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. 

Pelvic Floor Weakness

Pelvic floor laxity occurs when the pelvic floor muscles, supporting tissue and ligaments stretch and weaken and no longer provide adequate support to hold the pelvic organs in place, in particular in certain physical exercises. Pelvic floor weakness can affect women of any age. But it often affects women who've had one or more vaginal deliveries.

Possible symptoms of pelvic floor weakness include

• Sensation of something pulling down in your lower abdomen
• Urinary problems, such as accidental urine leakage in coughing, sneezing or laughing
• Voiding difficulties with retention of residual urine after micturition or post-micturation dribble
• Overactive bladder symptoms with a strong urge to go
• Increased number of trips to the bathroom and voiding at night (nocturia)
• Problems to empty the bladder in one go or interrupted flow (staccato-voiding)
• Constipation and trouble having a bowel movements

Some of the most common reasons for weakened pelvic muscles and tissues include:  

• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Prolonged labour and birth trauma
• Tearing in childbirth
• Previous history of pelvic surgeries
• Delivery of a large baby or twins
• Obesity and a high BMI
• Chronic increase of intra-abdominal pressure by repeated heavy lifting, asthma or chronic coughing, severe obstipation with trouble having bowel movements

Simple ways to strengthen the pelvic floor:

Exercise regularly and target the pelvic floor muscles. You can try Yoga, Pilates, swimming and targeted physiotherapy focusing on these muscles, especially after you had a baby. Physiotherapy of the pelvic floor can help to correct posture, stretch & relax tight muscles and strengthen weaker muscle groups. It can help increase endurance, fine coordination and tones of the muscles for better bladder control, tightening and lifting of the pelvic floor. Pelvic floor physiotherapy can include biofeedback, kegel exercises, electrical stimulation and bladder education - just as needed.

Try to prevent from constipation by drinking plenty of fluids and eat a healthy diet with high-fiber foods to maintain bowel movements. Eat between 35 – 55 grams a day. You can get them through your vegetables, grains like white rice, or brown rice, or wild rice. And clean your ecosystem with
natural probiotics. Examples of foods that act as prebiotics are leeks, asparagus, beans, legumes, banana, garlic, sweet potatoes, squash, and onion. You don’t need all of these every day. Just rotate through a wide diversity of vegetables, legumes and some fruits.

Avoid heavy lifting and when lifting, use your legs instead of your waist or back.

Control coughing, get treatment for a chronic cough or bronchitis, reduce exposure to allergens, dust and quit smoking. An air purifier in your bedroom can help with better sleep at night without coughing and helps regulate air humidity.

Find out your ideal and implement weight-loss strategies

To find out what will work best for you, visit us and get a pelvic examination including dynamic pelvic ultrasound.

Dr. Amelie Hofmann-Werther

Specialist in Obstetrics & Gynaecology

(Facharzt Germany)

Cervical Dysplasia & Coloscopy

Master Class in Fetal Medicine  

The 💯 Faces Of Endometriosis

What is Endometriosis?

The uterus has a thick muscular layer called the myometrium. It is responsible for contractions during childbirth and those wonderful menstrual cramps we all know. The inner lining layer of the uterus is called endometrium and is the ‘functional’ part. The endometrium grows and sheds with each menstrual cycle and is responsible for the bleeding: during the first half of the menstrual cycle it grows and then breaks down in the second half of the cycle and finally sheds off during menstruation. 

Endometriosis is defined as patches of endometrium-like tissue that is found outside the uterus. Endometriosis is responsive to hormones just like the normal endometrium, so throughout the menstrual cycle, endometriosis grows and bleeds, but unlike the normal endometrium, the blood has actually nowhere to go because its inside the pelvic cavity. Whether or not endometriosis does actually ‘bleed’ can vary but the pure presence of endometriotic lesions does lead to inflammation and pain, depending on the extent and location of endometriosis in the pelvis. More important as what endometriosis is, is what endometriosis is not! Endometriosis is not an infection of any kind, it’s not communicable, it’s not a cancer and is not fatal, however just because something is not fatal, doesn’t mean it can’t take your quality of life away. For sure endometriosis is a very complex condition that requires a holistic and personalized approach.

Some women with endometriosis have painful periods, some don’t. One woman may have severe pelvic pain, depression, anxiety and bowel pain, whereas another woman may have no pain or psychological symptoms, but is infertile due to endometriosis, these two cases would require very specific and

different approaches.

What are typical symptoms of endometriosis?

Everything, nothing and all things in between! Some women are only diagnosed when they are having an operation for another condition, or when there is an investigation for something linked to endometriosis like fertility issues.

For those experiencing symptoms, the most common one is pain, such as dysmenorrhoea which is defined as excessively painful periods that cause interference to the daily life and massively clouds the overall emotional well-being. If periods are causing someone to regularly miss school/work/social occasions because they are so painful, this is not ok and could very well be a sign of an underlying medical condition, like endometriosis.

Another of the common symptoms associated with endometriosis is chronic pelvic pain. Chronic pelvic pain can be continuous or intermittent and can be associated with a variety of factors, for example exercise, specific foods or certain activities, or it may just come on randomly. Painful sex (also known as dyspareunia) is one of the symptoms of endometriosis that doesn’t get much

attention since it is a very personal and private matter, which can understandably be difficult to talk about. Endometriosis symptoms vary from person in frequency and severity, including leg pain, bloating, painful urination, painful bowel movements, heavy menstrual bleeding, spotting in between periods and fatigue. A lot of sufferers want to rest and be left alone.The pain takes so much out of them, sometimes taking a nap feels like the only option to escape. Trying to summon enough energy to continue with the day but for at least the first three or four days of period, they just want to sleep a lot.

Which types of endometriosis do we know?

Endometriosis is usually categorized into stages (minimal, mild, moderate and severe) which depend on type, extent and location of the disease. The stage of disease does in no way correlate with the symptoms experienced, so a woman with severe disease can have no symptoms and a women with minimal disease can have debilitating symptoms and vice versa. Superficial endometriosis are lesions that can be found anywhere around the pelvic area, most frequently found on the surface of organs/ligaments/structures of the pelvis and can be as small as to be almost invisible to the naked eye, or about as large as a pea and any size in between. They often show scarry tissue associated with them which can pull or restrict the surrounding tissue leading to pain such as pain in emptying the bladder or in bowel movements, intercourse or sports.

Another entity type are endometriotic cysts. Most commonly found on the ovaries, these endometriosis cysts are filled with old blood that takes on a brown color, giving them the undeservedly pleasant name ‘chocolate cysts’. Endometriosis cysts can grow to be quite large, ranging from a few centimeters

to massive cysts in very rare cases.

The third type is called deeply infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). As the name suggests these lesions actually penetrate deep into the tissue of the pelvis and are known to cause the more severe symptoms associated with endometriosis.

Who can get endometriosis?

We do know that endometriosis affects more then 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, but endometriosis can affect anyone, of any age and of any race/socioeconomic background. Women with a family history of endometriosis are more likely. Still, because of a lack of awareness and education about endometriosis, the majority of sufferers remain not diagnosed.

What are treatment options?

Endometriosis is not a uniform disease so there are many treatment options pathways open for women with endometriosis and it is often quite a minefield of trial and error to find the right one for each woman. Endometriosis for sure requires a holistic approach to therapy that considers all aspects and impact the disease has on a person’s life.

There are several types of hormonal medication that women with endometriosis may be offered, the most common ones are: Birth control pills (BCPs), Progestin only pills (POPs), Gonadotrophin releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa), Aromatase inhibitors, complimentary therapies and surgical treatment options.I can’t emphasize enough the importance of education in endometriosis in order to find the best treatment for every single affected women.

Dr. Amelie Hofmann-Werther

Specialist in Obstetrics & Gynaecology

(Facharzt Germany)

Cervical Dysplasia & Coloscopy

Master Class in Fetal Medicine

http://www.fetalmedicine.ae/#dr-amelie

The cycle of women, the circle of life

Bad hair days, skin problems, feeling heavy, retaining of water in the tissue, rumbling stomach and bloated tummy that will just not fit in the favorite jeans! Most women notice details and experience changes in their hormone balance without knowing that most of our everyday life minor aliment, issues and struggles originate from  women´s hormone imbalance. Sleeping disorders, such as problems in falling asleep, calming down and finding peace before going to bed or problems in sleeping through the night may seem familiar to you. Sleep is restless, and dreams may be fragmented. Digestion disorders vary from slow metabolism and constipation to diarrhea prior to onset of menstrual bleeding.  Phases of keen ravenous appetite being greedy after salts or sweets in the middle of the night or at any other unusual time and occasion may happen as well occasionally, apparently out of the blue! Morning headache, lower back pain or lower abdominal pain in menstrual bleeding are a common finding in women. Putting on weight or just not losing weight although you are strictly sticking to your diet, lumpy breast swellings, sudden discomfort wearing a bra or sleeping on your belly are typical cycle related complaints.

So are mood swings and volatility varying from thin-skinned depression longing for tenderness and a shoulder to lean on to feeling combatively loaded. Sometimes our mind turns inwards, we may be easy to hurt, more likely to quarrel. From feeling desirable to just not interested in romantic quality time with the partner, anything is possible….

You are not alone!

This is a good time for learning new skills. Initiate a change!

Your doctor can help you become more self-aware, so that plans and new goal settings develop easier. Your doctor can help you understand your own individual cycle process and analyze it. Show you how to increase strength, spurt energy, feel balanced, enjoy socializing, feel more light-hearted. By guiding your way determining your personal physical energy and activity peak times as well as your individual lazy leisure time hide aways. Optimization of your Resources should include Nutrition education, Stress-Relief and Detox, physical fitness for more range of motion and flexibility as a holistic approach for hormone balancing.

Dr. Amelie Hofmann-Werther

Specialist in Obstetrics & Gynaecology

(Facharzt Germany)

Cervical Dysplasia & Coloscopy

Master Class in Fetal Medicine

http://www.fetalmedicine.ae/#dr-amelie

The Anomaly Scan at 18-22 weeks

An anomaly scan, also known as detailed morphology scan, intends to take a closer look at the baby and the uterus. 

The Fetal Medicine Specialist will check how the baby is developing plus the position of the placenta. 

Anomaly scan is often called a 20-week scan; however, a patient may have it any time between 18 weeks and 22 weeks. 

Although the main target of the scan is as mentioned above, the gender, however, may be revealed by the Fetal Medicine Specialist if desired by the patient.  By 12 weeks gestation, gender accuracy is 95% while at 16 weeks, it is 99%++.

The whole scan takes about 30 minutes for a single gestation.  The Fetal Medicine Specialist will assess the fetal organs.

Major organs are mostly checked by cross section and measured, these are:

·         

    The shape and structure of the head and brain.

·         The Face - Cleft lip and Palate are checked while focusing on the face.

·         The Spine, its length and in cross section, making sure that all the bones            align, and that the skin covers the spine at the back.

·         The Heart. Normal structure, location, normal rhythm pattern.

·         The Abdominal wall making sure it covers all the internal organs at the              front.

·         The Stomach.

·         The Kidneys, confirming that the baby has 2 kidneys and bladder is visible.

·         Fetal Extremities. Arms, Hands, Fingers, Legs, Feet, Toes

The placenta location and structure, umbilical cord and the amniotic fluid are also checked.

To see how well the baby is growing, the HC (head circumference), AC (abdominal circumference) and FL (femur length-thigh bone) measurements should match up depending on when is the expected delivery date.

Authored by Dr. Afshin PourMirza, MD, PhD

Obstetrics and Gynaecology – Maternal Fetal Medicine

Managing Director of Feto Maternal and GenetYX Center