Finding Out You Are Pregnant

Finding Out You Are Pregnant

How To Diagnose
"the embryo releases a hormone called the human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG)...present in your urine approximately six days after conception...peak about 60 days after conception..." (p. 22-23)

"After perhaps one conception in every ten, the fertilized egg does not manage to embed itself in the lining of the uterus. In this case, a pregnancy test will give a positive result, but a second test a few days later will be negative. For this reason, some packs carry the recommendation that you always wait three to five days and then retest, and two tests are included in each pack so you can do this." (p. 23)

"If it is more than six weeks since the first day of your last period, they can feel the already softening lower part of the uterus, which is also slightly enlarged. The neck of the uterus, or cervix, which protrudes into the vagina, is felt as firmer than the lower part of the uterus, and it is about the same consistency as the tip of your nose...this internal change is known as 'Hegar's sign.'" (p. 23-24)

Dating Your Pregnancy
"The length of the average pregnancy is some 266 days from conception." (p. 24)

Conceiving While Using Contraception
"If you conceive with an IUD (intrauterine device or coil) still inside you, your chances of miscarrying are increased...Sometimes doctors advise termination. This is certainly not necessary...many women deliver the IUD with the placenta after an uneventful pregnancy and birth." (p. 25-26)

"If you conceive but continue to take the pill for several months while pregnant, there is a slightly increased risk to the baby of congenital abnormalities, though the vast majority of women who have taken the pill while pregnant give birth to babies who are healthy and normal." (p. 26)

Pregnancy and HIV Infection
"85 percent of babies of HIV-positive mothers are born healthy" (p. 26)

"testing a baby after 6 to 18 months will more accurately tell if a baby has become infected." (p. 26)

"The safety measures usually proposed to help avoid transmission include not breast-feeding; having a Cesarean section, because babies often pick up the infection as they come down the birth canal; and being treated with antiviral medications during the last six months of pregnancy. With these precautions, the transmission rate can be reduced to 2 percent." (p. 26)

Early Signs of Pregnancy
Nausea--"Women who experience pregnancy nausea are less likely than others to have miscarriages." (p. 27)