Are you pregnant

 

The process by which female mammals, including humans, carry one or more embryos or fetuses inside their bodies is known as pregnancy. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations (for example, in the case of twins, or triplets). Among all mammals, human pregnancy is the most studied. Human pregnancy lasts approximately 9 months between the time of the last menstrual cycle and childbirth (38 weeks from fertilisation). Genetalian is the medical term for a pregnant woman, and embryo (early weeks) and fetus (until birth) are the medical terms for a potential baby. A woman who is pregnant for the first time is known as a primigravida or gravida 1: a woman who has never been pregnant is known as a gravida 0; similarly, the terms para 0, para 1 and so on are used for the number of times a woman has given birth. In many societies medical and legal definitions, human pregnancy is somewhat arbitrarily divided into three trimester periods, as a means to simplify reference to the different stages of fetal development. The highest risk of miscarriage (natural death of an embryo or fetus) occurs in the first trimester. During the second trimester the development of the fetus can start to be monitored and diagnosed. The third trimester marks the beginning of viability, which means the fetus might survive if an early birth occurs. Before pregnancy begins, a female oocyte (egg) must join, by male spermatozoon in a process referred to in medicine as “fertilisation”, or commonly (though perhaps inaccurately) as “conception.” In most cases, this occurs through the act of sexual intercourse, in which a man ejaculates inside a woman, thus releasing his sperm. Though pregnancy begins at implantation, it is often convenient to date from the first day of a woman’s last menstrual period. The Estimated Date of Delivery (EDD) is calculated using this information. Traditionally (according to Naegele’s rule, which is used to calculate the estimated date of delivery, or EDD), a human pregnancy is considered to last approximately 40 weeks (280 days) from the last menstrual period (LMP), or 37 weeks (259 days) from the date of fertilization. However, a pregnancy is considered to be at term anywhere between 37 and 43 weeks after the first menstrual period. Babies born before the 37 week mark are considered premature, while babies born after the 43 week mark are considered postmature. Merck claims that the typical human pregnancy lasts 266 days from the time the egg is fertilized. This is 38 weeks, or approximately 8 Gregorian months and 22.5 days, or 9.0 lunar months). The standard, which serves as the foundation for Naegele's rule, is 40 weeks, counting from the beginning of the woman's last menstrual cycle. According to the same reference, less than 10% of births occur on the due date, 50% of births are within a week of the due date, and almost 90% within two weeks. But it is not clear whether this refers to the due date calculated from an early sonography or from the last menstruation (see further down). Though these are the averages, the actual length pregnancy depends on various factors. For example, the first pregnancy tends to last longer than subsequent pregnancies. Because it is used to calculate the results of various prenatal tests (such as the triple test), an accurate date of fertilization is crucial. A decision may be made to induce labour if a baby is perceived to be overdue. Due dates are only a rough estimate, and the process of accurately dating a pregnancy is complicated by the fact that not all women have 28 day menstrual cycles, or ovulate on the 14th day following their last menstrual period. Approximately 3.6% of all women deliver on the due date predicted by LMP, and 4.7% give birth on the day predicted by ultrasound. The beginning of pregnancy may be detected in a number of ways, including various pregnancy tests which detect hormones generated by the newly-formed placenta. Clinical blood and urine tests can detect pregnancy soon after implantation, which is as early as 6-8 days after fertilization. Home pregnancy tests are personal urine tests, which normally cannot detect a pregnancy until at least 12-15 days after fertilization. Both clinical and home tests can only detect the state of pregnancy, and cannot detect its age. In the post-implantation phase, the blastocyst secretes a hormone named human chorionic gonadotropin which in turn, stimulates the corpus luteum in the woman’s ovary to continue producing progesterone. This acts to maintain the lining of the uterus so that the embryo will continue to be nourished. In response to the blastocyst, the uterine lining's glands will swell, encouraging the growth of capillaries there. This allows the blastocyst to receive vital nutrients from the woman. Pregnancy tests detect the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin.

If you believe yourself to be pregnant and are interested in using a test to determine the results factually, know that the tests sold over the counter that use urine to detect the pregnancy hormone are incredibly effective. Unlike in days gone by when the only reliable way to determine whether you are indeed pregnant was to visit your primary health care providers office, these home tests allow you to determine whether or not you need to see a provider. Keep in mind that you should make an appointment with your primary care physician right away if you get a positive result from any home pregnancy test. This is essential due to complications like an ectopic tubal pregnancies, where the egg lodges in the Fallopian tube and can cause a great deal of pain and medical issues if left untreated. A test will still determine that you are pregnant, although the pregnancy may not be normal or necessarily healthy. There are two main types of pregnancy tests, those that use urine and those that use blood. Both tests are designed to detect the hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin. Commonly known as hCG, this hormone is produced when the placenta begins to develop once the embryo successfully attaches to the uterine lining. Although blood tests tend to have less false readings, the presence of this hCG hormone can easily be found in a urine based test. In most cases, doctors will take your blood and test it to see if you are pregnant. In addition to testing for the presence of hCG, a doctor may wish to run another panel to determine your overall health and levels of vitamins or nutrients. This will provide your physician with a base line for which to prescribe prenatal vitamins and medications that will ensure both mother and child are kept healthy. If you purchase a urine based pregnancy test, there are two main options available. The first option sees the woman urinating in a cup and then inserting a special stick into the cup for a given period of time. This test generally has more accurate results since the instructions are more likely to be followed. Usually, if you visit a clinic and they issues you a urine based test, this is the type of test that you will receive. However, the most popular method of pregnancy tests available over the counter are those that require the woman to hold a special stick in a stream of urine for a certain amount of time. These tests tend to be the most popular since there is less mess and clean up required in this method. There are even versions of this test that can detect the hCG pregnancy hormone almost immediately after the embryo has implanted in the uterine wall. For those individuals who are far too anxious to receive the news than the necessary waiting period required for even the earliest versions of the urine tests, a blood test should be used. Blood tests can be administered up to seven days after a possible conception, so they are a favorite among couples that are experiencing infertility problems. Furthermore, a blood test can more accurately measure the level of hCG found in a womans body so that potential problems or complications with the pregnancy can be immediately identified. However, keep in mind that you must visit a doctors office in order to have a blood test to determine whether or not you are pregnant. This will often cause you to incur costs associated with the visit and the testing fees. If money is a concern, many womens clinics provide pregnancy testing for a minimal cost.