Achievements in science, tech advancements, shifts in health policy, a renewed interest in preventative care, and tackling health disparities can shift how we improve people’s health. Will these topics be front and center at HLTH?  We’ll know more in the days ahead. 

10 Predictions for the HLTH Main Stage

Here are my 10 predictions for health innovation in 2024 that have the potential to transform health – topics that should be woven into the commentary during HLTH mainstage conversations – that can make the most significant impact to improve people’s outcomes, reduce costs, and advance wellness. Let’s see what next weeks social media posts provide that give us indication of the changes ahead.

Prediction 1: AI-Driven Medicine Saves Lives

ChatGPT and AI (augmented intelligence) made their big public splash this year!  However, Microsoft and evangelists such as Tom Lawry and John Nosta have been pointing to AI as a life-sustaining tool in health for years. Surprisingly, “big data and “machine learning didn’t attract the same attention as the newest label – AI!  These technologies enable the development of highly personalized treatment plans based on an individual’s genetic makeup, medical history, and lifestyle and risk factors. AI-driven predictive models will assist health providers in making more accurate diagnoses faster and tailoring treatments for optimal patient outcomes.

Prediction 2: Telemedicine and Virtual Patient Monitoring Go Mainstream

Telemedicine saw unprecedented and “no alternative” growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.  It should continue to see prominence in 2024. Improvements in telehealth infrastructure and regulatory support make virtual consultations with health professionals accessible and efficient. One challenge has been reimbursement for providers compared to in-office visits.  There is a time and place for in-person care and virtual engagement.  Regardless, the urgencies of people in rural and remote communities and preventive care needs make telemedicine and virtual patient monitoring public health priorities.  There is no going back!

Prediction 3: Women’s Health Innovation Prioritized

Women’s health remains under-researched and is barely prioritized by biopharma companies and government-supported research grants. Women comprise half the adult population, but research into women’s health needs is embarrassingly low. The National Institutes of Health directs $42 billion on medical research annually, but only $5 billion of those funds are targeted to women’s health priorities. One global company stands out as a leader – more are needed. In the 1990s, women were more likely to die from their first heart attack compared to men due to gender bias. While those statistics have improved, women still face numerous public policy and care disparities – among the more pressing challenges – reproductive choice. These issues should take center stage and HLTH may be the platform for this long over-due (and urgent) conversation.

Prediction 4: Digital Therapeutics Take Center Stage

Digital therapeutics, including smartphone apps and wearables, will become integral to health intervention and connection. These innovative tools help patients manage chronic conditions, monitor vital signs, and adhere to treatment plans. The gamification of health through digital therapeutics will encourage patient engagement and long-term health outcomes.  Sector leaders, like Click Therapeutics Founder David Klein, are adopting “biopharma” like research models to demonstrate their value to patient care by conducting well-designed clinical trials that show complementary benefits with and with other therapies.  Those enterprises will set the stage for the future of digital therapeutics and redefine the category.

Prediction 5: Health Data Privacy and Security

Despite the hype, consumer-friendly cybersecurity technologies can shift how health data is managed and shared. Patients will have greater control over their health information and records, with the ability to securely share them with health providers, clinical researchers and other stakeholders as needed. Data that cannot be accessed or shared transparency and securely is useless in sustaining and saving lives. Consumers and health professionals need easier ways to protect sensitive health information and streamline data exchange for improved care coordination. EMRs are great if they offer convenient use and application; however, they are too often a jumble of inaccessible information. Security and utility are key! So long (hopefully) fax machine!

Prediction 6: Obesity as a Treatable Disease

Among the most dramatic ways to reduce disease burden and address heart disease, diabetes, respiratory illness, and even some cancers is to take obesity (very) seriously.  It Is not only about weight reduction but understanding that obesity is a domino effect, a multi-system disease. Weill Cornell’s Louis J. Aronne, MD‘s pioneering work recognized early that seeing this only as a “weight problem” underestimates its enormous human health impact. More and more, physicians will need to tap into the expertise of specialists to guide their treatment decisions.  With new medications available, physicians will examine the problem and think about solutions.  However, reducing weight is only part of the clinical response.  Getting it right will save millions of lives and billions in costs.

Prediction 7: Robotics and Automation

Don’t be surprised when robotic technology is increasingly integrated into health systems ORs and patient-care wings. Robots will soon perform set surgical procedures, dispensing medication, and performing patient-care tasks. Watch for Rafael Grossmann, MD, who first used Google Glasses in the OR to push the boundaries on what is possible and needed.  Automation will enhance efficiency, reduce human error, and improve patient safety. Robotic exoskeletons will also aid in rehabilitation and mobility for individuals with physical impairments. But remember the human touch!  While ChatGPT has become a patient favorite in searching out information and robotics will transform the patient experience, people’s confidence in skilled medical professionals remains paramount.

Prediction 8: Mental Health Priorities

There is a long-needed shift toward destigmatizing mental health issues and increasing access to mental health services. AI-powered chatbots and virtual therapists will provide on-demand support, while data analytics can identify at-risk individuals and tailor interventions. Virtual reality therapies will increasingly become a mainstream treatment option for anxiety and PTSD.  Services and upskilling are becoming an investment and professional-development priority.  However, while tech has a place in the process, there is something to be said for developing a personal relationship with a licensed psychologist or licensed clinical social worker skilled in face-to-face therapy. It’s always about caring for people!

Prediction 9: Global Collaboration for the Next Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of global collaboration in addressing public health emergencies. In 2024, international cooperation and data sharing must be at the forefront of pandemic preparedness. A global surveillance network will provide early warning systems, and rapid vaccine development platforms should be established to respond to emerging infectious diseases quickly.  COVID was a test run, and from a public health information standpoint, the developed nations stumbled.  From disappointment comes learning. Collaboration among public health professionals, policymakers, and medical innovators was paramount to the – even stymied – response. 

Prediction 10: Ethical Considerations for Health Innovation

As health innovation advances in 2024, ethical considerations must take prominence. The long overdue pain revealed during COVID must shift mindsets, behaviors and budgets. We must expect increased scrutiny and priority around data privacy, AI bias, health, and attention to racial and gender disparities.  We must set a path for responsible use of emerging technologies. We must recognize that public policy cannot diminish people’s care options. Ethical frameworks and regulations will be developed to ensure that health innovation benefits all people – and all nations – while respecting access, rights, and values.

A Common Call to Action at HLTH

These 10 predictions are a glimpse into the possibilities of what we might hear from speakers during HLTH. AI-driven personalized medicine, telemedicine and virtual patient monitoring, women’s health, digital therapeutics, cybersecurity, obesity management, robotics, mental health innovation, global collaboration, and ethical considerations should be front and center in the conversation to improve people’s health and well-being.  Life is often referred to “as a game.” It’s not. Health access cannot be roulette wheel spin left to chance. It requires advocacy, policy, planning and empathy. Kindness is a human quality that must be given center stage.

Right now, the people who often need preventive and primary care services face the most significant hurdles.  These predictions are based on one underlying principle – health innovation can only achieve its greatest potential when available to those with the greatest needs.  Hopefully, we’ll hear from more and more speakers stepping to the stages at HLTH that shared call to action.

The post When It Comes to the Future of HLTH – Life Is Not a Las Vegas Roulette Wheel appeared first on Medika Life.

“It seems that the stars are aligned.  These glimmers of facts, figures, innovation and needs are converging on the year 2013. And the result promises to be an inflection point for digital health. The curve of innovation will shift and place us all on a new course for managing disease and wellness.”

#1—2013.  Explosive new technology

Think about the smart phone and how far it’s come in just a few short years.  Today, technology is the new intellectual playground that connects vision with application.  And the players are both big, well-funded companies as well as smart, adroit and nimble startups.

#2—2013. The pressing need to advance healthcare and the Affordable Care Act

There’s almost no scientific, political or sociological discussion that doesn’t find its way to health and healthcare.  The costs, access and resources are a key driver to seeking solutions to the health dilemma that exists right now and is projected to only get worse.  Technology has always been part of the answer in other areas.  Today, innovation and technology are poised to advance care in new directions that can drive new efficiencies and lead a course to self-care and wellness.

#3—2013. The caldron of connectivity

Ideas are promiscuous.  The profound interconnectedness of thinkers and ideas create a “neural-network” that powers our imaginations. Another important driver to the digital health revolution is the  increasing level of patient / caregiver connectivity.  The role of telemedicine will foster new connections for care and become essential, proving ground for new “tricorder-type” technology that makes the interaction more clinically robust.

#4—2013.  The power of cool

The advantage of the digital health movement is that carries “the stamp of cool” and takes clinical / social utility to a place beyond the practical—the emotional.  It’s not about taking a pill but living the life of innovation that is validated by science and medicine.

#5—2013. The empowerment of the “quantified self” in health

Our lives are quantified in many ways…tools to measure key clinical parameters (serum glucose, blood oxygen, etc.) will combine with mainstream devices used by joggers and athletes.  The result will become “full circle” data that will proactively inform us of issues and concerns. And all this data and knowledge will become less of burden and more of reassurance that all systems are go!

 #6—2013.  Pharma’s search for new meaning

The evolution of pharmaceutical science will move therapy to include preventative care, gene therapy and other innovations.  The pill, as it conventionally exists today, will have a role, but innovation (and digital health) will make conventional therapies a bit harder to swallow.

#7—2013. Big Data and the electronic medical record

New technology and the vast amounts of generated data come a rich source of information.  Research protocols, family history, medical records and large-scale epidemiological studies are a significant aspect of digital health.  These data may become the single biggest aspect of this new area.

#8—2013.  Money

Money is a key driver to innovation.  The increasing role of venture capital in digital health sends a clarion call of validation that this initiative is here to stay.  

#9—2013. The voices of brilliance

Science, medicine, genomics, electronics, analytics, etc.  The list of contributors to digital health is vast and smart as heck.  And the very nature of the mixed and varied voices coming together will result in a “critical mass” of brilliance rarely seen in the conventional business model.

#10—2013.  The moral imperative

There’s another simple, yet powerful driver at work here.  It’s the right thing to do.  The application of digital health to global health issues and the practice of medicine in developing countries can play a tremendous role in changing the very nature and quality of care that directly translates into life-changing and life-saving treatments.

So, there you have it.  Ten powerful reasons why 2013 was the “year of digital health” and it would reach its proverbial inflection point.  It didn’t.  But the interesting thing here is that we can just change the date from 2013 to 2022 and these predictions feel about right for this year.  Maybe I’m too good of a futurist.  But my sense is that there’s something more fundamental about this “failure” and why technological innovation have been stuck at the starting line.

The reason is both simple and complex: innovation is tough.  But the diffusion of innovation can be even more difficult.  The idea of just building a great solution that will simply be embraced and adopted is false. “Build it and they will come” isn’t a market-driven strategy, but a wish.

Prominent tech, consumer goods and pharmaceutical companies have failed to drive adoption of  new products hailed as big ideas and game changers. The same may be true for technology and digital health and how 2013 offers up many of the  same opportunities and challenges as 2022.

In many ways, medical innovation is part technology and part humanity. And driving adoption along one path can get many heads nodding, but few feet moving in the right direction. The healthcare system is driven by complex vectors of inertia.  From financial gain (companies and providers) to cognitive rigidity to the essential cautions that must be applied to clinical care, advances are often defined as “that same, but better” with concern for the status quo and even self-preservation.

Perhaps an essential fix to this dilemma is to take a page from the “patient centricity” play book that has captured the minds of many in 2022. Innovation, startups, accelerators, and incubators need to think past the big idea and consider the process of adoption as integral to success. Otherwise, we’re stuck in the quagmire of complacency.

My look back to almost a decade ago to the advances of technology and medicine was an eye-opener. Interestingly, it seems like the future is here now and has been for a while. And a key path, in many instances, is to focus on implementation of the brilliant ideas at hand today. Innovation is disruptive, but adoption is gradual. And recognizing this simple truth might just get things moving!

The post Tech Marches On, While Humanity Drags Its Feet appeared first on Medika Life.

Dallas-based startup Listeners on Call is trying to solve the problem through its consumer listening services connecting people in need to an empathetic listening ear. The company believes in the power of meaningful conversations.

Listeners on Call launched in July of 2020 in response to the growing pandemic of loneliness exacerbated by Covid-19. The platform promotes mental health by connecting callers to a trained team of listeners. The company website states, “Everyone has something they need to share. Not everyone has someone to listen.”

The Dallas-based startup matches Listener on Call users to others who provide an empathetic ear and share experiences. The company believes sharing with someone who can relate to your problem can be life-changing. Callers can rest assured their privacy is protected as all calls are anonymous.

The Listeners are not trained medical professionals and do not give out medical advice. The platform is not designed to provide therapy or counseling. Instead, Listeners on Call’s goal is to be a “first step” for those seeking support. Dallas-based CEO Cole Egger told the Dallas Business Journal, “the company isn’t looking into the crowded field of telehealth companies providing professional services instead of seeing itself as the first step in seeking care and support.”

After downloading the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play, users can select their listener to find someone who shares a connection to what they are experiencing. The company website states, “We are committed to connecting anyone, anywhere, anytime with someone who has a related personal experience and is ready to listen and are proud to offer on-call empathy, privacy, and support for millions of people who need to feel heard.”

The next step is to find a convenient time to speak directly to the listener. The app allows users to connect immediately for urgent conversations or to schedule a time in the future when it is convenient.

Next, Listeners On Call connects the user to the listener on a private line to help maintain privacy and anonymity. The calls can be as long or as short as needed. Users pay $0.50 per minute to use the service.

Every day people can apply to be listeners and be paid for their time. The application process is spelled out on their website. The company seeks out people who have empathy and who have a “natural spark of curiosity that makes people want to open up to them.” The listeners are trained through the company’s Listening Academy.

The Listening Academy involves a series of short courses focused on the art of Connected Listening, which the company explains as “how to create a bond with strangers based on a shared experience.” The program provides listeners with tools and techniques to help callers feel heard and valued.

The techniques employed by Listeners On Call is backed up by data showing an individual’s emotional state can be improved by exposing them to an empathetic listener. The company performed research evaluating callers disposition before and after engaging with a listener on their platform.

Listeners on Call partnered with Morphii, an experience measurement technology to complete the study. Morphii’s patented technology quantifies users’ emotions and feelings after engaging with various technologies.

During the study, Listeners on Call evaluated a caller’s disposition before and after a call with a trained listener. The Morphii system then quanitfied the caller’s pre and post-call emotional state.

The results were summarized in a press release as:

• Almost all Callers (97% leave the Listeners On Call platform in a more positive state.
• Overall, Callers experienced a 115% improvement in disposition from pre-to-post call.
• Callers identifying isolation/loss as the reason for seeking Listeners reported an average improvement of 151%.
• Callers seeking Listeners to cope with stress demonstrated a 184% improvement.
• Lastly, Callers who did not designate a specific topic, but who simply needed to talk/vent averaged an 89% improvement from pre- to post-call.

The mission of Listeners on Call is to make sure no one ever feels like they are alone. We all need someone to talk to sometimes. Perhaps, this platform can help the world feel more connected.

The post Listeners On Call Tackles Loneliness Through the Art of Listening appeared first on Medika Life.

The White House Press Briefing is not always so exciting. But in today’s press brief, the Covid Response Team discussed OkCupid and Tinder dating advice. Dr. Anthony Fauci and Andy Slavitt handed out free tips to get people to swipe right.

According to Slavitt, people who display their vaccination status are 14% more likely to get a match.  He said, “We have finally found the one thing that makes us more attractive, a vaccination.”

Match Group, with headquarters in Dallas, has the largest online dating app portfolio, including popular brands like OkCupid, Tinder, Match.com, and Plenty of Fish. The company’s mission is “to spark meaningful connections for every single person worldwide.”

It seem no aspect of meaningful connection includes infection.

Covid-19 is spread through person-to-person contact via respiratory droplets — droplets first spread through coughing, sneezing, and respiratory particles. These particles get on our clothes and hands and are passed through handshakes, hugging, kissing, and other close human contacts.

Single people can help protect themselves and others by disclosing their vaccination status to those they date. Open disclosure allows people to make conscious choices about who they meet or date on apps. #SafeSex2021

Covid-19 shaming and finger-pointing reduce our ability to fight the pandemic. Stigmatization may lead people to hide infections and avoid testing. If those infected avoid disclosure and limit dialogue, others may not make safe choices to reduce their risk.

The hope is that sharing vaccination status on dating apps will encourage good public health and help individuals make informed personal choices regarding their health and safety.

The world is reopening, and people are ready to get out of the house. The White House partnership with Match Group helps promote public health as dating ramps up again. The campaigns are starting now and will run through July 4 across the various dating apps.

“Human connection is so vital for healthy lives — it’s why I am so committed to this business,” said Shar Dubey, CEO of Match Group, in the press release. “We are honored to work with the White House on increasing vaccinations across America, which will allow people to once again meet in person and engage in meaningful ways. This will make dating safer for everyone, everywhere.”

To promote Covid-19 vaccinations, the apps will help users find a location to get Covid-19 vaccine sites. People can add vaccination badges to their profiles. Some of the apps will offer boost features to profiles displaying vaccine badges.

Match Group reports dating app users have asked for these features to help them make decisions about dating safety.

Here are the features that will be available on various apps.

Tinder

On Tinder, members can add a variety of profile stickers celebrating Covid-19 vaccines. Profile stickers like “I’m Vaccinated” or “Vaccines Save Lives” help share vaccine status with prospective dates. In June, Tinder will offer a “Super Like” feature to help vaccinated members stand out from the crowd.

Tinder plans to offer a “Vaccine Center” hosting Covid education and vaccination site locations.

Match.com

Match.com users will be able to add a “Vaccinated” badge to their personal profiles. Match.com will provide a free “boost” to vaccinated profiles to give them more exposure on the site.

OkCupid

OkCupid will also offer “I’m Vaccinated” badges and free profile boosts. But OkCupid plans to allow members to search for other vaccinated people as part of its matching categories.

Plenty of Fish profiles will feature the “I Got My Shot” badge. BLK will add “Vaxified” profile badges, and Chispa will add “Vacunado.”

Dallas’ Match Group has been the industry leader in online dating for many years. These proactive steps promote public safety and help single people learn to live in our new normal.

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Date of Release: Feb. 10, 2021

BRADENTON, Fla. /PRNewswire/ — Qure4u, the industry leader in patient engagement and virtual care, recently won the Client Feedback Award, which recognizes Qure4u for receiving the most reviews on the athenahealth Marketplace in 2020. Awards were presented on January 26, 2021, at athenahealth Inc.’s first Marketplace Partner Event of 2021.

Qure4u’s MyCarePlan™ solution enables contactless care management and engagement with patients using the company’s Digital Health Key™. The application received more than 100 reviews on the athenahealth Marketplace in 2020, earning an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars from provider organization end-users. athenahealth noted that Qure4u tools, which include Virtual Waiting Room™ and Qure4u DriveUp™ features that help practices manage drive-thru COVID-19 and flu testing and vaccinations, “were highly popular among users, shown by the sheer number of reviews [Qure4u] received.”

“We’re honored to achieve this recognition from athenahealth,” said Monica Bolbjerg, MD, CEO and Founder of Qure4u. “Positive feedback from customers validates the important role virtual care offerings play in patient engagement and satisfaction, particularly during the pandemic. We are wholeheartedly committed to continuing our mission to better serve the needs of both patients and providers alike.”

athenahealth partners with medical organizations across the country to drive improved clinical and financial results, with a vision of creating a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all. The athenahealth Marketplace has been a marquee program for the company since its inception in 2013.

“Our partners worked hard last year to support our mutual athenahealth customers, and we’re proud to recognize their commitment to our program with these awards,” said Morgan Diaz, Executive Director of athenahealth’s Marketplace.

To learn more about Qure4u’s patient engagement and virtual care solutions, visit www.qure4u.com. To view Qure4u’s listing and reviews on the athenahealth Marketplace, visit https://marketplace.athenahealth.com/product/mycareplan.

About Qure4u 
Qure4u’s holistic patient engagement platform and contactless “digital front door” offers patients and providers a scalable, EHR-embedded platform that supports the entire care journey. Remote check-in, Virtual Waiting Room™, Digital Health Key™, Qure4u DriveUp™, data sharing, telehealth, pre- and post-procedure prep, remote patient monitoring, secure communication, and care plan features close the gap for patients and providers between office visits. By enabling patients with self-service tools to manage their health from anywhere, Qure4u drives practice efficiency and enhances clinical insight. The company’s solutions improve patient engagement, outcomes, and satisfaction. For more information about Qure4u, visit www.qure4u.com.

Media Contact
Jess Clifton
Agency Ten22
678-360-9043
jess@ten22pr.com

SOURCE Qure4u

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Healthy pregnancies are happy pregnancies. If you’re blessed with a bump right now, you’ll want to do everything in your power to ensure both you and your baby are in the best possible place, in terms of health. Welcome to PREGOPOWER, the only app you’ll need to see you and your little one safely through your pregnancy.

PREGOPOWER isn’t simply another pregnancy app, it is far more. Backed by a medical website maintained by doctors, PREGOPOWER enables you with diagnostic tools for both you and your doctor to keep an eye on your health.

PREGOPOWER offers a separate suite of tools for your Health Care Provider and you can update your doctor in real time about your health and any worrying symptoms you may be experiencing.The PREGOPOWER App, website and integration with your doctors office pus you in complete control of your pregnancy and ensure qualified medical help is always on call.

Your profile, data and your personal pregnancy care plan are available 24/7 across all your devices, for a seamless experience. PREGOPOWER gives you access to the latest medically written articles on nutrition, best practice for a healthy pregnancy, trimester by trimester plans, wellness guides and lactation guides. Listen to a podcast, watch a video or read through an ever growing body of articles on pregnancy and issues that affect you.

Interact with your Health Care Providers from the comfort of the app and allow your doctors to monitor your pregnancy remotely. It really is a 24/7 solution for mothers who want to stay informed, reduce pregnancy risks and enjoy a stress free time with baby.

PREGOPOWER offers you direct access to advice that is applicable to your unique pregnancy. No other app offers you this level of care and support. If your local practice doesn’t support PREGOPOWER, message us and well get in touch with them.

For more information, to download the PREGOPOWER App, and to explore the tools and website, click on the link below.

Medika is partnering with PREGOPOWER to make a wide range of pregnancy calculators available online. Work out due dates, conception dates, pregnancy weight and calculate a whole other rage of other useful medical information for moms to be, Watch this space.

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Ovulation Calculator

About the Ovulation Calculator

Knowing the days you are most likely to be fertile can increase your chance of getting pregnant. The typical menstrual cycle is 28 days long, but each woman is different. There are about 6 days during each menstrual cycle when you can get pregnant. This is called your fertile window. Use the calculator to see which days you are most likely to be fertile. The sections below explains the rhythm of the menstrual process in more detail.

What is ovulation?

Ovulation is when the ovary releases an egg so it can be fertilized by a sperm in order to make a baby. A woman is most likely to get pregnant if she has sex without birth control in the three days before and up to the day of ovulation (since the sperm are already in place and ready to fertilize the egg as soon as it is released). A man’s sperm can live for 3 to 5 days in a woman’s reproductive organs, but a woman’s egg lives for just 12 to 24 hours after ovulation.

Days 1 through 5

Day 1 starts with the first day of your period. The blood and tissue lining the uterus (womb) break down and leave the body. This is your period. For many women, bleeding lasts from 4 to 8 days. Hormone levels are low. Low levels of the hormone estrogen can make you feel depressed or irritable.

During Days 1 through 5 of your cycle, fluid-filled pockets called follicles develop on the ovaries. Each follicle contains an egg

Days 5 through 8

Between Days 5 and 7, just one follicle continues growing while the others stop growing and are absorbed back into the ovary. Levels of the hormone estrogen from the ovaries continue rising. By Day 8 the follicle puts out increasing levels of estrogen and grows larger. Usually by Day 8, period bleeding has stopped. Higher estrogen levels from the follicle make the lining of the uterus grow and thicken. The uterine lining is rich in blood and nutrients and will help nourish the embryo if a pregnancy happens. Estrogen helps boost endorphins, which are the “feel good” brain chemicals that are also released during physical activity. You may have more energy and feel relaxed or calm.

Day 14

A few days before Day 14, your estrogen levels peak and cause a sharp rise in the level of luteinizing hormone (LH). LH causes the mature follicle to burst and release an egg from the ovary, called ovulation, on Day 14. A woman is most likely to get pregnant if she has sex on the day of ovulation or during the three days before ovulation (since the sperm are already in place and ready to fertilize the egg once it is released). A man’s sperm can live for three to five days in a woman’s reproductive organs, and a woman’s egg lives for 12 to 24 hours. In the few days before ovulation, your estrogen levels are at their highest. You may feel best around this time, emotionally and physically.

Days 15 through 24

Over the next week (Days 15 to 24), the fallopian tubes help the newly released egg travel away from the ovary toward the uterus. The ruptured follicle on the ovary makes more of the hormone progesterone, which also helps the uterine lining thicken even more. If a sperm joins with the egg in the fallopian tube (this is called fertilization), the fertilized egg will continue down the fallopian tube and attach to the lining of the uterus (womb). Pregnancy begins once a fertilized egg attaches to the womb.

Day 24 through 28

If the egg is not fertilized, it breaks apart. Around Day 24, your estrogen and progesterone levels drop if you are not pregnant. This rapid change in levels of estrogen and progesterone can cause your moods to change. Some women are more sensitive to these changing hormone levels than others. Some women feel irritable, anxious, or depressed during the premenstrual week but others do not.

In the final step of the menstrual cycle, the unfertilized egg leaves the body along with the uterine lining, beginning on Day 1 of your next period and menstrual cycle.

If you would like to understand your menstrual cycle in more detail or still have questions, Medika recommends reading the following article The Menstrual Cycle explained, for more information.

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Conception Calculator

About this Calculator

Most mothers want to know when their baby was conceived. Using this calculator will allow you to narrow down the dates or possible conception.

The calculator uses two different methods to determine the probable conception date based on two known factors:

• The birth date of your baby, if it has already been delivered
• If you’re still pregnant we use the date of your last menstrual cycle and average length of menstrual cycle.

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Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator

About the pregnancy weight gain calculator

This calculator will allow you to determine a healthy weight gain schedule for your entire pregnancy, based on your individual characteristics including weight before pregnancy, your height and type of pregnancy.

Pregnancy guidelines for weight gain

Pregnancy leads to significant changes to women’s bodies and their daily routines. One of these is the body weight gain to ensure enough nutrients for the development of the fetus and to store enough nutrients in preparation for breastfeeding. While weight gain during pregnancy is normal and necessary, studies have shown that certain ranges of weight gain given a specific body mass index (BMI) result in more positive outcomes for both fetus and mother.

Generally, it is recommended that pregnant women gain only 1-4 pounds during the first 3 months of pregnancy, and 1 pound per week during the remainder of the pregnancy.  The tables below will help you understand the results of the calculator.

The post Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator appeared first on Medika Life.

Due Date Calculator

About this calculator

The due date calculator uses the first day of your menstrual cycle and the average menstrual cycle length to provide three important pieces of information for dating your pregnancy:

• Probable ovulation date
• Fertility window (lmost likely period for conception, 5 days before and 2 days after your ovulation)
• Estimated due date (approximately 266 days from conception)

How ovulation and fertilization work

Around two weeks after your period, your body ovulates and your ovaries release one mature egg. The egg can be fertilized within 12 to 24 hours after it’s released, as it travels down the fallopian tube toward the uterus. If an egg meets up with a sperm cell that has made its way into the fallopian tube, it combines into one cell, a process that’s known as fertilization or conception. 

It takes about three to four days for the fertilized egg to move to the lining of your uterus, where it attaches or implants to the uterine wall. Once the embryo is implanted, the cells start to grow, eventually becoming the fetus and the placenta, which is tissue that can transport oxygen, nutrients and hormones from your blood to the developing fetus throughout pregnancy.

The Gestational period and your due date

The gestational period lasts approximately 266 days full term) from your conception date. It isn’t an exact date, but it is close. You may deliver a few days before or a few days after your calculated due date.

A normal pregnancy will take around 40 weeks, counting from the first day of your last menstrual period, which is about two weeks before conception actually occurs. Your pregnancy is divided into three trimesters. Each of these periods lasts between 12 and 13 weeks. During each trimester, changes take place in your body as well as in the developing fetus.

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