Reproductive health and birth

Mild or well-controlled asthma will usually cause no major health problems for a pregnant woman or her unborn baby. Poorly controlled asthma can have consequences for mothers and babies, though. Women can find out what they can do to protect themselves and their baby in our fact sheet.

When they look back, many women and their partners say they found it helpful to plan what kind of pain relief they would like to use during childbirth. We describe traditional pain relief options, medicines and alternative approaches as well as their possible adverse effects. You will also find out whether emotional support can help relieve pain during labour.

Everyone expects new mothers to beam with joy and affection for their baby. But what happens if they feel very sad and distressed after giving birth instead, and this feeling does not go away? Postnatal depression is more than just baby blues, and it is more common than you might think. Find out what can help here.

Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological disorders. Nevertheless, it is still not widely known. In women with endometriosis, the mucous membrane lining the womb also grows in other parts of the body. Abdominal pain and cramps and nausea are typical symptoms. At the start they often occur during a woman’s period, but afterwards there is no connection between the two. Because period pain is so common, many women simply attribute it to menstruation itself. Usually women do not seek medical help until they become worried about the degree of their pain or if they cannot become pregnant.

During her period a woman loses about 20 to 60 ml of blood – about the amount of 4 to 12 teaspoons. When a woman loses a lot more blood or feels very bothered by heavy periods in everyday life, this is called hypermenorrhea. You can find out more about how other women cope with heavy periods and what treatment options can help.

In Germany there are not very many pregnant women infected with HIV. But it does happen that a woman does not realize that she is a carrier of the virus. If a woman finds out about her infection in time, the child can almost always be protected. Our fact sheet tells you whether you or your child can be infected with HIV during the pregnancy, what you can do for your child if it becomes necessary, and who may find out about HIV test results.

During a woman’s reproductive years between the first and last period, a new egg ripens and the endometrium renews itself every month. In our feature you can read about what exactly happens during ovulation and menstruation and how hormonal contraceptives work.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) play an important role in the development of cervical cancer. There is now a vaccine against some of these sexually transmitted viruses. However, the vaccine only works against the most common cancer-causing HPV viruses so it does not offer complete protection. You will find objective, neutral and up-to-date information on the HPV vaccine in our feature.

The menopause has been in the headlines a lot in the last few years. And for good reason. Researchers found that commonly prescribed hormone therapy did not have the longterm benefits many experts previously thought it had. For women who struggle with severe menopausal symptoms, this disappointing news did not make life any easier. That is why we set out to find what is known for sure about the benefits and harms of hormones and other options.

Period pain is a common problem, affecting nearly half of all women. Some women’s pain is so severe that they are unable to do everyday things, like going to work or school, on one to three days per month. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can relieve severe period pain. You can find out more in our feature.

They can be a mystery for women, too: the days leading up to the period. Out of the blue, women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) feel depressed, irritable, find it hard to concentrate, or cry easily. There are different strategies to cope with these symptoms. You can read more about it here.

Babies who are born far too soon are not completely ready for life outside the uterus (womb), and so they face quite a lot of risks. While sometimes there is no warning and a baby is born very suddenly, often there is at least a bit of time before the baby is actually born. That means there are some things that can be done then to help your baby have a better chance of survival once he or she is born.

Our fact sheet offers answers to questions that many pregnant women ask themselves: How much weight gain is normal? Can putting on a lot of weight be a problem? Can I prevent stretch marks if I keep my weight under control? You can also test your knowledge of weight-related issues in our quiz.