expert type icon EXPERT

Ms. Mirela Cernaianu

OB-GYN (Obstetrician-Gynecologist)

Dr. Mirela Cernaianu is an obstetrician-gynecologist practicing in Westlake Village, California. Dr. Cernaianu specializes in women's health, particularly the female reproductive system, pregnancy and childbirth. As an obstetrician-gynecologist, or OB-GYN, Dr. Cernaianu can treat a number of health issues related to the vagina, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes and breasts. Dr Cernaianu can also treat women during pregnancy, labor, childbirth and the postpartum period. In this specialty, doctors focus on reproductive care from puberty through adulthood.
Ms. Mirela Cernaianu
  • Westlake Village, California
  • Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie Carol Davila
  • Accepting new patients

RA and pregnancy

While you take methotrexate it is advisable to avoid pregnancy. You can control RA with natural techniques and some patients were so successful that they lead normal lives, free READ MORE
While you take methotrexate it is advisable to avoid pregnancy. You can control RA with natural techniques and some patients were so successful that they lead normal lives, free of pain and with no arthritis issues. Change your diet to avoid any nightshades, eliminate grains and dairy and any sugar (look up autoimmune diet on google). Also consider looking at whether or not you have intestinal permeability (leaky gut) since it has been implicated in causing the autoimmune dysfunction that leads to RA, lupus, Hashimoto's etc

Is fertility reduced with spina bifida?

We do not know exactly what causes spina bifida, but we know that it is linked to folic acid and possibly other B vitamin deficiencies. The risk of spina bifida is very low, 1 READ MORE
We do not know exactly what causes spina bifida, but we know that it is linked to folic acid and possibly other B vitamin deficiencies. The risk of spina bifida is very low, 1 in 1000 to 1 in 5000, however it is higher if a family member had spina bifida, as high as 1 in 25 (4%). The mother needs to take folic acid for 12 weeks before conception to help prevent spina bifida in the baby. Also testing the homocysteine levels, and if elevated, testing for the MTHFR gene in the mother can tell you whether the mother-to-be needs to take folate instead of folic acid.


Good luck!

Is pregnancy possible after chemotherapy?

Please be aware that pregnancy planning should be discussed with the oncologist - the cancer doctor. After breast cancer, sometimes pregnancy needs to be avoided for a few years READ MORE
Please be aware that pregnancy planning should be discussed with the oncologist - the cancer doctor. After breast cancer, sometimes pregnancy needs to be avoided for a few years since the elevated hormones of pregnancy might increase the risk of the cancer coming back.

If your sister has normal regular periods after chemo, there should be no issues getting pregnant. If her periods are not returning just yet, she should be patient and consider testing of her other hormones like thyroid and adrenal to see if they were affected by the chemo and stress. Both thyroid and adrenal health can affect ovarian hormones.

Once pregnant, your sister should have no issues staying pregnant. The chemo affects the ovary but once periods start, everything is back to normal.

As far as breast feeding after mastectomy - once the breast tissue is removed, there should be no possibility of breastfeeding from the mastectomy side, but the remaining breast should allow breastfeeding.

Best of health to your sister!

What if I miss a week straight of birth control pills?

When you stop taking your birth control pills for 2-3 days in a row, the uterine lining will shed, so you can expect a period. Also, you will loose any protection offered by the READ MORE
When you stop taking your birth control pills for 2-3 days in a row, the uterine lining will shed, so you can expect a period. Also, you will loose any protection offered by the birth control pill.
Options to avoid missing the pill:
- The pharmacies have nationwide chains and they can transfer your prescription where you are;
- Also, I refill and send prescriptions to out-of-state pharmacies when my patients are in your situation, so call your GYN doc and explain you left on vacation and forgot the pills and can they send a prescription to a pharmacy near you? Most docs have electronic records now (when I send an electronic prescription to any pharmacy, it gets there after I click send).

Did my dental x-rays harm my baby? (first trimester)

Almost all dental offices employ digital X ray technology which means less exposure in general. Also the baby is very resistant to minimal insults and it is very unlikely that READ MORE
Almost all dental offices employ digital X ray technology which means less exposure in general. Also the baby is very resistant to minimal insults and it is very unlikely that any harm would occur. There is always a risk of some unquantifiable harm like risk of cancer later in life but there is not much we can do about that at this point. Also the cover they used is lead and usually protects you and the baby. Try not to worry too much.
Best of health!