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Balance for better

Clearing out the cobwebs! Is anybody here???? It’s been a few months of silence on the blog because life happens but I’ve been active on Instagram so please make sure to follow the handle @womenshealthwithdrrasheedah. We are turning one today and this coincides with International women’s day 2019. What a difference a year makes! I’ve been privileged to work on so many projects, sit on panels, do live videos and interact with soo many amazing and inspiring women that if anything I wonder why I didn’t do this years ago.  This year’s theme is “balance for better” and the idea is that a more balanced world/society is a better one and I agree with this.  This year we celebrate our successes as women but also draw attention to the disparities that still exist for a lot of women all over the world. We cannot address this year’s theme without understanding what a truly balanced world is. A balanced world is one in which there is absolute equality but don’t be quick to thi
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Ectopic pregnancy

This week’s topic is another rarely talked about  but important topic in early pregnancy. If you’re a medical doctor and a woman of child bearing age comes to you complaining of excruciating abdominal pain plus or minus bleeding you are programmed to think Ectopic pregnancy until proven otherwise.. Yes in most cases it is overkill but ectopic pregnancies could have fatal consequences when not managed properly. Apologies if the undertone of this post appears scary but It is important to maintain balance with creating awareness and whilst ectopic pregnancies are not as common as miscarriages, they remain a significant cause of maternal mortality and morbidity in Sub Saharan Africa.It occurs in 1 in 80 pregnancies worldwide so worth speaking about. Let’s recap, pregnancy begins when the egg is fertilized by a sperm most likely in the fallopian tube and this egg travels down and implants in the lining of the womb, an ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilised egg implants elsewh
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...And I wasn’t pregnant anymore...

I started out hoping to do an educative post on miscarriage with facts and figures as per usual but I'm going to personalise this week's post. I was watching an episode of 'This is us', the one where Kate had a miscarriage (those who know, know!lol) and It brought back soo many memories. Just a few key points about miscarriages, it is common! 1 in 4 women will have one in their lifetime! It is painful sometimes physically but most times mentally! We do not talk about it enough! Well I’ve had 2..the first one wasn’t too bad as I lost it quite early, wasn’t really prepared and didn’t get excited long enough to feel bad enough. My second miscarriage experience however wasn’t so great, I never talk about it but sometimes I find myself wondering if it was a baby boy or girl, if he/she would have shared similarities with their siblings or be completely different, when would they have walked or talked...so many what ifs. I found out I was pregnant, my family and
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Trying to conceive (TTC) starter pack

All week on the Instagram page I’ve been sharing bits and bobs relating to the journey to conception and trying to conceive. Whilst a lot of the time the focus tends to be on abnormality, this post will focus on trying to conceive with no underlying medical diagnosis or concerns. Before we proceed, at this point you should have come off any contraception method you are on! It’s an amazing time when you and your partner decide that you’re ready for the patter of tiny feet and are ready to take the leap. For a lot of couples the journey is straight forward and short but for some, it’s a long and tedious journey. However before you go down this road I’ve drawn up key topics to address besides the obvious financial implications for the future (lol). Prenatal Vitamins I never miss an opportunity for health promotion but it’s amazing how little  the average Nigerian woman knows about  the benefits of prenatal vitamins especially folic acid. Folic acid , also known as fola
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I am fine.... are you really?

So this week I had planned a very medical post with all the technicalities but after attending a session with Hauwa Ojeifo (a life, mind and mental health coach) and  follow on conversations from this I thought perhaps it will be a good time to blog about mental health and wellness in its totality. The last published WHO report on mental health in Nigeria (2006) highlights the sad state of mental health facilities and services which unfortunately persists 12 years later. I would like to give honourable mentions to all individuals and organisations that are working to change this narrative one of which is She Writes Woman founded by Hauwa. As women, society expects a lot from us, from earning an income, birthing and raising children, looking after husbands/partners all this whilst still looking good and upholding religious responsibilities. Not easy!  We worry about everything and everyone else sometimes and usually our default to the Question “how are you?” Is “I’m fine!” b
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Fibroids....

Hope you're all well and this post finds you in the best of health. So this week I thought it will be useful to talk about fibroids as a follow up to last week's post on heavy periods  here .  First thing to say is fibroids are very common! They are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb.Most women are unaware that they have fibroids but it is estimated that about 1 in 3 women with fibroids will go on to experience symptoms from it. Black women are 3-5 times more likely to develop fibroids and also typically present with multiple fibroids at an earlier age which are larger and present with more severe symptoms. Fibroids are more likely to present in women aged 30-50 and it is not completely understood what determines who gets fibroids. It is more common in obese women due to an increased level of oestrogen in this population and having children has been found to be a protective factor (women who have had children have a lower risk of developing fibroi
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When it rains, it Pours!

Hello ladies! Apologies for the hiatus, needed to reboot! So if it’s not already obvious from the title, this week I thought it’ll be good to discuss heavy periods- medical term ‘ Menorrhagia’ This is perhaps the most common gynaecology complaint across the world and I’ve been asked a few questions on the topic so let’s try to address it. Like I always say, this post is a guide and in no way replaces a face to face consultation with a qualified medical professional  https://drraghuramys.wordpress.com/tag/menorrhagia/ It's often very difficult to define exactly what a heavy period is because it varies from woman to woman. We are all unique in our different ways and a heavy period for one woman may be normal for another. Most women will lose less than 16 teaspoons of blood (80ml) during their period, with the average being around 6 to 8 teaspoons.  Heavy menstrual bleeding is defined as losing 80ml or more in each period or having periods that last longer than 7
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