Pregnancy is when a woman is carrying one or more offspring inside her uterus. The offspring, before birth, is known as a fetus. Pregnancy lasts nine months from the point of conception and can involve one, two, three, four, five or even six babies. They are known as twins, triplets, quadruplets and so on. Pregnancy is the result of conception, where the male and female reproductive gametes fuse together. Pregnancy can also occur from artificial insemination. This is when sperm is placed in the female’s reproductive system by means other than intercourse. Over the span of the nine months the fetus grows into a baby with the help of the mother’s body.
Most pregnancies last anywhere between 38 and 42 weeks. If the child is not born after 42 weeks of pregnancy the risk of health complications for the mother and the baby come into play. To prevent any complications the doctor will induce labor around the 41st or 42nd week of the pregnancy. If a baby is born too far in advance of the estimated delivery date then that baby is referred to as a pre term baby. If it is born after the estimated delivery date then the baby is referred to as a post term baby. These two terms have replaced the previous ones of pre mature and post mature.
Even though doctors are able to estimate an expected due date for the baby’s birth; it is difficult to hit the number right on the head. Most studies show that fewer than 5 percent of babies are born on the predicted due date, 50 percent of births occur within a week of the expected due date and close to 90 percent of births occur within two weeks of the expected due date. It is difficult to pin down the exact date that a baby will be born but doctors base it off of the woman’s first day of her last menstrual period or from the day that the baby was conceived, if that day is known.
The effects of pregnancy are numerous. There are complete changes to a female’s body inside and out. The woman’s stomach will begin to grow as the pregnancy progresses. The woman’s breasts will also grow, producing milk for the baby to feed on after birth. A woman will also go through various stages of morning sickness. Morning sickness can be as simple as nausea and as unbearable as daily vomiting. Morning sickness affects around 70 percent of women that are pregnant. If morning sickness continues and the pregnant woman does not drink enough fluids, then it can lead to dehydration, which in turn leads to hospitalization.
Other effects of pregnancy are back pain, swelling, hemorrhoids, constipation, heartburn, varicose veins and contractions. The swelling involves the toes, hands, feet and fingers. Doctors recommend that pregnant women remove their wedding ring and any other rings on their fingers and toes within two to four weeks of becoming pregnant. If they don’t, the swelling will result in the rings getting stuck and having to have them cutoff, therefore destroying the ring(s).
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