What is Pregnancy ?

Pregnancy is a boom for women. It’s an important stage in her life in which she is giving birth to a new being.

Though the span of pregnancy is nearly 10 months, and lots of difficulties and pain gone through she will be utmost happy when she delivers her baby.

Fertilization:

This is the process initializing for pregnancy. It involves the fusion of male gamete(spermatozoa or sperm) with the female egg or ovum.

Sperm(23 chr) +ovum(23 chr)=zygote(46chr).

Chr---chromosome, genetic material.

The egg released every month is viable only for 24 hrs. Hence fusion has to take place within two days of release of egg. Sperm once entered the vagina is viable for 5-7 days depending on the body condition.

Increased Chances Of Fertilization:

· Women are most fertile during the age of 23-27, but chances continue up to the age of 29 too.

After this age probabilities fall down to a greater level.

· Regular menstrual period so that the release of egg and hormonal levels are regularized and predictable.

· Chances of pregnancy are at peak during the ovulation period (time at which egg is released) every month usually it occurs around 10-14 th day of regular menstrual periods.

· Good healthy body is essential for pregnancy.

Prenatal Care:

A women planning for pregnancy should take care of her health properly.

Food rich in protein, vitamin, iron, calcium should be started taking well in advance of three months. This is very very essential for her to bear all the tough times during pregnancy and to meet the increased demand during pregnancy.
Maintain healthy weight with regular exercise regimen.
Avoid illicit drugs, alcohol, and caffeinated drinks.
Start taking 400 micrograms of folic acid which plays very significant role in the neural (BRAIN) development.
It’s always good to have a opinion of the gynaecologist before getting pregnant.

Signs & Symptoms:

Early pregnancy:

The earliest time a pregnancy be detected is about 3 weeks that’s when your hormone level is up and it is easier to detect a blood test can detect the pregnancy from about 2 weeks it is more accurate as well.

Missed period if otherwise have a regular period.
Implantation bleeding occur during the III-IV th week of last menstrual period (LMP).

I Trimester:

Breast feeling tender, soft & sore.
Morning sickness
Increased craving for food.
Fatigue,dizziness,headache(hormonal effects)
Mood swings.

II Trimester:

Can feel the movements of foetus.
Emotional instability.
Abdomen starts showing up.
Increased urinating feeling.

III Trimester:

Abdominal size reaching it ti the maximum.
Improper digestion and flatulence.
Lower backache due to arching of spine.
Increased hair fall.
Psychological stress.

First Medical Visit:

The first visit scheduled between 8 to 12 weeks is designed to determine general health and give health care and provide clues to the risk factors that might affect your pregnancy.

It includes:

Through physical examination.
Pap smear taken to rule any cervical cancers and sexually transmitted diseases.
Ultra sound scan.
Complete blood count.
Urinalysis.
Test to rule out sexually transmitted diseases & hepatatis.

The pregnant women can get the information of her due date

Stages Of Pregnancy:

The total span of pregnancy is 40 weeks from last menstrual period called as gestational period.

It s conveniently divided in to three stages based on the growth pattern of the foetus. They are

I Trimester.
II Trimester.
III Trimester

I Trimester: (Up to 14 weeks of gestation)

It is considered to be started from the first day of women’s last menstrual period.

During this stage,

Sperm + egg = zygote.

↓

Embryogical division.

↓

Morula.

↓

Blastocyst.

This blastocyst has an outer most layer called trophoblast which gets embedded in the uterine wall forming placenta later.

It produces human chorionic gonadotrophic hormone which gives the first indication of pregnancy in serum (blood) and urine later.

Thus there will be embryological development of foetus in this stage.

Embryo:

Conceptus between time of fertilization to 10 weeks of pregnancy is called so.

After this once the embryological division is finished it starts differentiating morphologically ,this stage from the 10 th week onwards is known as foetus.

By the end of the first month, baby is about 1/4 inch long.

By the end of this stage , all the major organs have been formed. But this period is highly sensitive and there are more chances for miscarriages .

II Trimester: (14 to 28 weeks of gestation)

In this stage there is full blown growth of the foetus increasing the demand fom the mother.During this stage the size of the foetus increases dramatically.

III Trimester:(28 week to delivery)

There will be maturation of all the organs that has developed earlier.There will be regular rapid movements of the foetus.

Care During Pregnancy:

The pregnant women has to put extra efforts to take care of her health .she has to maintain her physical as well as phsycological health .

Food has to be enriched with lot of vitamins ,iron, proteins etc.mainly she has to take lots of fruits , vegetables, milk , egg, fish, green leafy vegetables,soya, ragi etc.

At the same time she should be physically fit by doing particular exercises through out her pregnancy.

Phsycological health too plays a very imporatnt role.she should nurture positive mindset and happy thoughts.

Due to harmonal imbalance, pregnant women is prone for dental problems like gingivitis.So its important to take care of her dental health too.Dental treatments like extractions if being an emergency can be done safely in II trimester .

Child Birth:

A pregnancy is considered to have reached term between 37 and 43 weeks from the beginning of the last menstruation.Labour is marked by onset of regular contractions of uterus, with severe pain.there is rise in oxytocin hormon level which helps in cervical relaxation.

Majority of the case have normal delivery but few conditions llike cord prolapse requires an emergency cesserean-section which is nothing but surgical removal of foetus from the mother.

Complication of Pregnancy:

Abortion there are many reasons for it to occur and common in I trimester.
Ectopic pregnancy where there is implantattion of the embryo outside the uterus.It has to be terminated otherwise there is risk for the death of mother.
Placental abruption where there is seperation of placenta from the foetus.Depending on the stage of growth of the foetus treatment is done.

· Gestational diabetes When the body is not able to make all the insulin it needs during pregnancy there is a build up of high levels of glucose in the blood, and is termed Gestational Diabetes.

Newborn will be overweight and there are more chances for them to get type II diabetes later in their life.

Pre-eclampsia there is rapid rise in blood pressure due to protein which is released from placenta causing endothelial dysfunction in maternal blood vessels.

What is Pregnancy ?