signs of pregnancy - Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents

A Missed Period Might Lead to Pregnancy

Cordlife India — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 10:00:57 +0000

Missed your period but don’t know whether you are pregnant or not? Some early symptoms of pregnancy may appear around the time you missed a period – or one or two weeks later. About 60% of women have symptoms of early pregnancy by 6 weeks, and about 90% of women have symptoms by 8 weeks.

If you are newly pregnant, feeling repelled by the smell of a bologna sandwich or a cup of coffee and triggering your gag reflex for certain aromas is not uncommon. While no one knows for sure, this may be a side effect of your system’s rapidly increasing amounts of oestrogen. You may also find that you are suddenly completely repulsive to some of the foods you used to enjoy.

During pregnancy, mood swings are common, partly due to hormonal changes affecting neurotransmitters (chemical brain messengers). Everyone is responding to these changes differently. Some moms experience increased emotions, good as well as bad, while others feel more depressed or anxious.

Hormonal changes in early pregnancy may cause you to feel bloated, similar to the feeling that some women have just before their time. That’s why at the waistline your clothes might feel snugger than usual, even early when your uterus is still quite small.

Shortly after you become pregnant, hormonal changes prompt a chain of events that raise your kidney’s blood flow rate. This makes filling your bladder faster, so you need to pee more frequently. As your pregnancy progresses, frequent urination will continue–or intensify. During pregnancy, your blood volume increases dramatically, resulting in extra fluid processing and ending up in your bladder. As your growing baby exerts more pressure on your bladder, the problem gets compounded.

Feeling suddenly tired? No one knows for sure what causes tiredness during early pregnancy, but it is possible that rapidly increasing hormone progesterone levels will contribute to your sleepiness. Naturally, morning sickness and frequent urination during the night can also add to your sluggishness.

One common symptom of pregnancy is sensitive, swollen breasts due to rising hormone levels. The sorrow and swelling may feel like an exaggerated version of how your breasts are feeling before your time. After the first trimester, your discomfort should decrease considerably as your body adjusts to hormonal changes.

It seems intuitive: the last thing you want to see is any spotting or vaginal bleeding if you’re trying to get pregnant. But if you only notice light spotting around the time your period is due, it might be bleeding from implantation. No one knows for sure why, but it may be caused by the fertilized egg settling into your uterus ‘ lining.

So, if you are usually quite regular and your period does not arrive on time, you may decide to take a pregnancy test before you notice any of the above-mentioned symptoms. But if you’re not regular or you don’t keep track of your cycle, nausea and breast tenderness and extra bathroom trips may be some signs of pregnancy before you realize that you haven’t got your time.

The post A Missed Period Might Lead to Pregnancy appeared first on Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents.

The Benefits Of Cells From Umbilical Cord Tissue

Cordlife India — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 09:30:50 +0000

Over the years scientific development in neonatal medical care has been revolutionary. One of the best advances in this domain has been in the form of cord blood and umbilical cord tissue banking. Between the baby and the mother, the umbilical cord acts as the lifeline as it comprises of many blood vessels, through which the umbilical cord blood pulses. The umbilical cord tissue, on the other hand, enables the blood vessels to weather the stress and the presence of the cord protects and supports them from bending.

The umbilical cord tissue comes with a high concentration of mesenchymal stem cells or MSCs. A research article states that “MSCs derived from the umbilical cord tissue, termed UCX, were investigated for their immunomodulatory properties and compared to bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs), the gold-standard in immunotherapy.”[1]

According to available proprietary technology, UCX is being sequestered from the umbilical cord tissue; the methodology has proven to be quite strong, reproducible and will work adequately for stem cell banking. [2] It has been seen to produce a greater number of cells along with approximately 100% success rate with limited bacterial impurities.

In the present scenario, stem cells found in the cord blood are being used in the treatment of a number of blood-related diseases. However, there is a major hindrance as the volume of blood collected from the umbilical cord is low and can pose a drawback in terms of transplants. Studies and researches are currently underway to understand possible methods to increase the efficiency of cord blood transplants. Some investigations have delved into “ex vivo expansion of the hematopoietic stem cells before transplant, intensifying the homing of hematopoietic stem cells to the patient’s bone marrow, direct injections into the patient’s femoral bone, and transplants with multiple cord blood units” as stated in Banking Stem Cells From Umbilical Cord Tissue For Future Regenerative Medicine Applications. [3] A more direct technique is to make use of another stem cell population – MSCs found in the umbilical cord tissue – for co-transplantation with a cord blood unit, could well be the solution.

With technology to extract MSCs from cord tissue, the first step is to mince the tissue. This is further supported by an enzymatic breakdown process to “melt” away the cord tissue that in turn releases the native MSCs. An alternative way to preserve MSCs is to process the tissue and extract the cells thus securing them in a “treatment ready” form.

The clinical tests conducted on these cells have revealed affinity towards treating auto-immune diseases (diabetes, Crohn’s disease, graft-vs-host-disease), neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s) and cardiovascular diseases (acute myocardial infractions, ischemia).[4]

Deciding to store the umbilical cord tissue will give you the opportunity to take advantage of the therapeutic potential of stem cells in regenerative medicine. Umbilical cord tissue stored in cord blood banks represents an additional source of stem cells that may have both immediate and future applications. However, the choice to store your child’s umbilical cord tissue is only available to you once, therefore, think carefully while making your decision.

Sources used:

[1] What Makes Umbilical Cord Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Superior Immunomodulators When Compared to Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells? – R. N. Bárcia,1 J. M. Santos,1 M. Filipe,1 M. Teixeira,1 J. P. Martins,1 J. Almeida,1 A. Água-Doce,2 S. C. P. Almeida,2 A. Varela,2 S. Pohl,3 K. E. J. Dittmar,3 S. Calado,4 S. I. Simões,4 M. M. Gaspar,4 M. E. M. Cruz,4 W. Lindenmaier,3 L. Graça,2 H. Cruz,1 and P. E. Cruz1

[2] R. I. Ganchas Soares, M. C. Baptista Coelho, J. M. Silva Santos, et al., Isolation Method of Precursor Cells from Human Umbilical Cord, edited by INPI, Medinfar, ECBio, Lisbon, Portugal, 2008.

[3] Banking Stem Cells From Umbilical Cord Tissue For Future Regenerative Medicine Applications – Rouzbeh R. Taghizadeh, PhD, & Kyle J. Cetrulo

The post The Benefits Of Cells From Umbilical Cord Tissue appeared first on Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents.

Did I Really not Notice I was Pregnant?

Cordlife India — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 06:56:15 +0000

If the first indicator that you were pregnant came via a missed period, relax. This happens to most women. However, some women feel that something has changed inside their bodies in the week of conceiving a baby. Of course, the more dramatic changes of pregnancy – swollen belly, changed gait, mood swings – occur much later. However, some early symptoms of pregnancy may manifest themselves a little before or with the first missed period.

For instance, you might feel a mild aversion to certain smells. This is because your sense of smell and taste are heightened after conception. You might feel that your perfume smells sharper than usual, but the aroma of certain fried food may make you nauseous. And though you might not feel the full-blown nausea of later weeks – known as ‘morning sickness’ – you might still experience mild dry retching in response to certain tastes and smells.

Then you might notice a change in your breasts. Your breasts may have become a little tender, which you will notice particularly when you wear a tight shirt or bra. This happens because of early hormonal changes and is completely normal. The feeling will subside in a few days.

If you feel yourself getting tired or extremely sleepy, it’s yet another early symptom of pregnancy. The body produces more progesterone hormones, which induce sleepiness in the woman. The progesterone levels soon normalise, and the feeling of fatigue disappears.

Of course, there is the biggest symptom of all – a missed period. Once this happens, you will suspect (or hope) that you are pregnant and take a urine pregnancy test. You will miss your period because the uterus has by now implanted a fertilised egg on to its wall, and the uterine lining is gearing up to prepare for your baby. Though a pregnancy test may indicate a positive pregnancy, it is better to get a confirmation from your gynaecologist.

Since your pregnancy is now confirmed, it is time to say congratulations!

The post Did I Really not Notice I was Pregnant? appeared first on Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents.

Baby on Board – and What Happens Next

Cordlife India — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 13:06:56 +0000

If your body has begun to show changes recently, and so has your mood, you could be pregnant. Often, the signs of pregnancy are able to manifest themselves even without the tell-tale ‘missed period’ to ring the first bell. But it is easy to confuse these symptoms with those your body registers during a menstrual period.

For instance, you might experience tender breasts and bloating in your midriff even before your period begins. These two are also signs of pregnancy. Besides, you may even undergo mood swings in the days leading up to your period. The same symptom is exhibited in the early stages of pregnancy. Instead of wondering if you’re pregnant or not, it is better to take a pregnancy test or consult your gynaecologist.

Why do these early signs occur?

One of the earliest signs of pregnancy is tenderness or soreness in the breasts. This is because the body produces a higher amount of progesterone, which occurs in response to the fertilised egg being ‘fed’ by the body. This results in more blood being produced, which floods the breast tissue and causes tenderness.[1]

Apart from mild cramping (which is often confused with indigestion) and some pale spotting, the body adjusts itself well to the preparation for carrying the child. The ovaries stop producing mature eggs after the fertilised egg has implanted on to the uterine walls. This is what causes the woman to miss her next period. More symptoms of pregnancy begin just after the fourth week.

After the fourth week

The signs of pregnancy start showing themselves in earnest after the fourth week. The woman may feel nauseous, bloated, moody and fatigued. A surge of hormones causes frequent urination, irritability, tender or aching breasts and morning sickness. In the coming weeks, the woman gains weight as the foetus grows. Her body readies itself for the baby’s growth by replenishing her blood volume, helping nourishment reach the baby and strengthening her womb muscles to carry the baby’s weight[2]. The heart rate picks up, the woman may feel breathless and tired and soon, her gait changes to accommodate her realigned centre of gravity. By the fifth month, the woman’s belly shows the pregnancy as well.

[1] http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/signs/symptoms/signs-you-may-be-pregnant/#page=2

[2] http://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/early-symptoms-timeline

The post Baby on Board – and What Happens Next appeared first on Stem Cell Banking Guide and Pregnancy Tips For New Parents.