The emotional and physical changes experienced by expectant moms occur owing to changes in hormone levels, increased weight and postural changes. Pregnancy massage helps such women to relax during this time. Pregnancy massage techniques and pregnancy massage DVD are the other features and services rendered by this site which focuses on common complaints caused during pregnancy and how one can get relief from them.

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) have found that women who feel more loved and supported by their relatives, friends, and children are less at risk for major depression than men, suggesting important gender differences in the factors leading to depression.
The VCU researchers reported in the February issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, that among approximately 1,000 adult, opposite-sex, fraternal twin pairs, the female twins reported significantly higher levels of global social support than their twin brothers. More than men, women were more sensitive to the depressongenic effects of low levels of social support, particularly from the co-twin, other relatives, parents and spouses.
Kenneth S. Kendler, M.D., a professor of psychiatry and human genetics in VCU’s School of Medicine and lead author on the study said that “In women, social support was a robust predictor of risk for depression,” “Women who saw themselves as more loved and cared for and objectively well integrated in positive social groups were well protected against later episodes of major depression.
However no such effect was seen among men. In the large sample no relationship was found in men between their levels of social support and their risk for depression. These findings indicated that men may be less sensitive to aspects of their social environment with respect to their risk for depression the researcher said.
An interview of opposite-sex fraternal twin pairs registered with VCU’s Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry was conducted by researchers. The first interview was conducted between 1993 and 1996, and the second interview was conducted between 1994 and 1998. At the time of the second interview, subjects were between the ages of 21 and 58 years old.
According to Kendler, it was right to study opposite-sex fraternal twin pairs because the population included women and men who were conceived at the same time, developed in the same uterus and raised in the same family. Factors differing among men and women otherwise were ruled out because this population was examined. The results showed that on average, inter-personal relationships are more central to and more valued by women than by men. Women are also more likely to seek emotional support in their social network more than men.

According to a University of Pittsburgh researchers report, low levels of vitamin D can boost older women’s risk for hip fracture by more than 70 percent. The finding adds weight to the recommendation that people can have an adequate intake of vitamin D, by exposure to sunlight.
Dr. Michael F. Holick, director of the Vitamin D Skin and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University noted that the fracture-vitamin D link “has been observed for 15 years,” “The good news is it’s consistent, the higher your vitamin D status, the lower the risk of your developing a hip fracture.”
The new study has been published in the Aug. 19 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Hip fractures can be devastating for older individuals. A research team led by Jane A. Cauley from the University of Pittsburgh collected data on 800 women aged 50 to 79. The women were followed up for up to nine years by researchers to determine their risk for hip fractures.
They found that the risk of hip fracture rose 33 percent with every 25 nanomoles per liter drop in vitamin D levels. Researchers reported that women with the lowest levels of vitamin D had a 71 percent increase risk for hip fractures compared with women with the highest levels of vitamin D.
Researchers were also of the view that vitamin D is essential for the body’s absorption of calcium, a key component of bone health. Those who do not have adequate vitamin D cannot efficiently absorb calcium. According to the U.S. Institute of Medicine, people should get between 200 and 400 international units of vitamin D a day. The best way to get vitamin D, naturally, is by being out in the sun. Even being out for 10 to 15 minutes under the sun can give you all a vitamin D you need. Fish and milk are also good sources of vitamin D.
Women have to find out their vitamin D status by taking the 25 hydroxy D tests. They should strive to keep their vitamin D levels above 125 nanomoles per liter, year round. They can even take supplements.

Women who are extremely overweight or underweight are prone to infertility and many other gynecological problems. Such women are also at greater risk of amenorrhea. Women do have to have a certain amount of body fat to menstruate and then to conceive later. Sometimes anorexic girls just stop having their periods because of the extreme weight loss that their eating habits bring about. This problem will last for as long as their eating habits do not change, but if they resume a normal diet they should get their periods again. For those women whose body fat decreases way beyond the minimum level, her body is Read the rest of this entry »

The baby is significantly adding on weight but you will not see any noticeable change in your own weight. The longer your baby is in its protective environment until the due date, the better it is in terms of the bay’s health. During this stage of pregnancy, the baby must have taken the head down position, but if he/she hasn’t there is no cause for concern. Read the rest of this entry »

You may also experience urgency to visit the bathroom or a lack of bladder control when you cough, sneeze, or even laugh. You should however not cut back on liquids as you will need plenty of fluids at this stage of pregnancy. You can practice mild form of Kegel exercises which will strengthen the pelvic muscles and prevent pregnancy induced incontinence. You should also eat a nutritious pregnancy diet with proteins and minerals. Your pregnancy diet should be well balanced and should meet the growing needs of the baby. Read the rest of this entry »

Most common pregnancy symptoms at this stage are backaches, leg cramps, and other pains that come with the final weeks of pregnancy. You may also experience preeclampsia which manifests as a swelling in your ankles and feet, and sometimes in your face and hands. The pregnancy hormones usually cause this swelling for meeting the growing baby’s needs. You must consume plenty of water and keep your feet in a heightened position to relieve swelling. While most of the symptoms will vanish after Read the rest of this entry »

As the delivery day is quickly approaching, you may start feeling some false contractions, called Braxton Hicks. You might experience a tightening of your abdomen and then relaxing. Braxton Hicks contraction is of help in preparing your body for final labor. The false contraction disappears by itself. You can browse through the pregnancy calendar for the 33rd week to know what changes your body undergoes Read the rest of this entry »

Eyelashes, eyebrows, and the hair on your baby’s head develop around this stage of pregnancy. The lanugo hair present on the baby since the beginning of the second trimester falls off, only few hairs may remain on the shoulders and back at birth.

Your baby will weigh about 4 pounds (1,800 grams) and 11.4 inches (29 cm) from crown to rump. Even if you experience premature labor at this stage your baby will have a good chance of survival.
You will be constantly checked for blood pressure, urine, and Read the rest of this entry »

As your baby’s weight increases to more than 3 pounds this week, the strain on your body will be noticeable. You will experience pain in the lower back and hips. There will be less room for your internal organs due to the growing baby. For your lungs to expand you must take more breaths. Read the rest of this entry »