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Health

Gynaecologist counsels women on conception above 35yrs

By Chinenye Offor
Pregnancy
Abuja, June 13, 2019 (NAN) Dr Theodore Yakubu, an Abuja based gynaecologist, has advised women above age 35 with intention of becoming mothers to seek medical advice before conception.

Yakubu gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

According to him, as a woman gets older, there is an increased risk of pregnancy related complications and health problems faced by both mother and child.

Yakubu noted that the complications occurred due to changes in the reproductive system and increased general health problem associated with age such as obesity and diabetes.

The expert also said that complications were eminent because the older body was less supple and flexible which increased the chance of giving birth to a baby with congenital abnormality such as down-syndrome, among others.

He explained that an older woman’s uterus was less hospitable to the changes of pregnancy and thereby could cause premature labor.

“Pregnancy in older women is associated with high risk of general health problems such as high blood pressure and miscarriage especially in women above 35 years.

“There is also the risk of having twins which itself is associated with elevated risk of complications.

“Old age pregnancy is associated with risk of complications during delivery, such as prolonged labour as well as still birth and placenta problems,’’ he said.

The gynaecologist however admonished older women planning conception to be fully informed, maintain a healthy weight as well eat healthy diet in order to curb complications associated with it.

Yakubu also suggested administering of daily 400mg of folic acid before and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in order to prevent birth defects.

He further noted that careful medical monitoring; appropriate medication starting from conception and throughout pregnancy would help reduce the risk associated with old age pregnancy.

The e pery therefore enjoined older women planning conception or pregnancy to ensure that their health was in an optimal position, saying that it is key in managing the pregnancy as well as safe delivery. (NAN)
CSO/GOM/MST
Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Gynaecologist allays fear of high blood pressure during pregnancy

Gynaecologist allays fear of high blood pressure during pregnancy
By Lydia Ngwakwe
Pregnancy
Lagos, May 21, 2019 (NAN) Dr Adebayo Bamisebi, a Gynaecologist, says high blood pressure during pregnancy is not deathly, if managed properly.
Bamisebi of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ibeju-Lekki General Hospital, Akodo, Lagos State, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
He however advised women suffering high blood pressure to avoid stress, eat balanced meal and exercise, so as to lower their blood pressure before becoming pregnant.
According to him, high blood pressure during pregnancy is not unsafe if well managed.
“For a woman who has high blood pressure and planning pregnancy, she must maintain her blood sugar by eating smaller, more frequent meals so as to prevent future headaches.
“She has to reduce her weight if overweight, she has to quit smoking if she smokes, she must exercise, reduce her salt intake and stress.
“If she eventually becomes pregnant, she has to regularly see a doctor for check-up so as to know the state of her condition,’’ Bamisebi said.
The gynaecologist explained that high blood pressure, also known as `preeclampsia’, could intensify during pregnancy when not regularly checked.
He also said it could affect a baby’s growth and reduce the nutrient flow through the placenta, urging mothers to always keep track of their baby’s daily movements.
He said the condition which could be fatal, could cause serious damage to the woman’s brain and kidney if left untreated.
Bamisebi also said that it could cause a woman unexplainable headache.
“Headache is not part of symptoms of pregnancy in anyway, but it is most common between the first and third trimester.
“Headache can be part of some other problems like malaria, upper respiratory tract infection and stress, among others,’’ said the expert.
Bamisebi therefore enjoined pregnant women to own a blood pressure monitor to accurately read their blood pressure.
He advised that they took the blood pressure readings at the same arm and time every day while seated with their legs uncross. (NAN)
LED/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Reproductive Health: Foundation recommends appropriate use of condoms

Reproductive Health: Foundation recommends appropriate use of condoms
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Condoms
Abuja, Feb. 7, 2019 (NAN) Dr Kema Onu, State Coordinator, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), says although condoms are better alternative to the prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and unwanted pregnancy, its correct usage has remained a challenge.
Onu said this during a march to commemorate the World Condom Day on Thursday in Abuja with the theme ‘Safer is fun’.
He explained that although the Condom Day was supposed to hold on Feb. 13, it was commemorated earlier due to the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria as many citizens would be travelling to exercise their civic rights.
“The use of condoms remains a better alternative for the prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV, and prevention of unwanted pregnancies.
“But the problem is, many still don’t know how to use the condom appropriately and that is why we are here to create awareness on the proper usage,” Onu said.
He said condom is highly effective strategy to reduce the risk of HIV transmission when used consistently and correctly.
Onu said there are no side effects to the use of condoms, noting however that there can be allergic reactions to some certain kind of condoms.
He said although the National Condom Strategy emphasised the deficit of 564 million annually in the country, saying with the consolidated efforts of government and other stakeholders the gap could be bridged.
The Medical Director of AHF, Dr Emmanuel Nwabueze, said the prevention is better than cure, adding that the foundation will continue in its efforts to create more awareness on the prevention of STDs.
He said in a way to reduce the rate of HIV and STDs in the country, the foundation had condom dispensers located at strategic locations in the FCT as well as five other states where it operates, including Kogi, Nasarawa, Benue, Anambara, Cross River States.
Nwabueze said condom were physical barriers that could reduce the risk of a sexual exposure to HIV because they are made of materials that do not allow the HIV virus to penetrate through them.
The State Nursing Coordinator, Mrs Christie Awunor, said many individuals were still ignorant on the proper usage, saying some still use their teeth or scissors to open condoms.
She said with the use of teeth or scissors, one could damage the condom which makes it ineffective.
The Advocacy and Marketing Manager, Mr Steven Aborisade, said the condoms would be distributed in Abuja, Kogi, Nasarawa, Anambra, Benue and Cross River States. (NAN)
OEO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Malaria in pregnancy asymptomatic, says medical parasitologist

Malaria in pregnancy asymptomatic, says medical parasitologist
By Lydia Ngwakwe
Malaria
Lagos, Feb. 5, 2019 (NAN) A Consultant Medical Parasitologist, Prof. Wellington Oyibo, has advised pregnant women to always consult medical doctors whenever they want to take anti-malaria medicines to prevent birth defects.
Oyibo of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday.
According to him, there are certain drugs a woman in pregnancy should not take on her own decision.
“That is why when a woman is pregnant and in her first trimester, she needs to focus on antenatal care visit and follow the recommended pregnancy management practices.
“Early antenatal bookings will help every pregnant woman; at the clinic, she would be advised on all the things that she needs to do.
“Early booking is important for every pregnant woman irrespective of how many births she has undergone.
“There, she would meet with experienced doctors and nurses that would guide and instruct her on when, how and what anti-malaria medicines to take and at the right time,” Oyibo said.
The medical parasitologist also said that when a woman becomes pregnant, her immunity reduces then, malaria parasite would have a knack to go to the placenta.
Oyibo, also a Principal Investigator at the African Networks for Drug and Diagnostic Innovation (ANDI), an International Centre for Malaria Microscopy and Malaria Rapid Diagnosis Tests Quality Assurance Centre, said malaria in pregnancy was asymptomatic.
He said malaria would not show any sign in a pregnant woman but the parasite would penetrate the placenta and affect the growth and development of the child.
He advised women to be cautious about malaria and its effects, saying that malaria can be scary that what they may have suffered might not be caused by other things other than by malaria.
Oyibo said: “Malaria can cause spontaneous abortion, malaria will bring about the poor development of the foetus causing what is called `intrauterine growths reduction or retardation’, meaning within the placenta itself, the foetus is not growing the way it should grow.
“So at the end, its consequence is that the woman will now give birth to a child that has low birth weight.
“The woman may not have fever; she may not have any signs of the diseases because the parasite is there.
“The presence of the parasite inside the foetus in a pregnant woman can lead to maternal anaemia, which can even lead to death due to shortage of blood.
“Anaemia can also lead to preterm deliveries, that is `premature babies’ as some people call it.
“Preterm deliveries and spontaneous abortion are critical and are related to malaria causes, and not witchcraft as some women think.” (NAN)
LED/FF/MST
Edited by Fela Fashoro/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Go for scan when pregnancy is suspected – Gynaecologist

Go for scan, when pregnancy is suspected – Gynaecologist
By Jacinta Nwachukwu/Uche Bibilari
Pregnancy
Abuja, Nov. 14, 2018 (NAN) Dr Nathaniel Adewole, a Gynaecologist, has advised pregnant women to go for proper scanning instead of self medication to avoid ectopic pregnancy.
Adewole of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, gave the advice on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He enjoined women to go for scan once they suspect pregnancy to ensure the rightful location of the pregnancy.
He described ectopic pregnancy as one of the leading causes of maternal death among women of bearing age, adding that it might represent 0.2 per cent of five pregnancies.
“ Ectopic pregnancy is the location of pregnancy outside the normal internal cavity or womb and it could be in the abdomen, pelvic, ovary or in the tube especially.
“When it is not ruptured, it could lead to anaemia, internal bleeding, and even to death,” he said.
According to him, it usually presents with abdominal pain due to the location, saying that sometime the woman may not know that she has missed her menstrual period.
The gynaecologist explained that when the pregnancy was located in the womb (the normal cavity), it would expand up to 1,000 times of the normal size and it would be accommodated.
“But when it is located in the tube, there will be a problem because the tube cannot expand,” he said.
Adewole identified infection, pelvic inflammatory disease as well as abnormality of the tube as the predisposing factors to ectopic pregnancy.
“If the tube is totally blocked, unable to transport the fertilised egg to the womb, it could lead to ectopic pregnancy.’’
He also said that ectopic pregnancy was common among women of bearing age and contributed to the rate of maternal death in the country.
“This is because a woman might collapse and die in some places as a result of the kind of pregnancy she experienced.”
Adewole, however, said that treatment of ectopic pregnancy could be by operation, if it had not ruptured, adding that sometime it can melt by itself before the person noticed it.
He said that proper diagnosis and treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease would prevent infertility and ectopic pregnancy in future. (NAN)
JIN/UU/MOL/DUA/MST
Edited by Dada Ahmed/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Gynaecologist decries high rate of death resulting from pregnancy, childbirth

Gynaecologist decries high rate of death resulting from pregnancy, childbirth
By Ummul Idris
Deaths
Abuja, Sept. 21, 2018 (NAN) Dr Liman Mohammed, a Gynecologist based in Abuja, has decried the high rate of deaths resulting from pregnancy and childbirth in the country.
Mohammed told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja that about 287,000 women die every year as a result of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth or postpartum across the world.
He noted that almost all 98 per cent of these preventable deaths occur in developing countries.
According to him, the difference in maternal mortality rates between developed and developing countries are the biggest global health inequity today.
He said: “Every year more than 8 million children under five years of age die from preventable causes and many 40 per cent within the first 28 days of life.’’
Mohammed said that concentrating on addressing the direct obstetric causes of maternal mortality was insufficient to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
The physician noted that maternal and newborn mortality in low- and middle-income countries was heavily impaired by neglected diseases.
He said “taken together HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are among the leading causes of maternal mortality’’.
He stated that maternal mortality was unacceptably high, adding that about 830 women die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications around the world every day.
According to him, it is estimated that in 2015, roughly 303,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth.
“Almost all of these deaths occurred in lost resource settings, and most could have been prevented.
“The high number of maternal deaths in some areas of the world reflects inequities in access to health services, and highlights the gap between rich and poor.
“The major complications that account for nearly 75 per cent of all maternal deaths are severe bleeding which is mostly bleeding after childbirth, infections which are usually after childbirth.
“Others include high blood pressure during pregnancy, complications from delivery and unsafe abortion,’’ said the expert. (NAN)
UMD/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Doctor advises on gestational diabetes during pregnancy

Doctor says gestational diabetes causes premature birth
NAN-H-7
Diabetes
By Ummul Idris
Abuja, March 9, 2018 (NAN) Dr Mercy Luka, a general physician, says gestational diabetes can cause premature birth.
In an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, Luka warned pregnant women to avoid diabetes.
She defined gestational diabetes to mean form of high blood sugar that can affect pregnant women.
According to her, this happens because the body cannot produce enough insulin.
Insulin is a hormone important in controlling blood glucose.
“Extra insulin is needed in pregnancy but some people’s body is more resistant to that usual insulin as the result of that blood sugar levels go up,’’ she said.
She said gestational diabetes starts during pregnancy and stops after the baby is born.
The physician said that gestational diabetes can cause serious problems, especially if it goes unrecognised.
Luka said that if a pregnant woman develops diabetes she needs to monitor it carefully and control her level of blood glucose to reduce these risks of premature birth.
According to her, gestational diabetes usually occurs in the second half of pregnancy but can arise earlier.
She said the diabetes can also expose the baby to high level blood sugar levels if it is not well controlled.
“When the baby is exposed to high blood sugar levels it affects both the mother and the baby at the time of birth and after the birth.
“The baby usually become larger than other baby and during the labour the mother will suffer and the baby too, some babies die in the process, eating a balanced meal will help you,’’ she said.
She added that the baby may also be at risk of becoming obese and may have the risk of developing diabetes later in life. (NAN)
UMD/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Seek medical advice before conception, Expert enjoins older women

Seek medical advice before conception, Expert enjoins older women

NAN-HG-5

Pregnancy

By Chinenye Offor

Abuja, April 18, 2017 (NAN) Women above the age of 45 with the intention of becoming mothers have been advised to seek medical advice before conception to avoid pregnancy related complications.

Dr Nnenna Jonah, an Abuja based gynaecologist, gave this advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to her, as a woman gets older, there is an increased risk of pregnancy related complications and health problems faced by both the mother and child.

Jonah noted that complications tend to occur due to changes in the reproductive system and increased general health problem associated with age, such as obesity and diabetes.

“Complications are imminent because the older body is less supple and flexible. This will increase the chances of giving birth to a baby with congenital abnormality like down-syndrome,” she said.

According to Jonah, the uterus of the older woman is less hospitable to the changes of pregnancy and can thereby, cause premature labour.

“Pregnancy in older women is associated with high risk of general health problems, such as high blood pressure and miscarriage, especially in women above 35 years.

“There is also the risk of having twins, which itself is associated with elevated risk of complications.

“Old age pregnancy is associated with  risk of complications during delivery, such as prolonged labour as well as still birth and placenta problems,’’ she said.

The gynaecologist, however, enjoined older women planning conception to be fully informed, maintain a healthy weight as well as eat healthy diet in order to curb all associated complications.

Jonah also suggested the daily administration of 400mg of folic acid before and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy to prevent birth defects.

“Careful medical monitoring, appropriate medication, starting from conception and throughout pregnancy, will reduce the risks associated with old age pregnancy,” she said. (NAN)

CSO/MAS/MST

Edited by Moses Solanke/Muhammad Suleiman Tola