A GUIDE TO ANTE-NATAL TESTS: URINE TESTS
Urine is tested routinely throughout pregnancy for excess sugar and any evidence of protein. The former is a test for diabetes; the latter for kidney or urinary tract infections and preeclampsia in later pregnancy.
If you have diabetes it is likely to become more severe in pregnancy unless carefully monitored and treated. Diabetes in pregnancy is associated with a higher than average rate of infant abnormalities and deaths, though recent development in controlling it have reduced the risks. A pregnant woman with diabetes will require more frequent ante-natal check-ups than most.
Many women however are likely to find themselves under close ante-natal supervision because they develop a condition known as gestational diabetes that appears with the onset of pregnancy and disappears afterwards. There is some doubt as to whether this form of diabetes matters. Several studies have indicated that gestational diabetes is associated with higher levels of infant deaths, but the evidence is inconclusive. As a result obstetricians may err on the side of caution and label too many women as suffering from gestational diabetes. One diabetes specialist has said:
The situation in the 1980s is that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to demonstrate any increased risk due to gestational diabetes.
If you are diagnosed as having gestational diabetes you may not wish to let yourself be steamrollered into being put into a 'high risk' category unnecessarily.
Excess protein in the urine is an indication of kidney or urinary tract infections, both of which are more common among pregnant women. Around one in forty women develops a chronic kidney disease during pregnancy. It will not necessarily affect the foetus but will be uncomfortable unless treated. Urinary tract and kidney infections may also cause abdominal pains, which can be confusing during pregnancy. These infections can both be detected and treated at an early stage.
Excess protein in the urine is also an indicator of possible preeclampsia in late pregnancy.
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Women's Health
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ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE IN PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH: MISUSE
Originally, when Alexander discovered that he was stiffening his neck and pulling his head back, and creating tension throughout his body, he thought that he was the only person to do this, but his investigations confirmed that this pattern of 'misuse' is common to the vast majority of people.
The effect of this misuse is that it interferes with the head/neck/back relationship, which means that a high degree of muscular tension is needed to maintain upright posture and for movement. This muscular tension is distributed unevenly through the body, with an excessive amount in some areas and too little tension in others, and there is a lack of interaction between the muscle groups. Obviously this brings about the very opposite of what we find with good use: being upright becomes an effort, there is a limited range of movement, the joints are stiff and breathing is impaired.
As with good use, misuse refers to our 'thinking'. It involves performing activities in a habitual and automatic way that is harmful to overall use and functioning. This could mean that we allow our emotional state to affect our musculature adversely, for example if we are worried about something we let tension build up in the neck muscles. Or it could be how we perform everyday activities. Observing people in action, we often see a great deal of effort being used, in parts of the body that are not directly involved in the activity. Check for yourself how tightly you hold your toothbrush while cleaning your teeth - or how tightly you are holding this book right now! You will probably find that, like most people, you are using an excessive amount of effort in holding what is a very light object, and in a task that actually requires a minimum of force.
People misuse themselves in different ways. Broadly speaking, a person may hold himself up with too much tension - the 'sergeant major' approach - or he may 'collapse', with over-relaxed muscles. In practice, of course, it is not as clear cut as this; both forms of misuse involve a combination of excess tension and over-laxity. For example, even in someone with collapsed posture, only some muscles are 'over-relaxed', and therefore others have to work all the harder in compensation, and are over-tense.
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Womens health
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