Pregnancy and Medicine ~ Page 9 of 16 ~ Prescribing change, expecting more

Tough decisions, positive outcomes: cancer & life priorities

Did your cancer diagnosis change your life priorities? Faces of Courage and Hope tells a positive story of how chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a cancer of the white blood cells, changes lives in a series of photo stories. The recently published book depicts the inspiring journey of 16 European CML patients, including a Portuguese woman’s experience through two pregnancies. The…

Anti-epileptic drugs & baby’s development: should a mom have to choose?

Keeping the risk of seizures down is primarily why women with epilepsy take anti-epileptic drugs. When pregnancy is put into the equation, they’re often unsure what to do with their regular medication. Should there be a trade off between the benefits of not having seizures and the fear of what impact these drugs might have on their unborn child? If…

Fighting for two: cancer and pregnancy [Documentary]

Twelve years ago, when Caroline Swain’s son Max was still a baby, she noticed a lump on her breast and the worst was confirmed – she had breast cancer. This in itself was already a big change in her life. But then she found out that she was 5 weeks pregnant. It took a forward-looking medical team, a supportive family,…

Putting pregnant women at the heart of its advice

It’s no secret that women and men are different, which is why medical advice must always take these differences into account. So when the American Heart Association published its latest set of guidelines in late 2013, it prepared a separate set of guidelines for women. And these cover every stage of their lives, including pregnancy. In pregnancy, the American Heart…

The stigma of taking medications for sickness in pregnancy

A good friend of mine developed appendicitis at week 17 of her pregnancy. She had an anesthetic, the appendix removed via surgery, and then she was pumped full of both IV and oral painkillers and anti-emetics. At no point during her weeklong stay in the hospital did the staff raise questions about the safety of the medications for the growing…

A confusing state: treating mental illness during pregnancy

Many women suffering from a mental disorder, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, control their condition using antipsychotic drugs. But if a woman taking this type of medication wants to have a baby, there aren’t many standard answers from the medical community as to what’s the best thing to do. Whether or not a woman continues to take her medication…

Coping with breast cancer in pregnancy: an ongoing study

After being diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant eight years ago, Janne Rodsten is now studying for a professional doctorate in counseling psychology at the University of the West of England in Bristol, UK. In connection with her final thesis, due for submission in 2016, she will be carrying out a formal study into women’s experience of pregnancy-associated breast cancer.…