OB Clinical Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

OB Clinical Assignment - Essay Example If there are one or two missed periods, then this can suggest pregnancy. Morning sickness is another presumptive sign of pregnancy. Although this is referred to as morning sickness, this is really a misnomer, as the nausea that is associated with early pregnancy can occur anytime during the day. The variations that a woman might have is that certain foods might taste differently than before, and certain odors might also cause nausea. The nausea that is associated with pregnancy often occurs beginning in the sixth week after the first day of the last menstrual period and this nausea may last for 6 to 12 weeks, often ending at the beginning of the second trimester. Some women may still experience nausea and vomiting after this time frame, but this is not usual. Other signs of early pregnancy include excessive fatigue, which may begin a few weeks after the first day of the last menstrual period, and this excessive fatigue may last throughout the first trimester. Urinary frequency is ano ther sign of early pregnancy, in the first trimester. This is because the uterus is enlarging, which puts pressure on the bladder. The urinary frequency often disappears after the first trimester, as the uterus rises higher in the abdomen, then returns towards the end of pregnancy, as the uterus once again puts pressure on the bladder. ... Another presumptive pregnancy sign is quickening, which is fetal movement. This might be a fluttering in the abdomen that increases in duration and frequency. This starts occurring around the 16th week, so this is really a presumptive sign that is a second trimester sign. The movement eventually become distinctly fetal movements, as the woman first starts feeling movements that do not necessarily mean pregnancy, progressing to movements that definitely do mean pregnancy - such as the baby kicking and turning. Another sign of early pregnancy is libido changes – this might mean that the woman either wants to have more sex, or doesn’t want to have as much sex as she did before she became pregnant. A woman might also experience strange cravings – the old cliche is that a woman might suddenly crave pickles and ice cream together, but the cravings can be something more subtle. Perhaps she suddenly craves oysters, where she didn’t like oysters before. She might e xperience colostrum from the breasts, which is discharge. Her abdomen might become enlarged. Montgomery’s tubercules is another sign – these are the tiny bumps which are on a woman’s aureolas, that become more pronounced during pregnancy. Braxton Hicks contractions are another possible sign of pregnancy - around six weeks of pregnancy, the uterus starts to contract periodically, although this is almost imperceptible to most women. Probable Signs of Pregnancy Probable signs are more diagnostic of pregnancy than are the presumptive signs, although even these signs are not definitive, in that these signs can occur without the woman being pregnant. One of the signs is that the vagina and the uterus change. The cervix becomes softer. There is also a dark violet coloration of the vagina, vulva and the