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Are you asking yourself, "Am I Pregnant?" You are not alone! Many women often ponder their pregnancy status in the first couple of weeks after ovulation. Chances are you won't experience any true pregnancy symptoms until the time when you missed your period, or even a week or a few weeks later than this. It may be even more difficult to determine if you are having signs and symptoms of pregnancy if you don't regularly monitor your menstrual cycle. There are however, some telltale signs of early pregnancy that many women experience. Sore or Swollen Breasts This is often one of the first signs of pregnancy. When you are pregnant, your breasts become excessively sensitive and sore. Even the trickle of the shower head hitting your breasts may be uncomfortable. This sensitivity is due to rising levels of hormones. It may feel somewhat like your breasts feel before your menstrual cycle, only magnified. Typically breast soreness lasts through the first trimester, and then ge...

A baby goes through several stages of development, beginning as a fertilized egg. The egg develops into a blastocyst, an embryo, then a fetus. Fertilization During each normal menstrual cycle, one egg (ovum) is usually released from one of the ovaries, about 14 days before the next menstrual period. Release of the egg is called ovulation. The egg is swept into the funnel-shaped end of one of the fallopian tubes. At ovulation, the mucus in the cervix becomes more fluid and more elastic, allowing sperm to enter the uterus rapidly. Within 5 minutes, sperm may move from the vagina, through the cervix into the uterus, and to the funnel-shaped end of a fallopian tube—the usual site of fertilization. The cells lining the fallopian tube facilitate fertilization. If a sperm penetrates the egg, fertilization results. Tiny hairlike cilia lining the fallopian tube propel the fertilized egg (zygote) through the tube toward the uterus. The cells of the zygote divide repeatedly as the zygote moves do...

Electronic fetal heart monitoring is done during pregnancy, labor, and delivery to keep track of the heart rate of your baby (fetus) and the strength and duration of the contractions of your uterus. Your baby's heart rate is a good way to tell whether your baby is doing well or may have some problems. Two types of monitoring, external and internal, can be done. External monitoring: You may have external monitoring at different times during your pregnancy, or it may be done during labor. External monitoring can be done by listening to your baby's heartbeat with a special stethoscope. More often, external monitoring is done using two flat devices (sensors) held in place with elastic belts on your belly. One of these uses reflected sound waves (ultrasound) to keep track of your baby's heart rate; the other measures the duration of your contractions. The sensors are connected to a machine that records the information. Your baby's heartbeat may be heard as a beeping sound or...

Why It Is Done External fetal heart monitoring is done to: Keep track of your baby's heart rate. Measure how often you have a contraction and how long your contractions last during labor and delivery. Find out whether you are having preterm labor. Check on your baby's health if problems are suspected. External fetal heart monitoring will be done during a nonstress test to check your baby's heart rate while at rest and while moving. If your baby does not move during this test, more testing will be needed. Check on your placenta to make sure that it is giving your baby enough oxygen. A contraction stress test that shows that your baby is not getting enough oxygen helps your doctor make decisions about the safest delivery method. If the test shows that your baby may be in danger, your doctor may recommend starting (inducing) labor early or may talk to you about doing a cesarean section (C-section). Check your baby's health if your baby has not been growing normally (delaye...

How It Is Done External monitoring can be done any time after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Internal monitoring is used only when you are in labor and your amniotic sac has broken. If internal monitoring is needed and your amniotic sac has not broken, your doctor may break the sac to begin the test. Sometimes a combination of internal and external monitoring is done by measuring your baby's heart rate with an internal sensor and measuring your contractions with an external sensor. External monitoring For external monitoring, you will usually lie on a table on your back or left side. Two belts with sensors attached will be placed around your belly. One belt holds the sensor that keeps track of your baby's heart rate, while the other measures the timing and strength of your uterine contractions. Gel may be applied to provide good contact between the heart rate sensors and your skin. The sensors are attached with wires to a recording device that can indicate or print out a record of your...

Results Electronic fetal heart monitoring is done during pregnancy, labor, and delivery to keep track of the heart rate of your baby (fetus) and the strength and duration of the contractions of your uterus. The results of electronic fetal heart monitoring are usually available immediately. What Affects the Test Reasons you may not be able to have the test or why the results may not be helpful include: Smoking cigarettes or using other tobacco products and drinking or eating large amounts of caffeine (such as from several cups of strong coffee), which can falsely raise your baby's heart rate. Extra noises such as your heartbeat or your stomach rumbling. Your baby is sleeping during a nonstress test. Problems with the placement of the external monitoring device. These problems may include: *Your baby is moving a lot during the test. *You are pregnant with more than one baby, such as twins or triplets. *You are overweight. What To Think About Not everyone feels the same about fe...

No ionizing radiation is involved. Transabdominal ultrasound: A jelly is put on the abdomen, and a hand–held sound–wave wand is moved around to look at the internal structures. The woman’s bladder must be full to help transmit the sound waves, so she may be asked to drink two to three glasses of water starting an hour before the test. This method works best later in pregnancy when the fetus is well developed. The doctor may have a scan performed during the first trimester to make sure the pregnancy is in the uterus and not outside it (ectopic pregnancy) and to assess the woman’s risk for having a miscarriage. The scan can also tell if more than one fetus is developing. During the remainder of the pregnancy, scans may be used to look for problems, assess the age and development of the fetus, check out its position, and, by 17 weeks, determine the sex. There is no risk to the woman or her developing fetus with ultrasound, and it is not uncomfortable. Ultrasounds help doctors establish th...