pregnant - Pregnancy Doctor Penang

Conceived Naturally After Losing Weight

When Subashini Arumugan came to me, she was 31 years old and had been married for 4 years. She lived in Kota Kinabalu. Yes, she came to me all the way from Sabah.

I diagnosed her as a case of sub-fertility as her menstrual cycles were irregular and she also had a history of excessive weight gain. I advised her to modify her diet and try exercising so that she could lose some excess weight.

I was happy to say that she was diligent and 6 months into our sessions, Subashini conceived naturally!

She came to me for her antenatal care and pregnancy check-ups. Except for developing pregnancy-induced hypertension, she had a very good and stable pregnancy.

She opted to deliver her baby using a Caesarean section and successfully delivered a baby boy weighing a healthy 3.1 kg.

How To Conceive a “Horse” Baby

The year of the Horse starts in February 2014 and it takes seven days and nine months to produce a baby. So NOW is the time to conceive if you a thinking of having a “Horse” baby.

“Horses are trustworthy, friendly and open-minded. They are good friends to have and will always be honest with you.”

“Horse people are extemporaneous and quick-witted. They are quite intelligent and use their practicality to their advantage in their business and personal lives. Their sharpness makes them quick to pick up new skills and are able to handle many tasks at one time.”

So the time has come to try and get that “hard working, intelligent Horse!”

Most doctors would recommend seeking help for fertility if…

you’re 35 years old or younger and you’ve been unable to get pregnant after unprotected intercourse for at least one year.
you’re over 35 years of age, and you have not been able to get pregnant after six months (because as we know, the chances for successful treatment rapidly decline after 35).

Before you start thinking about getting pregnant, you should do what you can to get healthier.

Not only will a healthier person increase the chances of getting pregnant, it’ll also increase the possibility of you having a healthy baby.

Things you can do to get healthier include (this implies to both the partners):

Losing extra weight
Choosing a healthier diet
Cutting back on caffeine
Starting a fertility-friendly exercise routine
Quitting smoking
Cutting back on excess alcohol.

The first step in the management of a couple trying to conceive naturally is to investigate if there are any factors that are preventing natural conception.

Some of the common reasons, why couples do not conceive naturally after trying for a year or so:

Male factor – inability for the male to produce sufficient number of sperms of suitable quality.
Female factor – inability to ovulate monthly
Tubal factor – tubal blockage/adhesions that prevents the sperm from meeting the eggs.

Do not forget to take Folic Acid, as it has proven to be beneficial in reducing the incidence of neural defects in babies. Folic acid should be taken about 2 weeks before getting pregnant!

Do not hesitate to seek help early!

Bahasa Indonesia version of this page available here.

Pregnant Mum With Congenital Heart Disease

Madam Loo Keat Kheng was 32 years old but she was a unique patient in that she was diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

She came to see me in 2010 and told me she had had a previous ectopic pregnancy. She wanted my advice as she had conceived again but was highly worried for her 6-week old pregnancy.

As this was a high risk pregnancy (with the pregnant mum having congenital heart disease), I worked closely with a consultant cardiologist to monitor Madam Loo’s pregnancy week by week.

She also suffered from excessive vomitting and nausea which we had to admit her into the hospital for observation and monitoring.

At 39 weeks, she went into spontaneous labour but we were happy to note that her baby was healthy at 3.8kg.

Despite the earlier problems, Madam Loo was well enough to go home with her baby on the 3rd day.

She is still closely monitored by my colleague, the cardiologist, but she is doing well.

Blocked Fallopian Tube Yet Conceived!

Madam Gunamony Suja and her husband came to see me in November 2009. They had been diagnosed as sub-fertile.

During my routine investigation, I discovered that one of Madam Gunamony’s Fallopian tubes was blocked. I advised her to undergo a minor surgery.

After that, I put her on a fertility treatment. She responded well and in October 2010, she conceived.

She was very pleased and came to me for routine antenatal check-ups.

She delivered a healthy baby boy weighing 2.8kg by assisted vacuum delivery.

Mother Second Time Around

Choon Jia Ying was a 26 year old mother who had lost her first child when she came to me for pre-conception counselling.

Her first baby suffered from congenital heart disease and passed away a few days after being born.

Jia Ying was devastated but she was also determined to have a baby.

We met for a few counselling sessions. One day, she announced to me that she had conceived naturally!

While pregnant, I told her to be extra careful and referred her to a paediatric cardiologist just to make sure this baby was going to be fine.

We ensured that she underwent enough prenatal testing and anomaly scans.

By December that same year, Jia Ying gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl weighing in at 3.2 kg.

I am glad she had the courage to try for a baby the second time around.

Sweet Success After Trying For 6 Years…

Madam Suganthi and her husband came to see me all the way from Kuala Lumpur. They were recommended by their friends and believed that I could help them with their conception.

They were extremely worried as they had been trying unsuccessfully for the past 6 years to have a baby.

When I investigated the both of them (through a series of tests and assessments), I couldn’t see any abnormalities.

I did however offer counselling and advice, putting their fears to rest. Once they knew they were healthy and had nothing wrong, they were relieved.

After 3 months, Madam Suganthi announced that they had conceived naturally!

Although they wanted to travel to Penang to see me for antenatal care, I advised them not to do so. Since they live and work in Kuala Lumpur, they were better having their antenatal care in Kuala Lumpur.

They protested initially but we compromised – they insisted on coming to Penang for the delivery.

Madam Suganthi delivered via Caesarean Section a healthy baby boy.

PCOS & Severe Period Pain But Conceived!

Madam Liew Chew Lee came to me in November 2009 initially for a totally different reason.

She often suffered from severe lower abdominal pain each time she had her period. At the same time, she also had a history of sub-fertility for the last couple of years.

I put her through a diagnostic laparoscopic almost immediately and discovered that she had polycystic ovaries or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

She was treated with a session of ovarian drilling and adhesiolysis during the laparascopy surgery.

Ovarian drilling uses a laser fibre or electrosurgical needle to puncture the ovary 4 to 10 times. This treatment lowers the male hormones dramatically within days. It is usually carried out in women who have polycystic ovary syndrome.

She recovered after her surgery and we started her on some hormonal therapy to treat her polycystic ovaries.

In January the following year, she conceived spontaneously after undergoing fertility treatment.

Despite her earlier problems, she had a smooth pregnancy, coming to me regularly for her antenatal and pregnancy check-ups. She finally delivered her baby boy in October of the same year.

Pregnant with Twins Despite Sub Fertility Problem

I first met Puan Nur Hasliza and her husband in 2009.

They were investigated and found to have a history of subfertility. Before coming to see me, they had consulted a couple of GPs.

When they came to me, I did some baseline investigations and put her on a cycle of fertility drugs.

I also advised them that they needed to watch their diet with some diet modifications.

A couple of months later, Nur Hasliza visited me and said she had missed her period. She wanted to test and I gave her a urine test. The test came back positive!

After many long months, she was finally pregnant. You should have seen the look on her face! She and her husband were thrilled.

But pregnancies can be challenging too.

A week later, she was admitted into Gleneagles Medical Centre after she complained of severe and sudden lower abdominal pain. I suspected an ectopic pregnancy.

When I performed an emergency diagnostic laparoscopy on her, I first assessed her Fallopian tubes. They were normal but the laparascopy uncovered a large ovarian cyst which I removed immediately.

Two weeks later, I assessed her again and was happy to tell her that she was indeed pregnant – with twins!

Like any good mother, she came in regularly for her antenatal check-ups and in April 2010, she decided to undergo a Caesarean section.

Nur Hasliza finally made her dream come true – she gave birth to a baby boy weighing 2.3kg and a girl weighing 1.8kg.

She and her babies were discharged on the 3rd day.