Trusted Information for Healthy Pregnancies
Archive for June, 2010
Depression and Anxiety: Do They Impact Infertility Treatment?
Jun 30th
Infertility affects an estimated 10-15% of couples of reproductive age. Several studies have indicated that patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) experience high levels of stress, depression, and anxiety. Multiple risk factors for anxiety and depression during infertility treatment have been identified; these include being female, age over 30, lower level of education, lack of [...]
Upcoming Sjogren’s Syndrome Insight Groups
Jun 25th
In our ongoing efforts to empower Health Activists, we'll be holding online focus groups on Tuesday, July 20th for people who are active contributors to the Sjogren’s Syndrome community online. These groups are being held on behalf of one of WEGO Health’s sponsors.
Focus groups will be held at Noon, 4PM, 6PM and 9PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 20th. Each session will last one hour and is held remotely – participants can join from anywhere in the country, but need to be online and on the phone at the same time in order to attend the event.
All participants will receive a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate
We’re looking for people who:
• Have experience with Sjogren’s Syndrome (either as patients or caregivers)
• Stay current on the latest news and treatment options for Sjogren’s Syndrome
• Are active contributors to online health communities about Sjogren’s Syndrome
If you’re interested in joining us on Tuesday, July 20th, the link below will take you to a short survey to see if this group might be appropriate for you:
Sjogren’s Syndrome Insight Group Survey
Focus groups will be held at Noon, 4PM, 6PM and 9PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 20th. Each session will last one hour and is held remotely – participants can join from anywhere in the country, but need to be online and on the phone at the same time in order to attend the event.
All participants will receive a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate
We’re looking for people who:
• Have experience with Sjogren’s Syndrome (either as patients or caregivers)
• Stay current on the latest news and treatment options for Sjogren’s Syndrome
• Are active contributors to online health communities about Sjogren’s Syndrome
If you’re interested in joining us on Tuesday, July 20th, the link below will take you to a short survey to see if this group might be appropriate for you:
Sjogren’s Syndrome Insight Group Survey
Antidepressants and Risk of Spontaneous Abortion
Jun 21st
Although the last several decades of research have yielded important findings regarding the safety of antidepressants during pregnancy, some areas are still understudied. For example, there are no conclusive results concerning the risk of spontaneous abortions following antidepressant exposure during the first trimester. Several recent meta-analyses, including one from the Motherisk program (Hemels, 2005), have [...]
Valproic Acid and the Risk of Major Malformations
Jun 14th
Previous studies have indicated that infants exposed to valproic acid in pregnancy are at increased risk for a range of malformations, including neural tube defects. While these studies have shown an association between valproic acid and various malformations, they have been limited in their ability to quantify the risk of certain, less common malformations. To [...]
Connect with other Health Activists – Join a WEGO Health Group
Jun 11th
If you’re a member of the WEGO Health Community, you probably already know about our condition and topic-specific Groups but you might not have joined one yet. Our Groups are a great way to stay in touch with other Health Activists who share your interests while staying current on the most recent WEGO Health posts and discussions – we encourage you to join a couple today!
What do the Groups have to offer?
To join a WEGO Health Group, simply visit our Groups page and select the groups you’re most interested in!
What do the Groups have to offer?
- Focused conversation and information around your topic of interest
- Interaction with other Health Activists dedicated to that health condition
- Regular digests updating you on the latest blog posts and discussions
- Special access and invitations to WEGO Health events – be the first to know about condition-specific events!
To join a WEGO Health Group, simply visit our Groups page and select the groups you’re most interested in!
Men Get Postpartum Depression Too
Jun 7th
While postpartum depression (PPD) is typically considered to be a woman’s illness, a number of studies have suggested that, although men do not experience any of the dramatic physiologic or hormonal changes that go along with pregnancy, new fathers may also suffer from PPD. The most recent study was a meta-analysis published in the May [...]
Health Activist Meetup – What would you like to discuss?
Jun 4th
Our first ever Health Activist Meetup (held in Boston in April) was such a success that we’ve decided to hold another! If you’ll be in the area on June 24th, we’d love to have you join us for some great Health Activist conversation and networking. RSVP now to secure your spot before the event fills up: Boston Health Activist Meetup.
We’d also love your help in picking some Health Activist Topics for our Meetup! Last time, we focused on the path of Health Activism:
- The Road to Activism: How to Transform Your Passion into Activism
- Expanding Your Reach: How to Attract More Readers or Followers
- How to Connect Offline and Online Activism
Our Health Activist attendees had great ideas on all of these topics and helped our speakers to develop key takeaways for the group. This time, we’d like to make those takeaways available to all of you – especially those of you who won’t be able to join us !
Whether you can make it or not, be sure to leave a comment on this blog post with what you’d like to see covered during the Meetup. Are there Health Activist tools you’re interested in learning more about? Are there topics that you think are important to Health Activists across all communities? What resources could help you as a Health Activist? Let us know and we’ll make sure to include if in our list of possible session topics!
Hope to see you there!
We’d also love your help in picking some Health Activist Topics for our Meetup! Last time, we focused on the path of Health Activism:
- The Road to Activism: How to Transform Your Passion into Activism
- Expanding Your Reach: How to Attract More Readers or Followers
- How to Connect Offline and Online Activism
Our Health Activist attendees had great ideas on all of these topics and helped our speakers to develop key takeaways for the group. This time, we’d like to make those takeaways available to all of you – especially those of you who won’t be able to join us !
Whether you can make it or not, be sure to leave a comment on this blog post with what you’d like to see covered during the Meetup. Are there Health Activist tools you’re interested in learning more about? Are there topics that you think are important to Health Activists across all communities? What resources could help you as a Health Activist? Let us know and we’ll make sure to include if in our list of possible session topics!
Hope to see you there!
New Health Activist Blog Carnival: Your Best Health Activist Moment
Jun 2nd
Back in April we asked everyone to share their Health Activist stories - that moment when you realized you were truly a Health Activist.
To participate in the Health Activist Blog Carnival:
For this month's blog carnival, we'd like to hear your best moment as a Health Activist - the moment you were most proud of the work you've been doing.
Maybe it was organizing a big event (on or off-line) for your health community, or a blog post getting attention from all across the web. Perhaps your favorite moment as a Health Activist came as an email, comment, or Retweet from a fellow community member.
Whatever it is, don't be shy! Take some time this month to reflect on what you've accomplished as a Health Activist and share what you're most proud of with others!
To participate in the Health Activist Blog Carnival:
- Let others know that your post is for the Health Activist Blog Carnival by including the following text at the end of your post: "This post is my June entry in the Health Activist Blog Carnival. If you're interested in participating too, you can read all about it here: http://blog.wegohealth.com/2010/06/new-health-activist-blog-carnival-your.html
- Leave a comment with a link to your entry on this Health Bloggers Discussion - be sure to come back often to check out the latest entries and read your fellow Health Activists' stories!
Health Activist Blog Carnival – May Wrap Up!
Jun 1st
Thanks to all of you who participated in our Health Activist Blog Carnival during May! In honor of Mental Health Month 2010, we asked how mental health has touched your communities – regardless of health condition – and we received a number of great responses.
Here are a few of the great Blog Carnival posts that we saw this month:
Keiko Zoll highlights “The Impact of Infertility on Mental Health” and shares the conflict between “letting it happen” and the mental toll of dealing with infertility.
Amy K. focuses on a common problem for Health Activists – the balance between activism and your own personal mental health – in her post “Mental Health and Me”. She reminds us how important it is to remember our own needs when advocating for our communities.
In her post “Mental Health Month and My Community”, Kristina talks about the need to raise awareness and fight the stigma around mental health and encourages all Health Activists to share their stories.
“Food Allergies and Mental Health” is a great example of how often mental health can touch health conditions that seem unrelated. Janeen gives us all an honest depiction of the mental ups and downs associated with diagnosis, treatment, and dealing with any health condition.
And be sure to check out the Health Bloggers Discussion dedicated to this Blog Carnival Topic – you can still contribute to the carnival by leaving a comment linking to your post and see what other posts have been added.
Thanks again for joining us in this month’s Health Activist Blog Carnival! We’ll be announcing June’s topic tomorrow!
Here are a few of the great Blog Carnival posts that we saw this month:
Keiko Zoll highlights “The Impact of Infertility on Mental Health” and shares the conflict between “letting it happen” and the mental toll of dealing with infertility.
Amy K. focuses on a common problem for Health Activists – the balance between activism and your own personal mental health – in her post “Mental Health and Me”. She reminds us how important it is to remember our own needs when advocating for our communities.
In her post “Mental Health Month and My Community”, Kristina talks about the need to raise awareness and fight the stigma around mental health and encourages all Health Activists to share their stories.
“Food Allergies and Mental Health” is a great example of how often mental health can touch health conditions that seem unrelated. Janeen gives us all an honest depiction of the mental ups and downs associated with diagnosis, treatment, and dealing with any health condition.
And be sure to check out the Health Bloggers Discussion dedicated to this Blog Carnival Topic – you can still contribute to the carnival by leaving a comment linking to your post and see what other posts have been added.
Thanks again for joining us in this month’s Health Activist Blog Carnival! We’ll be announcing June’s topic tomorrow!