Weekly Health Tips: Provided by Virginia Women’s Center

Pregnancy is typically a time of great joy and excitement. However, for some women, certain preexisting medical conditions can increase the potential for complications during pregnancy. For others, unexpected complications can arise that require the expertise of a specialist.

Maternal-fetal medicine specialists are obstetrician gynecologists who have completed an additional two to three years of maternal-fetal medicine fellowship following their residencies. They specialize in caring for women who are experiencing high-risk pregnancies and are experts in the various obstetrical, medical and surgical complications that can arise during pregnancy. At Virginia Women’s Center, we understand that complications during pregnancy can be unsettling. That is why we have three maternal-fetal medicine specialists, who work closely with our obstetricians to care for patients who are experiencing high-risk pregnancies.

Learn more by clicking here.

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While the exact cause of preterm labor is often unknown, there are some risk factors that increase a woman’s chance of having preterm labor. However, it is important to remember that preterm labor can happen to anyone and many women who experience a premature birth have no known risk factors. Some of the risk factors include:

• Preterm labor or preterm birth in a previous pregnancy
• Being pregnant with multiples (twins, triplets or more)
• Certain problems with your uterus, cervix or placenta
• Having little or no prenatal care
• Smoking or drug use
• Abdominal surgery during this pregnancy
• Too much amniotic fluid
• Bleeding or infection while pregnant
• Being underweight or overweight

A preterm labor typically begins unexpectedly. The signs of preterm labor are often no different from regular labor, except that they happen before the 37^th week of pregnancy. If you experience any of the warning signs listed below before your 37^th week of pregnancy, call your doctor. Sometimes, preterm labor can be stopped. However, there are certain situations and complications that make an earlier delivery safer for the mother or baby. The warning signs for preterm labor include:

• Contractions, where your abdomen tightens like a fist, every 10 minutes or more often
• Change in vaginal discharge, such as a watery, mucus-like fluid leaking from the vagina, or bleeding
• Pelvic pressure; the feeling that your baby is pushing down
• Low, dull backache
• Cramps that feel like your period
• Abdominal cramps with or without diarrhea

Women who are at risk for preterm labor may be advised to take certain steps to prevent preterm birth. At Virginia Women’s Center, we have three maternal-fetal medicine specialists who collaborate with our OB-GYNs in the care of high-risk pregnancies. Read this blog post to learn more about our maternal-fetal medicine specialists and the care they provide to women who are experiencing high-risk pregnancies.

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At Virginia Women’s Center, we follow the guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and recommend that women over age 40 have a mammogram annually. As always, there are certain circumstances or family history that might warrant earlier or additional screening. It’s important to keep in mind that guidelines give us solid recommendations, but women’s health care isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. One-on-one with your health care provider is the best way to determine what you need and when.

Women’s breasts are always changing. They change during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, breastfeeding and menopause. Many lumps, tenderness and other changes are benign, normal and simply the result of these hormonal changes. Along with these normal changes, problems can arise. It is important for you to be aware of any changes in your breasts. Tools such as screening mammograms and clinical breast exams, which are procedures that are performed by health care professionals at facilities like Virginia Women’s Center, can help detect breast cancer before it has progressed.

If you’re preparing for a mammogram at Virginia Women’s Center, you may find the following tips helpful:

Scheduling your appointment

• Try to schedule your mammogram for immediately after your menstrual cycle, so you will not have the breast tenderness that can occur at other times in the cycle.
• Virginia Women’s Center offers screening mammograms at our Henrico Doctors’ Forest Medical Plaza, John Rolfe Commons and Mechanicsville locations. You may be able to schedule your annual well-woman exam and mammogram at the same time. You can schedule an appointment on our secure patient portal or by calling 804.288.4084.
• You will need a physician’s order for a mammogram. If you see a VWC health care provider and are planning to have your mammogram at VWC, you do not need a written order (our providers will have access to your electronic health record).

Prior to your appointment

• If you have had a mammogram before at a location other than Virginia Women’s Center or The Ellen Shaw de Paredes Institute for Women’s Imaging, you will need to request that your prior films be sent to us before your visit. You can download the form here.
• Please verify coverage with your insurance. Any payment is requested at the time of service.

On the day of your mammogram

• Your mammogram will take approximately 20 minutes.
• Do not use perfumes, bath oils, powders or deodorant. They contain ingredients that can interfere with the clarity of the image.
• It’s best to wear a two-piece outfit to your mammogram appointment. Then, you will only have to remove your top at the time of the procedure.

If you have any questions about your upcoming mammogram, feel free to contact our office at 804.288.4084.

Additional Resources:

• Screening mammograms at Virginia Women’s Center
• Debunking the myths of mammography
• Breast self-awareness
• Understanding breast density
• Breast health

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