early pregnancy factor

Examples of early pregnancy factor in the following topics:

• Early Pregnancy Tests

  • Pregnancy tests are assays measuring indicators of pregnancy found in urine and blood samples, e.g., human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).
  • Markers that indicate pregnancy are found in urine and blood: pregnancy tests require sampling one of these substances.
  • The test results in false negatives if performed during the very early stages of pregnancy.
  • The test for pregnancy that can give the quickest result after fertilization is a rosette inhibition assay for early pregnancy factor (EPF).
  • The heartbeat may be seen as early as six weeks, and is usually visible by seven weeks' gestation.

• Ectopic Pregnancy

  • Detection of ectopic pregnancy in early gestation has been achieved mainly due to enhanced diagnostic capability.
  • Since ectopic pregnancies are normally discovered and removed very early in the pregnancy, an ultrasound may not find the additional pregnancy inside the uterus.
  • There are a number of risk factors for ectopic pregnancies.
  • However, in as many as one third to one half of ectopic pregnancies, no risk factors can be identified.
  • Fertility following ectopic pregnancy depends upon several factors, the most important of which is a prior history of infertility.

• Ovarian Cancer

  • Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating, and frequent urination.
  • Signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer are frequently absent early on and when they exist they may be subtle.
  • The risk of developing ovarian cancer appears to be affected by several factors.
  • Use of combined oral contraceptive pills is a protective factor.
  • Early age at first pregnancy, older age of final pregnancy and the use of low dose hormonal contraception have also been shown to have a protective effect.

• Anatomical Changes

  • A number of early medical signs are associated with pregnancy.
  • This process continues throughout the pregnancy.
  • This can be caused by many factors, including irregular periods (quite common in teenagers), certain medications (not related to conceiving children), and obese women who disregard the pregnancy-related weight gain.
  • Weeks 13 to 28 of the pregnancy is called the second trimester.
  • The body's posture changes as the pregnancy progresses.

• Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension

  • If the dangerous complications appear after the fetus has reached a point of viability, even though still immature, then an early delivery may be warranted to save the lives of both mother and baby.
  • Pre-eclampsia is a set of symptoms rather than any causative factor, and there are many different causes of the condition.
  • While blood pressure elevation is the most visible sign of the disease, it involves generalized damage to the maternal endothelium, kidneys, and liver, with the release of vasoconstrictive factors being secondary to the original damage.
  • Pre-eclampsia may develop from 20 weeks' gestation (it is considered early onset before 32 weeks, which is associated with increased morbidity).
  • HELLP usually begins during the third trimester; rare cases have been reported as early as 23 weeks gestation.

• Metabolic Changes

  • Protein and carbohydrate metabolism are affected during pregnancy and maternal insulin resistance can lead to gestational diabetes.
  • During pregnancy, both protein metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism are affected.
  • There is some question whether the condition is natural during pregnancy.
  • This is likely due to pregnancy related factors such as the presence of human placental lactogen that interferes with susceptible insulin receptors.
  • Gestational diabetes generally has few symptoms and it is most commonly diagnosed by screening during pregnancy.

• The Health of Infants and Children

  • Birth defect trends and risk factors are difficult to monitor because many countries do not have systems that can accurately track the prevalence of birth defects.
  • Poor nutrition is also an important factor in diarrheal disease risk.
  • Infant mortality rates are reduced by increasing availability of safe emergency pregnancy care and training doctors and nurses to promote safe breast feeding for HIV infected women and other support and guidance related to pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum periods.
  • The overwhelming majority of these are in countries with limited laboratory capacity for syphilis testing as part of basic pregnancy care.
  • Congenital syphilis, passed from mother to child, can be eliminated through universal screening of pregnant women early in pregnancy, and prompt treatment with at least one injection of penicillin.

• Spermicides

  • Spermicide is a contraceptive substance that eradicates sperm and is inserted vaginally prior to intercourse to prevent pregnancy.
  • However, the pregnancy rate experienced by couples using only spermicide is higher than that of couples using other methods.
  • Combined methods are believed to result in lower pregnancy rates than either method alone.
  • Concern has been raised over possible increased risk of birth defects in children conceived despite spermicide use, and also in children of women who, not yet aware of their condition, continued spermicide use during early pregnancy.
  • However, a review in 1990 of large studies on spermicides concluded that there appears to be no increased risk of congenital anomalies, altered sex ratio, or early pregnancy loss among spermicide users.

• Periodic Abstinence

  • When used to avoid pregnancy, the rhythm method has a perfect-use failure rate of up to 9% per year.
  • When used to avoid pregnancy, the standard days method has a perfect-use failure rate of 5% per year.
  • Even when used perfectly, calendar-based methods, especially the rhythm method, result in a high pregnancy rate among couples intending to avoid pregnancy.
  • If she has an unusually early ovulation, calendar-based methods will indicate she is still in the pre-ovulatory infertile phase when she has actually become fertile.
  • However, mid-cycle or anovulatory bleeding can be caused by a number of factors.

• Implantation

  • Implantation is the very early stage of pregnancy at which the embryo adheres to the wall of the uterus and begins to form the placenta.
  • Implantation is the very early stage of pregnancy during which the embryo embeds into the wall of the uterus.
  • The chorionic villi will be the border between maternal and fetal blood during the pregnancy, and the location of gas and nutrient exchange between the fetus and the mother.
  • Human chorionic gonadotropin is the hormone that is detected by pregnancy tests, as it is found in the maternal bloodstream and urine.