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 her body functions; some of these changes take place in the breasts.
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Your body changes in many ways during pregnancy. One of the changes that might be quite apparent from the very beginning of pregnancy is that your digestive tract slows down significantly to help you extract nutrients from your food. Unfortunately, this can lead to uncomfortable bloating and gas after eating.
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The hormone HCG, which stands for human chorionic gonadotropin, helps to communicate to your body that you're pregnant and maintains the pregnancy during its early weeks and months.
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If you're pregnant, you probably often find yourself wondering whether a particular food that you typically eat -- or are craving now that you're pregnant -- is safe. Yogurt is an example of a food that, within certain restrictions, is not only safe to eat, but also has health benefits for you and your baby.
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Women who are trying to conceive often wonder whether there's something they're eating that might be negatively impacting their ability to get pregnant.
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Sodium bicarbonate is the chemical name for baking soda, which has the formula NaHCO3. If you're pregnant, you may be wondering whether it's safe to use sodium bicarbonate in foods and in other household applications, particularly because many chemicals that are otherwise safe can be toxic to an unborn child.
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The abbreviation hCG is short for human chorionic gonadotropin. It is a hormone produced by a developing embryo during pregnancy. The hormone has an important role in both the detection and the maintenance of pregnancy.
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Whether a woman wants to be pregnant or would prefer not to be, if she's getting unusual around the time she expects her menstrual period, she's likely to want to know whether they might indicate pregnancy. Headaches can be one of the earliest signs of pregnancy, and many women experience them.
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One common early sign of pregnancy is a metallic taste in the mouth. Some women feel as though they're chewing on aluminum foil, while to others, it seems that they have a penny tucked in their cheek.
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Women's bodies change significantly during pregnancy. Because the growing baby is in the pelvic cavity and also has to pass through the pelvis during delivery, many of these changes are localized to the pelvis. Women experience a variety of sensations during pregnancy, which may include pelvic discomfort or burning.
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The stresses on a woman's body during pregnancy are significant and come from a variety of sources. Hormones cause the body and mind to function differently than normal in preparing the body for the rigors of bringing a baby to term and caring for a newborn.
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Pregnancy changes a woman’s body to such a significant extent, it’s no wonder that some women experience unusual or unanticipated symptoms at one time or another during their nine months.
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With all the changes that take place during pregnancy, it’s easy for women to wonder whether what they’re feeling is normal or a sign that something is wrong—particularly when what they’re feeling is painful.
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Many women who are trying to conceive, or who’ve missed a period, examine each symptom they experience as a potential sign of pregnancy.
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Early pregnancy is a time of major change for a woman’s body. Particularly if the pregnancy is her first, her body organs shift considerably to make room for a uterus that begins to expand surprisingly soon after conception.
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Lung development in a fetus starts during the embryonic phase, at around four weeks of gestational age. Very early in development, what will eventually be a baby is nothing more than a cell ball, where none of the cells are yet specialized.
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Learn how to teach your baby while they're still in the womb, with expert tips on prenatal learning, fetal development, and preparing your child for life outside the womb.
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Most women know that no form of birth control is 100 percent effective. For some who are on birth control pills, circumstances occasionally arise in which they have reason to wonder whether they might be pregnant.
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Many women wonder, when faced with the thought of conceiving or the possibility of pregnancy, whether they can continue to drink alcohol.
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Determining whether a girl is pregnant can be difficult, particularly if the girl is young or not yet regular in her menstrual cycles.
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