Healthy pregnancy usually starts with a healthy woman. Thus, a woman can improve her changes for a healthy pregnancy by being of normal weight and eating a healthy diet prior to getting pregnant. It is also important to get any chronic illnesses,...
Full term pregnancy is measured as 40 weeks, but the first day of pregnancy is counted as the first day of the last menstrual period. This means that at four weeks of pregnancy, a woman is just due for her menstrual period. Signs of pregnancy at...
Many women have suspicions early on that they may be pregnant with more than one baby. While the only absolute way to tell for sure you are carrying twins is through an ultrasound, there are some early pregnancy signs that may provide the first...
Think you might be pregnant? It can take some women weeks to notice that they're pregnant, but others might notice the first, subtle warning signs as early as a week or two after the egg is fertilized. But, many of the early pregnancy symptoms can...
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg attaches somewhere other than the lining of the uterus. The Mayo Clinic explains that ectopic pregnancy nearly always occurs in one of the two fallopian tubes that deliver eggs from the ovaries...
Pregnancy, whether planned or unexpected, can be an exciting time in a woman's life. Knowing the signs and symptoms of pregnancy can help a woman know when to take better care of herself and seek medical attention. While not all women will...
An ectopic pregnancy can cause abdominal cramps. These cramps occur about six to eight weeks after the missed menstrual period. At first, these cramps may be dull just like menstrual cramps. A woman usually feels the abdominal cramps on one side...
At most first prenatal appointments the doctor and patient work together to determine the estimated due date of the baby. However, a due date is not a guarantee of when the baby will arrive. Any mother or medical professional will agree that a...
Many books have been written about labor and delivery as a way of preparing expectant mothers for the long awaited arrival of their baby. In reality though, there is no typical pregnancy, labor or delivery, only typical symptoms. While these signs...
Morning sickness and missing your period are two of the classic signs of pregnancy that expectant moms experience. These signs vary from woman to woman, so knowing what to look for can help you determine whether you may be expecting.
It is common for women to wonder if they may be pregnant with twins early in their pregnancy. Women with a family history of twins or those who take certain fertility drugs may be at a higher risk for a twin pregnancy. According MayoClinic.com, a...
During pregnancy, hormone levels change. In the case of progesterone, levels begin to change as soon as you ovulate. After ovulation, the remnant of the follicle that contained the egg, called the corpus luteum, produces progesterone. When you're...
According to the American Pregnancy Association, a missed menstrual cycle is usually the earliest sign of pregnancy in most sexually active women. As different as a woman's body is from another woman's body, so are the signs and symptoms of...
Finding out that you are pregnant is one of the most monumental times in life. Whether the pregnancy is a surprise or you have been trying to become pregnant for months, the early symptoms of pregnancy may be surprising. Understanding what to...
While most diagnosed pregnancies proceed with little difficulty and end in the delivery of healthy babies, it’s natural for a newly pregnant mother to worry that she’s going to miscarry. Some of the signs of miscarriage are quite...
Whether a couple is trying to conceive or hoping to avoid pregnancy, the two-week wait between ovulation and a positive or negative pregnancy test can be emotionally stressful. While some women will find they experience no symptoms of early...
Many women who are trying to conceive, or who've missed a period, examine each symptom they experience as a potential sign of pregnancy. While some of the early pregnancy symptoms are fairly well known---morning sickness, for instance, is nearly...
Whether you're trying to conceive or trying not to, it's not unusual to microanalyze your symptoms around the time of your expected period for signs that you might be pregnant. While diarrhea is indeed a potential early sign of pregnancy, it's not...
A pregnancy test can often detect pregnancy in its early stages, sometimes a few days before a first missed period. For some women, pregnancy signs are noticeable shortly after conception, a week or more before their period is due. For others,...
Physical changes may alert you to pregnancy before you test positive on a pregnancy test. Most pregnancy tests yield accurate results only after a missed period, which means they can't be relied upon in the very early stages of pregnancy. If...
Many new mothers mistakenly think that breastfeeding alone will prevent them from becoming pregnant again. While breastfeeding can help prevent another pregnancy, breastfeeding is not a fool-proof way to prevent pregnancy. Mothers who are...
The earliest signs of pregnancy may be easy to recognize for some but for others they may be mistakenly attributed to some other ailment. AmericanPregnancy.org suggests that during the first week or few weeks of pregnancy some women may not...
Whether you'd like to conceive or are trying to avoid pregnancy, it's common to scrutinize yourself for signs of early pregnancy--particularly if you've recently missed a period. Early pregnancy causes many changes in a woman's body and in the way...
Approximately 1 million teenage women become pregnant each year, according to the American Medical Network. Any time a teenage girl engages in unprotected sexual activities, she is at risk for becoming pregnant. Pregnant teens usually experience...
Enormous changes occur in the body after conception. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the pregnancy hormone, increases quickly, initiating a series of events. Changes begin soon after implantation of the egg into the lining of the uterus....
At three weeks pregnant, your future baby is a microscopic cluster of rapidly dividing cells, reports the website BabyCenter. This group of cells, called a blastocyte, attaches itself to the lining of your uterus, where part of it begins to form...
Exercise and fitness often are associated with an increase in your energy level. Unfortunately, that's not so for everyone. When you feel especially tired when exercising, you're bound to wonder what has changed. Because fatigue is a common first...
Proof of pregnancy lies for certain in the results of an actual pregnancy test, but a woman can watch for a few early signs of pregnancy in the first weeks after conception. The Mayo Clinic cautions that some symptoms are a sign of illness...
Whether you've been trying to conceive for awhile or you are unexpectedly wondering if you're pregnant, deciphering the signs your body is giving you can be tricky. Many women report flu-like symptoms such as headache, muscle aches and nausea and...
Swelling in the hands and feet during pregnancy is very common and often caused by water retention. Learn how to control pregnancy swelling in this pregnancy video.
Morning sickness is one of the first signs of pregnancy. It is caused by the sudden hormone changes. Learn how to combat or prevent morning sickness during pregnancy in this video for pregnant women.
Nausea affects 50 to 80 percent of pregnant women, and morning sickness if often one of the first signs of pregnancy. Learn how to treat pregnancy nausea in this video for pregnant women.
Gestational diabetes is a rare diabetes develops in women during pregnancy. Watch this video for more on this unique condition and how to prevent and treat it.
