When To Contact A Doctor
If a pregnancy test result is positive, a person should contact a midwife or doctor. They can confirm the result with a blood test or schedule an early ultrasound.
If the person is pregnant, they should start prenatal care or discuss other options as early as possible.
If a person misses a period but is not pregnant, a healthcare professional can help diagnose any underlying cause.
What If I’ve Experienced Bleeding
Surprisingly, too, some women may be pregnant despite having what they believe to be a period. This could be due to implantation of the embryo, or a sign of low hormone levels.
“Implantation bleeding usually occurs earlier than a missed period would, as it’s when the embryo implants. However, for some women who have an irregular cycle, it may come later,” explains Halliday. “But it’s usually a much smaller amount and can be pinkish in colour rather than red.
“Also, some women have what’s known as a low HCG pregnancy where the hormone levels aren’t as high as usual these women may continue to experience periods throughout their pregnancy – although this is very rare.”
It’s very important to be aware of the risk of ectopic pregnancy – a pregnancy which develops outside the womb – if there is any chance you might be pregnant. Symptoms include low tummy pain and vaginal bleeding, and sometimes diarrhoea, feeling faint and shoulder-tip pain. It’s important always to seek medical help if there is any chance you may have an ectopic pregnancy.
Being A Supportive Partner
Research has shown that when a pregnant person has a supportive partner, they are more likely to have a healthy pregnancy. Partner support is also good for babies. Infants who are born to people who have the support of a partner are less likely to be born preterm.
There are many ways that you can be a supportive partner. You can encourage your partner to make and keep prenatal appointments and, if possible and desired, go to these appointments with them. You also can help your partner make healthy choices throughout their pregnancy, such as avoiding alcohol or quitting smoking.
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Can I Get Pregnant If Im On Birth Control
How well your birth control works depends on the method youre using and whether you take it correctly.
No method of birth control is 100% effective, even if used perfectly, except abstinence. So the best way to prevent pregnancy is by using both birth control and condoms. Theres another really good reason to do this: condoms are the only method of birth control that also protects you from STDs.
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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How Far Along Am I
Knowing how far along you are in pregnancy is helpful for both you and your healthcare provider. Your provider will use this information to check on your babyâs growth and development, keep an eye on your health, and schedule tests and exams.The weeks of pregnancy can be grouped into three trimesters:
-
Third trimester: 28 to 40-42 weeks .
Check out the illustration below to see how far along you are in your pregnancy:
Due To The Stepmother’s Intrusive Nature Her Sister Grew To ‘resent’ Her
“My sister has not allowed our dad’s wife to be known as grandma to her kids ever since. She had considered allowing it before the pregnancy stuff but after the chance was gone and my sister would not hear arguments for it.”
The stepmother had also chided her sister once about being “dramatic” when she spoke of missing her biological mother, telling her that “pregnancy makes women irrational” and she shouldn’t “miss a ghost.”
All of the negative experiences she had with her stepmother eventually led her to keep quiet when she found out she was pregnant.
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Do All Women Get Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Every woman is different. So are their experiences of pregnancy. Not every woman has the same symptoms or even the same symptoms from one pregnancy to the next.
Also, because the early symptoms of pregnancy often mimic the symptoms you might experience right before and during menstruation, you may not realize you’re pregnant.
What follows is a description of some of the most common early symptoms of pregnancy. You should know that these symptoms may be caused by other things besides being pregnant. So the fact that you notice some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you are pregnant. The only way to tell for sure is with a pregnancy test.
How To Know If You Are Pregnant
The only way to know answer the question Am I pregnant is to take pregnancy test. Many early pregnancy symptoms such as nausea and fatigue may be signs of other conditions. Women and men from over 40 countries call or chat asking our nurses and pregnancy educators how do I know if Im pregnant?
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions pregnancy symptoms:
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Is My Girlfriend Pregnant
You think your girlfriend might be pregnant, but you are not sure. The thought of facing an unplanned pregnancy is scary, but it is best to know the answer sooner rather than later.
To find out if your girlfriend is pregnant, you can ask her, look for obvious signs, and encourage her to take a pregnancy test.
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When Should I Call My Doctor About A New Pregnancy
If youve missed your period and gotten a positive pregnancy test, your next step will be to call your healthcare provider for your first appointment. While scheduling, your provider may ask if you have already started taking a prenatal vitamin containing folic acid. Prenatal vitamins are important in early pregnancy because they help in the development of your babys neural tube. The neural tube will become your babys brain and spine. Many healthcare providers recommend that anyone who could become pregnant take folic acid at all times.
If youre planning a pregnancy, a preconception appointment with your healthcare provider is a good place to start. A preconception appointment is especially important if you take medication for a chronic illness or have other medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or lupus.
During this appointment, your provider will discuss any current medical conditions, as well as your general health before pregnancy. This appointment is meant to get you into the best place for a new pregnancy.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 07/26/2022.
References
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services.Policy
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Can You Confirm Pregnancy From Changes In The Sleep Pattern
A pregnant womans sleep pattern changes owing to the increased levels of progesterone in her body. However, a woman might lose sleep due to a host of other reasons, so it is wrong to conclude that someone is pregnant just because she is not sleeping well.
A combination of the above-mentioned signs can indicate that you are pregnant if only one or two affect you, you are most likely not pregnant. However, do pay the doctor a visit to confirm that you are going to have a baby if you experience some of these symptoms.
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Your First Three Weeks Of Pregnancy
Hereâs the thing: Because of the way pregnancy is usually measured, youâre not actually pregnant during the first two weeks or so of your pregnancy. Healthcare providers calculate the length of an average pregnancy as 40 weeks, starting from the first day of your last menstrual periodâthis is known as the LMP dating method. So, when youâre 1 week pregnant, youâve only just started your period. At two weeks pregnant, youâre ovulating. And since ovulation happens about 14 days after the start of your period you canât really become pregnant until week 3 at the earliest.It can be mind-bogglingâwe get it. But, for the sake of calculation, and what you and your healthcare provider will consider as 1 and 2 weeks pregnant, youâre not actually pregnant! But although at 1, 2, or 3 weeks pregnant you may not notice any of those very early signs of pregnancy, there may be a lot happening on the inside.
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Most Symptoms Dont Show Up Until After You Miss A Period
While some pregnancy symptoms start very early, most of the time, you wont notice anything right away. Anything that happens immediately after having sex, like spotting, increased discharge, or feeling tired or nauseated, is usually unrelated to pregnancy.
Other than a missed period, pregnancy symptoms tend to really kick in around week five or six of pregnancy. One 2018 study of 458 pregnant people found that 72% detected their pregnancy by the sixth week after their last menstrual period.
Symptoms, such as breast tenderness and morning sickness, tend to develop abruptly. Typically this happens about two weeks from when you missed your last period . Occasionally you will hear of someone who has symptoms right around their first missed period, but this timing is less common.
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What If I Have A Positive Pregnancy Test And Then Start Bleeding
About 25-30% of pregnant women experience some type of spotting or bleeding in early pregnancy. This can be a result of many different factors including implantation bleeding, infection, cervical irritation, ectopic pregnancy or a threatened miscarriage.
Many women who have this light bleeding go on to have normal pregnancies and healthy babies. About half of the women who experience some light bleeding will go on to have heavier bleeding that will ultimately result in miscarriage.Unfortunately, there is no way to predict whether or not vaginal bleeding will progress to miscarriage. If you experience light bleeding that continues to get heavier, accompanied by painful cramping, back pain or stabbing pains, then you would want to seek medical attention right away.
If you experience some very slight spotting that then goes away, you would want to make sure to share this with your healthcare provider so that they are fully informed of everything you are experiencing in your pregnancy.
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How To Tell If You’re Pregnant With A Girl Or Boy
This article was co-authored by Jennifer Butt, MD and by wikiHow staff writer, . Jennifer Butt, MD, is a board certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist operating her private practice, Upper East Side OB/GYN, in New York City, New York. She is affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital. She earned a BA in Biological Studies from Rutgers University and an MD from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She then completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Dr. Butt is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a member of the American Medical Association.There are 25 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 55,680 times.
So, youre adding a new member to your familycongratulations! Figuring out if your little one is a boy or a girl is one of the most exhilarating parts of being an expectant parent, and you probably want to know as soon as possible. Youve come to the right article. Weve taken a deep dive into just about every myth, wives tale, and test out there, so you can get the most conclusive info possible.
Can The Exact Date Of Conception Be Determined Accurately
Many women have questions about the date of possible conception, and unfortunately figuring this out is not always so easy. The assumption is that if a woman has pretty regular menstrual cycles, then she will be ovulating during a certain time of the month.
Ovulation is the time when conception can take place because that is when an egg is made available. The problem is that most women do not ovulate on an exact date each month, and many women have a different ovulation day from month to month.
If you also take into account that sperm can live in the body 3-5 days after intercourse has taken place, this can make determining conception very difficult.
Most doctors use the first day of the last period and ultrasound measurements to gauge the gestational age of a baby and determine when the baby was conceived. But these are just tools used to estimate the datesit is very hard for anything to tell what the exact date of conception really is.
Most people do not realize that ultrasounds can be off up to 5-7 days in early pregnancy and up to a couple of weeks off if the first ultrasounds are done farther into the second trimester or beyond.
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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.
What Should I Do If I Didn’t Plan To Fall Pregnant
Unplanned pregnancies happen to people of all ages and backgrounds.
If you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, you may choose to:
- continue the pregnancy
- plan for adoption or foster care after the baby is born
- terminate the pregnancy
Pregnancy is an emotional time, especially if your pregnancy was unplanned. It can be helpful to discuss your options with someone you trust, such as your partner, a family member or close friend. Your doctor or local family planning clinic can also give you information and advice.
You dont need to decide what to do right away, but its still a good idea to see your doctor as soon as possible. If you choose to terminate the pregnancy, its best to have the procedure done as soon as possible. If you decide to continue the pregnancy, your doctor can give you information and advice to maximise your health and wellbeing, as well as your babys.
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To Measure Or Not To Measure
Theres no need to measure a set of numbers to see if youre pregnant. The reason is simple: all pregnant women gain weight, and the amount of weight they gain is the same every time they get pregnant. So, measuring your weight isnt a useful way of determining whether or not youre pregnant. But weight is a good way of measuring your growth in other ways. To measure your weight gain, its best to use scales. Theyre easy to use, and you can use them to track how much you weigh, and how much youre gaining. There are several types of scales, and they measure in different ways. To measure weight gain, its best to use a bathroom scale. They are the most accurate, and the easiest to use. You should measure your weight before and after you get pregnant, and see how your weight changes.
The Mums Who Didnt Know
If youre feeling a bit out of touch with your mothers intuition hearing those stories, fret not!
Loads of our mums were totally clueless about the fact they were pregnant until the test confirmed it.
Like PinkToothbrush who says: 1st time round I had no idea. I didnt really feel pregnant until the bump started to appear
And gazsgirl reveals: Nope, I had no clue at all, was suffering all the usual signs and felt just as I do before arrives.
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Blood Tests To Determine Pregnancy
Another way to take a pregnancy test is by having your blood tested for human chorionic gonadotropin , which is a hormone that is produced by the body during pregnancy. This test is called a beta-hCG test or quantitative hCG blood test. An hCG blood test for pregnancy is more common if you have not had a period and dont know when your last period was, or if you have been using hormonal birth control.
How Do I Know If My Cat Is In Heat
In order to become pregnant, a cat must be in heat. You may also see this referred to as estrus or being in season. While in heat, a female cat will experience hormonal and physiological changes that prepare the body for pregnancy. Female cats begin having heat cycles as early as 4 months of age, so its important to know what to look for, whether youre attempting to prevent pregnancy, breed, or determine when your cat should be spayed.
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