Pregnancy occurs when a woman's egg is fertilized by sperm either through sexual intercourse or artificial insemination. A fertilized egg is called an embryo for the first 2 months, after which it is termed a fetus. The phases of pregnancy are divided into trimesters, periods of 3 months. Most miscarriages, the spontaneous end of a... more »
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is produced in a woman's body when she is pregnant and can be detected in urine. Early detection home pregnancy tests were designed to confirm pregnancy by detecting HCG. more »
The sacroiliac joint is found on either side of the spine where the spine joins the pelvis. Pain in the sacroiliac joint is often behind the backache women feel during pregnancy, even in early pregnancy when they have not gained significant weight. Sacroiliac joint pain is sometimes confused with sciatica. more »
Missing your period could be the first sign that you are pregnant. To be sure, take a home pregnancy test. These tests measure the amount of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in the urine. Your health care provider may later conduct a blood test that will measure the amount of hCG in the blood in order to determine if a woman is... more »
Getting enough folic acid before and during pregnancy helps prevent your baby from major birth defects of the brain or spine. Unfortunately, brain and spine birth defects occur during the first critical weeks of pregnancy before many women even know they are pregnant. That is why women who are considering becoming pregnant should... more »
When you're pregnant, you've got one more reason to stay fit. Prenatal exercise can not only...
The decision to have a child will change every aspect of a person's life. It's also something...
New moms can lose weight, while still eating well. Use the postpartum weight loss calculator or...
Using ultrasound to take a peek inside your uterus at baby is almost as miraculous as...
Though most people are unaware of this fact, bleeding during pregnancy is somewhat common. While no pregnant woman wants to experience vaginal... more »
The very first sign of pregnancy can bring a sense of wonder and concern. The first sign can be a solitary symptom or multiple symptoms.... more »
Pregnant women need to carefully watch their diets. Certain foods should be avoided completely during pregnancy because of bacteria or substances... more »
The first trimester is a roller coaster of emotions and odd feelings within your body. Understanding what is going on and how to deal with it is... more »
Depo Provera is the brand name of the birth control shot, a hormonal injection that a woman gets every three months in order to prevent pregnancy.... more »
The third trimester begins in the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy, which is 26 weeks following conception. This marks the point after which the... more »
An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilized egg implants itself in the fallopian tubes (tubal pregnancy) instead of the uterus. An ectopic pregnancy... more »
Early pregnancy tests are designed to detect Hormone Chorionic Gonadotropin or HCG. The placenta produces this hormone when a woman is pregnant.... more »
Many women wonder if a pregnancy test is always accurate. On television, women take pregnancy tests all the time and end up saying, "It was a... more »
Up to half of all pregnant women experience symptoms of heartburn at some point in pregnancy. The severity of discomfort can range from mildly... more »
Typically, farm heifers become pregnant in one of two ways: by artificial insemination or by being "serviced" by a bull. It is then essential that... more »
The accuracy of home pregnancy tests has improved dramatically in the last century. Women today can know whether or not they're expecting in just... more »
In the modern world, convenience is key. Nowehere, perhaps, is this more apparent than in the prevalence of home pregnancy tests. Without ever... more »
It's an experience familiar to most pregnant women. It's that hairpin curve that takes you from pure bliss to the depths of depression in no time... more »
Exercise is good for you no matter what the situation may be. However, there are added benefits when exercising while pregnant. Aside from helping... more »
Although some women may grab the first box of pregnancy tests they see at the drugstore, most women will compare various pregnancy tests before... more »
Not having morning sickness during pregnancy is healthy, in fact thousands of other pregnant women would be envious. As a symptom of pregnancy,... more »
There are many signs of pregnancy. Some are rather obvious, while others are more subtle and harder to detect. If you think you may be pregnant,... more »
Great news! You're pregnant and are about to enter a very special club called "Motherhood." But before you get to the baby bottles, diapers and... more »
The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the human body, running across the lower back and into the legs. During the third trimester of... more »
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Pregnancy (latin "graviditas") is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside the uterus of a female. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets. Human pregnancy is the most studied of all mammalian pregnancies. Obstetrics is the surgical field that studies and cares for high risk pregnancy. Midwifery is the non-surgical field that cares for pregnancy and pregnant women.
Childbirth usually occurs about 38 weeks after conception; i.e., approximately 40 weeks from the last normal menstrual period (LNMP) in humans. The World Health Organization defines normal term for delivery as between 37 weeks and 42 weeks . The calculation of this date involves the assumption of a regular 28-day menstrual cycle.
Terminology
One scientific term for the state of pregnancy is gravid, and a pregnant female is sometimes referred to as a gravida. Neither word is used in common speech. Similarly, the term "parity" (abbreviated as "para") is used for the number of previous successful live births. Medically, a woman who has never been pregnant is referred to as a "nulligravida", and in subsequent pregnancies as multigravida or "multiparous". (definition of nulligravida). (definition of nulligravida). Hence, during a second pregnancy a woman would be described as "gravida 2, para 1" and upon live delivery as "gravida 2, para 2." An in-progress pregnancy, as well as abortions, miscarriages, or stillbirths account for parity values being less than the gravida number, whereas a multiple birth will increase the parity value. Women who have never carried a pregnancy achieving more than 20 weeks of gestation age are referred to as "nulliparous". The medical term for a woman who is pregnant for the first time is primigravida.TMHP>, page 596.
The read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pregnancy
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