Many women who otherwise have normal blood pressure develop an increase in the blood pressure (140/90 & above) during pregnancy. Along with an increase in the blood pressure is usually found swelling of the body especially the feet & also presence of proteins in the urine. The cause is not known & since it can cause complications to the mother as well as the fetus, prevention is the best cure. Hence regular visits to the gynaecologist as per advise are a must during pregnancy so that the problem can be detected & treated at it's earliest stages. Complications could be in the form of convulsions or excessive bleeding during labor or even coma, while in case of the fetus it could lead to intrauterine death, premature baby, suffocation of the fetus & insufficient growth of the fetus. Treatment should begin as soon as the pressure approaches 140/90. It consists of complete bed rest, salt restriction & increase of protein intake in the diet, besides medicines. As far as medicines are concerned, most gynaecologists prefer not to start blood pressure lowering drugs unless the lower reading reaches 110 & above when it becomes absolutely necessary to start them. This is to avoid the harmful effects of the medication to both the mother & the fetus. Here homeopathy if started in the initial stages, could avoid the need for blood pressure lowering drugs altogether.

HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT FOR ABORTION
When a lady has lost her fetuses at less than 7 months of pregnancy for 3 or more consecutive pregnancies it is called recurrent abortion & needs to be thoroughly investigated & treated. If the abortions have occurred during the first 3 months of pregnancy the causes are likely to be a defect in the eggs of the mother or the sperms of the father or some hormonal deficiencies. But in a majority, the cause is unknown. Defects in the eggs or the sperms can be known only through genetic studies which is a rather costly proposition. Abortions occurring between 3 &7 months could be due to an incompetent cervical opening which requires a small surgery, history of some viral infections in the mother, high blood pressure or diabetes & again unknown causes in a large number of cases. Some blood tests like Blood sugar, VDRL, thyroid, TORCH etc can detect the known & treatable causes. The difficulty lies in treating the unknown causes. Here is where homeopathy is very helpful.

HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT FOR INFERTILITYInfertility is inability to conceive after one year of sexual life without use of contraceptives. The cause could be due to some problem with either of the partners. Assuming that both the partners are not ignorant about sex, the problems associated with the male partner could be- age above 45 years, history of regular smoking, alcohol, diabetes, insufficient number of sperms, unhealthy or defective sperms, any obstruction of the genital tract, any disease or abnormality of the sexual organs, history of mumps, some hormonal disorders, some genetic abnormalities or some psychological problems.
In females the problems could be- age over 35 years, irregular menses indicating some hormonal imbalance, anovulatory cycles, escape of semen after intercourse, sperm destroying antibodies in the cervix or blood, history of tuberculosis or repeated curettage, narrow vaginal or cervical opening, any obstruction in the genital tract, ovarian diseases, other hormonal diseases eg. thyroid, genetic abnormalities & psychological problems.
Before treating infertility, the couple must have a detailed session with the gynaecologist as many of the causes can be ruled out by the history & a simple check-up. After that, before any further investigations of either partner a semen analysis of the male partner is a must. After this has been done either or both partners are subjected to a series of tests depending on the cause suspected from the history & examination. Only when the cause has been precisely found can the treatment give favorable results. Some problems eg. any obstruction have to be treated surgically while others may respond to medicines. At times even after all investigations the cause cannot be found. Homeopathy can help in many cases of infertility but the treatment should not begin before all investigations are complete.

"The competent Homeopathic physician, before he attempts to give medicine to a patient, makes himself acquainted not only with the disease, but also with the habits and constitution of the sick man/woman."
HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES FOR BLEEDING AFTER DELIVERYExcessive bleeding could occur immediately following delivery i.e. within 24 hours or even a few days after delivery. It is very important to first find the cause & start treatment accordingly. Excessive bleeding within the first 24 hours usually occurs due to imperfect uterine contraction & retraction after delivery. This is seen in cases of women with history of multiple child births, anaemia, large fetus, malnutrition, history of bleeding from placenta during pregnancy, prolonged labor, retained placenta, too rapid delivery, pulling of the cord, applying pressure over the abdomen during or after labor, operative delivery & some bleeding disorders. The cause can usually be found on examination of the patient. It is very important to empty the uterus of its contents, mainly pieces of the placenta & clots. Thereafter it is necessary to start treatment for normal reduction of the size of the uterus. Here is where the homeopathic medicines are very effective.
Bleeding occurring more than 24 hours after delivery may be due to different causes. It could be mainly due to retained bits of placenta, infection, or bleeding from the wound. Here again the cause first needs to be found before treatment can begin. Here homeopathy is most effective if the cause is bleeding from the wound.

HOMEOPATHY FOR POST-NATAL DEPRESSION & OTHER PROBLEMS AFTER DELIVERY
Some of the common problems occurring after delivery are infection of the wound, infection inside the uterus, clot formation inside the veins of the leg, engorgement of the breasts, breast infection & insufficient reduction of the size of the uterus, besides of course-post-natal depression. Infections will manifest as fevers & hence any fever within 6 weeks following delivery must be thoroughly investigated & treated immediately. Breast engorgement is usually due to over distension of the breast ducts & application of ice-packs apart from manually expressing the milk helps a lot. To prevent clot formation in the leg veins, it is important to often do leg exercises even when lying in bed & to keep feet elevated on a pillow on & off. Homeopathy is probably one of the best & safest medicines for post natal depression.


HOMEOPATHY FOR INCREASING LACTATION
Normally a woman produces sufficient breast milk if proper healthcare is taken during pregnancy. This includes both physical & emotional care. Physical care means a proper well nourishing diet & adequate rest. However emotional well being is as much important for sufficient milk production.
However there are times when the milk production is insufficient whether due to stress or even otherwise. Homeopathy is very helpful in such cases. There are a number of homeopathic medicines for increasing lactation. However these are best to be used under the proper guidance of a homeopathic doctor.