Many women experience symptoms related to their periods. Such symptoms include pelvic pain, irregular bleeding, heavy bleeding or discharge - this list is not exhaustive.  

 

Going to the general practitioner (GP) is often the first step. A doctor will take a full history to try to understand the reason for the concerns. A pelvic ultrasound scan or gynaecology scan allows an assessment of the female reproductive organs (womb or uterus), ovaries and fallopian tubes.  

 

Sometimes fibroids will be seen - fibroids are balls of muscle that lie inside the womb, in the muscle of the womb, or poke outside the surface of the womb. They can cause bleeding, pain or make it difficult to become pregnant if they are in a tricky position.  

 

Endometriosis - This is when the cells that should be in the lining of the womb are found in the female reproductive tract but outside the lining of the womb. The cells deposit in the ovaries, fallopian tube and bowel. The cells behave in the same way as during a cycle and there is inflammation which causes scar tissue to form and pain. Sometimes cysts form in the ovaries due to endometriosis.  

 

Polycystic ovaries - This is where there are additional small cysts in the ovary. If there are additional hormonal imbalances, it is called polycystic ovary syndrome. 

 

Lost Coils - Coils can move up into the womb and become lost, causing discomfort. An ultrasound can help to find them.  

 

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease - Some women will get infections in the reproductive tract that lead to scar tissue and pain. 

 

An ultrasound can be a useful investigation and reports will be given to the gynaecologist to create a management plan.  

 

Women can request scans at many private clinics without a GP referral to speed up the process of getting answers. 

 

Fertility Scans (Follicle Tracking Scan or Ovulation Tracking Scan) 

Women having fertility treatment or IVF often need scans to check on the health of the womb and how ready their reporductive tract or ovaries are for getting pregnant. Fertility scans can be used to measure the thickness of the endometrium and this information is used to tell how ready the womb is for the fertilised embryo. Fertility scans also measure the size of the ovarian follicle - this is called follicle tracking and this can provide information about the timing of ovulation for IVF cycles.  

You will hear very mixed reviews about antenatal classes (also known as antenatal courses, prenatal classes, bump classes or bump and baby classes). Some couples swear by them for the vital information required to write a comprehensive birth plan; some women feel they need the information about infant feeding and all things 'baby'. Some parents say their antenatal classes were a vital source of peer support (that is, they met other parents at antenatal classes or antenatal groups) and that they remained friends with the other parents in the group for many years. 

 

With all this is mind, where do we start, when we are considering antenatal classes? And do we really NEED to do antenatal classes (especially if it isn't our first pregnancy)?. Why do antenatal classes? Are antenatal classes necessary? If so, when should I start them? 

Welcome to Baobab Life – a health and wellness blog for women. 

 

Aster Baby Scan Clinic was created by Miss Jacqueline Bamfo, a consultant in Obstetrics and Maternal Fetal Medicine Subspecialist, to support expectant parents during their pregnancies with pregnancy scans and advice.  

 

Dr Jacqueline Bamfo has now joined her sister, Miss Alison Amegatcher, a Registered Nurse based in California, with over 20 years + of experience in healthcare to create Baobab Life. 

 

The sisters want to create a space for women to find high quality evidence-based information about health and wellness. They believe it is time to change the narrative in women's health. They want to bring empowerment, ownership and support towards better health outcomes for women. Their approach is holistic, relevant and collaborative. 

 

So why Baobab - Baobab is the Tree of Life. It has amazing resources and can be used for numerous health benefits. And we hope that Baobab Life will prove to be a useful resource for women in Beds, Herts, Bucks and beyond.  

 

COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect the lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called coronavirus.  

 

The symptoms of coronavirus are: 

 

a cough 

a high temperature 

shortness of breath 

 

The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as cold and flu. We are advising you to rearrange your appointment if you are unwell or have any of these symptoms or have returned from a high risk area. 

 

Please click to read more from the official NHS advice  

More information is also available at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 

 

Having private scans in pregnancy offers reassurance for many reasons. You may have had early pregnancy bleeding, or concerns or just want to confirm your dates. You may wish to do the Harmony prenatal test for Down's syndrome. You may wish to know the fetal sex or just wish to have an idea of how the baby will look with a 4D scan.  

Being pregnant for the first time can pose lots of questions. One particular one is how big is my baby? Many women will not show a bump until they are well into the second trimester. It can be difficult to get an idea of how big the baby is. There are fruit analogies that help parents to visualize how big their baby is. However, a pregnancy scan is the best way of knowing for sure how the baby is growing. It is also a great way to bond with the baby.  

 

Maternity Seminar event on 21st March 2019. 

An evening filled with knowledge and networking for student midwives and healthcare professionals. There will be updates on preeclampsia, prenatal screening, Non-Invasive Prenatal testing (NIPT), infant feeding and contraception. Advice on caring for expectant parents with a previous difficult pregnancy loss. Delivered by the Aster baby Scan Clinic team.