“Navigating Pregnancy: 10 Vital Questions to Ask Your Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist in the UAE”

 Pregnancy is a transformative journey, and having a Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist by your side is crucial for a smooth and healthy experience. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where maternal care is of paramount importance, asking the right questions during your consultation with an MFM specialist ensures you receive the best possible care tailored to your unique needs. Here are 10 important questions to guide your discussion and make the most of your maternal-fetal medicine appointments:

1. What is Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and Why Do I Need It?

Understanding the basics of MFM sets the foundation for informed decision-making. Your specialist should be able to explain the role of MFM in monitoring and managing high-risk pregnancies and potential complications.

2. What Are the Key Risk Factors for My Pregnancy?

Every pregnancy is unique, and identifying potential risk factors early on allows your MFM specialist to develop a personalized care plan. Discuss your medical history, family history, and any pre-existing conditions that might impact your pregnancy.

3. What Specialized Tests and Screenings Are Recommended for Me?

Stay informed about the tests and screenings your specialist recommends. This may include genetic testing, ultrasounds, and other diagnostic procedures designed to monitor the health of both you and your baby.

4. How Will You Communicate with My Primary Obstetrician?

Clear communication between your MFM specialist and primary obstetrician is crucial. Discuss how information will be shared, ensuring seamless coordination for comprehensive care.

5. What Lifestyle Changes Should I Consider for a Healthy Pregnancy?

Diet, exercise, and overall lifestyle play pivotal roles in a healthy pregnancy. Ask your specialist for personalized recommendations that align with your individual health and pregnancy goals.

6. Can You Explain the Results of Fetal Monitoring and Ultrasound Scans?

Interpreting the results of monitoring procedures can be complex. Ensure your MFM specialist provides clear explanations of ultrasound findings and fetal monitoring results, helping you understand your baby’s health status.

7. How Can I Manage Stress and Anxiety During Pregnancy?

Pregnancy often comes with emotional challenges. Discuss strategies for managing stress and anxiety to maintain your emotional well-being throughout your journey.

8. What Are the Potential Complications, and How Will They Be Managed?

Being aware of potential complications allows you to be proactive. Discuss possible complications, their signs, and the management strategies your MFM specialist would employ.

9. What Is the Plan for Delivery and Postpartum Care?

Understanding the roadmap for delivery and postpartum care provides reassurance. Discuss birthing options, potential interventions, and postpartum monitoring to ensure a smooth transition into motherhood.

10. How Can I Reach You in Case of Emergency or Concerns?

Establishing clear lines of communication is vital. Ensure you have the necessary contact information and understand the process for reaching your MFM specialist in case of emergencies or urgent concerns.

Navigating pregnancy with the support of a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist is empowering. By asking these essential questions, you take an active role in your pregnancy journey, ensuring the best possible outcomes for both you and your baby. If you’re in the UAE, these questions will guide you toward comprehensive maternal-fetal care tailored to the region’s best practices.

For more insights on maternal-fetal health in the UAE, stay tuned to our blog or contact us for personalized guidance.

Feto Maternal & GenetYX Center — Delivering Excellence in Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Heart of the UAE.

PREGNANT AND WORRIED? GO OVER THESE TIPS AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

PREGNANT AND WORRIED?  GO OVER THESE TIPS AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

Pregnancy is an exciting time of a woman’s life, but it is also one of uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic surely would add further worry and may cause anxiety in pregnant ladies.

During pregnancy, signs and symptoms of anxiety include:

• poor or changes in appetite
• regular feelings of fear and worry
• poor sleeping habits
• difficulties concentrating

There are few tips we can suggest which might help in relieving stress:

• Engage in online prenatal fitness programs.  Always ask your doctor first on the suitable exercises.  Staying active keeps mental health healthy.
• Online antenatal classes would also be a good diversion where you could meet and talk to other pregnant women.
• Set a time to be informed of the news.  Avoid checking round the clock.  It is best to watch in the mornings and leave the evening free for relaxing and promoting a good sleep.
• Try meditating, deep breathing, or gentle stretching while in a quiet room with lighted scented candles
• Connect with friends and relatives through video chats.
• Going to bed in a consistent schedule is best to maintain regular sleeping pattern.
• Maintain a healthy diet.
• Re-discover yourself.  What about taking up a new hobby or reviving an old one?
• Read a new book or watch a feel good old movie with your husband.
• Consider counseling. Therapy can be helpful for anyone experiencing anxiety, depression, or stress.
• Always ask for help — you cannot take everything on your shoulder, if you experience anxiety, take some time off from other responsibilities.  This may mean that your husband takes care of homeschooling the children or doing the grocery or online shopping for the household.

If a pregnant woman experiences a major mental worry, it is vital to see a doctor.

Depression during pregnancy is common but treatable. Pregnant women do not have to face depression or other mental health concerns alone.

Keeping in regular contact with a doctor can lessen your worries.

Dr. Afshin PourMirza, MD, PhDFetal Medicine SpecialistFacharzt Germany/Degum IISpec OB/GYN

Pregnancy and Smoking

Pregnancy and smoking don’t’ really go along with each other.  Smoking itself is already harmful to your health, what more if you are pregnant?
Cigarettes contain harmful ingredients like nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar.  It is known that smoking affects the fertility in both men and women.  Moreover, it significantly increases the risk of pregnancy complications, some of which can be serious for the mother or the baby.

What are the dangers of smoking in pregnancy?

Miscarriage and stillbirth
According to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking raises the likelihood of both early miscarriage and stillbirth. The dangerous chemicals in cigarettes are often to blame.  Other complications from smoking can lead to problems with the placenta or slow fetal development. These issues can also cause a miscarriage or stillbirth.

Preterm birth
Smoking during pregnancy can cause preterm birth, according to CDC. When the baby is born earlier than the expected delivery date, there are several health risk associated with it:
visual and hearing impairments
mental disability
learning and behavioral problems
complications that could result in death
 
Placenta previa
Placenta Previa is a condition where the placenta lies low in the uterus and partially or completely covers the cervix.  It can cause severe bleeding during pregnancy and delivery
 
Birth defects
The risk of your baby being born with birth defects increases when you smoke during pregnancy. Congenital heart defects and problems with the structure of the heart are the most common ones. Other health issues include cleft lip and cleft palate.

Low birth weight
Low birth weight doesn’t only mean baby being born small but also leads to health problems and disabilities.  In this time of medical advancement, deaths due to low birth weight has decreased but may still lead to developmental delay, hearing or vision impairments or cerebral palsy.

 

Feto Maternal & Genetyx Center is a highly reputed fetal medicine specialist center offering expert prenatal care. Our German & French Board certified doctors are always available to support you with professional care.

Please contact us on +9714 3604040 
Whatsapp:+971559025744/www.fetalmedicine.ae

What Do You Need To Know About Chromosomal Disorders?

Human chromosomes have a defined number and structure. Any deviation from this is considered a chromosomal disorder.Genetic testing should be considered by those who are planning to conceive a child, especially if there is a family history of genetic disorders. It usually occurs during cell division, and can begin in the egg or sperm, or the embryo or be inherited from the parent.

Types of abnormalities:

Numerical chromosome abnormalities are more common, and if the deviation from normal karyotype is small, full term pregnancy can be supported. A few examples are the Down’s syndrome, Edward’s and Patau syndrome. Structural abnormalities can occur in various forms, with sections of chromosomes being added or deleted. Structural abnormalities are much more rare in occurrence. 

At Feto Maternal & Genetyx Center, we offer various scans, invasive and non invasive tests, in addition to genetic tests performed in association with reputed laboratories in Germany and U.K. 

Our Fetal Medicine Specialists performs the Nuchal Translucency Scan, as well as the CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling) and Amniocentesis invasive tests. We also offer the NIPT (Non Invasive Prenatal Test) which is ablood test, and tests for the three trisomies, Trisomy 13(Patau Syndrome), 18(Edward Syndrome) and 21 (Down Syndrome), along with consultation with the Medical Genetist.

The Difference Between Radiology and Fetal Medicine Ultrasound

Radiology is the specialty which makes use of medical imaging for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and is performed by radiologists. Fetal Medicine is a branch of medicine that deals specially with the care of the mother and child. Ultrasounds are used in fetal medicine as it is considered to be safer, and no ionizing radiation is used. The progress of the pregnancy can be assessed in detail, giving special attention to early detection of abnormalities without the worry of tissue damage or any other adverse effect to the baby.

Fetal medicine ultrasounds are best performed by Fetal Medicine Specialists. They are obstetrician/gynaecology doctors, who have had additional years of training in assessment and handling of high risk pregnancies. They are therefore more qualified than radiologists in the detection of chromosomal abnormalities. Fetal medicine specialists are trained in -

• Obstetric scans – Nuchal Translucency Scan, Morphology/ Anomaly (Detailed Organ Scan, Fetal Growth and Doppler Scan, Fetal Echo Cardiography
• In performing invasive tests - CVS (Chorionic Villi Sampling), Amniocentesis and Cordocentesis
• Management of high risk pregnancies.

At Feto Maternal & Genetyx Center, Dubai, all scans are performed by our Fetal Medicine Specialist, who has over 20 years of experience in the field, using advanced technology and ultrasound machines. We encourage patients to visit our center for the expert opinion only a fetal medicine specialist can give. 

Stretch Marks in Pregnancy

The rippled lines on your skin, which can form in different colors (ranging from bluish pink to brown), are quite common in pregnancy. Though it concerns many mothers, other than the visual appeal, there is no cause for concern for the baby. It happens due to several factors like hormonal changes in the body, and depends to a certain degree on genetics.

Stretch marks or striae gravidarum occurs mostly on the tummy area, but can also affect the upper thighs, hips and/or breasts.

It’s not always possible to prevent stretch marks, but it does help to have a balanced diet and maintain a healthy weight gain.

Many creams and lotions on the market claim to help with stretch marks, but there is no concrete evidence for the same.

Laser and other cosmetic treatments are known to improve the appearance of stretch marks. The good news is that these marks naturally fade to a light pink/ grey color over time, though they will never completely go away.

It is always best to accept this is a natural change in your body as part of your beautiful journey through pregnancy.

Please contact us on +9714 3604040         Whatsapp:+97155 9025744      www.fetalmedicine.ae

Fetal Medicine Center is The Best Prenatal Care Clinic - Read This Blog and Know Why?

How do you know you are on one of the best prenatal care clinics in the UAE?

• Clinical services are provided by only qualified Physicians and other medical practitioners.  The clinic has complete manpower for your prenatal care.  There are OBGYN experienced registered nurses, a Consultant Medical Geneticist, Obstetricians and Fetal Medicine Specialists.
• The clinic is equipped with latest technology equipment, software and partners only with the best laboratories in and out of the UAE.
• The clinic collaborates only with the best tertiary hospitals.
• The clinic is strategically located at the heart of Dubai and the center of medical healthcare, Dubai Health Care City.
• The clinic premises is pregnant women friendly

All the above mentioned describe Feto Maternal and GenetYX Center.