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Pregnancy |
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Introducation |
Pregnancy occurs when an egg is fertilized by a
sperm, grows, and develops into a baby. In humans,
this takes about 280 days.
- Intra-uterine pregnancy: A
normal pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg
is implanted within the uterus (womb) and an
embryo grows.
Ectopic pregnancy:
An abnormal pregnancy in which the egg
implants outside of the uterus. This can be
life-threatening. Ectopic pregnancy must be
diagnosed early to avoid damage to the tubes
and prevent serious illness or death in the
mother. It is also called tubal pregnancy or
extra-uterine pregnancy.
- Beta human chorionic
gonadotropin (also called hCG-beta): This
hormone is secreted by the placenta and can be
measured to determine the presence and
progression of pregnancy. It can be tested in
urine or blood and is the hormone measured by
a home pregnancy test. Positive means
pregnant. This test can stay positive for
several weeks after delivering a baby or after
a
miscarriage.
- High-risk pregnancy: This
refers to a woman who is more likely to have
complications. Examples include women with
diabetes and high blood pressure.
- Trimester: A pregnancy is
divided into 3 sections or trimesters. Each
trimester has particular events and
developmental markers. For instance, the first
trimester builds the foundation of the
different organ systems.
- Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia:
This condition causes a woman's blood pressure
to rise, her body to swell, and her nervous
reflexes to change. If untreated, pre-eclampsia
can lead to eclampsia, which is a serious
illness causing seizures, coma, and even
death.
- Estimated date of
confinement (EDC): The delivery date is
estimated by counting forward 280 days from
the first day of the last period. It is also
called the estimated date of delivery (EDD).
- Embryo: The developing
fertilized egg during the first 12 weeks of
pregnancy is an embryo.
- Fetus: After 12 weeks of
gestation, the developing embryo is called a
fetus.
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Signs & Symptoms |
Signs and symptoms of pregnancy
include the following:
- Nausea or vomiting or both
- Missing a period or having an
abnormal period
- Passing urine more frequently
than usual
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Home Care |
If you suspect that you are
pregnant or have a positive home-pregnancy test,
make an appointment with your family doctor,
obstetrician, midwife, or nurse practitioner.
- Eat small, frequent meals
throughout your pregnancy. Eat a common-sense
balanced diet. Expect to gain between 25 and 35
pounds.
- Don't take medicines that you
don't need.
- Ginger capsules (available
over-the-counter) may help with nausea in
pregnancy, sometimes called
morning sickness.
- Don't smoke, drink alcohol,
or use street drugs.
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When to Call The Doctor |
Call a doctor or midwife if any of
the following conditions develop:
- Have abdominal or vaginal
pain
- Vomit more than 3 times a day
- Find your blood pressure is
elevated severely above 140/90
- Experience a sudden and rapid
weight gain
- Develop a severe headache or
changes in your vision
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When to Go To The Hospital |
- If you bleed through more
than 1 pad per hour, you should see a doctor:
Helpful links
Pregnancy, bleeding in third trimester;
Early pregnancy, bleeding
If you have severe pain in
your abdomen or shoulder, or if you feel as if
you are about to pass out, you should see a
doctor.
- If you pass pink, gray, or
white material from your vagina that does not
look like a blood clot, you should see a doctor.
- If you have a bloody
discharge or gush of water from your vagina, you
may be going into labor and should see a doctor.
- If you have lower abdominal
pain late in pregnancy, they may be labor pains,
which are contractions of the uterus. You should
see a doctor.
- If you have a seizure and do
not have a history of epilepsy, you may have
eclampsia (a complication of pregnancy), and you
should see a doctor.
- If you have an injury, such
as a fall, a blow to your stomach or pelvis, or
a car wreck, you should see a doctor.
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Physician Diagnosis
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- Pregnancy tests: Your urine
or blood may be tested.
- Ultrasound: Your doctor may
use sound waves to examine your internal
structures such as your uterus, ovaries, and the
embryo or fetus.
- Transabdominal: A jelly is
put on your abdomen and a sound-wave wand is
moved around to look into your pelvis. Your
bladder must be full to help transmit the
sound waves. This method works best later in
pregnancy when the fetus is well developed.
- Endovaginal or transvaginal:
A long thin sound-wave wand is covered with a
condom and put inside your vagina. This type
of ultrasound is usually done early in
pregnancy to make sure that the embryo or
fetus is inside the uterus where it belongs.
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Physician Treatment |
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Normal pregnancy is not an illness
and needs no "treatment." If your pregnancy is
difficult or complicated, your treatment can vary
from simple bedrest to amniocentesis, which is
removal of amniotic fluid from the sac surrounding
the pregnancy for testing, or a stay in the
hospital.
Because so many medicines can
hurt your pregnancy, it is extremely important
that you take only medicines that have been
approved by your doctor or midwife. If anyone
tries to prescribe a new medicine, remind them
that you are pregnant and ask if it's safe to
take.
- The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) lists 5 categories of
labeling for drug use in pregnancy.
- Category A - Safety has
been established using human studies
- Category B - Presumed
safety based upon animal studies
- Category C - Uncertain
safety with animal studies showing an adverse
effect
- Category D - Unsafe with
evidence of risk that may in certain clinical
circumstances be justifiable
- Category X - Highly unsafe
with risk or use outweighing any possible
benefit
- Electronic fetal monitoring:
Sometimes late in pregnancy, you may be placed
on a fetal monitor to verify the health of the
fetus or to see if you are in early labor.
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Prognosis |
Many events determine the outcome
of a pregnancy.
- Maternal weight gain: The
amount of weight you gain can be important in
predicting a normal pregnancy.
- Nausea and vomiting: Even if
you have what seems like an abnormal amount of
nausea and vomiting, it probably won't affect
your baby's health.
- Maternal diabetes (types 1
and 2): If you have diabetes or develop diabetes
during pregnancy, it can cause early labor,
birth defects, and very large babies.
- Low or high red blood cell
counts: Your risk of having a premature baby is
increased if your blood count is low (anemia).
If your blood count is too high (polycythemia),
your baby may be smaller than expected.
- Maternal obesity: If you are
obese and have diabetes, you are 3 times more
likely to have a baby with a birth defect. If
you are obese but do not have diabetes, your
risk of birth defects is not increased.
- Maternal age: If you are
older than 35 years, you have a higher risk of
birth defects and complications
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Prevention |
Preventing pregnancy is called contraception.
There are many ways to prevent pregnancy, but none
of them is 100% effective. An ideal contraceptive
would be 100% effective, 100% convenient, 100%
reversible, 100% safe, socially acceptable, cheap,
and easy to use.
- Sterilization - Male
(vasectomy) or female (tubal ligation)
- Subcutaneous implant -
Medication put under the skin, such as Norplant
- Oral contraceptives - Birth
control pills (see also
Emergency Contraception)
- Intra-uterine device (IUD)
- Coitus interruptus -
Withdrawal by male before climax
- Rhythm method - Not having
sex during time when most likely to be fertile
- Abstinence - No sexual
intercourse
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