high blood pressure
Mamas on Bedrest: L-Arginine and Antioxidants May Lower the Incidence of Pre-Eclampsia
May 30th, 2011Researchers in Mexico found that giving high risk pregnant women at risk for developing pre-eclampsia L-arginine and antioxidant vitamins helps prevent preeclampsia.
L-arginine is an amino acid needed in order for the body to make nitric oxide, a vasodilator, which helps relax smooth muscle and in turn lower blood pressure. People with low levels of L-arginine are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure and in pregnant women, the high blood pressure progressing to pre-eclampsia.
Felipe Vadillo-Ortega, from the Department of Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional, Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico, and colleagues found women at high risk for pre-eclampsia given supplement bars containing the amino acid L-arginine as well as antioxidant vitamins had a reduced risk of developing pre-eclampsia compared to women who took antioxidant supplements alone or no supplements whatsoever.
Of the 672 women studied, 228 received with food bars containing L-arginine plus antioxidant vitamins, 222 received antioxidant vitamins alone and 222 received placebo. Preeclampsia developed in 30.2% of the placebo group (Those who got no supplements) , 22.5% of the vitamin-only group, and 12.7% in the L-arginine plus vitamin group. There was also a non-statistically significant benefit for antioxidant vitamins alone vs placebo. It must be noted that L-arginine and antioxidants do not prevent pre-eclampsia from occuring. In simple terms, L-arginine and antioxidant vitamins can’t stop pre-eclampsia from developing, but in women at risk for this complicated and potentially deadly disorder, taking the supplement bars and vitamins seems to reduce their risk of developing pre-eclampsia.
This is potentially exciting news. Pre-eclampsia affects an estimated 2% to 6% in healthy, nulliparous (first time pregnant) American women. Among all cases of the preeclampsia, 10% occur in pregnancies of less than 34 weeks’ gestation. The global incidence of pre-eclampsia has been estimated at 5-14% of all pregnancies. While much more information is needed to be able to draw definitive conclusions and to then make recommendations for implementation, the very idea that there may be a way to reduce the incidence of pre-eclampsia amongst women at risk is exciting. What’s more, the treatment is simply eating supplement bars and taking vitamins. No invasive procedures, no hard core medications.
But it’s not all rosy. To date, there is no data that tells the effectiveness of L-arginine alone on pre-eclampsia. We know that antioxidant vitamins alone offer some benefit, but the benefit was not shown to be statistically significant. There is no data on the potential side effects of L-argninine. There hasn’t been a dosage established that produced optimum effect and no dosages that are ineffective or potentially harmful. Since this is the first (or one of few) studies to look at the effect of dietary supplements on pre-eclampsia, much more research needs to be done to determine if this was a “fluke”, if the data can be reproduced and if the study can be successfully carried out in other areas of the world.
So much to evaluate and determine, but for this moment, I am giddy at the fact that nutritional bars may hold a key to helping lower the incidence of pre-eclampsia.
This study abstract was published in the May 19, 2011 on line British Medical Journal. BMJ. 2011;342:d2777, d2901
A summary was presented on MedScape.
Stroke Risks and Preventions for Mamas on Bedrest
May 6th, 2011In this Vlog, Bedrest Coach Darline Turner-Lee gives detailed information about stroke risks in pregnancy. She reviews conditions that put a pregnant women at increased risk for a stroke, she reviews problems specific to pregnant/post partum women putting them at risk for stroke and she discusses stroke prevention. Finally, Darline reviews the warning signs of stroke and what women should do if they experience any of these symptoms. We wanna hear your comments, so share them in our comments section. If you have particular questions for your situation, schedule a Complimentary 30 Minute Bedrest Breakthrough Session by e-mailing info@mamasonbedrest.com.
Mamas on Bedrest: 1st Time Mamas over 45 Can Expect Complications
April 19th, 2011Being an older mama myself, I am always a bit sensitive when I see reports indicating the problems and complications associated with being an older mama. So when I read this Reuter’s Health Report on Medscape my heart went out to older women desiring to and having children.
I want to add that while this report states that pregnancy is more risky for older moms, in this case, having their first child over the age of 45, it’s not impossible. Even if a woman is not able to carry her own child, there are surrogates (women who will donate an egg to a pregnancy and then carry the pregnancy) as well as gestational hosts (women who will carry a child for a couple) and adoption. Older women can have the children their hearts desire.
The study was conducted in Israel and found that pregnancy and childbirth in Israeli women over age 45 has nearly tripled over the last decade. The study looked at 131 mothers ranging in age from 45 to 65 who gave birth between 2004 and 2008. Forty percent developed gestational diabetes and 20% had preeclampsia. One third of the babies were born prematurely and nearly all were delivered by cesarean section. All but 5 of the women had become pregnant with assisted reproductive technologies.
Why is it so much more difficult to have a child, especially a first child, over that age of 45? First and foremost there are the physiological changes going on with a woman. If a woman has never been pregnant, the quality and number of eggs that her ovaries will produce will be lowered. At 45 years old many women are approaching menopause and their bodies are responding to hormonal fluctuations. In particular, she may have uterine changes such that she is unable to sustain a pregnancy. Women are also at risk of having developed hypertension and Type II diabetes by age 45. Researchers in this study recommend counseling against pregnancy if an older woman already has a pre-existing condition.
While the researchers acknowledged the increased risk to older mothers and their babies (increased risk of being born prematurely, at a lower birth weight, requiring intensive care in NICU and having developmental problems) they did not make being over age 45 and absolute contraindication to attempting pregnancy.
I can attest to the fact that the older you are having children, the more risk there is to you and your baby. My first pregnancy at age 35 ended in miscarriage. The second was high risk, fraught with complications and resulted in my daughter being born at 36 weeks and 6 days at 5 lbs 3 oz. I miscarried my 3rd pregnancy at age 38 and had my son, my 4th and last pregnancy at 40 yrs and 4 months. So I was not as old as the women in the study in Israel yet did experience more complications than women say 5-10 years younger than I was at each age. If I had it all to do over again, would I? Absolutely, but I have to admit that I would do it a lot smarter.
Before each pregnancy I would engage in a 3 month pre-conception “conditioning program” where I’d take exquisite care of myself; priming my body with exceptional herbs and supplements, getting lots of rest, making sure that I was at ideal body weight for my height and that I was fibroid free. In preparation for complications, I’d have a support system in place-either my mother, mother in law or friends in the community at the ready and available to assist me with my activities (especially with my second/fourth pregnancy with my son where I had a 3 1/2 year old to take care of as well).
As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. I didn’t do any of these things, but I made it my mission to do for other women what I did not do for myself and hence Bedrest Fitness and Mamas on Bedrest & Beyond were created. If you are an older woman and have decided to pursue pregnancy, we would love to support you in your endeavors. So that we can assist you to plan your pregnancy and (hopefully ) avoid bed rest or at the very least, minimize the trauma/drama, sign up for a Complimentary 30 minute Bedrest Breakthrough Session. We’ll go over potential pitfalls of being an older pregnant mama and offer tips to minimize them.To schedule, send an e-mail to info@mamasonbedrest.com.
While complications are expected the older a mama is having her babies, they aren’t mandatory and they don’t have to be horrendous. As researchers in the Israeli study pointed out, “Starting motherhood at an advanced age may carry risks, but they’re not prohibitive risks. People of all ages are interested in having a child and completing their families.”
Bedrest Coach Darline Turner-Lee had her daughter at age 37 and son at age 40.
