Leg Pain Symptom of Deadly Blood Clot

It is found that having leg pain can be a symptom of having a deep vein thrombosis. A deep vein thrombosis forms in large veins and it is usual for them to develop in the leg and groin area. It can kill a person quickly if it moves up to the lung area where it would become a pulmonary embolism.

Symptoms of a deep vein thrombosis in the leg area includes swelling, pain, a warm spot, or discoloration of the skin. Other symptoms may include shortness of breath or having pain when breathing deeply. There are many things that can cause a thrombosis, including recent surgery, broken bones, falling, pregnancy, birth control pills, menopause hormones, and being immobile for a long period of time, and the risks increase with age, especially in people over 65, and with those who smoke or are obese.

Common Causes of Strokes

Most strokes happen when clot blocks blood flow to the brain. Strokes can also happen when a blood vessel bursts in the brain. High blood pressure encourages strokes because it can cause a buildup of arterial plaque, which can cause blood clots.

Birth control pills and hormone therapy increases the risk of having a stroke. Hormone therapy for menopause symptoms has less estrogen than birth control pills but still increases the risk of stroke a little bit.

Sleep apnea is a condition that interrupts the breathing process while a person is asleep. It raises blood pressure and the risk of having a stroke.

Other things that increase the risk of stroke include blood clotting disorders and having migraines with auras. Auras are visual changes that happen before having a migraine.

The risk of having a stroke can be cut in half just by lowering high blood pressure and high cholesterol. If a female has high cholesterol, hypertension, obesity, or diabetes, then she should be very cautions when taking birth control pills so that she can lower the risk of having a stroke.

What a Mother Eats Can Determine Sex of Baby

A new British research suggests that what a woman eats before getting pregnant can affect the gender of what the baby will be. Eating potassium-rich foods, including bananas, and eating breakfast each day can raise the chances of having a boy.

The study was based on 700 first-time pregnant women in the United Kingdom who didn’t know the sex of their fetuses and they were asked about their eating habits in the year before they had gotten pregnant. 56 percent of the women with the highest calorie intake before pregnancy had boys and only 45 percent of the women with the lowest calorie intake had boys.

The women who ate at least one bowl of breakfast cereal each day were 87 percent more likely to have a baby boy than the women who ate less than one bowl of cereal each week. The women who gave birth to boys also ate an additional 300 milligrams of potassium each day on average before getting pregnant. The women who had boys also ate about 400 calories more each day on average than the women who had girls.

Health Risks of Premature Babies

It is found that premature babies have higher death rates in their childhood years and are more likely not to have children in their adult years. This is based on a study that followed 1.2 million Norwegian births over many years.

Most premature babies grow up to have good health and be able to reproduce normally but the risk of health and reproduction problems are significantly higher than babies born at full term. Premature babies also have the risks of lung problems, disabilities, mental retardation, and being mentally behind other children their age in school. The study found that the preemies were more likely to die in their first year of life than full term babies and the higher risk continues throughout their life.

Things that could help prevent premature births include hormone treatments for women with a history of giving premature birth, not inducing labor unless it is needed and medically necessary, and reducing the number of embryos implanted at one time during fertility treatments. Women that are born premature have a higher risk of having premature babies when they give birth.

Beware of Chemicals in Baby Items

A recent study suggests that people should be aware of baby shampoos, lotions, and powders that expose infants to chemicals. The Chemicals, called phthalates, are already in many of the common items we use, such as cosmetics, toys, vinyl flooring, and medical supplies. The chemicals are also used to stabilize fragrances and to make plastic flexible.

The harmful chemicals were found in elevated levels in the urine of babies who had been shampooed, powdered, or lotioned with baby products. The federal government doesn’t limit the use of the chemicals but California and some countries have restricted their use. Studies say that the phthalates chemicals could cause reproductive birth defects and might cause reproductive problems in boys and problems in the early puberty years of girls.

Doctors say that it is not necessary to use special lotions, powders, or shampoos on babies and you can use water by itself or a small amount of regular shampoo to clean the air of infants. Parents can look for products that are labeled phthalate-free or check the labels of products to see if they contain phthalates, DEP, and DEHP. Sometimes, the names of the chemicals aren’t found on the product labels, because it is not required of companies to do so.