Where Do You Go To Confirm Pregnancy

Why Is Prenatal Care Important

Regular appointments with your health care provider throughout your pregnancy are important to ensure the health of you and your baby. In addition to medical care, prenatal care includes education on pregnancy and childbirth, plus counseling and support.

Frequent visits with your health care provider allow you to follow the progress of your baby’s development. Visits also give you the opportunity to ask questions. Also, most health care providers welcome your partner at each visit, as well as interested family members.

Can I Go To Urgent Care For Morning Sickness

Ah, morning sickness. Though some women are lucky enough to avoid it completely, more than 50% of pregnant women will experience nausea and vomiting caused by fluctuating hormones. If youre pregnant and are having morning sickness , you may wonder if you should go to urgent care. The answer depends on how severe your symptoms are. If you experience any of the following, you should head to your local urgent care center:

• Nausea with severe vomiting
• If you cant keep food or liquids down
• If vomiting is accompanied by fever or pain
• If you become dehydrated

These are all symptoms that could be related to hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness that can require a hospital stay if left untreated. When you go to urgent care with symptoms of morning sickness, whether mild or severe, your doctor will likely give you an IV to help you rehydrate and restore your electrolytes and nutrients. They can also prescribe medication that helps ease the symptoms of morning sickness.

When Should You See A Doctor

How soon do you need to see a doctor if youre pregnant? Even if a home pregnancy test confirms youre pregnant, you still need to make an appointment with an Ob/Gyn. The American Pregnancy Association recommends you make an appointment with your doctor for your first prenatal visit within eight weeks of your last menstrual period . Even if youve been pregnant before, every pregnancy and every baby is different. Thats why starting out with the best care, and following your doctors advice for prenatal care, including regular appointments, is critical to the health of both you and your baby.

If you just found out that youre pregnant, your first will help you and your Ob/Gyn discover things like:

• Your due date
• Any potential hereditary, health-related, or age-related pregnancy risk factors
• Your family health history
• Your best schedule of prenatal care

After that, youll set up how often youll need to see your doctor and how to recognize any potential emergencies. The typical prenatal schedule of visits often looks like this:

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Im Pregnant What Do I Do Now

Finding out youre pregnant can be scary, but try to stay calm. Youre going to be okay, and there are people who can help you.

If youre pregnant you have 3 options:

Parenting giving birth and raising the child.

Abortion ending the pregnancy.

Adoption giving birth and giving the child to someone else, forever.

If you think you might choose parenting or adoption, you need prenatal care to make sure you stay healthy during the pregnancy. If youre thinking about getting an abortion, make an appointment as soon as you can. Abortion is very safe, but there are more risks the longer you wait. And it can be harder to get an abortion as time goes by. Whatever you decide to do, go to a doctor right away so they can help you stay healthy.

The staff at your local Planned Parenthood health center can give you accurate information about all your options, answer your questions, and offer support.

You can also get information and health care from other family planning centers or your family doctor. Be careful when looking for a reliable health center there are fake clinics that say they have pregnancy services. These are called Crisis Pregnancy Centers, and theyre run by people who are anti-abortion and try to scare or shame people out of choosing abortion. Read more about Crisis Pregnancy Centers.

No one should pressure you into making any decision about your pregnancy, no matter what. Only you know whats right for you.

So When Should I Go To The Doctor For Pregnancy For My First Appointment

If you believe youre pregnant and have taken a home pregnancy test that gave a positive result, you can call your doctor to schedule your first appointment. At your first visit, you will be administered a pregnancy test to officially confirm your pregnancy. If youre unsure about the reliability of your home pregnancy test, it is a good idea to make an appointment anyway so that you can get proper confirmation.

Typically, you should go to a doctor for pregnancy for your first prenatal exam between 6 and 8 weeks after your last period. However, you should go to the doctor for pregnancy-related appointments or at least call to speak to a physician, at any point if you have any doubts or concerns.

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How To Confirm Pregnancy In 3 Reliable Ways

By Sitaram Bhartia Maternity Program | May 21, 2018 | Maternity | 2018-05-2111 September 2020

When youre trying to conceive, you might notice certain changes in your body or early signs of pregnancy such as:

• Missing your period
• Change in breasts
• Nausea and vomiting

If you want to know how to confirm pregnancy, you can use any of any of the 3 ways below.

Watch video on How to Confirm Pregnancy in 3 Reliable Ways:

Sore Breasts And Tingly Nipples

A few women complain of sore, tender, and painful breasts. The areolas and nipples might turn darker, and there could be small spots around the nipples. You may also see some pimple-like white spots around the areola .

These changes in breasts could be mistaken to be a symptom of PMS symptom and not of pregnancy, or vice-versa.

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What To Do After You Get A Positive Pregnancy Test

Surprise, youre pregnant! If this truly is a surprise, stay calm, talk with your partner and consider all your options. The truth is no one can tell you exactly what to do after you get a positive pregnancy test. You might be thrilled to begin or increase your family, be upset because its a surprise and its not part of your plans, or you may have emotions somewhere in between. However you react, here are some guidelines.

Can I Go To Urgent Care For A Uti

Urinary tract infections can happen to any woman, pregnant or not. And they are not fun. However, during pregnancy, women are more prone to UTIsdue to the expansion of the bladder and urethra, as well as the concentration of urine. All of these things can encourage bacterial growth and lead to an infection.

Untreated, a urinary tract infection can cause serious health problems for both mom and baby. You should go to urgent care if you experience any of the following symptoms of a UTI, as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control :

• Pain or burning while urinating
• Frequent urination
• Pressure or cramping in the groin or lower abdomen

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Do Urgent Care Centers Have An Ob

When youre pregnant, you have a special relationship with your ob-gyn. They are intimately familiar with your health and the health of your baby, so you trust them with your medical concerns. But when an issue comes up and you cant get an immediate doctors appointment, you may be wondering if physicians at urgent care are equipped to treat you.

Typically, an urgent care center wont have obstetricians or gynecologists on staff. However, they are still qualified physicians who can address the majority of problems that can arise during pregnancy.

For pregnancy-related concerns that arent urgent, your best bet is to call your primary ob-gyn. Many doctors offices have a nurse hotline you can call if you have symptoms that youre unsure about. Doing this can help you decide whether you need to go to urgent care or if your concern can wait until your ob-gyn can see you in her office.

How Soon Can I Take A Pregnancy Test

You can take a pregnancy test anytime after your period is late thats when they work the best. Its a good idea to take a pregnancy test as soon as possible if you miss your period or think you might be pregnant.

The earlier you know youre pregnant, the sooner you can start thinking about your options and get whatever care you need to stay healthy.

Many pregnancy tests say they work a few days before a missed period, but the results are usually less accurate then. Read the label on your pregnancy test to find out when to take a pregnancy test and how accurate itll be.

Sometimes a pregnancy test is able to find pregnancy hormones in your urine as early as 10 days after unprotected sex. But these results arent super reliable, and you may get a false positive or false negative test result.

If your periods are very irregular, or you dont get periods at all for one reason or another, your best bet for accurate results is to take a pregnancy test 3 weeks after sex.

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Types Of Pregnancy Tests

Broadly pregnancy tests can be divided between biochemical tests and imaging studies. Biochemical tests detect the presence of beta-HCG , a hormone that is produced mainly during pregnancy. Imaging studies most commonly involves an ultrasound scan where sound waves are used to create an image of the uterus and its contents. While biochemical tests may confirm pregnancy, it cannot immediately differentiate between a viable pregnancy or a miscarriage. Therefore imaging studies are preferred as it can more conclusively identify any problems at the outset.

Where To Get A Pregnancy Test

Your FastMed Urgent Care professionals are available every day of the week, including holidays, to provide fast, reliable urine and blood testing for pregnancy. Our caring staff will help you get accurate results in a comfortable, supportive environment.

We open early and stay open late to serve you. No appointment is ever necessary, although you can check in online first, if preferred. With FastMed Urgent Care, youll get pregnancy test results provided by our knowledgeable experts, along with sound professional medical advice. And theres no long wait for a doctors appointment, either.

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Your Gp’s Role In Pregnancy

Some GPs can be involved in antenatal care in a ‘shared care arrangement’ which is more common in rural areas. You could have some of your antenatal appointments at your doctor’s clinic and some at a public hospital, or with your obstetrician.

Some GPs have done extra training in obstetrics and are known as GP obstetricians â they can provide antenatal care and be there for the birth.

GPs are not usually involved in the antenatal care of your pregnancy if you are going to a birth centre or are planning a home birth, although they will still be involved in other aspects of your health.

What Should I Do If My Pregnancy Test Is Positive

If you take a pregnancy test after you miss your period and the result is positive, that means youre pregnant. You can always take another test to be sure, if you want.

You may want to go to a nurse or doctor, family planning clinic, or local Planned Parenthood Health Center to get a follow-up test. Theyll talk with you about your pregnancy options, and help get you the care you need. Be careful not to visit a Crisis Pregnancy Center, because they might not give you real medical care or truthful information about your pregnancy and all of your options.

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Do Girls Have Sperm Too

No, girls/women can’t release sperm. Women have egg cells which are a counterpart to sperm cells. When the egg cell fuses with the sperm cell from a man, fertilization occurs, which helps to conceive. However, trans women can release sperm under certain conditions. So, essentially a woman doesn’t release sperm she can discharge other liquids. So, in sexually reproducing species, sperm is produced by males. That’s what makes sexual reproduction possible.

Blood Test Result Timetable

Blood tests are able to detect a smaller amount of hCG and they can detect it slightly earlier than standard at-home pregnancy tests, usually nine to 12 days after conception. Blood test results are usually available the same day or within a day.

Blood tests aren’t often done to detect pregnancy because they are expensive and at-home urine tests are quite accurate and sensitive. However, people who are undergoing fertility treatments may have blood tests as part of their care.

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What Are Common First

The first-trimester of pregnancy is notoriously rough. Many women experience morning sickness, fatigue, and spotting. All of these are relatively normal during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. However, having an urgent care center that you can book a same-day appointment with or use as a walk-in clinic can help give you peace of mind as you navigate early pregnancy. Lets look at some common first-trimester health concerns and whether they can be treated at urgent care.

Check For Evaporation Lines

Usually, when people wonder about false positives, they are concerned they are seeing an evaporation line. This is when a pregnancy test appears to be positivethere is a faint line of some sortbut its actually not a positive result.

An evaporation line rarely has any color to it. Its more like a faint line where you would expect to see a pink line. Evaporation lines are more common with certain brands of pregnancy tests. Evaporation lines usually dont appear on a test if you look at the recommended time. Most tests will tell you to look after a certain number of minutes, but before another certain number of minutes.

For example, the pregnancy test may instruct you to look at the test three minutes after taking it, but not after 10 minutes have passed. Its important to follow these directions to prevent misreading your pregnancy test.

Evaporation lines are not an issue with digital pregnancy tests. Digital tests display results as “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant.” There are no lines to decode or overthink. This is one of the advantages of digital tests, though they are usually more expensive.

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Which Blood Tests Are Done During Pregnancy

During your prenatal visits, you will be given blood tests to check for infections or other conditions that could potentially harm your baby.

Your doctor may screen your blood to look for:

RhD Factor

Rh factor is a protein that found on the surface of your red blood cells. If your blood cells have this particular protein, you are considered Rh positive. If your blood cells do not have this protein, you are considered Rh negative. If you are Rh-negative and your fetus is Rh positive, it can cause problems during pregnancy because your body can produce antibodies against your babys blood.

This is called Rh incompatibility, and while it wont hurt your current pregnancy, it can cause problems for future pregnancies if its not treated. If you have this incompatibility, your doctor will give you a shot of Rh immunoglobulin , a blood product that can prevent sensitization of an Rh-negative mother.

Anemia

Many women develop an iron deficiency during pregnancy. This is because the body needs extra iron so that the baby has a sufficient blood supply and can receive the necessary oxygen and nutrients. So, if your doctor detects an iron deficiency, you may need to take an iron supplement.

Infections

A blood test can also reveal infections that may affect your baby, such as:

• Rubella
• HIV

Gestational Diabetes

Choose A Caregiver And Make Your First Appointment

If you opt for private care then you have a few choices to make. Who your prenatal caregiver will be is a highly personal choice, whether its an obstetrician, GP or midwife.

Your first appointment is usually scheduled for around the eight week mark. The heartbeat is usually visible from six weeks, or two weeks after the missed period, and many doctors will schedule the first appointment after this, says Dr Zinn.

When it comes to government hospitals, youll need to go to the one nearest to where you live. Or you can visit a Midwife Obstetric Unit if there is one nearby.

Either way, you will most likely give birth with the help of a midwife, unless your pregnancy runs into complications. In this situation you will be transferred to an academic training hospital. At your first appointment you will get your clinic card.

This card will be filled out at each appointment and must remain with you throughout the pregnancy. When given an appointment date, make sure to stick to it as there are long waiting lists if you miss one.

Read: Top things to discuss with your partner before conceiving

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Will I See My Baby On An Ultrasound At My First Prenatal Visit

Most practitioners do a prenatal ultrasound during the first visit, which is the most accurate way of dating a pregnancy. However, some docs wait until a bit later, when theres more to see.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.