Is it normal to have period-like cramps or intense back pain during pregnancy? Understanding common discomforts like bloating, dry throat, and sinus pressure helps in distinguishing them from serious medical complications.
One of 60 pregnancies is ectopic, or growing outside of the uterus. Vaginal bleeding is common in early pregnancy, occurring in 20 percent to 30 percent of all pregnancies, the American Pregnancy Association says. Vaginal bleeding in ectopic pregnancy can be heavier than bleeding seen in intrauterine pregnancies.
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Scar tissue, also known as adhesions, can cause pregnancy complications when it forms in, on or around the uterus or fallopian tubes. Adhesions form as the result of trauma, such as surgery or infection.
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Many pregnancies end in miscarriage before a women even knows sheβs pregnant. A full-term pregnancy is measured as 40 weeks, starting with the first day of the last menstrual period. At five weeks of pregnancy, a woman is one week past her first missed period.
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Since the heart is a muscle, you may wonder if it will ache like other muscles when you first start to exercise. Unlike other muscles, your heart never gets out of shape from lack of exercise; your heart beats every day, every hour, every minute, no matter what you do.
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When you're pregnant, the hormone progesterone plays an essential role in helping your baby grow. Most women have adequate progesterone levels without taking progesterone supplements.
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Active labor -- when your cervix has started to dilate -- is very difficult to stop. But if you're in preterm labor, having contractions more than three weeks before your due date, your doctor might prescribe tocolytic medications to slow or stop the process.
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During surgical anesthesia, respiratory reflexes such as gag reflexes that normally prevent vomited food or gastric juices from entering the lungs are suppressed. Food, stomach juices, blood or saliva can enter the trachea, the tube that leads to the lungs.
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Abdominal pain and light bleeding occur frequently in pregnancy. As many as 20 to 30 percent of women bleed in early pregnancy, the American Pregnancy Association states.
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Abdominal discomfort occurs commonly in pregnancy. The growing uterus, an active fetus and shifted intestines can all contribute to abdominal discomfort. But pain in the upper abdomen can be caused by problems beyond the usual pregnancy aches and pains, though less serious concerns can also be to blame.
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