How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks

2009-05-05T03:04:00.000-07:00

Most of the women who are pregnant are worried about their change in appearance. It's not only about the swollen belly but also about the stretch marks caused by the pregnancy. Many women don't develop them at all, while others notice them appearing at various weeks of their pregnancies. You have less chances of having them in the earlier part of pregnancy and most commonly develop between 36 to 40 weeks.

What causes stretch marks?

They are produced because of tearing of the deeper layer of skin called dermis where the superficial layer epidermis remains intact. It is a misconception that these marks are caused by rapid growth of the fetus only. They are influenced by the hormonal changes as well. It is interesting to know that these marks are produced in puberty, weight gain, muscle building and even because of rapid growth of some tumors. Diet and exercises are known to influence the capacity of the skin to withstand the stretching forces.

Symptoms and signs

Stretch marks first appear as reddish-purplish lines. With time the color changes to a lighter one. If you touch these marks, they feel soft. They may be few millimeters to more than half an inch in width. The wider, the uglier. But the good thing is that these marks are not harmful in any way and do not compromise any body function.

How to prevent and treat stretch marks?

Proper diet is the only factor which you can control to prevent them. Cocoa butter is considered by many an effective agent to prevent and treat them but scientific studies have shown no evidence in favor of cocoa butter. One study found that daily use a cream Trofolastin reduced the incidence during the pregnancy. Another study tested a cream Verum and found that its use was associated with fewer stretch marks.

If you have already developed them, then the available options are laser treatment, retinoids and tummy tuck where the skin below the navel is removed which usually has these marks.

One of the recent treatments is the 'magic pill' Resveratrol which is beneficial in removing the stretch marks. Those who are selling it claim that it causes significant reduction in a matter of a few weeks but the reality may be far from this marketing hype. We should wait and watch if more reliable studies are done to find out the truth.

So don't lose heart as there are plenty of options available to get rid of your stretch marks. But I would recommend proper diet and exercise during and after pregnancy to minimize those ugly marks to keep your skin smooth and beautiful as ever.

Fertility Tips: How to Get Pregnant Fast

2009-05-05T02:57:00.000-07:00

If you and your partner have decided that the time is right for you to begin your family, you may be thinking a lot about how you can manage to get pregnant as fast as possible. First of all, congratulations! Planning for a family is an exciting and commendable undertaking. You are in for an adventure that will last a lifetime.

When you are considering how you can best get pregnant fast, try to remember that pregnancy is very difficult to control or force. You ultimately are just going to have to wait for Mother Nature to help you along! Unlike many things in your life, getting pregnant is not entirely under your control. If you are a powerful woman who likes to get things done at your own pace, then this fact can be a difficult one to swallow. Don’t worry; there are still plenty of things that you can do to help you on how to get pregnant fast.

Pregnancy occurs when you have intercourse during your ovulation period and one of the sperm manages to connect up with the egg that you have released. You only release one egg per month (unless there is some sort of irregularity, it which case you could release two eggs and conceive twins), so there are approximately twelve opportunities for you to get pregnant each year. The window of opportunity in each of these months may be as small as two or three days. This can be pretty alarming for couples who are wanting to know how to get pregnant fast, be it doesn’t have to be that way.

The trick on how to get pregnant fast is to figure out when you are ovulating each month. If you can do this successfully, you will be able to have intercourse on these days in order to improve the odds that you will become pregnant that month. If you do not know when you are ovulating, you may miss these days and not have intercourse. This means that you will probably not become pregnant in that month, and you will have to wait until the next month for another opportunity.

In order to keep the monthly opportunity from passing without you taking advantage of it, you can do one of two things. The first technique you can use to get pregnant fast is to have intercourse every day of the month. Obviously, your partner will have to agree to this technique if it is to be useful. In this way, you will guarantee that you are having intercourse on the days that you ovulate.

The other, slightly less tiring approach on how to get pregnant fast is to use an ovulation detector to determine when you are ovulating. These can be purchased in the feminine care aisle of the grocery or drugstore and used at home to tell you when you are fertile. Then it is up to you to have intercourse on these days to conceive. No matter how you do it, good luck as you try to get pregnant fast!

How to get pregnant

How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks

Fertility Tips: How to Get Pregnant Fast