All in the name of science

I attended a nursing conference the other day, and we discussed all the scary things that happen in OB. And while yes, most women are healthy and have normal births with minimal interference, we are also seeing sicker patients with more problems.

But it was interesting to note how much is starting to appear related to allergic reactions and the inflammatory response. Take, for example, preeclampsia. It used to be called toxemia, but that's an inaccurate name. Without getting all nurse-nerd on you, it's when your liver, kidneys, and brain start going to hell in a handbasket. Some researchers looked at pregnant women's exposure to foreign DNA in their bloodstream in relation to preeclampsia. Perhaps it was part of an allergic reaction to foreign DNA (fetal) in their body?

So one doctor had an idea. What if you had enough exposure to foreign DNA that your body would accept it and not develope an allergic reaction? Would you stil get preeclampsia? She did a little study. And this is my kind of study.

She asked women who had birthed babies about their pregnancies and their (ahem) oral sex practice. It turns out that women who had allowed foreign DNA into their gut (you with me?) had a lower rate of preeclampsia.

So all this time, I've really been protecting my pregnancy health. And I thought I was just being nice.