Pregnancy and Medication

During your pregnancy you should avoid all unnecessary medication. Medicine that is good for you might not be good for your baby. If you are pregnant it is very important to consider whether or not you should take certain kinds of medicine.

Some pharmaceuticals can harm your fetus or affect it in other ways. Pregnancy also causes changes in the body, which in turn affects the way pharmaceuticals work and interact in the body and affects the amount of medicine you should take. Therefore it is always a good idea to check with your doctor for dosage advice.

Continue With Prescribed Medication
In some circumstances it will be necessary to continue with medication during pregnancy. This applies if you suffer from a chronic disease such as diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, or seriously high blood pressure. If you suffer from any chronic disease it is important that it be properly treated for the sake of the health of the fetus.

A disease that isn't properly treated may easily result in greater risk for both the mother and child than the side effects from any medication. If you are planning your pregnancy or if you have just become pregnant you should discuss with your doctor whether there is a need to adjust your medication. Your doctor may advise you to use an alternative dosage or you may have to change to an alternative medicine. In any case, the doctor will assess the advantages of the medicine with the fetus in mind.

Pregnancy and Flying
If you are healthy you can fly until the 38th week, as a general observation airline companies will let you fly short distances, but after the 34th week they will not allow pregnant women on to long distance flights, please remember these dates will be used for your return journey, and bear in mind you may find it difficult to find a travel insurance company to insure you over the 32nd week on your return.

A modern airliner flies at about ten kilometers (33,000ft). At this height there is so little oxygen in the air, that a person can only survive for a short time. That is why the cabins atmosphere is kept at ¾ of the normal atmosphere. It is the same air pressure as an altitude as two kilometers (6,600ft), which is the same altitude that Mexico City lies in. At this altitude there is slightly less oxygen in our blood and it does no harm to healthy people or pregnant women and the fetus.

Pregnancy and Backaches
Keep fit if you want to avoid lower back pains. Many women experience their first backaches only when they get pregnant. Other women get a new outbreak or a worsening of an existing problem in their lower back.

If you disregard the pregnant women who complain about stiffness or tiredness across the lower back, about 50% still experience pain in the lower back and/or pelvis. Among this 50% there is a further very small group with another symptom: The so-called Symphysiolysis Pubis.

An important part of the treatment for Symphysiolysis Pubis is information and individual counseling on how you can relieve the strain on the lower back, resting positions and how to move around during your daily routines. It is also possible to use a support belt and learn how to do certain exercises as well as possibly treat the muscles and joints.

Some women experience pains that continue for many months after delivery. In these cases it often turns out to be mechanical malfunctions in the lower back, which complicates any existing pains. In these chronic cases massage and manipulation have a greater role to play in their management and aerobic workout can also be of benefit.

Globalsurance is an independent Worldwide Health Insurance Advisor. If you are an expat we can give you independent advice or a range of free International Health Insurance Quotes; click for Free Advice and Quotes.

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