Pre-Pregnancy Care
A healthy pregnancy starts even before conception. A pre-pregnancy consultation helps women prepare effectively, ensuring the best outcomes for both mother and child. Here are some crucial steps women can take before becoming pregnant:
Create a reproductive life plan.
Increase daily folic acid intake (at least 400 micrograms daily) to support healthy baby development.
Adopt a healthy lifestyle, including avoiding smoking and alcohol.
Manage existing health conditions effectively (e.g., diabetes, hypertension).
Antenatal care involves regular check-ups during pregnancy to ensure the health of both mother and baby. It helps in early detection and treatment of potential issues, enhancing the chance of a healthy pregnancy and safe birth.
Antenatal care includes:
Regular medical check-ups to identify and treat potential problems.
Guidance on important topics, such as:
Recognizing warning signs and necessary actions.
Nutrition during pregnancy.
Avoiding harmful habits like smoking and alcohol use.
Information on contraception options after pregnancy.
Infant feeding practices.
HIV awareness and prevention.
Antenatal care significantly improves pregnancy outcomes by detecting and managing risks, including potentially harmful infections or conditions such as diabetes and preeclampsia. Early detection and treatment lead to healthier mothers and babies.
We also offer ultrasound scans, including:
Early pregnancy scans
Detailed scans
3D and 4D scans (after 24 weeks)
We provide personalized delivery options, including:
Natural births
Caesarian sections
Uterine fibroids are tissue growths that form a mass in the uterus. These growths may remain small or grow large and multiply. Usually non-cancerous, they have a small potential to become cancerous.
Causes of Fibroids: The exact cause is unknown, but progesterone and estrogen likely play a role. Risk factors include:
Age (common in your 30s and 40s)
Family history of uterine fibroids
Being overweight
High consumption of red meat
Having fewer than two children
Symptoms: Symptoms vary and can include:
Pelvic pain
Heavy or painful periods (Menorrhagia)
Lower back pain
Difficulty urinating
Recurrent miscarriages or infertility
Postmenopausal bleeding
Bleeding after exercise or intercourse
Some women experience no symptoms
Treatment: Detection methods include ultrasound, hysteroscopy, MRI, or CT scans. Treatments depend on fibroid size, location, and reproductive plans:
Pain medications
Birth control to reduce bleeding
Myomectomy (surgical removal)
Uterine artery embolization (cuts blood supply to fibroids)
Ultrasound therapy (destroys growths)
Hysterectomy (removal of the womb)
Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs that form on the ovaries during ovulation. Usually harmless, they can sometimes grow large, cause pain, rupture, or rarely become cancerous.
Causes:
Failure of the ovary to release an egg.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), causing multiple cysts and impacting fertility.
Symptoms: Common symptoms include:
Abdominal bloating and pressure
Pelvic pain
Painful intercourse
Difficulty urinating
Sudden sharp abdominal pain (ruptured cyst)
Treatment: Most cysts resolve independently. Treatment for larger or multiple cysts includes:
Oral contraceptives to prevent cyst formation
Minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery (cystectomy) to remove cysts
Laparoscopic oophorectomy (ovary removal) in post-menopausal women
Endometriosis is a hormonal and immune condition where cells similar to the lining of the uterus grow outside the uterine cavity, commonly affecting the membrane lining the abdomen. These cells typically grow on structures such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the lining of the pelvic cavity.
Endometriosis significantly impacts fertility:
The condition can impair fertility by causing distortions in the fallopian tubes or creating inflammation that negatively affects reproductive functions.
While the exact cause is unknown, possible factors include:
Endometriosis is typically diagnosed through a laparoscopy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure using a camera to view the abdomen and confirm the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus.
While managing endometriosis can be challenging, an early and accurate diagnosis can greatly improve your understanding of the condition and effectiveness of treatment strategies.
Prevention is better than cure. Screening for common gynaecological disorders should ideally begin early in your reproductive years. Women in their early 20s should see a gynaecologist for review, screening, and counselling. Teenage years are also a critical time, as conditions often emerge that require early intervention.
During your first consultation, the following steps typically occur:
Pap smear screenings detect abnormal cervical cells, which can indicate precancerous conditions or, rarely, cervical cancer. If abnormal cells are detected, further evaluation is essential to determine the nature and severity of the condition.
Every woman’s contraceptive needs differ. Dr. Dlulani provides personalised advice on contraception, carefully tailored to your individual circumstances, reproductive goals, and lifestyle.