The First Month Of Pregnancy - Abdominal Pain, Menstruation, First Sensations

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

First month of pregnancy

Most pregnant women have no idea about the exact date of conception of the unborn child, but almost everyone remembers when the last menstruation began. According to the obstetric method accepted throughout the world, the beginning of pregnancy is the first day of the last menstruation. If you count from it, pregnancy lasts 10 obstetric months or 40 weeks. In ordinary life, women calculate their term in terms of calendar months, and counting the beginning of pregnancy in the middle of the last menstrual cycle.

Content:

• What happens in a woman's body in the first month of pregnancy
• What happens to the embryo in the first month?
• How to determine the onset of pregnancy?
• Psychological problems of the first month
• Feelings of the first month and possible pain
• Vitamins
• Vaginal discharge
• Menstruation
• Colds and fever
• Formation of the diet
• Intimate relationship

What happens in a woman's body in the first month of pregnancy

Before fertilization, in the first week of the cycle, one of several mature eggs rises above the surface of the ovary. At the end of the second week of the menstrual cycle, after the rupture of the graafian bubble, it enters the abdominal cavity - this is how ovulation occurs. One of the ends of the fallopian tube captures the egg, where it remains viable for 24 hours, waiting for a meeting with the sperm. Ovulation occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle, and women with a constant cycle can easily determine this period.

If the cycle is irregular, the onset of ovulation is determined by the jump in basal temperature. These values increase by 0.6? C, and if a woman kept a basal temperature calendar, she can easily determine the time of ovulation. In the place where the bursting bubble of the graafs was, a formation is formed, a little later, germinating with blood vessels - the corpus luteum of pregnancy. This temporary formation is intended for the production of necessary hormones, in particular progesterone, in the first weeks of pregnancy.

What happens from fertilization to implantation:

• The sperm secretes a substance that dissolves the shell of the egg and penetrates into it.
• The egg cell produces a special substance that makes its shell impermeable to other sperm.
• The egg of the sperm, which has been absorbed inside the egg, connects to its nucleus, combining the genetic information of both parents - a zygote is formed.
• The zygote is intensively dividing, forming 2 cells after 30 hours, after 6-7 days - 250 cells. A blastocyst is formed - a ball similar in shape to a mulberry or blackberry berry, up to 0.2 mm in diameter.
• The blastocyst moves along the fallopian tube for 3 days, for the next two days it is free in the uterine cavity, feeding on its own reserves.
• On the 7th day, within 40 hours, the process of implantation of the egg into the endometrium of the uterus takes place. First, the enzymes of the blastocyst destroy the upper layer of the endometrium, then the outer cells of the blastocyst connect with the circulatory system of the uterus, forming the rudiments of the future placenta.

• On the 9th day, the implanted embryo begins to produce human chorionic hormone, or hCG, which stimulates the restructuring of the female body.

If, during the period from conception to implantation, a woman has suffered negative factors, the embryo dies, menstruation begins, and a possible pregnancy will no longer take place.

What happens to the embryo in the first month?

The blastocyst becomes embryo at the end of the first month of pregnancy. It will remain in this state until the tenth week of its development, when the embryo becomes a fetus.

Video about the parameters of the embryo in the first month of its existence:

Embryonic tissues are differentiated depending on how they will develop further:

• Outer layer - nervous system, skin;
• The middle layer is the circulatory, excretory, musculoskeletal system, genitals;
• The inner layer is the respiratory and digestive systems.

Closer to the end of the first month of pregnancy, a chorion is formed - the precursor of the placenta, and an amnion, which will become the fetal bladder. In the last days of the first calendar month of its existence, the embryo has a size of 4 to 5 mm, the head and rudiments of the brain begin to form in it. Especially sensitive equipment can detect the subtle heartbeat of the embryo.

How to determine the onset of pregnancy?

The most important sign that a new life is developing in the body is the absence of menstruation. If your period is 4-5 days late, your probable pregnancy is approximately 2-2.5 weeks, and can be determined using early pregnancy tests. The most accurate sign is an increased level of hCG in the blood test.

Signs of pregnancy:

• Increased basal temperature, caused by the vigorous activity of progesterone;
• Increased sensitivity of the mammary glands, their enlargement and increased soreness;
• Aggravated sense of smell, rejection of certain odors, taste preferences, different from those that the woman had before pregnancy;
• Nausea of varying intensity, sometimes accompanied by vomiting;
• Increased fatigue, tiredness, drowsiness;
• Emotional mood swings caused by hormonal changes.

To differentiate an increase in body temperature from symptoms of infectious diseases of the reproductive organs and urinary tract, you need to consult a doctor in a timely manner.

Psychological problems of the first month

When planning pregnancy in women who have long-term problems with conception, the first month of the gestational period can pass in an alarming psychological atmosphere. A woman painfully awaits the result, being in a state of stress. Stress hormones prevent blastocyst implantation into the endometrium of the uterus, the appearance of a corpus luteum. So a strong expectation of pregnancy disrupts its onset.

This explains the cases of miraculous conception, when the infertile couple was already desperate to get a pregnancy.

Feelings of the first month and possible pain

The formation of the corpus luteum of pregnancy in some women provokes the onset of early toxicosis. Breakfast, spent right in bed, without getting out of bed, helps fight morning sickness. It can be warm tea with dry biscuits or croutons.

Headache and dizziness felt in the first month are the result of hormonal changes in the body. The effect of the hormone progesterone on the body is mild pains in the right and left abdomen. They can be explained by the increased tone of the uterus, the transformation of the tissues of the round ligament.

It is much worse if the pain is associated with an ectopic pregnancy - a condition when the embryo begins to develop not in the uterus, but in the fallopian tube. There he grows, and, having reached a certain size, breaks the pipe, bringing strong pain to the woman.

Ectopic pregnancy symptoms:

• Scanty brownish vaginal discharge;
• Pain on one side of the abdomen;
• Blood in the retroperitoneal space (detected during puncture).

In the first month of pregnancy, a woman may experience increased urination. This is due to the pressure of the enlarged uterus on the bladder, increased fluid production.

Vitamins

If, when planning a pregnancy, a woman purposefully did not take vitamins, it is not too late to do this in the first month of pregnancy. It is advisable to consult a doctor before using vitamin complexes. It is imperative that the woman gets enough folate (vitamin B ₉). This vitamin is extremely important for the formation of the rudiments of the nervous system of the embryo in early pregnancy.

Malformations with vitamin B 9 deficiency:

• Hypotrophy;
• Prematurity;
• Cleft lip;
• "cleft palate";
• Malformations of the neural tube of the fetus.

The required minimum is 800 mcg of vitamin B ₉ per day. For children with developmental defects already in the family, a woman should take at least 4 mg of folic acid.

Another important vitamin is vitamin E, which normalizes the synthesis of the most important pregnancy hormones. The optimal dose of vitamin is 1500 IU per day. When a pregnant woman lives in an area endemic for iodine, you need to consume at least 150-200 μg of iodine per day. If you cannot find the right complex, the drugs are taken separately.

Vaginal discharge

Normally, vaginal discharge with a normally developing pregnancy is a transparent mucous leucorrhoea of a small volume. The discharge may be slightly more than usual, this is due to hormonal changes, the effect of progesterone.

Of great concern in women is bloody discharge during the first month of pregnancy. They can be explained by physiological reasons - the implantation of an egg into the endometrium of the uterus. Implantation bleeding is not profuse, it is a small amount of blood secretions.

A smearing, brown, thick discharge may be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy or spontaneous abortion. Another type of miscarriage bleeding is a clotted discharge similar to menstrual blood, accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen.

If the vaginal discharge has acquired a yellow-green color, has curdled inclusions, foams, and has an unpleasant odor, it is necessary to pass tests to determine urogenital infections and undergo a course of treatment.

Menstruation

The medical literature describes cases when menstruation does not stop, but occurs during the first months of pregnancy. This pathology can be observed in women with hormonal imbalance (deviation from the norm of progesterone), as well as androgenic disorders (hyperandrogenism).

The appearance of menstruation in the first month of pregnancy may indicate that the fertilized egg has not entered the uterus, but is still in the fallopian tube. The hCG hormone is not secreted, and the pregnancy signal does not enter the body. In the second month, this phenomenon will no longer happen.

Colds and fever

Viral respiratory diseases are extremely dangerous for the successful course of pregnancy. If a woman has had flu, SARS or acute respiratory infections in the first month of pregnancy, it is likely that the embryo will be rejected. If it persists, then without protection of the placenta, there is a great danger of the infection affecting the genetically programmed development of organs and systems.

In addition, not knowing about her pregnancy, a woman will take medications, some of which may have teratogenic effects and cause fetal deformities and impaired development.

Even herbs used to treat colds can be damaging to pregnancy.

For the treatment of respiratory viral diseases, the doctor may recommend bed rest, drinking plenty of fluids to quickly wash out the waste products of microbes and rinsing the nasopharynx with saline and soda solution.

The addition of temperature indicates the onset of the inflammatory process. Treatment and diagnosis in such cases takes place under the guidance of a doctor.

He can prescribe the following procedures:

• A decoction of raspberry and lime blossom;
• Tea with honey and lemon;
• Infusion of oregano, raspberry leaf, coltsfoot, plantain leaf.

Fever as the only symptom can be caused by the influence of progesterone. If its values are high, differential diagnosis from other pathologies should be carried out.

Formation of the diet

The vulnerability of a woman and an embryo in the first month of pregnancy places high demands on many aspects, including the formation of the menu. A balanced and nutritious diet should be prepared at the beginning of the gestational period. While the baby's needs are not as high as during the last months of pregnancy, the daily allowance is 2500 kcal.

Replenishment of folic acid reserves will occur with the use of cabbage, lettuce, peas, melons and fruits. For the receipt of complete protein, beef, veal, poultry, and low-fat fish are boiled or baked. Milk porridge, fresh fruits and vegetables are very useful. To increase the supply of calcium, fermented milk products, cheese, cottage cheese are used. You should not eat fatty and fried foods, get carried away with the absorption of sweets, sauces from the store, products with preservatives and dyes.

Intimate relationship

In each case, one should focus on the woman's well-being. If she tolerates her new condition safely, without suffering from symptoms of early toxicosis, there are no contraindications for sexual intercourse. Some women, as a result of hormonal changes, feel an increased sex drive, and intimate relationships acquire new colors.

If a miscarriage is threatened, it is recommended to refrain from intimate relationships in the early stages. As a result of orgasm, the uterus can respond with increased tone and abortion. To prevent damage to the loose mucous membrane of the vagina and cervix, it is recommended to use a condom. Any micro-damage can cause inflammatory diseases of the vagina.

Pregnancy planning, elimination of possible risks of infection, a full menu during the first month of pregnancy will help to transfer the first month of the gestational period without any problems.

The author of the article: Lapikova Valentina Vladimirovna | Gynecologist, reproductologist

Education: Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynecology received at the Russian State Medical University of the Federal Agency for Healthcare and Social Development (2010). In 2013 completed postgraduate studies at N. N. N. I. Pirogova.