Aurora: Does Testing To Determine Your Ovulation Time Influence Whether You Have A Boy Or Girl Baby?

Aurora,

I often hear from folks who are trying to become pregnant with a certain gender and have head that it is very important to find out exactly when they are ovulating so that they can attempt to conceive at the optimal time for the gender that they are hoping for. Some of them wonder if taking the test is going to have an effect on this process.

I heard from someone who said: “I know that I need to take an ovulation test in order to find out when I am ovulating if I want to become pregnant this month. But does the test hurt anything? Does it delay or influence ovulation? Would it have any influence over the sex or gender of my baby?” I will try to address these concerns below.

What An Ovulation Test Does And Doesn’t Do: Essentially, an ovulation test either tests your urine or your saliva for hormones (like luteinizing hormone) that increase when you approach ovulation. You get a positive reading once this hormone is present to signal you that ovulation has taken place and that this is now an ideal time to become pregnant. The test itself is only testing your bodily fluids. But it doesn’t have any effect whatsoever on what is going on inside of your body. Sometimes, certain things can delay or affect your ovulation like stress, illness, or doing anything that might alter your hormones. This sort of testing doesn’t cause any of these factors, however. So it is perfectly safe.

The one thing that this sort of testing might do is allow you to get a very clear picture of when you have or have not ovulated. And this information can be extremely valuable when you are trying to get a certain gender. For example, for a boy baby, it is much more preferable to have conception sex after ovulation has occurred. But if you want a girl baby, then you want to have conception sex before ovulation and before you get a positive result on the test. Obviously then, having more information about your ovulation is vital to helping you carry out this sort of precise timing. Urine predictors are fine for pinpointing when ovulation has already happened. But I find the saliva predictors to be better when you want to know when it is approaching. In other words, the urine predictors are fine when you want a boy. For a girl, saliva predictors make it easy to see the window where ovulation is approaching, but hasn’t yet happened.

But to address the question posed, testing for ovulation doesn’t affect your cycle and it doesn’t do anything internally to influence whether you ultimately become pregnant with a boy or a girl. However, it will help you with your timing. And your timing is very important when you are attempting to conceive at a certain time to get a certain gender.

Source by Sandy Dean

Does Testing To Determine Your Ovulation Time Influence Whether You Have A Boy Or Girl Baby?

Aurora: Pregnancy Tests - When Is A Home Pregnancy Test Necessary?

Aurora,

So you believe you are pregnant!! In the first instance many women decide to make use of a pregnancy test kit which can be used at home. These products can be purchased from your local pharmacy. They are not too pricey, but they do differ in price, so check around for the right deal. A home based pregnancy test kit, as the name indicates, is in simple terms a test used to give a sign as to whether or not you are expecting a baby. It should be regarded as no more than a solid indication as to the feasibility of showing positive for a pregnancy. Although accuracy and reliability claims from the manufacturers are high, there are many variables in the utilisation of these kits in your own home and there is invariably the likelihood of a false report. So always keep this in mind. Because these are home based tests, carried out without the regulations present when tests are completed by an accredited medical practitioner or regulated laboratory, there is often the likelihood of a false reading. Before seeing a doctor, many women want to have an idea as to whether or not they are pregnant, which is why an at home pregnancy test is very popular.

What if the test kit indicates positive! If the outcome of the home pregnancy test lead you to believe you are pregnant, then you will want to check with your doctor to make sure the results are correct. I fully appreciate that you will need to know for sure whether you are undoubtedly pregnant. Your doctor will be able to give you an absolute judgement as to whether you are pregnant or not. Following this verification and depending upon how far your pregnancy is, your doctor will commence a sequence of checks and examinations and you will then feel you really are pregnant!

When must I take the pregnancy test? In most instances it is beneficial to know if you are pregnant as early as it is feasible. You and your unborn boy or girl will need medical care and consideration during the period of the pregnancy and an early evaluation is crucial

What are the signs or symptoms of pregnancy? You may well be asking how do I have an idea when I may possibly be pregnant? How do I realise when to obtain the home pregnancy kit? These are genuine questions specifically if this is your 1st pregnancy. It can be difficult to recognise symptoms of pregnancy, which is why it is important to find out about the possible indicators of pregnancy as early as practicable. Among them, is an increased hypersensitivity to certain foodstuffs and smells, ongoing morning sickness, general feelings of listlessness, overtiredness and mood swings. You should consider having a pregnancy test following the beginning of any or all of these symptoms. A positive result could modify your whole life and almost definitely you will need to make modifications in your lifestyle. This article is to be used to aid women who believe they might well be pregnant. Once you actually consider you are pregnant, probably following a home pregnancy test, you should talk to your doctor and undertake a pregnancy test which is under the control of your doctor and always adhere to the proposals of your doctor.

Source by Mike J Matthews

Pregnancy Tests - When Is A Home Pregnancy Test Necessary?

Aurora: What is Perimenopause FSH?

Aurora,

If you are in your mid to late thirties up to your early fifties, it is very likely that you have heard the phrase “perimenopause FSH.” Someone who knows nothing about what those two words mean may come to the conclusion that it’s something complicated. The truth is, however, that it’s simply the common term used by some women when they refer to the closest thing there is to a perimenopause test.

As you may or may not know, perimenopause is the transition period that a woman goes through between her regular menstrual cycles and the complete cessation of her menstrual cycles. During this transition, a woman’s sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, are going through unpredictable fluctuations, causing uncomfortable occurrences more commonly known as perimenopause symptoms.

There is no specific medical exam or test that a woman can take in order to confirm whether or not she is perimenopausal. Doctors usually ask women to do a series of tests, which should point out a trend or all point in the same direction (so to speak.) From the series of tests and observations of symptoms, doctors can conclude whether or not a woman is in the stage of perimenopause.

Among these tests is the FSH test. FSH stands for follicle stimulating hormone. It is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. In a normal menstrual cycle, it increases each month, triggering a woman’s ovaries to produce eggs. If a woman is suspected to have perimenopause, FSH tests can be given in order to see what the levels of FSH are in her body. High FSH levels can indicate perimenopause. While this will have to be confirmed with other perimenopause tests as part of standard procedure, most trends show that high FSH levels means the woman has reached perimenopause.

So, when women say “perimenpopause FSH” they are either referring to the test or to the results of the test. Women can use the term so commonly and casually because like a pregnancy test, an FSH test can be done at home. You either drop urine into a small section of the test stick, or you dip a portion of the test stick into a disposable cup of your urine. After a few minutes, a band or two bands should show up on the results area of the test stick. Sometimes the entire stick changes color. Your test box should tell you which color will indicate high levels of FSH.

Usually, women take the perimenopause FSH test once they start experiencing a few perimenopause symptoms like skipped periods or hot flashes. Once they get a positive or high result, women must go to a doctor for further testing. A doctor will usually take positive FSH result, look at medical history, and consider other factors of lifestyle and heredity. Remember, however, even if an FSH test comes out “negative”, it doesn’t mean a woman does not have perimenopause. If a woman continues to have perimenopause type symptoms, she should see a doctor.

Source by Maggie Rahn

What is Perimenopause FSH?

Aurora: Ovulation Tests

Aurora,

Instinct tells a woman that she is ready to conceive, but to be doubly sure take personal or laboratory tests. For starters, estimate the approximate time of ovulation by calculating the length of the average menstrual cycle. Begin from day one, that is the first day of the menstrual period, and the last day is the day before the next period begins. If the menstrual cycle is 28 days, then subtract 17 days, which equals day 11. Use the predictor kit on day 11 and continue testing until positive. This means that you will ovulate within 24 to 36 hours.

This sounds intimidating, but in non-medical terms ovulation is interplay of glands and their hormones. Presence of progesterone is confirmed through blood tests and if the level is higher than 20nmol/L it is indicative of ovulation having taken place. The blood test is done around 3 to 10 days before the first day of menses. Another method to test ovulation is through pregnancy ultrasound whereby the presence of a fetus is verified. For women trying to conceive it is not advisable, as pelvic ultrasound has a similar success rate as pregnancy ultrasound. Other methods of testing are checking on cervical mucous changes, basal body temperature or salivary ferning three to four days prior to ovulation.

Ovulation Tests are gaining popularity through the use of ovulation calendars or predictor kits to pin down fertile periods or avoid unwanted pregnancies. Normally women ovulate in the middle of the monthly menstrual cycle, depending on the length of the cycle. Sometimes ovulation happens twice in a month or, in an unhealthy body, plays truant. Avoid drinking too much water or frequent urination when taking an Ovulation Test, as it limits accuracy.

For urine Ovulation Testing an early morning urine sample is ideal, as it contains the maximum concentrated hCG presence. If testing during the day, do not urinate 3 to 4 hours before test. The response time for a home Ovulation Test is about five minutes. Since the LH surge at time of ovulation is brief, one should test at right time of month and day.

Another method of Ovulation Test is through test strips with control color bands and intensity baselines for reference. Certain medicines have an adverse effect on test results, especially fertility drugs or pills. Consult your doctor or wait for two menstrual cycles before monitoring LH levels. For maximum effect, store test kits at room temperature and read instructions carefully before doing a test. Other tracking devices are Basal Body temperature thermometer and mini microscopes for testing saliva or cervical mucus. An understanding of your ovulation cycle will help identify the testing methods.

Source by Elizabeth Morgan

Ovulation Tests

Aurora: How To Read And Interpret A Blood Sugar Levels Chart

Aurora,

You may be getting diabetes type 2 – and not even know it. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you should have your blood sugar tested if:

-You urinate too frequently

-You feel consistently thirsty

-You lose weight for no reason

-You have fatigue or blurry vision

Any of these symptoms could mean diabetes or pre diabetes, and you should ask your doctor to check your blood sugar levels. Here are some of the tests that your doctor may run:

-Hemoglobin A1-C (abbreviated as HbA1c) – sometimes called glycated hemoglobin, a common screening test that evaluates how your blood sugar has been over time.

-Fasting Blood Glucose or FPG- a blood sugar test taken at least eight hours after a meal, sometimes called a fasting glucose level.

-Oral Glucose Tolerance – you drink a bottle of measured glucose and then your blood is taken in hourly intervals to check the blood sugar levels over time.

All of the tests above will have to be ordered by your doctor; you can’t do these with any home testing. The first test that is normally run is the fasting glucose, and then the other tests like the HbA1c and tolerance tests are run if the first test is abnormal.

If you are pre-diabetic, you may have an abnormal result for the fasting glucose, but the follow-up tests may be normal, as your blood sugar levels have not raised up enough to show up on every test.

The Sugar Levels Chart

Here are the normal ranges for the three lab tests above:

Normal Values

-Hemoglobin A1C(%): Around 5

-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): below 99

-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): below 139

Pre-diabetic Values

-Hemoglobin A1C(%) – 5.7-6.4

-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): 100-125

-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): 140-199

Diabetic Values

-Hemoglobin A1C(%) – 6.5 or more

-Fasting Plasma Glucose (mg/dl): 126 or more

-Glucose Tolerance Test (mg/dl): 200 or more

Source: American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes-2012.

Your health provider will take other factors in consideration when making a diagnosis – not just the lab results. All of your clinical signs and symptoms, your family history and past diagnoses will affect your provider’s final determination.

Here are some other important points to consider:

-Anyone over the age of 45 should be tested for pre-diabetes.

-If you are obese and have any of the symptoms listed above, you should be tested even if you are younger than 45 years old.

-If you have pre diabetes, you are at risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes within 10 years.

-Pre-diabetes patients can avoid full Type 2 diabetes easily with subtle changes in diet and exercise.

Disclaimer: This information in this article was derived from information found in medical journals and the mainstream media that provide reports on health. None of the contents of this article should be relied on as medical advice. For treatment information specific to your condition, consult your medical doctor.

Source by Carl Ringwall

How To Read And Interpret A Blood Sugar Levels Chart

Aurora: Necessary Tests in the First Quarter of Pregnancy

Aurora,

Pregnancy is a major change in a woman’s life, on the one hand the physical and mental changes characteristic of this period. First trimester of pregnancy and the first 12 weeks, is the most important and decisive stage in the future child’s harmonious development.

Unfortunately, over 60% of all pregnancies do not survive more than 2-3 months, or stop evolution or progress to miscarriage, without taking into account the multitude of voluntary abortions “on demand”. Misconduct are the main causes that induce changes in chromosomal abnormalities incompatible with survival.

The first eight weeks are crucial for embryonic development. Drug administration or action of various external factors on embryo or zygote stage (before day 20), have the effect of “all or nothing”, that kills the embryo.

Organogenesis occurs between 3-8 weeks, extremely important period in which various external agents (drugs, parasitic and bacterial agents, physical agents, etc..) Acting on products of conception may have an effect malformation. The consequences of this process are the abortion, lethal malformations, metabolic or functional defects that will manifest later in life.

Of these, blood counts, transaminases (SGPT, SGOT), glucose, uric acid, urea, creatinine (blood measurements) allow shaping haematological and biochemical status of pregnant women. Pointing out any pathologies, previously known or not, should be taken to enable treatment decisions and monitoring throughout the pregnancy.

Routine HIV antibody detection is performed (Ac HIV) and Treponema pallidum (VDRL) for the diagnosis of HIV, syphilis, respectively. Active infection with Treponema (syphilis) in the first three months of pregnancy can result in miscarriage, but not actually a rule. Regardless of when the contamination occurred, treatment is mandatory.

Detection of hepatitis C virus infection is by detection of specific antibodies (anti HCV Ac). In this case their decision to continue the pregnancy is difficult and depends very much on the woman, and the results of investigations. In any case, pregnancy can seriously aggravate the disease.

Determination of hepatitis B virus antigen (HBsAg) is done only in situations where this analysis was performed by more than three months ago from when they make these determinations. As with C virus infection, pregnancy can hasten the evolution of viral hepatitis B, resulting in death. Vaccination in pregnancy is not recommended.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection can sometimes result in miscarriage, but when this does not occur – can cause serious infections to the mother and fetus. Ideally, detection and treatment of infection to be made in preload.

Another important investigation is represented by vaginal secretion. The vagina can confine a number of bacterial agents, most frequently coming from the large intestine, inducing a series of symptoms (leukorrhea, pain with intercourse, local itching, etc..) And abortion complications that may culminate in the first quarter. These infections once detected, is easily treated with specific antibiotics.

Source by Yoan Vivian

Necessary Tests in the First Quarter of Pregnancy

Aurora: What is an EOS Blood Test?

Aurora,

EOS or eosinophil is a type of white blood cell that helps your immune system. These white blood cells increase when you have allergies, parasite infections, asthma, and reactions to drugs such as inflammation. Eosinophils represent only a small percentage of the total cell population in your body but they are important indicators in determining if you are battling any of the diseases mentioned above or to diagnose other medical conditions like early stage Cushing’s disease or acute hypereosinophilic syndrome.

Normally, blood test like CBC or complete blood count will include information about the amount of eosinophils in your blood. In particular, a complete blood count includes a WBC (white blood cell) differential. The WBC differential checks the different types of white blood cells including eosonophil, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and basophils. The functions of the other wbc’s differ from each other but their common function is to protect the body from infections. The results of a WBC differential will indicate the presence (in percentage) of the five different types of white blood cells, whether each type has increased or not.

Another blood test that involves identifying eosinophils is the Absolute Eosinophil Count. Similar to the CBC, a blood sample will be taken from you and tested. The presence of eosinophil is determined using a stain called eosin. Under a microscope, a blood smear is stained with eosin (a red dye) and the technician counts the number of eosinophils for every 100 cells.

The absolute eosinophil count is computed by multiplying the eosinophil count and the total white blood cell count. This specific test is not normally done or requested by your health provider primarily because it is very specific to eosinophil. However, if a previous blood test result showed certain abnormalities and your health provider suspects the possibility of a certain diseases, he may ask you to undergo an absolute eosinophil count. The Absolute eosinophil count, for example, helps diagnose the early stages of Cushing’s disease and acute hypereosinophilic syndrome.

Source by Jessica Watson

What is an EOS Blood Test?