Idries Abdur-Rahman MD - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Pregnancy: But Were Too Afraid or Embarrassed to Ask

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT PREGNANCY

IDRIES J. ABDUR - RAHMAN, MD

CHAPTER 1-THE BASICS:

1). So, how did all of this begin?
Breaking Down the Birds and the Bees:

Hopefully, your parents have already had the whole birds and bees discussion with you. If not, take a deep breath and sit down because we might be about to blow your mind! Okay, here goes Sometimes when a mommy loves a daddy okay, thats enough of that. Im pretty sure you know how this began, but lets delve a bit into the scientific nitty-gritty.

The first step in this whole sordid affair was ovulation, which is the process of the ovary releasing an ovum (egg). Once ovulation occurs, the ends of the fallopian tubes, known as the fimbria, pull the ovum into the fallopian tube where fertilization will occur.

Before the ovum can be fertilized, there has to be something to actually do the fertilizing and this is where the male of the species comes in. Hopefully, there were flowers and a nice romantic dinner involved, but regardless of how the evening started, it clearly ended with ejaculation, the male climax, during which millions (usually 20,000,000 or more) of little sperm are released into the vagina.

From the vagina, these little swimmers make their way through the cervix (bottom of the uterus) into the uterus and from the uterus into the fallopian tubes. And we all know who was waiting in the fallopian tube right? Yup, that ovum was just hanging out, waiting for a little company, and boy did she get some. Obviously not all pregnancies start with a romantic dinner and regardless of whether intercourse or intra-uterine insemination or in-vitro fertilization was involved, it all ends with a sperm fertilizing an egg.

Of all the sperm that actually complete the long journey from the vagina to the fallopian tubes (only about 5-10%), only one will actually penetrate the ovum. Once this happens, changes occur that prevent any other sperm from penetrating the egg (you can thank the zona pellucida for this) and with this, the process of making your little bundle of joy really begins.

The joined sperm and ovum start the process of dividing. Remember that whole exponential growth thing from high school algebra? Well, thats what happens here as the two cells become four then sixteen and so on and so on.

As this dividing ball of cells, also known as your baby, continues to divide, little hair-like projections in the fallopian tubes (called cilia) guide it down the fallopian tube and into the uterus. Once in the uterus, the dividing ball of cells attaches to and burrows into the lining of the uterus. At this point, your embryo (what your baby is called for the first eight weeks of pregnancy, after which point it is called a fetus) starts to produce the hCG hormone that causes most of the symptoms of early pregnancy and produces a positive pregnancy test. So, there it is in a nutshell this is how one night of passion turns into a lifetime of love (awwwwww).

2). What if I am expecting twinshow exactly did this happen?
Breaking Down the Birds and the Bees and the Bees:

Well, it depends upon the type of twins that you are carrying, identical or fraternal.

Identical twins are genetic carbon copies having resulted from the same sperm and egg. At some point during the process of cellular division, the growing embryo splits into two separate embryos.

Fraternal twins on the other hand result from two separate sperm and two separate eggs. This means that you likely double ovulated (once from each ovary). Each of those separate eggs was then fertilized by separate sperm. Genetically, fraternal twins are no more similar than any other brother or sister; they just happen to be occupying the same womb at the same time.

Figure 1-We are pretty partial to identical twins!

3). How can I be sure that I am pregnant?
Confirming pregnancy:

There are many signs of early pregnancy, and by now you have probably become intimately acquainted with at least a few of them. Despite many subjective symptoms that indicate a likely pregnancy, there are only a few ways to actually confirm that you are pregnant.

So, what are some of the common early signs of pregnancy?

Missed/Late period: This is probably the first and most common sign that tips people off.

Fatigue: You just never seem to get enough sleep, and despite frequent naps, you just feel tired all-day long.

Nausea with or without vomiting: For many people, this can start as early as 3-4 weeks after fertilization and usually lasts at least through the end of the first trimester (14 weeks of pregnancy).

Cramping and bloating: Many women have what they often mistake for pre-menstrual symptoms.

Increased vaginal discharge, often with a thick mucus: This discharge is usually white or pale yellow and either has no odor or a very mild odor.

Increased urination: Many women literally feel like they are in the bathroom every five minutes.

Breast tenderness: This common symptom can actually be quite extreme.

Headaches: These tend to be mild but frequent often starting mid-day.

Insomnia: Despite extreme daytime fatigue, many women find themselves tossing and turning for much of the night.

So, how can you actually confirm that you are pregnant?

Urine pregnancy test: A urine pregnancy test is the easiest and cheapest way to confirm pregnancy. Over the years urine pregnancy tests have become more and more sensitive, and many can actually diagnose a pregnancy days and sometimes even a week before a missed period.

The Conventional wisdom is that a urine pregnancy test should ideally be done first thing in the morning because the hCG hormone concentrates in the urine overnight. Again, with pregnancy tests becoming more and more sensitive, most can be taken any time of day.

Urine pregnancy tests detect the hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) hormone that starts to circulate in your blood 5-7 days after fertilization occurs. REMEMBER: A positive urine pregnancy test only means that you are pregnant; it does NOT mean that it is a normal pregnancy. While most pregnancies will be normal, more serious conditions like