fetus

Read here more about what is safe and what is not in pregnancy and while trying to conceive. Which activities and sports, which foods, which exposures can
potentially harm your developing baby?

When you’re an adult and your body is put under heavy amounts of stress from exercise or even emotional stress at work or home, your doctor needs to test your heart and make sure it’s responding properly.

There was no significant difference in full-term or non-full-term births rates and mean newborn birth weight between for those who continued and discontinued breastfeeding during pregnancy. 

The placenta is the organ that supplies all the oxygen and nutrients the
growing fetus needs.

Ultrasounds, often referred to as sonograms, are digital images taken of
a fetus in-utero. Typically, a 2-D ultrasound is used to determine
fetal growth, organ development and gender.

Doppler Ultrasound gives doctors a visual or audible representation of
blood movement through veins, arteries and blood vessels with sound
waves. The reflected sound can be used to diagnose restricted blood
flow, blood clots and fetal health.

About 125 million pregnant women are at risk of contracting malaria each
year. Malaria infection during pregnancy can cause anemia, parasitic
fetal infection, low birth weight, premature delivery and death of the
mother.

As every mother knows, the fetus is constantly listening to the mother’s
heartbeat, the sounds of her digestive system and even the music she
plays outside the womb, but researchers believe the fetus hears more
than just physical sounds.

Recent studies have revealed that maternal stress, weight and eating
habits can affect infant health well into adulthood. A new study now
reports that life experiences of the mother during pregnancy may also
have an impact on health.

BPA, or Bisphenol A, is an ingredient in some plastics and other
household items. The chemical has been in the news for more than a year
thanks to several research studies proving negative side effects on the
fetal level with maternal exposure.

Most mothers believe baby is immune to pain while in-utero, but new
research reveals the fetus can feel the difference between pain and
normal touch as early as 35 weeks gestation.

DES or diethylstilbestrol was given to women for more than three
decades. The synthetic estrogen was prescribed to pregnant women as a
means of preventing miscarriage, but the drug caused vaginal tumors, so
the Food and Drug Administration pulled it from the market in 1971.

A fetal echo or fetal echocardiography is an ultrasound test performed to evaluate the heart of the fetus during pregnancy and is often done as early as 20-24 weeks but can be done later in pregnancy too.

When a woman is pregnant with multiples, like twins, she may be asked to eat more food or increase calorie intake to accommodate the extra fetus(es). A twin pregnancy diet requires very small, protein-rich meals eaten every two hours throughout the day.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimate up to 25% of pregnancies will end in pregnant miscarriage, but why does pregnant miscarriage occur?

The conception calculator can be used to estimate the date of pregnancy conception. Conception calculators use the first day of the previous menstrual cycle to estimate the date of conception.

For some women, the thought of pregnancy weight gain may be difficult enough that they attempt to diet in pregnancy. It is unsafe to diet in pregnancy, though weight loss is not dangerous in some cases, as was once thought.

The severity of early pregnancy cramps will differ from one pregnant woman to the next, but should never be severe in nature. Severe early pregnancy cramps could be a sign of pregnancy complications.

Many women wonder what they can expect during pregnancy. This is especially true of first-time mothers. Changes during pregnancy are physical and emotional.

Researchers testing placentas after infant births may have found a gene marker. The gene is associated with the immune system and may be the cause of some cases of preeclampsia.

In an attempt to make a clear connection between reduced risk of infant death and electronic heart rate monitoring prior to birth, researchers gathered nearly two million birth records collected in the 2004 National Birth Cohort.

Women who enter pregnancy with a BMI in the obese range may have less weight to gain to stay within normal limits, according to a study presented at The Pregnancy Meeting in San Francisco.

The common misconception of “eating for two” can lead a woman to excess weight gain. Pregnant women can easily avoid pregnancy weight gain in excess by choosing healthy foods that are good for baby and mom.

Despite the claim that home pregnancy tests are effective as little as two to three days before the first day of your next menstrual cycle, the female body does not always live up to this expectation.

Pregnancy cramps can be a scary thing for a pregnant woman. The cramps may be light and barely noticeable or strong and painful. They can signal a problem in pregnancy or be no cause for concern at all.

Many women have questions about weight gain like, “How much should I gain?” and “Can I lose weight?” These and other questions about weight gain during pregnancy can be found below.

Women who have diabetes are at increased risk of complications in pregnancy, including increased risk of birth defects or fetal death. These risks can be minimized by planning pregnancy ahead with the help of your obstetrician and primary diabetes care provider.

Stages in pregnancy are often divided up into weeks or trimesters. Within these common stages in pregnancy are six major times of change. These stages of pregnancy occur at one week, four weeks, eight weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks and 40 weeks.

For many women, having twins is either a prayer answered or the scariest thing on earth. As is the case with all pregnancies, being pregnant with twins can be easy or hard. It is often the unanswered questions that are hardest for women pregnant with twins.

Facing a tough illness, disease or injury can be hard enough, but when a woman later questions her fertility, the stress can increase dramatically. In many cases,
illness, disease and injury will not affect the ability to become
pregnant, but that is not always the case.