Pregnancy – everything you need to know about it

What is pregnancy

Pregnancy is a completely natural period in a woman’s life, during which significant physiological and hormonal changes occur in her body. These are necessary in order to ensure the optimal development of the fetus, and also to prepare the body for the upcoming childbirth and lactation period.

Pregnancy by weeks

Usually pregnancy lasts 9 months, which are divided into 3 trimesters. The first trimester represents the beginning of pregnancy. In the second trimester, the risk of miscarriage decreases, and in the third trimester, fetal movements become most noticeable. Conventionally, pregnancy is divided into 40 gestational weeks.

Pregnancy calculator

Do you know what week you are? Do you know when your due date is ? With our pregnancy calculator you can calculate your due date, the likely date of conception and track the development of the fetus and the changes occurring in the pregnant woman’s body, week by week. Go to the calculator here.

Pregnancy symptoms

How to know you are pregnant? As early as the first day of your period, you will notice that your breasts are abnormally larger in size, may even ache, and your nipples may be darkened. In addition, the following symptoms may be present: morning sickness, intolerance to particular smells, sudden mood swings, pigment spots on the face, etc.

Gestational week

“Gestation” means “pregnancy” in Latin. Pregnancy in humans lasts for 40 gestational weeks. Their counting starts from the first day of the last cycle and ends on the day of the term.

What is specific is that one gestational week equals 7 days, and four gestational weeks form the so-called lunar month. That is, a lunar month consists of 28 days, and the entire pregnancy lasts 280 days.

Pregnancy test

The absence of monthly menstruation is not a definite sign that you are pregnant. You can bring clarity to the matter by taking a pregnancy test at home or visiting your GP to have a blood test done.

When to take a pregnancy test

The earliest you can take a pregnancy test is 1-2 days after the day your period is supposed to start. Buy a test from the pharmacy. It is easy to use and the result will be ready in seconds. For the greatest accuracy, we recommend taking the test 2-3 times. The result will be most reliable if more than 14 days have passed since conception at the time of taking the test. In case of a positive sign, contact a gynecologist.

Types of pregnancy tests:

Urine test from the pharmacy

This is the most mainstream and basic test to get when pregnancy is suspected. Unfortunately, it is not always as accurate as an examination by a specialist doctor. You can conduct a urine test at home. It registers the pregnancy the very next day after your period is late but to be on the safe side do it a few days after. If in doubt, repeat the test after a few more days.

Pregnancy blood test

A blood pregnancy test is more accurate than a urine test. It is more sensitive and much less likely to give a wrong result. With its help, the approximate date of conception is established. To do it, you need to have your blood drawn in a specialized laboratory and have the appropriate test done.

Pregnancy test at the doctor

When you have a positive pregnancy test from the pharmacy, you need to go to a gynecologist. He will examine you with a video probe and find out for sure whether you are pregnant or not. You can take a referral from the GP to avoid paying for the examination. The gynaecologist will tell you which gestational week you are in and when your due date is.

Colour pregnancy

In a coloured pregnancy there is a hormonal imbalance in the woman’s body. As a result, she finds out late that she is expecting a child. The reason is that during the first few months of pregnancy, bleeding occurs, which is quite similar to menstruation.

Typical symptoms of a coloured pregnancy are: nausea, vomiting, painful breasts, increase in size, etc.

Ectopic pregnancy

When the fertilized egg is outside the uterine cavity, it is an ectopic pregnancy (also called ectopic pregnancy). The phenomenon has not been fully studied, but it is known that among its root causes are disorders of the function of the fallopian tube and of the transport of the fertilized egg to the uterus.

There are factors contributing to ectopic pregnancy. These include the use of intrauterine contraceptives, smoking, age over 35, in vitro pregnancy, high levels of progesterone and estrogen, congenital fallopian tube deformity, endometriosis, etc.

Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy: amenorrhea, colicky lower abdominal pain, hypovolemic shock, flatulence, nausea, vomiting, etc.

Sex during pregnancy

When pregnancy proceeds normally, there is no reason why sex life should be temporarily suspended. The key is to maintain good hygiene and avoid positions that lead to uterine squeezing. It is normal during the nine months for a pregnant woman to experience moments of decreased or increased sex drive.

Examinations during pregnancy

From conception to term, the pregnant woman will be under constant observation. In addition to regular visits to the gynecologist, a number of tests may need to be done:

• ultrasound
• testing of the pregnant woman’s blood group and rhesus factor
• urine tests
• microbiological examination of a vaginal swab
• Pap smear
• biochemical screening
• fetal morphology
• complete blood count
• biochemical tests
• SUE, CRP, etc.

In some pregnant women, as long as there are indications for this, a screening test for gestational diabetes, rubella testing, testing for toxoplasmosis IgG and IgM antibodies may be ordered.