1 week of pregnancy

1 week of pregnancy - can one really talk about the term here? Or is this period conditional rather than real? Why is the concept of the first week so contradictory? All these questions are very important when planning a pregnancy. It will be interesting to those who are already counting the days in a special calendar and wondering: yes or no?

Pregnancy terms: confusion or logic?

Often you can hear the question: is there such a time as one week of pregnancy? And how is the counting done? Modern science offers two approaches. The first is obstetric, the second is fetal.

1. The obstetric approach suggests that the exact date of conception is very difficult to establish. Especially if a woman lives a regular sex life. Therefore, the onset of pregnancy is considered from the first day of the last menstruation. The advantage of this approach is its simplicity, the minus is the contradiction of the concept of “first week”.
2. With the embryonic approach, it is believed that pregnancy occurs in the middle of the cycle. It is during this period that most women experience ovulation, that is, the time the egg is completely ready for fertilization. The advantage of this method of calculation - in greater accuracy, the minus lies in the individual characteristics of the female body. Indeed, the definition of ovulation, even in our advanced time, is not an easy task.

The obstetric approach takes a full gestational period of 40 weeks, the embryonic one - at 38. One way or another, doctors will calculate all terms with the obstetric method.

We read in detail:Pregnancy terms: obstetric and fetal - how to determine and not get confused in terms >>>

For those who are preparing

If the couple is planning a pregnancy, then the 1st week in this case is a more specific concept. Potential parents are especially important to check something.

Future mom

Pregnancy and childbirth are true work. It will be very difficult for a weak woman to deal with him. Therefore, you need to take care of your health before pregnancy. To cure a “forgotten” tooth, and if there is a chronic disease - visit a specialist. It is very good to go in for sports that will help during pregnancy. Let it be swimming or yoga.

Future father

Ideas about the child and the child himself are at times very different entities. Especially when it comes to the firstborn. Does the father of the future baby understand that almost everything will change soon? The financial situation of the family, the psychology of relationships, a beloved woman - much will be different. The preparation of the future father is rather a moral and psychological question, but still very important.

General actions

Ideally, both potential parents should quit smoking and give up any dose of alcohol at least three months before their intended conception. So the future baby will increase the chances of being born healthy. In addition, it is advisable to check the quality of food, not to make long trips with a sharp change in climate and not to overwork. This is especially important for a woman.

How does a woman feel?

From the obstetric point of view, the first week of pregnancy is the period of menstruation plus, perhaps, a couple of days after it. So that there are no special sensations - everything is as usual. Unfortunately, painful periods will be. The lucky ones, whom “critical days” are not unsettled, will also spend this week without features. Here are the most common sensations of women during menstruation:

• weakness and drowsiness;
• nausea, sometimes vomiting;
• increase or decrease in appetite;
• intestinal disorders (flatulence, diarrhea, constipation);
• a change in blood pressure in one direction or another;
• emotionally - mood swings, depression or increased aggressiveness.

If we talk about the embryonic period, the first week after conception passes for the most part without any physical sensations. A woman who is planning a pregnancy may feel some uplift and alarm at the same time. After all, her main question is - did conception take place or not? And if conception is allowed, but not specifically planned, the expectant mother may not feel anything special at all.

Changes in the female body

The woman’s uterus already “knows”: fertilization has not yet occurred. Therefore, in the uterine cavity, the endometrial layer separates from the walls and leaves with some blood. At the same time, a new endometrium is formed, which may take a fertilized egg. In this case, there are often contractions and tension of the muscles of the uterus, and the woman feels pain in the lower abdomen. If pregnancy is planned, it is better to refuse to take analgesics and just endure it. Even on the eve of conception, many drugs are already harmful. All these observations relate to the obstetric period.

If the first week is embryonic, the changes are more pronounced here.. Fertilization took place, the whole woman’s body has already received many signals and began the restructuring, primarily hormonal. From now on, the activity of any internal organ or system will take into account the new state of the “mistress”.

Signs and manifestations

With the obstetric approach, there are no signs of pregnancy in the first week. After all, pregnancy has not actually come yet. If the gestational age of 1 week is considered in the embryonic plan, then this period may also not differ in anything, or it may “show itself” a little.

The main symptom is implantation bleeding.. It marks the fixation of a fertilized egg in the uterine cavity. Most often these are slightly noticeable pink discharge of a smearing nature. A woman may not pay attention to them at all, so this manifestation of a new state will go unnoticed.

Fetus at 1 week of pregnancy

And in the obstetric and embryonic terms, the fetus as such does not yet exist. In the first case, conception has not yet happened, in the second, the active division of the cells of the embryo of the unborn baby is just beginning. Moreover, the child already has half the hereditary traits of the mother and half the father. But how and in what this will manifest itself, parents will not know soon.

Pregnancy test: a positive result or its absence?

Even the most advanced tests from the pharmacy can show pregnancy no earlier than a few days before menstruation. Therefore, regardless of the methodology for determining the term, such a test in the first week is ineffective or useless in general. Better to wait a bit.

If you really can not wait, you can donate blood to hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). The content of this substance in the blood of a woman increases when pregnancy occurs.But this method of determining pregnancy will be effective only after the first embryonic week.

And what will an ultrasound show?

A scan of the uterine cavity and ovaries is done if the woman has long and carefully planned pregnancy. The procedure will help clarify the timing of ovulation. Ultrasound will show the degree of follicle maturity, the general readiness of the uterine cavity. More information from the study at such a short time is not expected.

The nature of the vaginal discharge

Before ovulation, most women observe a clear and fairly fluid discharge. They become thicker and more viscous, similar to egg white when the egg matures. Then the discharge thickens even more. So the female body protects the egg from external infections and adverse environments.

Is it time to go on a diet?

If a woman is serious about planning pregnancy, you should worry about the diet in advance. It is important not to make one common mistake. For some reason, some potential mothers believe that they simply must absorb an increased amount of calories. But there is just no need for two. Excess weight is not an assistant for a future mother.

Even at the earliest possible date, a woman's diet should include:

• only lean meat;
• fish, in contrast, is oily;
• fresh vegetables (ideally, a third of the total diet);
• dairy products;
• fresh fruits.

In this case, it is desirable to exclude or at least limit the amount of sugar and animal fats in the diet.

The method of cooking also matters. Everything fried, smoked and spicy will have to be limited. Better not to drink strong coffee and / or tea.

Disputes about alcohol often arise. Some say that a glass of champagne or good wine will not hurt at all. Others argue that "there will be nothing from beer." Nevertheless, such opinions are not professional and speak only of a misunderstanding of the dangers of alcohol. It is no coincidence that when planning a pregnancy it is recommended to abandon it at least a few months before the proposed conception.

What else should be included in the diet? These are vitamins. There are special complexes for pregnant women or those planning a conception. If a woman is observed by a doctor, he can prescribe folic acid (this can be done 2-3 months before a possible conception). This drug reduces hereditary problems, reduces the negative impact of various external factors, and also improves the condition of the fetus. Antioxidants can also be prescribed to the expectant mother - to provide additional support and improve the condition of the whole organism. All medicinal and vitamin preparations should be prescribed by a specialist doctor.. The advice of friends, online forums, or even a pharmacy employee may not be correct.

What else to look for?

There is a lot of everything that already in the first week (no matter what method) the expectant mother can do for her baby and for herself. The main recommendations are simple:

• positive emotions;
• attitude to motherhood (especially if the first pregnancy);
• walks in the open air;
• healthy and full sleep.

And a little about sad things. If you have a cat or dog at home, you will have to take some measures. These animals can be carriers of toxoplasmosis, which is very dangerous for the unborn baby. You can take the animals to the veterinarian and take samples, or even the woman herself to take tests. It is also important to carefully observe hygiene standards: do not try raw meat “for salt” (it can also be infected), do not feed pets to it, clean the cat’s toilet with gloves and wash your hands thoroughly.

If pregnancy is planned or suspected, in no case should you do x-ray examinations. Irradiation is extremely dangerous for the future baby, regardless of the term.

Congestion should also be avoided, especially during the season of epidemics of colds and / or viral infections.

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Video guide: 1 week of pregnancy description, sensations, discharge, fetal development, photos and ultrasound at 1 week