The scientific Latin term known as graviditas is commonly known as pregnancy which is the process of carrying one or more offspring (embryo during the first eight weeks and then fetus from eight weeks until birth) within uteri or wombs and it is characteristic to females of all species of mammals which, of course, includes women. The time which lapses between conception (fertilization of the female egg by the male sperm) and birth of each offspring is called gestation. Every pregnancy can potentially have multiple gestations such as in cases of twins, triples and so on. Furthermore, each mammalian species has its own specific length of gestation and in women it is usually about 38 weeks if calculated from the time of fertilization or 40 weeks from the woman’s last normal menstrual period (LNMP). Because of this differentiation of two weeks’ calculation, normal childbirth is expected within two weeks of the calculated date, presuming that the woman in question is on a regular 28-day menstrual cycle. The estimated date of delivery (EDD) follows the well known Naegele’s rule and, accordingly, women are usually pregnant approximately nine months.
Full term pregnancies are those whose gestation lasts between 37 and 42 weeks. Shorter gestations are referred to as pre-term (premature) pregnancies while longer gestations are post-term (postmature) pregnancies. Since the risk to the fetus and its mother increase at post-term pregnancies, many obstetricians will opt for artificially inducing labor.
Human pregnancy is often divided into three trimesters, each referring to a different phase of fetal development. The first trimester or the beginning stage of a pregnancy is the most vulnerable and bears the highest embryonic or fetal mortality rate (natural miscarriages). The second trimester affords easy monitoring of the fetal development by, either, professionals of obstetrics (also known as the surgical field) or by midwifery (which is known as the non-surgical field). By the third trimester or by the final three months of pregnancy the fetus is developed sufficiently so that there is a good chance for its survival outside its mother’s womb (uterus) even without medical intervention.
The Onset of Pregnancy
Pregnancy begins with fertilization or conception which is the process by which the female gamete (oocyte) is infiltrated by the male gamete (spermatozoon) during the act of sexual intercourse, artificial insemination or vitro fertilization. Contrary to common usage of the term, the female component does not become an egg until after successful fertilization.
Symptoms of Pregnancy
The existence of pregnancy can be determined medically through tests, but most women will know by a long list of experienced symptoms which usually include the following:
1/ Swollen and Sensitive Breasts. The increased levels of hormones may cause the breasts to swell and feel sore, and the nipples and areolas darken. This tends to be an amplified version of the experience prior to the onset of menstrual flows (periods) and it usually subsides after the first trimester.
2/ Exhaustion and Sleepiness. Likely due to the increased levels of progesterone, pregnant women tend to experience unusual exhaustion and the need to sleep more. These may last through the entire pregnancy but most particularly during the first and third trimesters.
3/ Spotting. The expected period may have been missed but light spotting which lasts only one or two days may appear. This may be caused by the normal process of the fertilized egg digging its way deep into the lining of the uterus at approximately six days after conception. But it may also be sign of a dangerous ectopic (tubular) pregnancy. Medical advice must be sought with any unusual spotting or bleeding.
4/ Morning Sickness. Morning sickness (nausea, queasiness, vomiting) can be experienced at any time of the day and night. Although, it usually stops after the first trimester, it can continue throughout the entire pregnancy.
5/ Bloating. Much like before and/or during the period, water retention may cause a bloating around the abdomen.
6/ Sensitivity to Odors. Certain common odors of particular foods may suddenly become unbearably offensive. While the exact cause of this phenomenon is not yet understood, some say that it might be due to the increased levels of estrogen.
7/ Increased Urination. From the very beginning stages of pregnancy, blood and other bodily fluids increase dramatically. Thus, the kidneys process more fluids which are then passed into the bladder which needs to be emptied more frequently. When the fetus grows larger in later stages of the pregnancy, more pressure is put on the bladder and the frequency of urination becomes even more urgent.
8/ Missed Menstrual Flows. If the other early signs are not noticed or recognized as symptoms of a pregnancy, a missed period most definitely will.
9/ Home Pregnancy Test. Most pregnancy tests which are available off the shelves of drugstores will not detect pregnancy until approximately seven days after the missed period. But these should only be used as preliminary testing because it is imperative to then seek professional medical advice.
Related Posts
Whether it is called morning sickness, nausea gravidarum, vomiting or pregnancy, emesis gravidarum, NVP, pregnancy sickness or simply nausea; it is an unpleasant condition which...
There are various types of contraception. Contraception is medications and other ways to prevent pregnancy. The different types of contraceptives range from male condoms to birth...
Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that is brought on by pregnancy. It often goes away after the baby is delivered. Gestational diabetes occurs in about 4% of all pregnancies...
The pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is often called the pelvic inflammatory disorder and it is a broad term that indicates a viral, fungal, parasitic or, most commonly, bacterial...
Diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas of the human body. This disease is characterized by excessively high levels of sugar in the blood. There are different types of diabetes....
Comments
