Common Signs and Symptoms of Pregnancy

Knowing When Ovulation Happens

When pregnancy is a planned event, a woman will begin to take note of when she ovulates in order to ensure that conception takes place. As long as all is well with both partners, conception should happen during the time of ovulation. Ovulation is that point in a woman's menstrual cycle when one or more mature eggs are released from a follicle developed in the ovary. This usually happens mid-way in a woman's cycle, so if she menstruates every 28 days, then around day 14 will be the time of ovulation. The most fertile period for a woman is during the 12 to 48 hours the egg remains intact, waiting for fertilization. By charting the daily basal body temperature, a woman can know that when her temperature rises, she has ovulated. Perhaps one of the more common signs of ovulation is cramping or pain in the lower abdomen that happens when the egg leaves the ovary. Another symptom of ovulation is the change in cervical mucus during the most fertile period of the cycle. Cervical mucus changes in texture to that of an egg-white during ovulation, and while it is not sufficient to guarantee ovulation has taken place, it is a good indicator.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Are Signs

If everything goes according to plan, conception takes place. Most women who are hoping to conceive can't wait to confirm their pregnancy. Sometimes they are so anxious that they imagine signs and symptoms of pregnancy. Other times, the signs are there but the fear of being let down keeps them from embracing the possibility. Often a pregnancy quiz, in the privacy of their own home, helps women identify the symptoms of pregnancy. A quiz may ask questions like, Have you missed your period? Are your breasts sore and changing in size? Are you bloated? Do you feel nauseated? All of these are possible symptoms of pregnancy, but they don't necessarily mean a woman is pregnant.

A pregnancy quiz is constructed to ask questions that cover all of the possible and probable pregnancy symptoms. Although the quiz can't determine for certain that a woman is pregnant, the likelihood of pregnancy increases the higher the score. If the score is convincing, then many women wait until a few days after a missed period to take a pregnancy test.

Taking The Test - Proof Of Pregnancy

These days it is possible to find an effective and accurate home pregnancy test in any pharmacy. These tests work through the detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in a woman's urine, which is secreted in increasingly larger amounts after implantation of the embryo in the uterus occurs. A pregnancy test should be able to pick up the higher levels of hCG within three or four days after implantation. Sometimes false negatives happen as a result of using the first day of the last period as the point of predicting implantation. Ovulation and implantation delays occur frequently and these delays are not always factored into the testing. A missed period, irregular bleeding or an unusual period, breast soreness, cramping, fatigue, and nausea and vomiting, are all well-known symptoms associated with pregnancy and are indicators that a pregnancy test is appropriate.

When Will This Baby Be Born?

Once the pregnancy test symptoms are confirmed a woman will want to know when the baby is due. A pregnancy calculator is used to determine the due date and many other factors as well. The likely date of conception and the number of weeks gestation are also available through a pregnancy calculator. A person can count forward or backward to determine conception, due date, weeks gestation, how many weeks of gestation at a certain date, the end of the first and second trimesters, and the fetal age of the baby. The pregnancy calculator takes into account the number of days of a woman's menstrual cycle when calculating due date and conception date, and requires the actual number of days of menstruation to accomplish the task. Since it is difficult to date exact conception because a woman's menstrual cycle is not always 100% regular, and the egg lives for about three days, the sperm for about 2 days, fetal age is determined more by the first day of the last menstruation than by actual conception. A pregnancy calculator can give both the fetal age and how far along in pregnancy a woman is, so the birth date is quite accurate.