About Pregnancy, Learn About Pregnancy

The Latin term for pregnancy is graviditas, and this means to conceive and carry young within the uterus of the female. Childbirth usually occurs around 9-10 months after conception, and the field of medicine that studies and treats pregnancy is called obstetrics.

After conception, the term embryo is used to describe the fertilised and now developing egg until around the 8th week of the term. The embryo is referred then to medically as the foetus up until the birth. Pregnancy is divided into three equal periods of 3 months called trimesters, which follows the 3 main stages in the prenatal development. The first trimester runs from conception up until the 12th week, and is the highest risk stage for miscarriage and morning sickness. The second trimester sees the foetus developing human characteristics and beginning to move around. The third trimester is the final stage, where both the foetus and the mother prepare for birth. From the third trimester onwards the ability of the foetus to survive a premature birth increases with each week.

Pregnancy occurs when a fertile male sperm penetrates a fertile female egg. This is usually the result of sexual intercourse, but techniques in artificial insemination can also mimic the necessary conditions for fertilisation. After successful fertilisation the egg will leave the fallopian tube and travel down to the uterus, where it will imbed itself in the rich wall lining and begin to develop quickly. The first signs of pregnancy include a missed menstrual period, increased internal body temperature, changes in the breasts and nipples, (nipples may darken, breasts may grow slightly and feel tender), feelings of fatigue and nausea and increased human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the body which will show up in home pregnancy tests or blood tests. Other signs that doctors will look out for include Chadwick's sign, which is a darkening of the cervix and vulva and also Linea nigra, which is pigmentation changes in the skin (particularly the stomach) caused by the increase in pregnancy hormones.

During pregnancy the mother will undergo some significant physiological changes in order to prepare for the growing baby and the birth. The levels of hormones in the body will change dramatically, with progesterone and oestrogen levels rising throughout the term, which acts to suppress the menstrual cycle. Prolactin, parathyroid and adrenal levels also increase, which stimulate necessary reorganization of key functions in the body, such as increasing calcium absorption in the gut and conserving blood glucose for the foetus. Increased levels of steroids will cause the metabolism to change, in response to the increasing need for nutrients as the foetus grows.

The musculoskeletal structure also changes in order to accommodate the growing foetus, with the pelvis and the spine arching back to help balance the body against the additional weight in the front, and the muscles in the back grow tighter, prevent the lower spine from slipping out of this new alignment. Weight gain and posture changes during the pregnancy cause the mother's gait to also change, and the step lengthens automatically to increase balance and the foot can also increase slightly in length and width to help support the extra weight. In order to prepare for the baby's weight and subsequent birth the hormones relaxin and estrogen restructure the soft tissues and ligaments in the lower body, and the bones of the pelvis loosen.

The cardiovascular system also undergoes some changes and blood and fluid volumes increase significantly during the pregnancy. Cardiac function is modulated to increase the heart rate and pumping volume, and blood pressure also changes, falling slightly caused because of the increased blood volume. Respiratory changes are also seen, and pulmonary ventilation increases to meet the additional oxygen requirements needed by both the mother and baby.

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