What Increases The Chance Of A Multiple Pregnancy
There are several factors that can increase the risk of a multiple birth. You might be at a higher risk of getting pregnant with more than one baby at a time if you:
- Are a twin yourself or have twins in your family.
- Are using fertility drugs.
You might also be at a higher risk of a multiple pregnancy if you are taller than average or have a higher body weight.
Another risk factor for a multiple pregnancy is genetic. There is an increased possibility of a multiple pregnancy if you are a multiple yourself, or if multiples run in your family. This heredity trait is generally passed down through the maternal side of the family.
The use of fertility drugs can be another reason you might have a multiple birth. Treatments for infertility can increase your risk of a multiple pregnancy because procedures, like in vitro fertilization , often involve transferring more than one fertilized egg into your womb. Your provider usually transfers more than one egg at a time to increase the odds of a successful pregnancy.
What Should I Do After Getting A Positive Pregnancy Test
If you take a pregnancy test at home and its positive, there are a few things you should do, including:
- Take your prenatal vitamins pick a vitamin with folic acid included in the ingredient list. Its recommended that you actually start taking these vitamins before becoming pregnant. This is because the folic acid can help prevent birth defects.
- Make sure to pursue healthy habits. Its recommended that you dont drink alcohol or smoke during pregnancy. You may also want to limit the amount of caffeine you consume each day during pregnancy.
What Is A Multiple Pregnancy
A multiple pregnancy is a pregnancy where youre carrying more than one baby at a time. If youre carrying two babies, they are called twins. Three babies that are carried during one pregnancy are called triplets. You can also carry more than three babies at one time . There are typically more risks linked to a multiple pregnancy than a singleton pregnancy.
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When To Use Home Pregnancy Tests
Of course, the most accurate way to know that you are pregnant is to take a home pregnancy test. This test uses urine to measure hCG and is generally accurate as early as two days before your expected period, says Hugh Taylor, MD, chair of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine and its medical practice, Yale Medicine.
Of course, women who have irregular periods can find it harder to know when to test. If you get a negative test, repeat it the following morning the first time you use the bathroom, when the hCG is most concentrated, Dr. Taylor says. If its still negative and you havent yet gotten your period, test again a few days later.
While waiting for pregnancy test results, many women look to their symptoms to help determine if they have conceived. Its important to note that symptoms are different for every woman. Some experience many signs, others just one or twoor even none. And many of the symptoms attributed to early pregnancy can also be caused by other situations and conditions.
Still, symptoms are the way many women know they are pregnant. Here are 10 of the most common early pregnancy signs you should look for:
Pain In Your Boobs Sensitive Breasts
Breast tenderness if one of the earliest and most common signs of pregnancy. It occurs as a result of hormonal changes which start the process of getting your milk ducts ready to feed the baby, Ross says.
Your boobs may feel as sore as they sometimes feel before your period, the Cleveland Clinic notes. But other changes may accompany this soreness: Nipples may darken and enlarge. And some women start busting out of their bra because the hormones enlarge breast tissue.
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How Hormones Can Make You Think You’re Pregnant
Rachel Gurevich is a fertility advocate, author, and recipient of The Hope Award for Achievement, from Resolve: The National Infertility Association. She is a professional member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and has been writing about womens health since 2001. Rachel uses her own experiences with infertility to write compassionate, practical, and supportive articles.
Leyla Bilali, RN is a registered nurse, fertility nurse, and fertility consultant in the New York City area. She works in house at a reputable private clinic in New York City while also seeing her own clients through her concierge fertility consulting and nursing services business.
Verywell / Photo Illustration by Michela Buttignol / Getty Images
Feeling pregnant? If you’re trying to conceive, this is cause for excitement. You feel pregnant. You have signs and symptoms of pregnancyfatigue, cravings, and maybe even nausea. But then, your period arrives or your pregnancy test is negative. What does it all mean?
It’s not uncommon to experience pregnancy symptoms in the absence of a positive test. Spend any time on fertility forums or social media sites and you’re bound to hear members refer to “imaginary pregnancy symptoms.” Are these feelings all in your head? Maybe not.
Round The Clock Peeing Increased Urination
Bolting for the bathroom at every turn is something many women assume happens only in later pregnancy, when the uterus is big enough to press on their bladder. But its also a common symptom in the first few weeks, Dr. Ross says.
Thats because the hormone hCG increases blood flow to your pelvis, and the extra fluid volume can trigger the need to urinate more.
If the urinary frequency is accompanied by pain or cloudy urine, though, its possible you have a urinary infection and should be checked, Taylor says.
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Effects Of Stress During Pregnancy
While some stress is normal and healthy, too much stress or unchecked stress can affect your health, your pregnancy and even your baby.
For instance, if you have high levels of stress, you may turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, like drinking alcohol, smoking, drugs or unhealthy eating.
Too much stress can also lead to anxiety and/or depression mental health conditions that could impact your pregnancy and your general well-being.
High levels of stress can also exacerbate any chronic conditions you have, as well as make you more susceptible to illnesses. And if your stress levels remain high for a long time say throughout your pregnancy and beyond it could possibly lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.
Can I Get Pregnant Again After An Ectopic Pregnancy
Most women who have had an ectopic pregnancy can go on to have future successful pregnancies. There is a higher risk of having future ectopic pregnancies after you have had one. Its important to talk to your healthcare provider about the causes of your ectopic pregnancy and what risk factors you may have that could cause a future ectopic pregnancy.
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What Are Some Less Common Signs Of Early Pregnancy
There are some additional signs of early pregnancy that arent as common. Just like with the most common symptoms, these signs of pregnancy may or may not happen. Its important to remember that everyone is different and experiences signs of pregnancy differently.
Less common signs of early pregnancy can include:
Moodiness And Mood Swings
Sometime between weeks 6 and 10 you might notice shifts in your mood. This is common in early pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, points out Nemours Childrens Health System. Mood shifts are caused by you guessed it! shifting hormones, which can also alter brain chemicals that regulate mood. The fatigue and physical stresses brought on by early pregnancy likely also contribute.
Mood shifts are usually nothing to worry about, but if they drop you into a deep depression, or if you develop thoughts of self-harm, its crucial that you reach out to a professional, the Cleveland Clinic cautions.
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I’m Six Weeks Pregnant And I’ve Been Feeling Stressed And Nervous Will It Affect My Baby
- Acute stress is the most common sort, brought on by the daily demands of a busy life. This makes us feel angry or upset until the situation is rectified or weve had time to calm down. It’s perfectly normal and not usually harmful.
- Chronic, or long-term, stress is the stress you feel when an ongoing situation is consistently overwhelming, such as coping with financial difficulties, staying in an unhappy relationship or being bullied at work. If youre under a lot of stress over a long period, its possible for the stress hormone cortisol to cross the placenta and affect how your babys brain develops. Fortunately, there are plenty of techniques you can use to combat chronic stress.
What Is Your Stress Level
Here are some questions to assess your level of stress during pregnancy, developed by Dr. Calvin Hobel, director of maternal-fetal medicine at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. For each question, answer “yes,” “sometimes” or “no.” If you answer “sometimes” or “yes” to three or more questions, says Dr. Hobel, you may have sufficient stress to warrant some form of counseling or intervention. Consult your health-care provider.
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What Are Common Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Everyone experiences different symptoms of pregnancy and at different times. Its important not to compare your pregnancy to someone elses because pregnancy symptoms can vary so dramatically.
There are several signs of early pregnancy that you may or may not have. The most common symptoms include:
Remember, the only way to know for sure that youre pregnant is to take a pregnancy test or have your healthcare provider perform an ultrasound.
When Does Conception Happen
Conception occurs between 12 and 24 hours after ovulation. Its sometimes hard to pinpoint ovulation, so using ovulation predictor kits or tracking your menstrual cycle on a calendar may be helpful. The two biggest factors in conception are:
- The timing of sexual intercourse with ovulation.
- Egg and sperm health.
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How Soon Can I Take A Pregnancy Test
Pregnancy tests work by detecting a certain level of human chorionic gonadotrophin in your pee. You can take a pregnancy test as soon as youve missed your period. However, its best to wait at least one week after youve missed your period to get the most accurate results. While some tests claim to give you accurate results before a missed period, taking a test too soon can result in a false negative .
Your healthcare provider can take a blood sample to test for pregnancy as early as one week before a missed period.
Cramping In The Abdomen Or Pelvis Due To Implantation
Mild cramping in the pelvis, lower back, or abdomen commonly occurs early in pregnancy, as the embryo attaches itself to the uterus.
These cramps should feel more like discomfort than pain, the Cleveland Clinic cautions. Severe cramping or pain mostly on one side of the body could indicate an ectopic pregnancy or other complication. Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience cramps like this.
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Find Out With Our Pregnancy Quiz
Are those symptomsyou are experiencing a sign of pregnancy or something else?
Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, a missed orlate period, tender breasts, and frequent trips to the bathroom can often be earlysymptoms of pregnancy. But they can also be related to PMS, stress, and a wholelot of other situations. Before you start spinning out of control , take this short online pregnancy quiz to help you decide ifyou might be pregnant and need to take a pregnancy test.The official American Pregnancy Association pregnancyquiz is free, confidential, and just takes a few minutes to complete. After you complete the quiz, we’ll provide recommendationson the next steps based on your unique results. And were always here tosupport you with tons of online tools, educational articles, and expert tips.
Want to talk tosomeone now? Were here for you- give us a call at 1-800-672-2296 and our pregnancyexperts can provide the guidance needed in this emotional situation. Or you caneven chat with us by clicking the pink Chat Now button in the bottom right ofyour screen.
Ready to get started? Lets do this together.
As Hormones Shift Pregnancy Symptoms Start
An embryo is the tiniest thingnot even half an inch long in the first two months of pregnancy. But the changes it wreaks on a womans body right from the start are enormous. This is primarily due to the shifts in key hormones that start at the beginning of a pregnancy, says Sherry Ross, MD, a gynecologist and author of the books She-ology and She-ology,the she-quel.
These hormones include estrogen, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotrophin , which multiplies rapidly at the start of a pregnancy.
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Can My Pregnancy Continue After An Ectopic Pregnancy
Unfortunately, an ectopic pregnancy is fatal for the fetus. It cannot survive outside of the uterus. Quick treatment for an ectopic pregnancy is important to protect the mothers life. If the egg has implanted in the fallopian tube and the tube bursts, there can be severe internal bleeding. This can lead to maternal death.
What Is A Due Date Calculator
A due date calculator helps you estimate when your baby will be born. By calculating your due date, youll have an idea of your babys birthday. But keep in mind that your due date is only an estimate. Very few babies are actually born on the day they were due.
Knowing your due date is important for several reasons. It helps you plan and prepare for your babys arrival. It also gives your provider essential information they need to monitor your health and your babys health.
You can calculate your due date at home using a couple of different methods. But these methods arent always accurate. When you visit your provider, they may give you a different due date based on the size of your baby on ultrasound and the date of your last period.
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Whats Too Much And For Whom
Tiffanie Pomerance of Los Angeles remembers when she was admitted to the hospital during her first pregnancy after a sonogram found that her cervix had started to dilate at 19 weeks. Doctors stitched her up but she started having severe contractions and was hospitalized. Everyone, including her husband and family, was worried.
We just sat in the hospital room staring at the fetal monitor, looking at how many contractions I was having. We all thought I was going to lose the pregnancy, says Pomerance, 32. Her mother finally covered the monitor with a towel when Dr. Hobel explained that worries would exacerbate her condition. Sure enough, she started to notice that contractions got worse when she was more anxious.
In hindsight, Pomerance says her hectic lifestyle as a speech therapist working 12-hour days, dividing her time between three nursing homes and grabbing lunch while standing probably contributed to her problem in the first place. She slowed down considerably with her second pregnancy. Fortunately, she carried both babies to 35 weeks.
Like most women, Pomerance had no idea how much stress could put her over the edge. I was under your everyday type of stress. I thought that I would do it all, plus work out every day at the gym. Now I tell anyone whos pregnant to slow down a bit.
Continued
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Fertility Drug Side Effects
If you are working with a doctor to improve your chances of conceiving, it’s important to know that fertility drug side effects can sometimes be mistaken for early pregnancy symptoms. Progesterone supplements can cause nausea and a frequent urination. Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation treatments like oral clomiphine citrate drugs or injectable gonadotropin may lead to moodiness, sore breasts, and bloating.
Be sure to keep in close touch with your fertility specialist to understand all possible side effects of any medications you are taking. This is a good idea to not only ensure you are in good health throughout treatments, but to also help temper expectations month to month.
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Symptoms Of Stress During Pregnancy
Pregnant or not, a body under stress experiences physical and chemical changes. Some of the most common symptoms of stress during pregnancy include the following:
- An increase in cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, whether youre aware of it or not
- An increase in heart rate or heart palpitations
- A feeling of worry, frustration, anger or sadness
- Loss of interest in being around other people
- Excessive need to be around other people, or feeling scared to be alone
How Does Conception Occur
Conception is when sperm and an egg join together. Its one of the many steps that happen to create a pregnancy.
Conception is closely related to a persons menstrual cycle. A menstrual cycle describes the sequence of events that occur within your body as it prepares for the possibility of pregnancy each month. Women or people assigned female at birth ovulate during their menstrual cycle. Ovulation is when your ovary releases an egg for fertilization. Tiny finger-like structures called fimbriae help guide the egg through your fallopian tubes towards your uterus. During this journey through your fallopian tubes, an egg can be fertilized by sperm.
If a sperm is successful on its quest to fertilize an egg, the now fertilized egg continues to move down your fallopian tube, dividing into two cells, then four cells, then more cells. About a week after the sperm has fertilized the egg, the zygote has traveled to your uterus. It’s now a growing cluster of about 100 cells called a blastocyst.
The blastocyst then attaches itself to the lining of your uterus . This attachment process is called implantation. However, just because conception occurs doesn’t mean implantation will. Sometimes implantation doesn’t happen, and you pass the fertilized egg in your next menstrual period.
Timeline of getting pregnant
The process of getting pregnant in a 28-day menstrual cycle is:
Conception and a positive pregnancy test
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