Smoking - reduce the risk to your baby by quitting within the first 5 months of your pregnancy

Recent research suggests that if mothers to be quit smoking within the first five months of their pregnancy then the damage done to their babies may not be as severe compared to the negative health affects among babies whose mothers have smoked throughout their pregnancy, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy.

The study does not suggest for one minute that smoking is safe, but that most damage is done to babies in the last 4 months where growth of the baby (and brain development) is most evident.

If you smoke throughout your pregnancy says, UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown:

¨ There is a higher risk of miscarriage, complications during pregnancy and complications during labour in women, and
¨ A baby is on average 4lb lighter. As low-weight babies have a higher risk of death (such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS) and disease in childhood, this is extremely serious.

There are many ways nutritional therapy can help support you while giving up smoking, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown. As smoking can upset your blood sugar balance, one of the first things I look at, are ways to regulate your blood sugar. Many foods can also upset your blood sugar levels, as well as other stimulants such as coffee, tea, alcohol and chocolate. There are also a number of supplements that may help reduce your craving for nicotine.

To find out more, please contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT). Melody offers pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2.

Hypothyroidism During Pregnancy Linked To Lower IQ For Child

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, children born to mothers with untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy score lower on IQ tests than children of healthy mothers, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, who specialises in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy.

Children born from mothers with hypothyroidism also scored lower on tests measuring attention, language, reading and visual-motor performance.

The thyroid gland is found in the neck and produces a hormone, thyroxine, instrumental to many bodily functions. Hypothyroidism is a condition where the gland does not produce enough of this hormone. Signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism include feeling tired or without energy; coarse, brittle hair; thick, coarse skin; and a lowering of the metabolic rate (which means you put weight on more easily than you might otherwise do).

Hypothyrodism can also contribute to infertility and it is estimated that about 3% of women of child bearing age may suffer from this condition.

The condition can be corrected by medication and / or supported through nutritional intervention and there are some simple ways of assessing whether your thyroid is not functioning at is optimum level, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown.

To find out more about Nutritional support during or before your pregnancy, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2. I have also written a free e-book on how you can improve your diet during your pregnancy, which can be obtained by clicking on my link.

Infertility risks high among cancer patients

A new report by experts from the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Radiologists, and Obstetricians and Gynaecologists state that the NHS does not have a universal policy to maximise fertility among cancer sufferers.

The four main treatments for cancer — surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormonal therapy — can all affect fertility and most doctors advise women not to become pregnant until at least two years after chemotherapy because of the likelihood of the cancer coming back.

What many people do not realise is that cancer in many instances can be avoided, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown, specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy. Incredibly, the World Cancer Research Fund has estimated that 30-40% of cancers could be prevented through correct dietary choices.

Making adjustments to your diet can therefore help your body to work properly and to ward off or reverse ill-health. This is especially important if there is a history of cancer in your family, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown.

Consequently, seeking professional dietary advice may help considerably to minimise your risk of getting cancer, says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown.

To find out more, contact Melody Mackeown

More Evidence that Breast is Best

More evidence has emerged (Pediatrics, 2008) that breastfeeding for at least 4 months, compared with feeding formula made with intact cow milk protein, prevents or delays the occurrence of atopic dermatitis, cow milk allergy, and wheezing in early childhood.

There are a vast array of other reasons why breast is best for your baby says UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy, including having a higher IQ, developing fewer colds, ear infections, gastric infections and pneumonia. Breastfeeding is also best for you as it can help you lose weight more easily – breastfeeding uses up 500 calories a day! It also promotes greater bonding between mum and baby.

Sadly, less than a third of mums in the UK are still breastfeeding at 4 months. One of the key reasons appears to be insufficient milk and that new mums find it too exhausting.

However, optimising your diet during your pregnancy and while breastfeeding may help ensure you have the correct nutrients to provide a plentiful supply of milk and give you enough energy to keep going while your breastmilk flow is established and you and your baby learn how best to breastfeed – this takes around 6 weeks!

I have written a free e-book on how you can improve your diet during your pregnancy. To find out more, contact UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT), specialist in pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2.

Smoking – what to do if you would like to quit

It is well known that smoking can adversely affect your fertility rate and can harm your baby. “So, now would be a good time to quit, if you are planning on having a baby this year”, says Nutritionist and Foresight Practitioner Melody Mackeown.

With the introduction last July of a smoking ban, excellent NHS Stop Smoking services and the availability of a wider range of treatment products (such as Nutritional Therapy or hypnosis), finding the right support to help you stop smoking is extremely good.

So why is stopping smoking so hard?
If you have ever unsuccessfully tried to give up smoking in the past, then you will know that it is fraught with difficulties. Firstly, when you are deprived of nicotine, smokers experience withdrawal symptoms such as depressed mood, irritability, poor concentration, sleep disturbance, hunger and cravings to smoke. Using tobacco puts an immediate end to these, which explains why the relapse rate is so high.

How can Nutritional Support help?
As smoking can upset your blood sugar balance, one of the first things I would look at, as a Nutritionist, are ways to regulate your blood sugar imbalance. Many foods can impact negatively on your blood sugar levels, as well as other stimulants such as coffee, tea, alcohol and chocolate. There are also a number of supplements that may help reduce your craving for nicotine.

You may be interested to know that a blood sugar imbalance can also mirror many of the symptoms above, such as irritability and poor concentrations. Consequently, stabilizing your blood sugar is a must.

Tips for successful quitting
Tips for success include:
§ Pick a date to quit that will be stress-free and stick to it
§ Book an appointment with your local NHS Stop Smoking service, who will advice you on aids to stop smoking or call the NHS Smoking Helpline 0800 169 0 169 for support or visit your GP
§ Book an appointment to see a Nutritional Therapist, who can advice you on ways to reduce your nicotine cravings via food and supplementation
§ Plan ahead and avoid stressful situations or people that could tempt you back to smoking
§ Take it one day at a time and congratulate yourself for every smoke-free day
§ Keep back the money you are saving – and treat yourself (e.g. book yourself in for a massage)
§ There’s no such thing as having ‘just one’ cigarette (remember it normally takes 90 days or 3 months to effectively quit). Don’t do it!
§ Think positively – tell yourself – I can and will do it!

UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT) offers pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care in the city of London, EC2.

Source: www.jfhc.co.uk

Maternal shortage of vitamin D linked to an increase in rickets among children

Recent research has shown that doctors fear a resurgence of rickets – particularly in Asian or dark skinned children, where the incidence may be as high as 1 in a 100 - due to a lack of vitamin D.

Rickets is a bone disease mainly caused by a lack of the vitamin. It can lead to deformities, stunted growth and general ill-health.

"If a pregnant or breastfeeding woman is lacking in vitamin D, the baby will also have low vitamin D and calcium levels which can lead babies to develop seizures in the first months of life." Further complications mean that there is a chance that your child may become anaemic (when the blood is unable to carry enough oxygen around the body) and this not only affects your child’s behaviour, but may lead to lack of attention and the inability to concentrate at school.

Dr Colin Michie, a paediatrician at Ealing Hospital, says the biggest problem is maternal shortage of vitamin D. "Mothers and babies are simply not getting enough of this important vitamin.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women have been urged to boost their vitamin D intake particularly in the winter months amid warnings that cases of rickets in children are increasing. There are two ways of getting sufficient vitamin D – one is through sunlight and the other is through certain foods or supplementation.

It is thought that most people in the UK may get enough vitamin D from sunlight – from 15-20 minutes of sun exposure to the arms, head and shoulders each day during the summer months - to make enough vitamin D for good health. However, research has shown that in winter months at latitudes of 52 degrees north (above Birmingham), there is no ultraviolet light of the appropriate wavelength for the body to make vitamin D in the skin. Furthermore, there is no accurate way to assess what is adequate sunshine exposure for any given infant or child.

Melody Mackeown, Nutritionist & Foresight Practitioner, says as vitamin D also helps calcium to be absorbed and this has implications for the normal development of bones, teeth, and nerves, as well as heart health. If you are pregnant or are trying to conceive and do not obtain sufficient vitamin D from your diet or lifestyle then this may adversely affect your children later on. You may also be affected directly by developing soft bones.

UrBod Nutritionist Melody Mackeown Dip.ION (mBANT) offers pre-conceptual care, fertility and pregnancy care right in the city of London, EC2.

Sources: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7161458.stm
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/111/4/908
http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab006164.html
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241546123_chap3.pdf

Chlamydia – without treatment it can cause infertility

There is alot being said in the media about Chlamydia and its affect on fertility at the moment with good cause. With up to one in ten sexually active young people having Chlamydia in the UK, it's a real problem facing couples trying to have a baby.

'A study published in 2004 involving Swedish couples seeking infertility treatment found that men with chlamydia infection were less likley to father a child. But researchers have lacked good evidence about why men with the disease develop fertility trouble and how to reverse the problem'

'Men with chlamydia have more than three times the normal level of DNA fragmentation in their sperm, report researchers.' taken from new scientist article

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/4347858.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7044602.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/15/ncmlydia115.xml

What is it?

is one of the most commonly sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It's a bacterial infection, which is found in semen and vaginal fluids.

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/relationships/sex_and_sexual_health/stis_chlam.shtml).

You can buy tests from most chemists, but it is a good idea to see your doctor and to ask to be tested for Chlamydia if you or your partner is experiencing problems getting pregnant. Alternatively, you can visit your local hospital GUM clinic where you can receive a full health screen for free to see if you have any infections that might be affect your fertility. A further list of potential causes of infertility can be found here.

To find your nearest Hospital GUM clinic. Please note that both partners need to be tested as it is easily transmissible.

What's the treatment?

As it is a bacterial infection, it means that it can be easily treated by antibiotics and this is a highly effective way of dealing with this infection. However, as antibiotics can also kill friendly gut bacteria it is always a good idea to take a course of Probiotics (friendly gut bacteria) after your course of antibiotics. Please note, that if both couples are infected and are giving a course of antibiotics, they should refrain from sexual intercourse until the course of antibiotics is completed.

What are the symptoms?

As Chlamydia sometimes has no symptoms, in both men and women, it can often go undiagnosed, unless it leads to complications. Some women may have 'non-specific symptoms' such as:

• Cystitis
• A change in their vaginal discharge
• Mild lower abdominal pain
• Unusual vaginal discharge
• Bleeding between periods or during or after sex
• Pain with sex or when passing urine; and Lower abdominal pain

However, when complications arise it can lead to infertility. In women, Chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. This can lead to:

• Miscarriage;
• Ectopic pregnancy (when a pregnancy develops outside the womb, usually in the fallopian tube);
• Blocked fallopian tubes (the tubes that carry the egg from ovary to womb); and
  Long-term pelvic pain

Chlamydia can also be passed from a mother to her baby during childbirth. Although no obvious symptoms are immediately apparent, the infection will often develop two weeks after birth, and can result in complications such as pneumonia.

Men might notice:

• White/cloudy, watery discharge from the tip of the penis
• Pain when passing urine or painful testicles

Chlamydia can also cause fertility problems in men, approximately half of all men with symptoms have impaired fertility, such as epididymitis.

Pre-eclampsia - long-term risk of hypertension?

In a recent study in the British Medical Journal (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2955489.stm) those women who had experienced raised blood pressure in pregnancy had a long-term risk of hypertension (high blood pressure), an increased risk of stroke and a slightly increased risk of heart disease.

Pre-eclampsia is a condition that occurs during pregnancy (normally in late pregnancy), or immediately after the delivery of a baby.

Women develop high blood pressure, together with protein in their urine (leaked from their kidneys) and fluid retention (oedema).

Although pre-eclampsia is usually mild, it should always be taken seriously because, in a few cases, it can cause complications, such as growth problems in the baby and can in some instances result in the death of the mother or child.

Female Fertility

From a medical perspective, the two most common identifiable problems for women are:

• Problems with ovulation (such as irregular periods)
• Damage to fallopian tubes (e.g. from an infection)
  

However, almost a third of all problems can not be identified and are therefore classified as ‘unexplained’.

Subclinical nutritional deficienciesProblems with fertility may be down to a lack of certain vitamins, minerals and essential fats due to poor digestion or a diet that is not as good as it could be. This is because essential nutrients aid the working of the endocrine glands responsible for fertility and responsible to regulate ovulation and normalise periods. Essential nutrients can also help ensure that the fallopian tubes are in good working order.

Want to know more

Welcome to Nutrition, Fertility & Pregnancy in the City Of London

Over the coming months we hope to bring you lots of information on how you can improve your health and fertility.

Who are we?

Our company is called UrBod, we are a team of qualified nutritionists. All of the team are fully insured and members of the British Association of Nutritional Therapists.

Kenny Tranquille Nutritional Therapist & NLP Coach, in Canary Wharf and the City of London.

Melody Mackeown, Nutritional Therapist & Foresight Practitioner, City of London.

Amanda Michie, Nutritional Therapist & Foresight Practitioner, City of London.

Free Healthy Bump' Tasters City of London EC2

Melody Mackeown, UrBod Nutritionist & Foresight Practitioner, City of London is offering free fertility sessions.

By choosing a Free 'Healthy Bump' Taster you'll learn all about the possible underlying causes to your health issue, which foods will be beneficial and you should increase and which foods to cut down on. To book or find out more click here