What is the pregnancy cycle?

For mothers who have been pregnant once, testing the pregnancy cycle is really simple. But for those women who have just become pregnant, they are confused and have no idea when they became pregnant or how long they have been pregnant. So below I will give you a detailed introduction to pregnancy and hope you can understand it.

The calculation of pregnancy period starts from the last menstrual period, and the early pregnancy test can be done 7-10 days after menstruation or 18 days after intercourse.

1. For amenorrhea women of childbearing age with a history of sexual life, if their menstruation is delayed by 10 days or more, pregnancy should be suspected. Amenorrhea may be the earliest and most important symptom of pregnancy. But it should be noted that amenorrhea does not necessarily mean pregnancy.

2. Early pregnancy reaction: About half of women experience chills, dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, drooling, loss of appetite, preference for sour food or aversion to greasy food, nausea, and vomiting in the morning about 6 weeks after menstruation. These symptoms are called early pregnancy reaction. Most early pregnancy reactions disappear on their own around 12 weeks of pregnancy.

3. Frequent urination Frequent urination occurs in early pregnancy and is caused by the enlarged anteverted uterus compressing the bladder in the pelvic cavity. Around 12 weeks of pregnancy, when the uterus enters the abdominal cavity and no longer compresses the bladder, the symptom of frequent urination disappears naturally [1].

Signs

1. Changes in the breasts: Starting from the 8th week of pregnancy, the breasts gradually increase in size. Pregnant women feel mild breast tenderness and nipple pain. Examination shows that the nipple and the surrounding skin (areola) are darker in color, and Montessori nodes are visible around the areola.

2. Changes in reproductive organs: A vaginal speculum examination is performed at 6-8 weeks of pregnancy. The vaginal wall and cervix can be seen to be congested and purple-blue in color. As pregnancy progresses, the uterus enlarges and softens. When the uterine fundus extends beyond the pelvic cavity, it can be touched above the pubic symphysis.

Testing

1. Ultrasound examination

(1) Type B ultrasound imaging: It is a fast and accurate method for checking early pregnancy. A circular halo arising from the amniotic sac is seen within the enlarged uterine outline. The ring can be seen as early as 5 weeks of pregnancy. If rhythmic fetal heartbeat and fetal movement are seen in the pregnancy ring, it can be confirmed as early pregnancy and live fetus.

(2) Ultrasound Doppler method: In the enlarged uterine area, a rhythmic, single high-pitched fetal heartbeat can be heard using an ultrasound Doppler device, which can confirm early pregnancy and a live fetus, and the earliest occurrence is at 7 weeks of pregnancy.

2. Pregnancy test: Positive HCG in blood or urine can help diagnose early pregnancy.

3. For women whose basal body temperature is biphasic, if the high temperature phase continues for days without decreasing, there is a high possibility of early pregnancy. However, the basal body temperature curve can only reflect the function of the corpus luteum, not the condition of the embryo.

Note: A positive pregnancy test should not be used as the sole basis for diagnosis, as false positives can sometimes occur. In addition, blood and urine HCG tests are also positive in ectopic pregnancy and trophoblastic cell disease. Therefore, medical history, physical signs and ultrasound results should be combined to avoid misdiagnosis.

You have also learned from the above article how to test the pregnancy cycle, so that you can calculate when the baby will be conceived and when he will be born. We have made preparations in all aspects and also introduced some characteristics of early pregnancy. I believe it will be of great help to mothers who have just given birth to their first child.