What Are the Symptoms of Pregnancy? When Does It Start?

One of the most important miracles of life is pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancy is a very complex and special event in terms of its physiological and biochemical characteristics; It is an important condition that should be paid attention to in terms of mother-to-be and baby health. Early detection and diagnosis of pregnancy; It is valuable and necessary in terms of lifestyle changes, health practices and disorders to be made afterwards.

How Does Pregnancy Develop?

Women's hormonal system physiologically, maturation and development of egg cells in the ovary, which is one of the main organs of the reproductive system. It has a cyclical structure upon delivery to the reproductive system. This chain of events called the menstrual cycle; With the effect of certain hormones, it triggers the egg to be suitable for fertilization and to be expelled from the ovary to the uterine canal.
During this period when the egg is in the uterine canal; In cases where the sperm cannot reach the egg, menstrual bleeding is initiated by various hormonal mechanisms and the egg is expelled from the body. However, as a result of the coming together of the sperm and egg in the uterine canal and fertilization, the first cell of the newborn baby, the "zygote" cell, begins to multiply by dividing.
In the advanced stages, which are accepted as a body draft over time, it attaches to the uterus wall and continues its development (embryo). In the presence of this new cellular structure, the balances in hormone levels change and the physiological process is continued without triggering menstrual bleeding. This process in which the menstrual bleeding is delayed is called pregnancy.
The gestation period in healthy individuals covers an average of 37 to 42 weeks (average 40 weeks). In this regard, while prematurity is mentioned in deliveries before 37 weeks; Postmaturity is the case in pregnancies exceeding 42 weeks.
As the baby continues to develop in the uterus; There are also important changes in the mother's body. Again, changes in hormone balance are manifested by different clinical symptoms. In this regard, instead of being recognized only by a delayed menstrual period, pregnancy; It can be recognized beforehand in the presence of various symptoms.

What are the Signs of Pregnancy?

While the pregnancy process changes the physiological cycles of the reproductive system in women; at various levels in the body initiates differentiation. However, it is difficult to consider symptoms as "definitive signs of pregnancy" as similar symptoms can occur in the course of different health conditions or diseases. In this respect, there is a suspicion of pregnancy in the presence of the following:

• Delayed menstrual bleeding

The earliest and most common symptom in pregnancy is the absence of planned menstrual bleeding. In women with regular menstrual cycles, especially if a certain contraceptive method is not used, delayed menstruation can be a sign of pregnancy.

However, not every delay in menstruation means pregnancy. Delays in menstrual bleeding may occur due to irregularities in the menstrual cycle, anovulation or different gynecological diseases. For this reason, it may be beneficial for people who experience delayed menstruation to consult diagnostic tests for pregnancy. can experience. The main cause of bleeding is the small amount of bleeding that occurs during the attachment of the baby's cell to the uterine wall. In this sense; Bleeding may occur during this process, which takes place approximately two weeks after fertilization. For this reason, spot-like vaginal bleeding can be counted among the early pregnancy symptoms. Again, bleeding may occur in abnormal pregnancy situations such as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or placenta previa in people who develop pregnancy. weight gain can be seen. With the second trimester of pregnancy (after the third month), weight gain is more prominent.

• Changes in the breast tissue

Changes in the hormonal system during pregnancy have a significant impact on the female body. it feels to a great extent. Breast tissue is one of the tissues most affected by hormone levels. In this direction, complaints such as swelling, tenderness and pain in the breast tissue in the early period of pregnancy Symptoms such as feeling heavy and full of the breast, darkening of the nipple color, enlargement and tenderness in the nipple area may occur. may increase. Related to this, the skin becomes more oily, porous, and acne can develop. pregnancy acne; Since it is related to the hormone levels during pregnancy, it is temporary and regresses with delivery.

• Digestive system problems

Complaints about the digestive system are common in the first trimester of pregnancy (first three months). This is because of the sex hormones whose blood levels rise with pregnancy. In this respect, changes in digestive habits can be seen, especially in the morning, in the form of nausea and vomiting, long-term constipation or diarrhea attacks. Similarly, psychological stress and wrong eating habits, which increase in frequency during pregnancy, can also trigger digestive system problems. With the contribution of hormonal changes during pregnancy, the mood of the expectant mother becomes more fragile and can undergo rapid changes. As a result, emotional depression, anxiety or depression are more common in pregnant women.

• Headache

The increase in the amount of blood and blood fluid in the body along with pregnancy may manifest with headache by increasing blood pressure. . Headache is one of the most common symptoms in early pregnancy. it becomes easier to escape. As a result, stomach reflux and related burning complaints are common. Low back pain is one of the most common problems. Again, especially in the last stages of pregnancy, hip pain due to the load can be seen commonly. In addition, the menstrual cycle Similarly, short-term contractions may be felt in the uterine muscles and may be reflected in the clinical picture as abdominal pain. If there is a complaint of vaginal bleeding with abdominal pain; The patient should be evaluated in terms of pregnancy problems such as miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.

• Anemia

The increase in the blood amount of the expectant mother decreases the rate of red blood cells relatively and causes a functional anemia. Anemia, on the other hand, may present with symptoms such as pale skin, weakness-fatigue, and shortness of breath after exertion.

How to Diagnose Pregnancy?

In order to diagnose pregnancy in women with the above-mentioned various clinical symptoms, various tests are used. In this context, the most commonly used test for the diagnosis of pregnancy in health institutions is the beta-human choriogonadotropic hormone (beta-hCG) test measured in the blood. Since beta-hCG hormone is produced only during the development of the baby's cell line, besides certain health problems, it indicates pregnancy in women where a different health problem is not suspected and the blood level is high. With this blood test, pregnancy can detect early pregnancies up to the first 7-12 days. Again, in cases of unhealthy pregnancy such as ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy, the beta-hCG value is found to be high. For this reason, in women with high beta-hCG levels, the result should be confirmed with an ultrasonographic test in order to detect the presence of a healthy pregnancy. Again, during this examination, the estimated time of pregnancy can be determined according to the state of the baby's cell outline and the necessary further tests can be planned. Rod-like equipment assistance The test, which is based on measuring the level of beta-hCG in the urine, is less reliable than the blood test and can detect pregnancies as early as 2 weeks. It is imperative that the diagnosis of pregnancy be confirmed by other tests after a positive test.

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