Nursery to Toddler

The Pregnancy Test $3.95 Ordinarily, I’m a fan of pink–lovely color, does smashing things for the complexion. But not when it’s the bright, glaring stripe staring back at me on the pregnancy test. Then, pink is the color of major oops, of morning sickness, of boyfriends who seemed decent but now are part of some Jerk Witness Protection Program. Still, I’ve got a few things going for me–bitter humor, a divine right to eat till I’m the size of Marlon Brando, and good friends who’ve managed to get me a job interview with one Damien Sharpton: in need of a personal assistant, and some say, a good, swift kick in the arse. If you want to make a lasting impression, by all means, toss your cookies in your future boss’s wastebasket, which is located directly between his excruciatingly sexy legs. Apparently, Mr. Gorgeous-But-Unbearably-Anti-Social must like personal assistants who violate his trash can, because I got the job. And if I can avoid him via text messaging for the next seven months of health insurance, everything will be just fine. Except that he’s just asked–no, insisted–that I go with him on a business trip to the Caribbean. Gulp, Ordinarily, this would be cause for celebration. Ordinarily, I’d shave my legs, pack my bikini, revel in day-glo drinks and my seething lust for Mr. Swarthy-And-Secretive. But there’s nothing ordinary about this situation…which means it could be absolutely extraordinary.

Pregnancy $10.46 Pregnancy

How to Prepare for the Michigan Test Battery Cassette $9.41 The aural portion of the Michigan Test Battery measures your ability to understand spoken English. the only way you can practice for this part of the exam is to have the aural material read aloud to you. If you can’t find anyone with a good command of English, or if you prefer to work on your own, you’ll want to use the special Listening Cassette that Barron’s has created especially for readers of this book. The cassette, which can be used with any cassette tape player, covers all three aural comprehension tests in the book. You listen to the spoken questions on the recorder, and mark the correct answer choice in the book. The recording gives you time to make your responses, just as on the real exam.

Clearblue Easy Pregnancy Test – Twin Pack $9.99 Pregnancy test with +/- results. Results 5 days sooner. Clearblue Easy can be used as early as 4 days before you expect your period. That’s 5 days sooner than waiting until you miss your period to test. The amount of pregnancy hormone increases rapidly in early pregnancy. In clinical testing with early pregnancy samples, Clearblue Easy gave the following results: 1 Day before the expected period 87% women giving a pregnant result. 2 Days before the expected period 84% women giving a pregnant result. 3 Days before the expected period 74% women giving a pregnant result. 4 Days before the expected period 53% women giving a pregnant result). + = pregnant. – = not pregnant. No test is more accurate. Over 99% accurate (99% accurate at detecting typical pregnancy hormone levels. Note that hormone levels vary. See insert) from the day of your expected period. Changes color to let you know it’s working. Made in China.

Canine Pregnancy Test Kit (5 tests) $125.95 Rapid immunomigration test for detection of the hormone relaxin in canine blood. Can be used at 22 days gestation or after. A small blood sample must be obtained from the dog. 5 tests in each kit. * Early detection of planned or unplanned pregnancy. * Detection of pregnancy before or after abortion treatment. * Early detection of false pregnancy. * Diagnose fetal resorption or spontaneous abortion. * No refrigeration required. About the product: The Witness Relaxin kit is intended to determine pregnancy in the bitch, as well as to distinguish between pseudopregancy and gestation. The kit measures relaxin levels in plasma and serum samples. The presence of significant amounts of this hormone is a reliable indicator of pregancy. Relaxin can be detected in biological samples soon after implantation of the fertilized egg, which occurs about 22-27 days after mating (26-31 days post-LH surge).

Clearblue Easy Digital Pregnancy Test – 2 Count $9.69 The Clearblue Easy Digital Pregnancy Test is over 99% accurate at detecting typical pregnancy hormone levels (note that hormone levels vary – see insert) from the day of your expected period. Clearblue Easy can be used as early as 4 days before you expect your period. That’s 5 days sooner than waiting until you miss your period to test.This package includes 2 test sticks and 1 English/Spanish Insert.1. Take the test: simply hold the stick pointing downwards in your urine stream for 5 seconds only.2. Wait: an hour glass symbol will flash to show you the test is working.3. Read your result: within 3 minutes your result will be displayed in words.Read instructions before use. English and Spanish instructions inside.Store at 36&def;F-86°F. Do not freeze. For in-vitro diagnostic use only (not for internal use).

WITNESS RELAXIN [Canine / Feline Pregnancy Test] $132.22 Relaxin can be detected in biological samples soon after implantation of the fertilized egg, which occurs 20-31 days post-LH surge, or approximately 16-33 days post-mating. ? Early detection of planned or unplanned pregnancy ? Detection of pregnancy befor

pregnancy test cassette

Meditations2Go Guided Audio Meditations CD Set 1 $14.99 Meditations2Go CD Set 1 features two full-length, fully immersive guided audio meditations (synchronized music and narration) on a single Audio CD. Track 1: “Restoring Balance and Clarity” (26:48 minutes). This guided audio meditation helps restore your natural calm and balance, emotionally, mentally, and physically, gathering in your strength, your energy and your clarity. It’s excellent as a ge…

25 FDA Approved One Step HCG Urine Pregnancy Test, Cassette Style $15.50 Wondfo One Step HCG Urine Test is a rapid pregnancy test which you can easily carry out yourself. It detects the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), which appears in urine very early during pregnancy. Pregnancy Test Cassette format uses a dropper to dispense urine drops into a pregnancy test. This method allows you to write on the cassette window and keep track of your results. …

Onsite Rapid Pregnancy Test $10.15 The hCG Pregnancy cassette test is ideal for early detection of pregnancy. Using a supplied dropper, dispense 4 drops of urine sample into the cassette test device and read the results in 5 minutes. Negative results appear as a single line and positive results appear as 2 distinct lines. This package contains 10 cassette tests….

babi One Step HCG Pregnancy Test-10 pack – Cassette $10.93 …

Live pregnancy test plus short update!

“Premarital Sex and Adolescents”

“Premarital Sex and Adolescents”

Premarital sex is increasing at an alarming rate specially among adolescents. Today, the difference between love & sex seems to disappear, with most young lovers end up exploring each other physique & ultimately unprotected sexual intercourse.

Right from the early puberty with the development of secondary sexual characters, interest in opposite sex develops. With easy availability & access to pornography, erotic magzines & even todays movies, the desire to taste this forbidden fruit increases. The condition is further complicated by present inefficient & incomplete sex education, resulting in increase prevalence of unprotected sex, STDs, unwanted pregnancies & even criminal abortions, due to the bursting of this volcanic desire.

The average age at which indians lose their virginity is 22.9 years, and out of all pregnancies, adolescent pregnancies constitute ~10-20%. Young lovers relatively free from parental & other restrictions are more likely to have early sex, hence relatively more common among students living in rents / hostels or studying away from home.

Knowledge about contraception is therefore important. There are many methods of contraception, each with own merits & demerits. Condoms, no doubt, is most common & widely used method, with added benefit of preventing STD transmission. But, incorrect use may lead to pregnancy rates of 2-3/women-years to >14. Also, many don’t use them regularly or carefully enough, specially when they are having sex frequently, as condoms interfer with sexual sensation locally; i,e; lovers want to ‘feel’ each other with no ‘partition’ between.

So, most use ‘coitus interruptus’, in which the male withdraws the erect penis before ejaculation into the vagina. One should remember that pre-coital secretion of male may contain sperms, & even a drop of semen is sufficient to cause pregnancy. Hence, failure rate is as high as 25%.

Safe period or rhythm method is seldom used. In this method, the couple avoid sex on the fertile days of the menstrual cycle. To know these fertile days, the female records the length of her menstrual cycle; then the shortest cycle minus 18 days gives the 1st day of the fertile period, & the longest cycle minus 10 gives the last day of the fertile period, counting the day of the start of menstruation as the 1st day of the cycle. If such calculation are not possible then, the couple can avoid sex from 8th to 22nd day of the cycle. But, it has got a high failure rate of 9/100 women-years, & also it is difficult to predict the safe period if the menstrual cycles are irregular.

Other methods based on the same principle are there but rarely used. Adolescents dont prefer to use oral pills, even though hormonal oral pills are perfectly suitable & adequate method for them. Methods like IUDs are not used.

Young couples out of over enthusiasm & lack of self control, often mistakenly end up in ‘full’ & unprotected sex, after which they just dont know what to do. In such a condition, the female may use post-coital or morning after contraception. Most commonly used regimen is two tablets of Levonorgestrel 0.75mg taken with 12 hours gap & the 1st tablet taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. Alternatively, one may take Mifepristone 600mg single dose within 72 hours of intercourse. But, these emergency contraception should be reserved for unexpected or accidental exposure (even though their failure rate is <1%), & also they are associated with many side effects. However, even with the use of contraception, pregnancy may occurs, so the couple should know some basic signs & symptoms of pregnancy.

A missed period or absence of menstruation in otherwise healthy female with previous normal periods is most likely due to pregnancy, but even in presence of pregnancy sometimes cyclic per vaginal bleeding may occur upto 12 weeks. In 50% cases, morning sickness (nausea, loss of appetite & even vomiting on rising from the bed) usually appears following the missed period. Copious nonirritating mucoid vaginal discharge appears at 6th week; & during 6-8th weeks breast changes may be seen with the sensation of fullness & pricking felt over the enlarged breasts. Later on, frequency of urination increases with dusky hue of the vestibule etc.

Following sex, if there is absence of menstruation, one should become alert & cautious. For confirmation of pregnancy, one may make use of pregnancy diagnosis kit available in most medical shops. Most commonly used is the membrane elisa or card test/cassette format, which takes 4-5 min to perform.

First voided urine in the morning is taken & a drop is allowed to fall in the indicated area of the card. If colour bands in the control (indicated by ‘C’) & test window (indicated by ‘T’) appear, it means positive test; if colour band appears only in ‘C’, it means negative test. No colour band means invalid test. Generally, this test becomes positive, if pregnant, on the 1st day of the missed period (28th day of the cycle). Other more reliable & specific tests (hCG detection tests) are there which can diagnose pregnancy as early as 8-11 days after conception, but these tests are not reliable after 12 weeks.

What to do when the test becomes positive? or when it is confirmed that one is pregnant?. In such a condition, without any delay one should go to a government hospital, or hospital recognized by the government, or private institution licensed by the Chief Medical Officer of the district for this purpose, to avail the service of MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) or legal abortion.

Under MTP act, abortion is allowed upto 20 weeks of pregnancy, but one should not forget that risk of complications increase as duration of pregnancy increases. In any circumstance, one should never attempt for criminal or unlawful abortion, which may prove fetal in almost 100% cases.

But still, due to fear of society & associated social stigmas, lives of many young women are left in the mercy of unskilled, criminal abortionist. MTP, on the other hand, is conducted only by qualified registered medical practitioners and with consent of the female only, if she is >18 years ( in this also, she is not required to produce proof of her.). Professional secrecy is also well maintained.

But, repeated abortions are not conductive to a woman’s health, so the couple should always ensure that such condition never arises. Even if she wants to become a mother, the risk is very high. The complications of pregnancy & delivery are highest when mother’s age is <20 & >35 years.

Apart from unwanted pregnancies, criminal abortions & other related problems; transmission of STDs including HIV / AIDS is another deadly consequence of unprotected sex. Sex accounts for 85.72% HIV transmission, with twice more chance of infecting a healthy female from an infected male. Besides, Manipur is one of the 6 states included in group 1 ( high HIV prevalence state).

Most adolescents , in addition to usual sexual act, prefer to do extra ‘additions’- sodomy (an offence), sexual oralism (fellatio / cunnilingus), group sex, homo sex, exchange partners, more than one partner etc. Oral sex , becoming very common in our soceity, is worth discussing here. Maintenance of oral and genital hygeine is very important. When doing oral sex, there should be no over pressure by teeth or over suckling over the sensitive skin of genitalia (gland penis or clitoris), as pain sensation may inhibit the sexual one totally. Degluding semen as such is no problem, but to some it be nauseating or may lead aspiration pneumonia, due to semen aspiration, though rarely.

But one should know that AIDS may be transmitted by oral sex, also other infections, specially in lack of local hygeine and presence of infection. There is some report that AIDS may be tansmitted by deep kissing, probably due to presence of local injury, soreness, dental problems etc. Some cases of asphyxial death were reported in oral sex, due to aspiration of semen, or impaction of penis deep in the pharynx.

Some notorious youths practise sodomy or anal sex, specially in hostels or over enthusiastic couples. Transmission of AIDS is higher in anal sex than vaginal sex. Also there is high chance of local injuries, rectoanal fissures ( a very painful condition), due to lack of lubrication, anal sphincter relaxation; infections (urinary tract infections etc) specially due to feacal pathogenic bacteria, local inflammation etc may further create problems . There is data that long term or habitual passive agents of sodomy are prone for piles.

Group sex and sex by exchanging partners obviously increase risk of getting STD, also there are certian malignancies that are common among such groups, like cancer cervics, which is the leading cancer among indians women.

In addition to discussed above, many are sextually perverted, and tends to practise many unusual things, which may adversely affect sexual and general health, with even increasing unlawful acts like rape, molestation, sexual abuse, prostitution, murder, suicides etc.

To enhance sexual satisfaction, the use of Sidenafil (Penegra, caverta, edegra etc), an oral agent for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, among adolescents as an aphrodisiac, is on increase. They are also attracted to these drugs due to so many attractive advertisements in newspapers, t.v., even in teen magzines. Some notorious youth even use them on regular basis before masturbation. Mild masturbatory exercises are common, but excessive frequency may lead to local injuries, infections, & even impotence. It is an offence when practised openly.

On the contrary to popular belief, such drugs don’t affect ejaculation, orgasm, or sexual drive; they just increase the duration & degree of penile erection in response to sexual excitement.
They are associated with many side effects also- headache (19%), facial flushing (9%), transient altered colour vision (7%), dyspepsia (6%), nasal congestion (4%), dizziness, fall in blood pressure, & loose motions etc, specially when used with drugs like- erythromycin, ketoconazole, verapamil, cimetidine etc., which potentiate their action.

They are contraindicated in men receiving nitrate therapy for cardiovascular diseases; in patients with congested heart failure & cardiomyopathy; & should be used with caution in liver / kidney diseases, peptic ulcer, bleeding disorders and in men suffering from leukemia, sickle cell anaemia & myeloma which predispose to priapism, abnormal prolong / constant penile erection, often painful & seldom associated with sexual arousal. They are not to be used by females.

Therefore, it is high time to introduce an effective and efficient sex & moral education in our academic system. The adolescents should think many times before taking such a big decision, & not just do it for they can. Things such as sex, which is one of the most important biological process, should be reserved for marital life, with equal respect and responsibility towards it.

Compiled & written by:

HanjabamCha Barun,

MBBS std.,

Email: dr.barun.hanjabam@gmail.com

About the Author

HanjabamCha Barun,

MBBS std.,

Email: dr.barun.hanjabam@gmail.com