Women's Health and Issues

Pharmaca's Healthy Living Lecture Series in Novato presents the well-known pediatrician and author Dr. Bob Sears, MD, FAAP, on Tuesday, January 18 at 7 pm. The topic is: Immune and Sinus Health for Children and Adults.

You may be familiar with many of the books Dr. Sears has written or co-authored, including The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood, Father’s First Steps, The Baby Book, The Premature Baby Book and The Baby Sleep Book. Dr. Sears received his medical degree in 1995 from Georgetown University and completed his pediatric training at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles in 1998. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to meet “Dr. Bob,” as his little patients call him. This is a free event. Attendees will also receive a coupon for $10 off a $30 purchase the night of the event.

Seating is limited, so advance reservations are required by calling (415) 892-3700. Pharmaca-Novato is located at 7514 Redwood Blvd. in Novato (next to Trader Joes).

This guest post is from Fertility Expert, Dr. Lee Kao of Laurel Fertility Care, a local fertility practice with offices in Mill Valley, San Francisco, and Modesto. Visit them online at www.laurelfertility.com.

The journey to conceiving for child number two (or more) can be stressful and difficult. However, parents can make small changes and help grow their parenthood dreams. Below are some suggested tips from Dr. Lee Kao of Laurel Fertility Care to help grow your fertility success:

1. Take daily multiple vitamins at least three months prior to attempting pregnancy. Vitamins like folic acid, a B-complex vitamin, helps produce red blood cells and facilitates cell production and division. Research has shown that intake of folic acid reduces pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, certain kinds of anemia, and Neural Tube Defects. It also facilitates healthy fetus growth through reducing Neural Tube Defects.

This guest article is by Marin County therapist, writer, and mom Lisa Brookes Kift, MFT.

If you’re married with children—and your life is a whirling dervish of chaos as you struggle to keep all of the balls in the air—this is for you. In all that you do for your kids, career and hopefully self, are you forgetting anyone? Is there a special person who no longer gets the amount and quality of attention they used to “pre-kids?” Hmmm???

I’ve heard it over and over. Couples come into my office disconnected in their marriages and upon closer inspection, it’s revealed that after children landed on their radar, their relationship changed. As reasonable and expected as this is when children arrive on the scene, many forget to return to caring for their marriages. The reality is your relationship needs care in order for your family to thrive.

This guest post is from the nurses at Laurel Fertility Care, a local fertility practice with offices in Mill Valley, San Francisco, and Modesto. Visit them online at www.laurelfertility.com.

As a parent with one or more children, it’s hard to imagine not being able to conceive again. However, secondary infertility is a heartache experienced by many parents. “Often parents have a difficult time knowing whether the challenge for growing their family is just a fluke or a problem,” states Dr. Collin B. Smikle of Laurel Fertility Care, “many say if it happened before, it will happen again and sometimes parents wait too long to find out if there is a problem and their chances of conceiving become even less likely.”

Similar to infertility, there are a few key signs that may signal a higher chance of secondary infertility. These signals include:

1. Unsuccessful conceiving after trying over six to twelve months: If you have been trying to get pregnant longer than the amount of time it took with previous pregnancies, it’s time to talk to your doctor or a reproductive specialist. Your OB/GYN may be able to give some insight into what’s happening. However, it’s best to visit a reproductive endocrinologist if you have any concerns, especially if the female is over 35.

This guest article is by Elizabeth Greason, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in the treatment of perinatal mood disorders, trauma, attachment and parenting issues.

During the past two weeks have you:

• Felt nervous, anxious, or worried?
• Felt so unhappy that you seem to be crying all the time?
• Felt like you were going crazy?
• Had recurrent thoughts that you are not a good mother?
• Felt scared that you will never feel happy again?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may be suffering from a form of postpartum depression. The term “postpartum depression” actually describes a continuum of postpartum emotional and physical reactions ranging from the common and relatively mild “baby blues” that resolve in a few days to the rare and extreme cases of “postpartum psychosis”. It can occur anytime during the first year postpartum. Affecting 10–20% of expectant and new mothers, postpartum depression is a common complication of pregnancy and is a treatable medical illness.

This guest article is by Marin pediatric nurse practitioner, lactation consultant, and mom Annie St. John.

We all have it. It’s that inner wisdom. Our intuition. We sometimes just don’t know how to tap into it. Especially when it comes to parenting. We often feel too overwhelmed, scared, and exhausted, so we doubt that inner wisdom. Don’t doubt it. It is the key component when it comes to bonding with your baby. Your baby.

Just as we need that wisdom and intuition, we also need resources. “Resources” is defined as:

• One’s personal attributes that sustains one in certain circumstances.
• The ability to find avenues to overcome difficulties.
• Assets that can be drawn on by a person in order to function effectively.

Once your baby is born, it all comes down to feeding your baby and getting to know your baby. During your daily routine of countless cycles of feeding, burping, calming, swaying, swaddling, changing, and sleeping, you, as the parent, start to gain confidence. Your confidence arises from realizing that you do have the resources (either within yourself, from your spouse or partner, or from an outside support person). From that realization you are able to nurture your relationship with your baby and build upon that bond.

In this guest article, Mill Valley naturopathic doctor Lisa Brent, ND, LAc offers some suggestions for treating PMS.

If you are a woman who suffers from premenstrual syndrome (PMS), it might be helpful to know that you are not alone. Of course, if you are a woman who is experiencing PMS as you are reading this, you probably don’t care at all that many other women have similar issues. You may just want to shout some expletives at your computer and then burst into tears. That’s usually how I behave right around the third week of every month. (Well, at other times, too, but I can’t blame that on my period.)

Just for the record, approximately 80% of women experience emotional or physical changes before their menses; among these women, about 20–40% have functional difficulties that have a negative impact on their work, relationships or home lives. More than 150 symptoms have been attributed to PMS. The most common are anxiousness, irritability and anger or mood swings among all three. Some women feel very sad; others feel tired and lethargic. Physical changes include bloating, breast tenderness, food cravings, headache and intestinal upset. There is also a group of women who experience positive changes before their period: enhanced creativity, heightened sexual desire, intellectual clarity and feelings of happiness. But we don’t need to talk bout them.

This guest article is from our friends at Laurel Fetility Clinic, a local fertility practice with offices in Mill Valley, San Francisco, and Modesto. Visit them online at www.laurelfertility.com.

Secondary infertility is a growing issue among women. According to experts, in 2005 an estimated 3,000,000 people suffered from secondary infertility. Whether you’ve had one child or three children, mothers who are unable to grow their families after conceiving in the past are heartbroken. However, with the success of fertility treatments, more options are available today than ever before. Below is a list of common questions patients have asked at their visit to Laurel Fertility Care. We hope these will help you through your fertility journey before seeing a fertility specialist.

This guest article is by Marin County therapist, writer, and mom Lisa Brookes Kift, MFT.

Whether or not you’re a married, divorced or single mommy, the common tie that binds us together is that we are responsible for loving, caring for, shaping and guiding our children. I can’t think of a more important job! But the reality is that many of us do have other roles and hats we wear each and every day. Aside from mothers you may be wives, girlfriends, friends and caretakers. Some of you probably work full-time and race home to spend precious moments with little ones, others are full-time homemakers managing the logistics of running a household and I’m fairly sure many of you fall somewhere in the middle, doing your best to balance the need for financial stability with the needs of your family. Wherever you are on the continuum…