How to know if you're pregnant

There are two main ways of finding out if you are pregnant - getting your blood tested, and doing home pregnancy urine test. In order for these tests to give you a clear picture, you need to wait until the right time i.e. until you've missed your period. However, there are several early signs of pregnancy that can give you an indication that you might be expecting.

1. Shortness of breath - Do you find yourself losing your breath on the stairs or when you walk for a long period of time, more than you usually do? This could be a sign of pregnancy since the fetus needs oxygen, leaving you feeling a little breathless even when you mildly exert yourself.

2. Sore breasts - If your breasts suddenly start feeling a little heavy or you feel like they have grown and your areolas seem slightly darker, it could be one of the first signs that you are pregnant.

3. Fatigue - The increase in hormones in your body during a pregnancy could lead to you feeling a lot more tired. If you end up exhausted after a normal day this could be because women tend to feel extreme tiredness during their first trimester of pregnancy.

4. Nausea - Around 6 weeks into a pregnancy (sometimes earlier), women tend to feel nauseous. This usually subsides as you enter into your second trimester. Feeling nauseous could be a sign of pregnancy. You can treat it by eating things that help settle your stomach like crackers and soda.

5. Frequent Urination - If you notice yourself needing to urinate more than usual, it could be a sign of pregnancy. This happens because your body is now producing extra fluids that cause your bladder to work extra.

6. Headaches - An early sign of pregnancy is experiencing frequent headaches. This happens because your body is now suddenly dealing with a lot of excessive hormones. To deal with the headaches make sure you take a pregnancy safe painkiller instead of a normal one.

Everybody has a way of expressing itself if only we take the time out to listen. If we really pay attention to these tiny reactions, detecting a pregnancy early, that is even before you skip that period is possible



How to know if you're pregnant

Menstrual cycle is an integral part of a woman's life. Isse mahilao ki reproductive shakti ka pata lagta hai. A typical menstrual cycle has a timeframe of about 28 days. Lekin kuch ladies mein yeh timeframe 35 days tak bhi ho sakta hai. Every female has different cycle. Usually, it is 11th to 14th day, counting from 1st day of the period, are the most fertile days.

Periods are important because it signifies the childbearing age of a woman. In a normal menstrual cycle, the innermost lining of the uterus starts to thicken to prepare itself for embedding of a growing foetus. In the absence of a foetus, the lining breaks down and results in periods.

Aap periods ke baad kitne din mein pregnant hote hain ye aapke menstrual cycle ki length pe depend karta hai. Typically, in a woman with a normal menstrual cycle length of 28 days, ovulation happens around the 14th day.

Ovulation ke waqt aapki ovary ek mature egg release karti hai. The released egg sits in the Fallopian tube to meet a sperm for fertilization, jiske turant baad aapki pregnancy start ho jaati hai. While a sperm can survive in the uterus of a woman for up to three to five days, female egg sirf 12 to 24 hours ke liye available rehta hai.

Yadi is timeframe ke beech sperm, egg se mil jaata hai toh aapke pregnant hone ke chances zyada hote hain. While it may not be a great idea to try getting pregnant after ovulation, egg release hone se pehle agar aap koshish karein toh pregnancy possible hai.

Therefore, periods hone ke baad se 12th to 16th day pregnancy ke liye kaafi crucial hote hain. In case you have unprotected sex during these days, then there are bright chances that you may get pregnant in this window.

There are certain signs of ovulation that indicates that your body is the most fertile in those particular days. For example, ovulation ki date ke aaspaas aap abdominal bloating, pet ke ek side mein dard aur increases sense of smell mehsus kar sakte hain.

In addition, there is an excessive production of clear cervical mucous, which closely resembles egg white. Agar aap ye symptoms experience karein to iska matlab hai ki your ovulation date is near and you can try and get pregnant around this time.

One way to determine your individual fertile period is to keep a record of your menstrual cycle (for eight or more months, if possible). Select your shortest cycle (say 27 days) and subtract 18 from it. The resulting number nine is your first potentially fertile day. Subtract 11 from your longest cycle (say 30 days) and you get 19. This marks your last potentially fertile day. So if the cycles you measured over several months were between 27 and 30 days long, you would be most fertile somewhere between days 9 and 19. 

This is still a very wide window of opportunity. You can narrow it further by charting your basal body temperature (your morning temperature before getting out of bed). For most women, it ranges from 96 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit. When your temperature rises slightly (four- to eight-tenths of a degree), it usually means you have ovulated within the past 12 to 24 hours. 


Periods Ke Kitne Din Baad Pregnant Hote Hai

Take care of these 25 things before conceiving

Just a news of expecting a baby brings cheer and excitement in a couple’s life. However, being prepared for it helps you become healthy and bring in a healthy baby too. 

Here are few things that one must take care of before and while conceiving.

1. Use Ovulation calculator to decide the best time for pregnancy.
2. Stop taking contraceptives.
3. Preconception health care is necessary to avoid miscarriage, stillbirth or premature birth
4. Keep yourself mentally ready and healthy for delivery.
5. Be aware of your body i.e. how healthy and fit you are.
6. Have medical checkups before getting pregnant.
7. If your weight is on the higher side, lose weight before getting pregnant as being overweight brings complications.
8. Fathers should also avoid smoking and drinking for better sperm quality.
9. Intake of regular folic acid.
10. Regular Exercise.
11. Stay away from Infections.
12. Consult dentist as hormonal shifts can cause gum diseases which are harmful for baby.
13. Eat lot of fish for child’s development but avoid fish that has mercury.
14. Completely avoid smoking, drinking and caffeine yourself.
15. Avoid passive smoking too.
16. Avoid soda and fruit juice as they may raise sugar levels.
17. Sleep as much as you can.
18. Take adequate amount of iodine in your diet.
19. Take up-to-date vaccinations.
20. Ensure balanced diet in consultation with dietician.
21. Keep yourself away from stress.
22. Take lot of carbohydrates, milk and milk products, fats and proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid taking uncooked or undercooked food.
23. Have a healthy working environment and avoid getting exposed to chemicals like lead and mercury and radioactive substances like X-Rays.
24. Do not take any medicine for headache, pain etc. without consulting your doctor.
25. Keep a check on your blood pressure.




A Checklist of Must Do’s Before You Try to Conceive 

Most people will give you a blatant No. And they are quite right to do so. But if you have been a habitual offender who can't unwind without their drink, pregnancy is going to be a big problem. So does the rule stand in all cases? What if you drank when you didn't know you were pregnant yet? What if you had a light drink here and there, will it literally spell disaster? Let's find out.

Contradictory advice everywhere: Most doctors will advice you to stay away completely from alcohol as soon as that first positive emerges in your test. Others may give you a little leeway and let you have an occasional drink. There are friends who'll confess to have cheated during their pregnancy and snuck in a beer or two and say that their kids turned out just fine. There are other friends will scorn on you for even thinking such a thing. Same goes for your relatives. Like all things in pregnancy, random advice will just not work.

How much can you drink? Let's assume that you are confident nothing will happen and want to be adventurous and give it a cautious try. Danish researchers have some good news for you. Some studies have shown that low to moderate consumption of alcohol does not harm the baby. In fact, in 2012, Danish researchers released a highly publicized study that found no major problems in children below 5 years whose mothers had consumed 1- 8 alcoholic drinks a week during pregnancy.

Unfortunately, not all research is made equal. With pregnancy, each mother, each child and progression of each pregnancy is different. It really has to be on a case by case basis and nothing can be taken on face value. Most people will still advise you to completely go off alcohol as there is 'no safe' amount during pregnancy. Some women have a larger quantity of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. If a woman with lower levels of this enzyme drinks alcohol, it is more likely to harm her unborn child as the alcohol will remain in her bloodstream longer.

How alcohol can affect your child?

A number of disorders that can affect your child when in the womb and even after because of alcohol consumption. These disorders are collectively called 'Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder'. It is characterized by increased risk in miscarriage and stillbirth. It can also result in the baby having low birth weight and increase problems with learning, speech, attention span, language and hyperactivity. Alcohol consumption may also affect girl child and a baby boy differently. While both may turn out to have aggressive and delinquent behaviour, girls are more likely to develop mental health problems too.

If you are unable to give up on alcohol, you need to immediately get professional help to overcome your addiction. Also note that the term 'non-alcoholic' beverage is misleading as they can contain trace amounts of it. Consult a doctor today on which drinks are safe for you.

Alcohol in Pregnancy: Is it Safe?

Pregnancy is a very special time in a woman's life when there is an added focus to take care of yourself and your unborn child. The adage'you are what you eat' takes on a whole new meaning during this period as it becomes the soon to be mother's responsibility to pack in extra nutrition to nourish her growing bump. Doctors often add in a dose of vitamins to ensure that the both mother and child are well nourished. But beyond that, the food choices you make will maintain a healthy weight gain for you and your baby and eventually even help when you want to shed the extra weight after your child is born.

Here are some tips to have a perfect diet during your pregnancy

Load up on the good stuff: even if you've always been eating healthy, it is time to crank things up a notch and include more proteins, vitamins, minerals especially folic acid and iron and some extra calories for energy and increase it as you progress in your pregnancy. But eating to get more nutrients doesn't have to mean eating more in general. If you are already at a healthy weight, then you don't need extra calories in the first trimester. In the second trimester, you need about 340 extra calories a day and about 450 extra calories a day in the third trimester. The numbers will change if you are underweight or overweight.

Say no to some: during pregnancy, give a skip to food items like raw seafood and undercooked meat and poultry. This could lead to potentially dangerous infections. Other foods to steer clear from include unpasteurized milk and soft cheese. All of these are possible sources of bacteria that can be harmful to an unborn child. It is always good to give your fruits and veggies a good extra wash, as always. Try to avoid the known culprits like popular local fruits that may be laden with artificial ripeners. Also avoid food with excess oil or preservatives. 

You will also have to say a complete no to alcohol or smoking during this period. While most sites suggest that you also ditch your caffeine fix, you can best keep it less than 200 mg or 12 ounces in a day. Stick to decaffeinated tea and sodas when possible. Some other foods that have to be avoided during pregnancy are packaged food, cold drinks, preserved food items as they contain preservatives, which are harmful. Also, chinese food should be avoided as it contains monosodium glutamate, which is again harmful due to teratogenic chemical.

Diet a big no: another big no during pregnancy is dieting or controlling the intake of food to lose weight. Pregnancy is the time you actually, for once, get to legally gain weight and be happy about. Don't mess up your natural system with forced diets.

Keep the food coming: pregnancy is the time for food craving at all odd hours and the time to give into them without an ounce of guilt! if you are dealing with nausea and food aversion, try to stick to small meals throughout the day. Replace the chips with carrot sticks and the pizza slice with soup. If that sweet tooth starts acting up, give it a frozen fruit dessert or shake.

Diet in Pregnancy

When you are pregnant, your body is at a very delicate stage as you are carrying another individual inside you. While you are pregnant, there are many restrictions and regulations you must follow to ensure the birth of a healthy child. Bad habits such as smoking and consuming alcohol are strictly prohibited. It is also advised that you should not be in any kind of stress.

When it comes to travelling, it depends on the stage of your pregnancy. You should consult your doctor before travelling and know well about the restrictions that would be imposed, even if you are allowed to travel. The ideal time for you to travel during pregnancy is after the second trimester, when you will be less fatigued.

Here are some tips you should follow if you choose to travel when you are pregnant.
Travelling by car, train
1. You should always put your seatbelt on while travelling in a car when you are pregnant. Wear both the lap belt and the shoulder belt to keep yourself and your baby inside, safe and static.
2. The airbags should always be turned on for safety purpose.
3. Buses are narrow and should be avoided when you are pregnant. If you are availing a bus, avoid getting up when the bus is moving. In case you have to move, take the support of the railings.
4. When you are travelling by train, always hold on to the railings and seats while moving about in motion.
5. Avoid long hour journeys in cars or trains. The maximum travel duration should be not more than six hours, when you are carrying a child.
6. Make it a point to halt at points to take a walk. This would enhance your blood circulation.

Travelling by air, sea
1. This mode of travel is safer than any other travel modes for pregnant women.
2. Pregnant women can fly until eight months or nine months, after consulting a doctor.
3. Moving about in an airplane, which is flying is a bad idea for pregnant women and should be avoided.
4. Always choose an aisle seat while travelling by air. It will make moving convenient in case you need to visit the restroom.
5. Choose to travel on trustworthy, major airlines with a pressurized cabin and avoid small airplanes or private jets. Do not travel above a height of 7000 ft.
6. Travelling by sea should be strictly avoided as it causes motion sickness and pregnant women might have nausea.

Travel for pregnant women is restricted in many ways, and all the instructions should be followed.

Is It Safe for Me to Travel During Pregnancy?

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