Why do I wake up early when I'm pregnant?

Many female friends will feel that they always wake up very early when they are pregnant. At this time, they will feel very worried and always feel that this is not a normal phenomenon, so they will appear very depressed emotionally. In fact, this is just a reaction in early pregnancy. Don’t worry. You must stabilize your emotions and not let your emotions fluctuate too much.

3. The cervix softens and the uterus becomes spherical

This must be determined through internal examination by a physician. Occasionally, the uterus will have painless contractions, and you can sense the changes by touching the abdomen with your hands.

4. Pregnancy Test

If your period is more than two weeks late, you can do a urine hCG test, which only takes five minutes to detect whether you are pregnant. However, it is not 100% accurate in defining intrauterine pregnancy, because in addition to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the urine of the pregnant woman, other conditions such as ectopic pregnancy, hydatidiform mole, choriocarcinoma, etc. will also produce a positive reaction when doing this test. Therefore, the hCG test in urine can only be used as a reference for doctors to judge whether there is pregnancy.

5. The fetus’s outline can be seen through ultrasound

The location of the pregnancy and the fetal heartbeat can be determined in the sixth week of pregnancy, and ultrasound can be used to observe the various structures of the fetus after the twelfth week of pregnancy.

6. Hear the fetal heartbeat

The fetal heartbeat can be clearly heard with a fetal heart monitor at 12 weeks of pregnancy. From 18th to 20th week of pregnancy, the fetal heartbeat can be heard with a fetal heart monitor, which is about 120 to 160 beats per minute.

7. Feel the movement of the fetus

During the fifth month of pregnancy, you will feel the fetus moving in the uterus, which is called fetal movement.

8. Liver and Gallbladder

There are not many changes in the liver during pregnancy. The liver does not enlarge or increase in blood flow. Although the morphology and size of liver cells change slightly, there is no heterogeneity. Liver function tests showed slight changes; cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase, and total cholesterol increased. The ratio of plasma white, albumin and globulin decreased.

9. Endocrine changes

Anterior pituitary enlargement

The anterior pituitary gland enlarges 1-2 times, and the eosinophils increase and hypertrophy to become so-called pregnancy cells. Sometimes the enlarged pituitary gland can compress the optic chiasm and cause bilateral temporal hemianopsia. After delivery, the pituitary gland shrinks and recovers in about 10 days. For example, hemorrhagic shock during or after delivery can cause ischemic necrosis of the hypertrophic pituitary gland, leading to Sheehan syndrome.

During pregnancy, the anterior pituitary gland secretes increased levels of prolactin (PRL), thyrotropin (TSH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH). PRL begins to increase from the 7th week of pregnancy, and the PRL value in serum can rise from 10mg/ml in the non-pregnant period to 200mg/ml in full-term pregnancy. PRL promotes breast development and prepares for postpartum breastfeeding.