drugs can cause cramps as a side-effect, or make cramps occur more often. These include: diuretics (water tablets), nifedipine, cimetidine, salbutamol, statins, terbutaline, lithium, clofibrate, penicillamine, phenothiazines, and nicotinic acid.
Over-exertion of muscles.
Dehydration.
Conditions such as a high or low sodium or potassium level.
Some people who have renal dialysis get leg cramps.
Pregnancy - usually in the later stages.
An untreated underactive thyroid gland.
Peripheral vascular disease.
Excess alcohol.
Some uncommon disorders of nerves.
What is the treatment for a leg cramp?
Stretching and massaging the affected muscle can usually relieve an attack of cramp. Most cramps soon ease off. Painkillers are not usually helpful as they do not act quickly enough.
What are the options for preventing leg cramps?
Consider your medication
Tell your doctor if you take any of the drugs listed earlier. It may be causing the leg cramps, or making them recur more often.
Stretching exercises
At first, do stretching exercises of affected muscles for about five minutes, three times a day. Do the last exercise shortly before bedtime.
Posture of the legs when resting in bed
Using a pillow to prop the feet up in bed while sleeping on your back.
Hanging the feet over the end of the bed while sleeping on your front.
Quinine is used as a last resort
If you take quinine you have a good chance of reducing the number and/or severity of leg cramps, but it may not stop them altogether. One tablet at bedtime is the normal dose.
Side-effects are uncommon at the low dose used to treat leg cramps. However, serious side-effects do sometimes occur. Note: quinine is dangerous in overdose, particularly in children and pregnant women. Keep tablets away from children.Therefore, quinine is only used as a last resort when other treatments have not worked, and leg cramps are frequent and are affecting your quality of life.
Other treatments
Other drugs have been suggested as possible treatments for leg cramps. These include: magnesium, diltiazem, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, naftidrofuryl, orphenadrine, and verapamil. In general, these are not currently recommended, as most studies involving them found that they do not work very well in most people.
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Wednesday 25 February 2015
Monday 2 February 2015
Surrogate Motherhood:...
Surrogate Motherhood:
It relates to women who are going through the process of a surrogacy pregnancy for another couple or individual.In general, a surrogate mother carries a child for another couple and becomes pregnant using some form of assisted reproductive technology, frequently IVF. After the surrogate mother gives birth, the other couple raises the baby.To be a surrogate, many surrogate mothers are gestational carriers. A gestational carrier becomes pregnant through IVF and gives birth to a baby that is not biologically related to her.
Here’s how it works:
An embryo is created using either the intended parents’ or donor’s gametes (egg and sperm).The surrogate mother’s eggs are not used.The embryo is created using very specialized assisted reproductive technology.One or more of these embryos is then transferred into the surrogate mother’s womb.The surrogate mother becomes pregnant and is then released into the care of her own OBGYN to receive prenatal care and for delivery.The surrogate mother gives birth with the love and support of the intended parents, and the intended parents go home with their bundle of joy!
There are many full-service agencies/firms that will match intended parents to surrogates. When choosing an agency, it is imperative to research the agency’s history. Important questions to ask include how fees are determined and how surrogates are screened. If possible, it is often helpful to speak to former clients of the agency.
Usually parents ask if the agency is responsive to clients? For example, are they prompt in returning calls and e-mails and if there is more than one person who can respond if the parents’ primary contact is away or busy?
Questions generally asked regarding screening of potential surrogates include if the couple gets to meet the surrogate in person and if the agencies do reference checks and routinely do criminal checks and evaluate her home environment or is the screening limited solely to a telephone or office interview?What kind of information do they obtain about the surrogate candidate’s prior pregnancies to minimize the risk that this will be a high-risk pregnancy?
Surrogacy Qualifications
Most surrogacy agencies and fertility clinics require surrogates to meet some general qualifications.They want the surrogate to be in good physical and mental health and to have carried and delivered at least one child. She should have had pregnancies that were all free of complications and were full-term.She should be less than 43 years of age (some clinics will accept older woman in certain circumstances; others have younger age cut-offs for all surrogates).She should be in a stable living situation and she should not smoke or abuse alcohol.
Psychological factors
The psychological strain that couples face – both before and during the surrogacy process – is undeniable and choosing the surrogate mom candidate is a delicate and often tricky process, multiple screenings are involved.
Merits of Surrogacy:
The surrogate mom makes it possible for infertile couples to have a chance at parenthood.
That in itself is worth the tedious procedures that choosing a surrogate entails. This is especially true of same sex couples who not just want parenthood, but a family life as well.
A lifelong bond can be established between the couple and the surrogate mother, it is a beautiful environment for the surrogate child to grow up in.
Demerits of Surrogacy:
Once the procedure is initiated, there is no chance of backing out.The surrogate mom has to go through a lot of medically invasive procedures. She might not be willing to relinquish her claim to the child, and thus legal proceedings ensue.
Medical procedures
Once the legal settlements are done, both the couple choosing surrogacy and the surrogate mother has to undergo a lot of medical tests and processes.
Budget matters
When it comes to budget, most couples might find it too costly for their means. And not all medical insurance companies cover the fertilization or the delivery process.
Time frame
Looking up surrogacy agencies, interviewing and selecting the surrogate mother and the following legal proceedings take some time. However, this works as an advantage for most couples as they utilize this time to save up the funds needed for a surrogacy.
In the end, the heavy costs, legal matters and even the medical discomfort…all the cons of surrogacy… pale into insignificance when you hold your child close to your heart
It relates to women who are going through the process of a surrogacy pregnancy for another couple or individual.In general, a surrogate mother carries a child for another couple and becomes pregnant using some form of assisted reproductive technology, frequently IVF. After the surrogate mother gives birth, the other couple raises the baby.To be a surrogate, many surrogate mothers are gestational carriers. A gestational carrier becomes pregnant through IVF and gives birth to a baby that is not biologically related to her.
Here’s how it works:
An embryo is created using either the intended parents’ or donor’s gametes (egg and sperm).The surrogate mother’s eggs are not used.The embryo is created using very specialized assisted reproductive technology.One or more of these embryos is then transferred into the surrogate mother’s womb.The surrogate mother becomes pregnant and is then released into the care of her own OBGYN to receive prenatal care and for delivery.The surrogate mother gives birth with the love and support of the intended parents, and the intended parents go home with their bundle of joy!
There are many full-service agencies/firms that will match intended parents to surrogates. When choosing an agency, it is imperative to research the agency’s history. Important questions to ask include how fees are determined and how surrogates are screened. If possible, it is often helpful to speak to former clients of the agency.
Usually parents ask if the agency is responsive to clients? For example, are they prompt in returning calls and e-mails and if there is more than one person who can respond if the parents’ primary contact is away or busy?
Questions generally asked regarding screening of potential surrogates include if the couple gets to meet the surrogate in person and if the agencies do reference checks and routinely do criminal checks and evaluate her home environment or is the screening limited solely to a telephone or office interview?What kind of information do they obtain about the surrogate candidate’s prior pregnancies to minimize the risk that this will be a high-risk pregnancy?
Surrogacy Qualifications
Most surrogacy agencies and fertility clinics require surrogates to meet some general qualifications.They want the surrogate to be in good physical and mental health and to have carried and delivered at least one child. She should have had pregnancies that were all free of complications and were full-term.She should be less than 43 years of age (some clinics will accept older woman in certain circumstances; others have younger age cut-offs for all surrogates).She should be in a stable living situation and she should not smoke or abuse alcohol.
Psychological factors
The psychological strain that couples face – both before and during the surrogacy process – is undeniable and choosing the surrogate mom candidate is a delicate and often tricky process, multiple screenings are involved.
Merits of Surrogacy:
The surrogate mom makes it possible for infertile couples to have a chance at parenthood.
That in itself is worth the tedious procedures that choosing a surrogate entails. This is especially true of same sex couples who not just want parenthood, but a family life as well.
A lifelong bond can be established between the couple and the surrogate mother, it is a beautiful environment for the surrogate child to grow up in.
Demerits of Surrogacy:
Once the procedure is initiated, there is no chance of backing out.The surrogate mom has to go through a lot of medically invasive procedures. She might not be willing to relinquish her claim to the child, and thus legal proceedings ensue.
Medical procedures
Once the legal settlements are done, both the couple choosing surrogacy and the surrogate mother has to undergo a lot of medical tests and processes.
Budget matters
When it comes to budget, most couples might find it too costly for their means. And not all medical insurance companies cover the fertilization or the delivery process.
Time frame
Looking up surrogacy agencies, interviewing and selecting the surrogate mother and the following legal proceedings take some time. However, this works as an advantage for most couples as they utilize this time to save up the funds needed for a surrogacy.
In the end, the heavy costs, legal matters and even the medical discomfort…all the cons of surrogacy… pale into insignificance when you hold your child close to your heart
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