Ask The Doctor – The Answers

Can I get Listeria from Rice?

I am newly pregnant, 13 weeks and today I went to a Japanese restaurant-cafe in South Kensington and had vegetarian sushi roles for lunch. One made with rice & tofu, one with rice & cucumber and one with rice & seaweed. I specifically avoided any sushi with raw fish. However, I have since been reading online that it’s the rice that can carry dangerous bacteria and that cross-contamination may occur if the veggie sushi is prepared near to where raw fish has been handled. I am worried about listeria now from the rice I ate today. Please can you tell me whether […]

I am now 24 Weeks Pregnant- my Baby is now Viable. Should I celebrate or remain cautious?

Viability is the term used to describe the stage in pregnancy when baby becomes viable- and able to exist outside womb.  It is currently 24 weeks. Around 50% of babies born after 24 weeks will survive but not all will be healthy.  Quite a high proportion will have some form of serious handicap, especially if born before 26 weeks. The EPICure Study, carried out in 1995 showed the following results – When surviving children born before 26 weeks were followed up at age 6 years, a high level of disability was found: 22% had severe disability (defined as cerebral palsy […]

Brown Discharge- 8 Weeks Pregnant

I am about 8 weeks pregnant and my dating scan is on 11th of December. Yesterday I noticed I was having very light brown discharge form my vagina when I wipe myself. Today I notice the discharge is a bit more and looks like what I used to have at the start of my menstruation.  I am not getting any crumps or abdominal pain. So I am going to wait and see. It it progresses into anything(bleeding) I would go to A&E.What do you think? At the moment your symptoms would not suggest that there is anything to be concerned about. […]

Heavy Bleeding at 12 weeks – My Experience.

The point of this post is not to scare anyone, but to give you an example of an occasion where heavy bleeding does not always have to mean something terrible has happened. If you are squeamish then perhaps don’t read much further. 5 days before my 12 week scan, I opened the front door after a trip to the supermarket, and suddenly felt a gush of liquid between my legs.  I knew straight away that it was not wee and ran straight to the bathroom.  As I pulled my jeans down – blood was pouring out of me at an […]

8 weeks pregnant with twins – IVF – ICSI

I am currently 8 weeks pregnant with twins. I conceived through IVF using icsi. I have currently been using progesterone capsules twice daily but I have been advised to stop using them as I am at 8 weeks. I am a bit nervous about stopping them as some of my initial hormone checks showed that I had quite high estrogen levels and therefore possibly low pogesterone. I do have more capsules I could use but is it dangerous to carry on with them? I have heard that some women keep using them till week 12? The other thing was that […]

Premature baby – chances of it happening again?

I had a premature delivery with my first baby- at 37 weeks, I was wondering how likely this is to happen again? 37 weeks is just on the cusp of being premature. The approximate risk of a similar event is twice the normal risk (ie it has increased from 5-10% to 10-20%.)  Some units will attempt to estimate your risk by measuring the length of your cervix at 20-24 weeks.  Alternatively, you might be offered a Fibronectin swab test from the vagina at 28 weeks.  Please ask your midwife or doctor about this. Your chances of a successful outcome are […]

Measuring Big For Dates

I am 24 weeks pregnant with my second baby, but am measuring approximately 30 weeks.  Should I change my due date?  First of all, we are assuming you had a dating scan at 12 or 20 weeks, which is where your expected due date has come from. There are several reasons why you might be measuring larger than your dates suggest, such as: Poor measuring technique, a full bladder or rectum, twins, wrong dates, fibroids, excess liquor or a larger than expected baby. Most women are not routinely checked at 24 weeks ,but perhaps there are some extra details of […]

Scared of VBAC

I am very nervous about giving birth naturally and had an Elective Caesarean with my first baby. I am pregnant again and am considering VBAC. I have heard horror stories through friend of long delays in obtaining an epidural at some hospitals due to unavailability of anaesthetists. Is it possible to get treatment privately to enable me to ensure that, if needed, an epidural will be made available when required? Most maternity units are keen to support and encourage women to consider a VBAC after one previous Caesarean section.  Some hospitals will even have special clinics devoted to women who […]

Polycystic Ovaries – Trying to Conceive

I have a 14 month old baby boy and we’ve been trying for another one for 8 months now. My first one was conceived straightaway and I ended up have a C-Section due to prolonged labour.  My periods went back to normal a couple months after I had him but stopped in April this year. I went for scans and i was diagnosed with PCOS and a couple months earlier my other half was told he had a low sperm count. Please could you advice how we can increase our chances of conceiving naturally? Polycystic ovarian problems are often temporary […]

17 Weeks Pregnant – Should I be taking supplements?

I’m 17 weeks pregnant and took Pregnacare during the first trimester, but stopped it afterwards as it didn’t make me feel brilliant. Should I still be taking something in terms of vitamins and/or iron?  You do not  need to take any form of supplement unless you have some kind of absorption or digestive  problem in which case your doctor will advise you on what you might need to take.  We suggest that you try and maintain a balanced diet and only eat for one.  Although this may be difficult if you are particularly hungry as many pregnant women find! You […]