Alternative Names early antenatal period, pregnancy, first trimester
Definition Pregnancy is the process of gestation. Measured from the start of a woman's last normal menstrual period, or LNMP, it usually lasts about 40 weeks, or roughly 9 calendar months.
The first trimester of pregnancy lies between weeks 0 to 13. Although women experience many of the same physical changes during this time, no two pregnancies are alike.
What is the information for this topic? A woman can learn if she is pregnant within a few weeks after an egg is fertilised during conception. Pregnancy tests check for rising levels of a specific hormone. Home pregnancy tests may be done on urine. Tests done at a laboratory may use urine or blood.
The fertilised egg is called an embryo for the first 8 weeks. After that it is called a foetus. Its links to the mother appear quite early.
The placenta, also known as the afterbirth, begins to form the moment the fertilised egg attaches to the lining of the uterus. It grows inside the uterus, or womb, between the uterine wall and the developing embryo. The placenta is the channel through which oxygen, nutrients, drugs, hormones, and other substances pass from mother to foetus. Waste products from the foetus cross back through the placenta to the mother and are disposed of by the mother's kidneys.
The umbilical cord links the foetus to the placenta. The spot at which the umbilical cord connects to the foetus will become its navel, or belly button.
During the first trimester, growth and development in mother and foetus cause many changes to occur. A woman may notice:
no period or a light period
blue lines under the skin over her breasts and abdomen
waistline expansion
breasts that grow larger
protruding nipples
Other common signs of early pregnancy in women include:
bones appear and the head, arms, fingers, legs, and toes form
major organs and the nervous system form
the placenta forms
hair starts to grow
20 buds for future teeth appear
By the end of the first trimester, the foetus is about 4 inches long and weighs just a bit more than 1 ounce.
While many pregnancies run into no trouble during this time, problems can occur:
10 in 1,000 pregnancies occur outside the womb. Usually a fertilised egg finds a home in one of the fallopian tubes on its way to the uterus. This is known as an ectopic pregnancy.
1 in 5 pregnancies ends in miscarriage, often in the early weeks
During the first trimester of pregnancy, monitoring may include:
First month: full physical examination and testing. These tests include a Pap smear, blood tests, urinalysis, and others.
Second month: weight and blood pressure and urine test for sugar and protein, ultrasound
Third month: height, weight, foetal heartbeat, size, shape and height of the uterus
Author: Dr. Karen Wolfe, MBBS, MA Reviewer: HealthAnswers Australia Medical Review Panel Editor: Dr David Taylor, Chief Medical Officer HealthAnswers Australia Last Updated: 1/10/2001 Contributors Potential conflict of interest information for reviewers available on request
