Pregnancy Stages / Development

Ever heard or thought of a way to determine the gender of your baby? Are you now pregnant and want to know the sex of your baby? After all, once you know the gender, you can starting thinking about naming your baby girl or baby boy for the next several months! Chinese Birth Chart If […]

With the list of symptoms of pregnancy to contend with, and a body that is changing daily it is perfectly normal to feel irritable and experience mood swings. Beyond the physical changes, there are emotional changes you are dealing with even if your pregnancy is well planned. Your moodiness can be pinpointed once again to […]

Constipation is one of the most common symptoms of pregnancy because food digests slower than usual due to increased progesterone manufacturing going on in your body. Your body slows down to let itself to absorb as much nutrients, minerals and vitamins as possible from the food you eat. Take a very good prenatal vitamin (ask […]

Of the symptoms of pregnancy that cause the most discomfort, breast tenderness is one of the most painful for some women. Their breasts are very sore and tender, and simple things like dressing and showering become a pain inducing experience. This is one of the first pregnancy symptoms that women notice, even when other more […]

One of the most frequently experienced symptoms of pregnancy is morning sickness, which usually lasts for about a month for most women. It can start as soon as 7 days following conception. Morning sickness does not always occur just in the morning, some nausea lasts throughout the entire day. It is caused by the fluctuating […]

One of the fairly common symptoms of pregnancy is the sensation of dizziness or sometimes even feeling faint. Early in your pregnancy you may have the sensation of feeling dizzy or faint because of low blood sugar. Your body is changing rapidly, both in hormone levels and blood circulation. As your uterus grows it applies […]

As far as symptoms of pregnancy are concerned, lower back pain is a pregnancy symptom that almost half of all pregnant women experience. Many women feel it early on, and quite a few will experience lower back pain all through their whole pregnancy. Lower back pain in pregnancy occurs for several reasons. Your weight changes, […]

Frequent urination is not one of the most noticeable symptoms of pregnancy early on. Almost from the beginning of pregnancy, you may discover that you’re making quite a few additional trips to the bathroom, but may not make the connection immediately. The expanding uterus causes much more frequent urination during pregnancy because it puts pressure […]

Symptoms of pregnancy vary from woman to woman, but all women will stop having their period at some point when pregnant. Possibly the most apparent pregnancy symptom is having a missed period. A missed period is the first symptom most women notice. It is what causes them to suspect pregnancy. When pregnancy occurs, you should […]

When it comes to pregnancy food cravings, the old wives tale of pickles and ice cream is one that people look out for right away. Pickles and ice cream may never be one of your food cravings in pregnancy, but many pregnant women do report craving certain foods more often during their pregnancies. Some women […]

One of the symptoms of pregnancy that can cause worry for women is spotting from implantation. The usual cause of light bleeding in early pregnancy is implantation of the fertilized egg, which is called implantation bleeding. Implantation bleeding occurs when the fertilized egg implants itself in the uterine wall, and it usually happens about 7 […]

Another one of the symptoms of pregnancy that some women experience is intense headaches. These are caused by the rise in hormone production and changes in the body as it accommodates the new life inside it. Talk to your doctor if your headaches get too severe, and to find out what you can safely take for […]

Fatigue during pregnancy is one of the most common symptoms of pregnancy. You may become easily tired or exhausted during pregnancy, especially in your first trimester and fatigue can appear as early as the first week after conception. Your body is working extra hard to produce certain hormones and to supply nutrients to your baby […]

Symptoms of Pregnancy The following are some common symptoms of pregnancy that you may have. These are broad descriptions, to give you an idea of what is ordinary and what should be cause for concern. Early prenatal care is important for your health and your baby’s health; if you think you are pregnant make sure […]

When to Call the Doctor During Pregnancy It’s normal to have anxiety during your pregnancy about the physical changes you’re experiencing. So many of these sensations during pregnancy can seem ambiguous: Is light spotting during early pregnancy normal, or is it a sign of an early miscarriage? Is a nagging headache just from stress, or […]

Preterm Labor A term pregnancy is defined as one in which birth occurs between 37 weeks and 42 weeks pregnant. If birth occurs before the end of the 37th week of pregnancy, it is considered preterm. Babies who are born this early often have low birth weight — they weigh less than 5 1/2 pounds […]

Anemia During Pregnancy What Causes Anemia in Pregnancy and Who’s at Risk? Anemia during pregnancy is caused by a decline in the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood. Hemoglobin plays a crucial role in the transport of oxygen to body tissues. The reason hemoglobin concentrations tend to decrease during pregnancy is due to an increase […]

Preeclampsia Symptoms (Toxemia) What are the symptoms of preeclampsia (toxemia)? Women who develop preeclampsia may not have any symptoms to start. By the time obvious symptoms appear, the condition is often advanced. In some women, the first sign of preeclampsia (toxwemia) may be a sudden weight gain-— more than 2 pounds (about 1 kilogram) in […]

Post-Term Pregnancy What Causes It and Who’s at Risk? In about 80 percent of all pregnancies, birth takes place between 38 and 42 weeks. About half of the remainder, or 10 percent, are preterm (end before 37 weeks), and the other 10 percent or so last beyond 42 weeks. These latter pregnancies — those lasting […]

Placenta Problems: Placenta Abruption and Placenta Previa The placenta is an organ unique to pregnancy. Throughout pregnancy, it acts as a transport service between the mother and the baby. The placenta transfers oxygen and nutrients from the mother’s bloodstream to the baby and carries fetal waste products in the opposite direction. In the third trimester, […]

Pregnancy Morning Sickness and Nausea What Causes Nausea During Pregnancy and Who’s at Risk? Pregnancy Morning Sickness or Hyperemesis gravidarum, the medical name for excessive vomiting in pregnancy (hyper means “over”; emesis means “vomiting”; gravidarum means “pregnant state”), affects about one in every 300 pregnant women. This condition is defined as vomiting that is frequent, […]

Signs of Miscarriage What Are the Signs of Miscarriage? Miscarriage, technically called spontaneous abortion, is defined as the loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks of gestation. It has been estimated to occur in up to 20 percent of all pregnancies. The actual number, however, is probably higher. Many miscarriages occur very early, going unnoticed […]

Intrauterine Growth Retardation Each year in the United States, as many as 40,000 babies are born at term with a birth weight of less than 2,500 grams (less than 5 1/2 pounds). Because of less-than-optimal conditions inside the uterus, these babies did not grow as rapidly as they should have during pregnancy, a problem known […]

Gestational Diabetes Symptoms What Causes Gestational Diabetes and Who’s at Risk? Diabetes is a condition in which the levels of blood sugar, or glucose, are not properly regulated. It is related to a hormone called insulin, which controls glucose levels. In one type of diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin. This is the […]