Chioma Umeha

By Chioma Umeha Around two or three days before the embryo transfer, the doctor will choose the best eggs to transfer to the womb. There are many processes available to aid selection, though non-invasive methods such as metabolomic profiling are becoming favoured. Metabolomic profiling is the process of selecting the most beneficial eggs based on a number of different factors. This limits the need for invasive procedures and increases the number of useful eggs. These eggs will then be fertilized in a lab and left to culture for one to two days. If many good quality embryos develop, the ones that are not going to be transferred can be frozen. The process of an embryo transfer The embryo transfer process is similar to the process for a pap smear. The doctor will insert a speculum into the woman’s vagina to keep the vaginal walls open. Using ultrasound for accuracy, the doctor will then pass a catheter through the cervix and into the womb. From there, the em

By Chioma Umeha Nafisatu Yunusa is excited about change. The 23year-old mother of three lives in Marafa, a village of just over 600 people in Bauchi State, northern Nigeria, where the dry winter season can be hard. Red dust clouds the sky, vegetation turns brown, and there’s no rain for months. Like other rural communities in the region, for a long time, many people in the village of Marafa did not have access to running water or toilets. Without them, open defecation was the norm. Most households had lost at least one family member to preventable diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Fields and villages were contaminated with faeces making them filthy and smelly. “Back then, our children were always suffering from diarrhea, typhoid fever, cholera,” Nafisatu explains. “It was the biggest challenge we had, it was everywhere.” But the establishment of a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committee, or WASHCOM, in her village, has transformed Nafisatu’s life. Th

By Chioma Umeha Assisted hatching (AH): A study in the Reproductive Biomedicine Online found that the process of assisted hatching – weakening the outer layer of the embryo before it is transferred to the uterus – does not improve pregnancy and implantation rates in women who are having fresh embryos transferred. The researchers noted, however, that women having frozen embryos implanted do benefit from having their embryos treated in this way. How many embryos are transferred? There are still differences in practice as to how many embryos are transferred into the woman’s uterus. In many cases, only one fertilized embryo is transferred to the uterus, while other doctors believe that two fertilized embryos increase the chances of a successful pregnancy. According to guidelines set out by the International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, the number of fresh embryos to be transferred varies according to the woman’s age and outlook. In many cases, no more t

By Chioma Umeha The Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in weekend, has inducted Professor Kalu Mosto Onuoha, as its new President. According to a statement signed by Dr Oladoyin Odubanjo, Executive Secretary, NAS, Prof Onuoha took over from Professor Oyewale Tomori, a virologist, who served as President of the Academy between January 2013 and January 2016. Mosto, as he is fondly called, was the Academy’s Treasurer before he became Vice president in 2013. In his acceptance speech, the new President, Prof Onuoha said he is honoured to be elected as president of Nigeria’s foremost science organization. Prof Onuoha served as the pioneer Mobil Professor of Petroleum Geology at the Mobil Producing Nigeria’s Chair of Geology at the University of Calabar from 1991 to 92. He also served as Technology Development Adviser – Subsurface Development Services at the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, Port Harcourt fro

By Chioma Umeha Emmanuel Udom Lagos A Social- Political group, Ado Odo Development Foundation (ADF) has called on Ogun state government to build a modern Hospital for the community. The organization regretted that despite the large population and contributions by the community, there is no infrastructural development. Speaking recently at a launching of N50, 000,000.00 to resuscitate the abandoned community hospital project initiated in early 80s, chairman of the organization, Mr Olukayode Akapo, lamented the insensitivity of the government to the health care delivery in Ado Odo saying that ADF had earlier donated relief materials such as mattresses, pillows, freezers and hospital beds to the two primary health centers in the community. Akapo, urged the Ogun state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun to look into the problems of health care system in the area and provide solutions by improving and upgrading the facilities in the health centers. The chairma

By Chioma Umeha As much as you may try to consistently work out and be active, more often than not as life fluctuates so does your dedication to your physical fitness. Maybe you started the week with great aspirations only to get hit by extra work at the office, a big life event, or changes to your personal life. When this happens your priorities may have shifted, leaving your body neglected and the gym far from your mind. It’s natural to adapt to changes in your life, but quitting your workout routine has some major and often immediate impacts on your health. Experts call this phenomenon ‘detraining’ and the impacts are greater than a couple pounds gained. Not yet convinced? Check out the immediate and long-term impacts that quitting your workout routine has on your body and mind. Your blood pressure soars This change is practically immediate as your blood pressure is higher on days you exercise than on days you don’t. When you skip any form of physical exer

*Ignorance, Poverty Bane Of Child Birth Complications By Chioma Umeha Fortune smiled on 19 year-old Iyabo Abayomi immediately after her traditional wedding. She became pregnant, and her husband, Bamidele, handed her over to his eldest sister, whom he believed would properly guide her through the peril of pregnancy. The Lagos-based Bamideles hail from Yoruba land in Nigeria, where pregnancy is viewed as a time of great peril for a woman. Many sayings and actions attest to this, but the most widespread is the greeting after child birth: e ku ewu omo (congratulations on delivery from the peril of childbirth). It is therefore common practice for young pregnant women to be under the tutelage of older ones believed to be experienced in pregnancy matters for guidance during this period of peril. Iyabo’s non-literate sister-in-law immediately enrolled her in a near by traditional maternity home, admonishing her to abide by all the instructions that would be given

By Chioma Umeha Each year, environmental pollutants cost an estimated 1.7 million lives among children under five, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) reports released Monday. The causes include unsafe water, lack of sanitation, poor hygiene practices and indoor and outdoor pollution, as well as injuries. The new numbers equate to these pollutants being the cause of one in four deaths of children between one month and five years old. One new report highlights that the most common causes of child death are preventable through interventions already available to the communities most affected. These causes are diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia, which can be prevented using insecticide-treated bed nets, clean cooking fuels and improved access to clean water. “A polluted environment is a deadly one, particularly for young children,” Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO director-general, said in a statement, adding that, “Their developing organs and immune systems, a

By Chioma Umeha Worried over the deepening bleak situation in the country’s health sector, major players have blame this on what they described as crisis in healthcare financing, just as they are seeking for urgent intervention to resolve it. Expressing their concern recently at the Health Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HEWAN) seventh annual symposium in Lagos, the experts linked proper healthcare with financing, even as they stressed on improved financing to alter the dismal health situation in the country. The symposium which took place at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), also addressed challenges and effective approaches to reshaping the health system which impairs the lives of millions. Topics addressed at the symposium were, “Disease Outbreaks: The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Experience,” by the CEO, NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu and “Role of Media In Advocating For Increased Health Sector Budget in Nigeria, ” by the programme of

By Chioma Umeha Millions of peosple take fish oil supplements for heart health, but a new report from the American Heart Associations shows not everyone may benefit from it. An online news agency said that the report, published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, found that omega-3 fish oil supplements can help people who have suffered a heart attack or heart failure in the past. But, there was not enough evidence to support their use in people without a history of heart trouble. 44-year-old Anurag Mehta has been on omega-3 fish oil since suffering a heart attack at a young age. “I had high cholesterol. And I was 33 so I kind of more of less ignored it. I’d gotten quite sedentary in terms of lifestyle,” he said in an online report. Mehta credits omega-three fish oil as well as lifestyle changes for keeping him healthy since his heart attack. “I’ve never stopped,” he said. “For 11 years, I’ve been taking it every day.” For the stu