When it comes to pregnancy taboos, some organizations are tackling them head-on. Motherisk, a Canadian program that counsels women on medication use during pregnancy, is one such place. It offers mothers-to-be, and breastfeeding women, advice and resources on subjects that vary from life-threatening diseases to minor ailments. But what Motherisk does particularly well is acknowledge that the medical profession doesn’t…
Pregnancy taboos and HIV
For many HIV-positive women, pregnancy can seem a remote prospect. To begin with there is the natural concern that their illness could prevent them from seeing their child grow up. But there is also the question of the antiretroviral drugs that are essential to their health. Could the drugs they take during pregnancy affect the development of their child? The…
Treating depression during pregnancy
There’s a one in four chance that a woman will suffer from depression during her life. And given this statistic, there’s a fair chance that depression may coincide with pregnancy. So what should women who take drugs to manage their depression do if they want to have a baby, or if they find themselves pregnant? Opinion surrounding the use of…
When cancer comes young, can pregnancy come later?
These days many women don’t have to deal with the question of whether they’ll be able to have children until later in life – perhaps when they’re in a stable relationship, they’ve settled in a home, or they’ve reached a point in their career where pregnancy seems right for them. But for others, like those who’ve suffered from cancer at…
Read more > When cancer comes young, can pregnancy come later?
Bipolar disorder and pregnancy: to treat, or not to treat?
When it comes to medication and pregnancy, women suffering from bipolar disorder often receive conflicting advice. Most simply don’t know what’s best for their health and for that of their child. For some women, like Natasha Tracy, it’s easier to rule out pregnancy altogether. And this isn’t surprising: as recently as a decade ago, the general advice was that women…
Read more > Bipolar disorder and pregnancy: to treat, or not to treat?
Top tips for diabetic women in pregnancy
Over 30 years ago, Dr. Lois Jovanovič, the Chief Scientific Officer Samsun Diabetes Research Institute, postulated that diabetic women have exactly the same chances as non-diabetic women of having a healthy pregnancy and baby. Here, Dr. Jovanovič talks about the different choices diabetic women have to make when pregnant, and shares some of the tips that she gives her patients.…
If doctors share data, we’ll all benefit
Stefan Larsson, a doctor and BCG Fellow, makes the case for increased collaboration between doctors for improved quality of healthcare. His research has shown that when doctors agree on standards of healthcare, and measure their services against them, the overall standard of care rises. In 2013, he led research into measuring these standards across several countries and in four diseases.…
