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August 3, 2010

PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS

Filed under: Pregnancy — Tags: , , — Jennifer @ 7:11 am

Signs of Pregnancy

If you’re a worry wart and you’re trying to figure out if you’re pregnant, and what pregnancy symptoms are, and if that means you are pregnant. You ask other people, you worry in silence which will drive you insane as I think I’m already there. You are more than likely pregnant the more signs you have.

However, there is a difference between all of these signs. These are broken down into three categories. Presumptive signs of pregnancy, Probable signs of pregnancy, and Positive signs of pregnancy. The presumptive signs and symptoms are subjective and may or may not be associated with pregnancy at all. Second there are probable signs that are objective signs and symptoms and are noted by an examiner. What is considered objective, is whatever the examiner can see, feel or hear, not just what you tell them.Probable signs may or may not indicate pregnancy. Last, there is positive, which are diagnostic signs and symptoms noted by an examiner that can only be associated with pregnancy.

Here is a category list to help ease your mind about certain signs.

Signs Category
Missed period Presumptive
Unusual or abnormal period Presumptive
Fatigue Presumptive
Nausea and Vomiting Presumptive
Soreness of the Breasts Presumptive
Enlargement of the Breasts Presumptive
Urinary Frequency Presumptive
Strange Cravings Presumptive
Quickening Presumptive
Fatigue Presumptive
Skin Changes Presumptive
Changes in libido Presumptive
Hegar’s Sign Probable
McDonald’s Sign Probable
Enlarged Abdomen Probable
Colostrum from Breasts Probable
Stretch Marks Probable
Skin Changes Probable
Palpation of fetal outline Probable
Braxton Hicks Contractions Probable
Ballottement Probable
Positive Pregnancy Test Probable
Fetal heartbeat Positive
Fetal movement palpable by examiner Positive
Visualization of fetus by ultrasound Positive

Remember that for most of the presumptive and probable signs, it could always mean something else. Example: Amenorrhea (missed period) can be caused by things like stress, over exercising, certain drugs and many other things. When Human Chrionic Ganodatropin is secreted into the urine, that can also be a sign of certain types of ovarian, uterine or breast cancers. If there is a growing tumor that is cancerous, it can easily be confused with pregnancy.

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References:

Hogan, M. A. (2008).  Comprehensive Review For NCLEX-RN. Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall

Weiss, R. E. (2010). 25 Signs of Pregnancy and Pregnancy Symptoms. Retrieved from http://pregnancy.about.com/od/signssymptoms/a/25signsofpg.htm

July 15, 2010

PREGNANCY TEST

Filed under: Pregnancy — Tags: , , , — Jennifer @ 5:08 am

 

When to Take an At Home Pregnancy Test

Deciding when to take a pregnancy test can be very stressful as the anxiety of the two week wait (2WW) builds. You should understand how pregnancy test work before you make a decision to go out and buy one. Pregnancy tests use your urine to detect Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG). HCG is a product of the embryo which has implanted itself into the uterus lining. The rapid increase in HCG is the hormone that causes the symptoms of pregnancy such as nausea, tiredness, and food cravings.

Doctors recommend that wait until a missed period before taking a pregnany test. However, some pregnancy tests such as Early Response and Clearblue Easy, say that they can give you early test results. Three weeks after conception HCG levels are between 5-50 mIU/ml. The pregnancy test that will detect the lowest HCG unites should be more sensitive and give you earlier results. Early pregnancy tests can detect as low as up to 20 mIU. This means that an at home pregnancy test (HPT) can be taken as early as 6-8 days after conception. Implantation occurs 6-12 days after ovulation so if you test too early, you can get a false negative result. You may actually be pregnant but tested too early. If you received an HCG trigger shot, you may get a false positive test result~If you received an HCG trigger shot, you may get a false positive test result}.

Home pregnancy tests on average costs anywhere from $7.99 to $19.99. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if you get a digital or one with lines. If you read the directions, the outcome is the same. The easy access to these tests can be seen as a good thing or a bad thing. The thought of not knowing will make you go out and buy a test and end up with disappointment if you test incorrectly or too early. Pregnancy test will vary in sensitivity (meaning how soon they can detect the HCG harmone), and you may not have given your body the time it needs to produce enough HCG to show up on a test. It is recommended that you wait until you have missed a period to take a home test. Since a missed period is often one of the first signs of pregnancy, you will be sure to get accurate results.

 

Here are some suggestions in order to get an accurate result from an HPT.

  1. Do the test upon waking up, urine that has been in the bladder for at least 4 hours will show adequate amounts of HCG since it is most concentrated during this time.
  2. Read the directions carefully, some tests have you urinate directly on the test stick, while others have you urinate in a clean, dry cup to dip the stick in for a certain amount of seconds.
  3. Most tests only take 1-3 minutes to show the results and if you get a positive, no you can not save the dip stick since the positive line will eventually disappear
  4. If you have received different answers on multiple pregnancy tests, it is recommended that you get a blood test done to get a more accurate answer.

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