Pregnancy

　　Pregnancy, also known as gestation, refers to the fertilization and pregnancy of women or female mammals. It refers to the presence of one or more fetuses or embryos in the body of a mammalian female (humans). Human pregnancy is the most detailedly studied in mammals. Pregnancy is divided into three stages: the early stage of pregnancy has a high risk of miscarriage. From the middle stage, the fetus can be monitored. In the later stage, the fetus has the ability to survive outside the mother's body. The entire process of pregnancy is divided into three stages: pregnancy before the 12th week is called early pregnancy; from the 13th to the 27th week is called middle pregnancy; and from the 28th week onwards is called late pregnancy.

　　Pregnancy is not only a major event in a woman's life but also a significant event for a family. Therefore, from the day a woman finds out she is pregnant, a series of concerns follow. Lucky mothers will successfully give birth to their babies, while unfortunate mothers may experience various types of pathological pregnancies. Below, I will introduce some diseases that may be indicated by abdominal pain in pathological pregnancies.

　　1. Ectopic Pregnancy

　　Ectopic pregnancy refers to the location of embryo implantation and development not within the uterus, but outside of it, such as in the fallopian tubes, ovaries, or abdominal cavity. This embryo, besides being unable to grow healthily due to its incorrect development location, can also cause lesions and harm to the mother, necessitating timely treatment. The incidence of ectopic pregnancy accounts for about 1% of all pregnancies, with 95% occurring in the fallopian tubes. The symptoms of ectopic pregnancy include abdominal pain, irregular bleeding, pelvic tenderness, blood pressure drop, and increased heart rate, as well as a pelvic mass. If, by the 6th week of pregnancy, it is still not possible to see the gestational sac within the uterus through abdominal or vaginal ultrasound, and if the human chorionic gonadotropin in the blood is elevated, even with signs of internal bleeding, ectopic pregnancy can be diagnosed.

　　2. Uterine Fibroids

　　Uterine fibroids may grow during pregnancy, affecting pregnancy in various ways, including fibroid degeneration and necrosis, fibroid torsion, and direct interference with fetal development or obstructing labor. This pain usually occurs suddenly and is localized, with a fixed pain point.

　　3. Ovarian Tumor

　　Complications caused by ovarian tumors during pregnancy are quite common, including tumor torsion and tumor rupture. The vast majority of ovarian tumors during the early stages of pregnancy are benign, but malignant tumors also exist. Therefore, if an ovarian tumor is found during pregnancy, it is necessary to seek medical attention as soon as possible if there are symptoms such as severe pain, abdominal discomfort, abnormal abdominal distension, or ascites.

      16. Diabetes

　　Pregnancy-induced diabetes refers to the phenomenon of hyperglycemia during pregnancy when there was no diabetes before pregnancy, with an incidence rate of about 1% to 3%. It may be that there was diabetes originally, or a large amount of female hormones, such as progesterone and adrenal cortex hormones, secreted during pregnancy, which strengthen the body's resistance to insulin, leading to an increase in blood sugar.

      14. Pregnancy-induced hypertension

　　Hypertension occurring before or within 12 weeks of pregnancy is usually idiopathic hypertension, that is, hypertension not caused by pregnancy. Hypertension occurring after 20 weeks of pregnancy, with systolic blood pressure above 140 or diastolic blood pressure above 90, or a rise in blood pressure in the late pregnancy period of 30 mmHg or more in systolic blood pressure or 15 mmHg or more in diastolic blood pressure compared to the early pregnancy period, is called pregnancy-induced hypertension.

      12. Pre-eclampsia

　　If there is pregnancy-induced hypertension with edema or proteinuria, or both, it is called pre-eclampsia. And if pre-eclampsia is accompanied by convulsions, it is called eclampsia, which has a particularly high maternal and fetal mortality rate. The symptoms of eclampsia are severe, with a fetal mortality rate of 10-28%, and a premature delivery rate of 15%. The three major symptoms of pre-eclampsia are hypertension, proteinuria, and systemic edema, which may appear in any order, and the severity varies from person to person. Other clinical symptoms include headache, weight gain, upper abdominal pain, blurred vision, oliguria, low fetal weight, or acute distress, consumption of coagulation factors, and early placental abruption, etc.

　　Through the introduction of the above content, I believe that everyone has a clearer understanding of some diseases that cause pathological pregnancy. Common causes of pathological pregnancy include ectopic pregnancy, uterine fibroids, ovarian tumors, etc. It is hoped that women will have pre-pregnancy examinations when preparing for pregnancy, and get pregnant with peace of mind after excluding some diseases, so as not to be troubled by some diseases after pregnancy, ultimately leading to a hollow joy.

     After the early pregnancy appears, there will be many phenomena, but many young friends are not very well aware of early pregnancy, so they do not know which reactions are normal. In order to let everyone know more about the common knowledge of early pregnancy, let us understand specifically how to judge the normality of early pregnancy reactions, hoping it will be helpful to you.

　　6. Symptoms

　　5. Amenorrhea: For women of childbearing age with a history of sexual activity, a delay in menstruation of 10 days or more should be suspected as pregnancy. Amenorrhea may be the earliest and most important symptom of pregnancy. However, it should be noted that amenorrhea does not necessarily mean pregnancy.

　　4. Early pregnancy reactions: About half of women experience symptoms such as chills, dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, drooling, loss of appetite, preference for sour foods, or aversion to greasy foods, nausea, and vomiting in the morning, around the 6th week after stopping their periods, which are called early pregnancy reactions. Early pregnancy reactions usually disappear spontaneously around the 12th week of pregnancy.

　　3. Frequent urination: Frequent urination occurs in the early stages of pregnancy, caused by the enlarged, forward-tilting uterus pressing on the bladder in the pelvic cavity. After about the 12th week of pregnancy, when the uterus enters the abdominal cavity and no longer presses on the bladder, the symptoms of frequent urination naturally disappear.

　　2. Signs

　　1. Changes in breasts: Starting from the 8th week of pregnancy, breasts gradually increase in size. Pregnant women may feel mild breast swelling and nipple pain, and examination shows that the nipple and its surrounding skin (areola) become darker, and Montgomery's nodules appear around the areola.

　　2. Changes in reproductive organs: vaginal speculum examination is performed from 6 to 8 weeks of pregnancy. The vaginal wall and cervix are congested and purple-blue. As pregnancy progresses, the uterine body increases in size and becomes soft. When the fundus exceeds the pelvic cavity, it can be touched above the pubic symphysis.

　　Pregnancy is a physiological phenomenon and does not belong to the category of diseases. It is mainly to prevent malformations and complications during pregnancy. The second is to alleviate the discomfort of early pregnancy.

　　1. Psychological prevention:Keep the mood relaxed and cheerful; self-study some health knowledge to fully understand the early pregnancy reaction and relieve psychological burden. The consideration of the husband, relatives, and the care of medical personnel can relieve the pregnant woman's mental concerns and enhance the confidence of overcoming pregnancy reactions; in addition, a comfortable environment is needed, which can often alleviate the symptoms.

　　2. Dietary strategies:Pay attention to the shape, color, and taste of food, change the size of food frequently to stimulate appetite. Eat what you want to eat as much as possible when you can eat. Reduce the amount of each meal and eat more often. Drinking more water and eating more foods rich in fiber and vitamin B1 can prevent constipation and avoid exacerbating the symptoms of early pregnancy reaction. Improving the dining environment can change emotions and stimulate the appetite of pregnant women.

　　3. Moderate exercise:Do not think that nausea and vomiting should lead to lying in bed all day, otherwise it can only exacerbate the early pregnancy reaction. If the activity is too little, symptoms such as nausea, poor appetite, and fatigue will be more severe, and it is easy to form a vicious cycle. Participating in some mild activities, such as outdoor walking and prenatal health exercises, can improve mood, strengthen the body, and alleviate the early pregnancy reaction.

　　Since every pregnant mother has different physical quality, the early pregnancy reactions are also different. Some women who are not well-informed about pregnancy may not know that they are pregnant, which makes it difficult to take good care of themselves. Below, please let the gynecological experts tell you about the methods to determine whether you are pregnant.

　　1.Urine examination

　　Urine test is the most commonly used method to determine pregnancy. After pregnancy, chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) increases and is excreted through urine, which is the principle of early pregnancy test strips and hospital examinations. Its accuracy is over 90%, and it can be detected as early as 2 weeks after conception. If the examination is done after 4 weeks of pregnancy, the results will be more reliable. If you test at home, it is best to use morning urine, which has a higher accuracy rate.

       2. Blood routine

       When pregnant mothers establish their files in the hospital, they will undergo a comprehensive and systematic examination, including blood routine checks. Through this, it can be determined whether pregnant mothers have signs of gestational diabetes or other diseases.

　　 3.Gynecological examination

　　 During the examination, the doctor will find that the uterus begins to enlarge, the cervix and lower segment of the uterus become soft, and the vaginal mucosal color deepens, etc. For women who have been pregnant for 2 weeks, the accuracy of this examination is nearly 100%.

       4. Fetal heart monitoring

       After 36 weeks of pregnancy, the fetal heart monitoring of the pregnant mother begins. Each session is at least 15 minutes, and the baby's movements will be recorded. If the baby's movements are not obvious or few, it may be that the baby is in a resting state, but it could also be a sign that the baby is in poor condition. The doctor will make a judgment based on the actual situation or take further treatment measures for the pregnant mother.

　　5.Ultrasound examination

　　 In most cases, an ultrasound examination is performed in the early stages of pregnancy to check for normal intrauterine pregnancy. By the fourth week of pregnancy, the signs of pregnancy are not yet clear in the ultrasound. It is not until the fifth week that the small fetal sac can be seen, and it does not occupy more than a quarter of the uterine cavity. After the sixth week of pregnancy, one can see the fetal bud and heartbeat.    

       6. Umbilical blood flow

      The umbilical blood flow examination is performed using a Doppler instrument, similar to an ultrasound. However, the umbilical blood flow examination checks the blood supply of the fetus, using this to determine if the pregnant woman has any problems such as intrauterine hypoxia.

　　 This is the content introduced by the expert on 'How to determine if you are pregnant'. Pregnancy is an indispensable stage in becoming a mother, and it is necessary to do a good job of nursing during this period to help alleviate the reaction. At the same time, for women with severe early pregnancy reactions, it is advisable to go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible. Wishing everyone a healthy pregnancy.

      After pregnancy, the body of the expectant mother will undergo significant changes, especially in the later stages of pregnancy. The body not only gains weight rapidly but also is accompanied by many symptoms, such as common edema. Experts say that edema during pregnancy is often a normal phenomenon and does not require treatment, let alone self-medication.

　　1. Avoid excessive use of medicinal herbs

　　No matter how good a medicinal herb is, it must go through the metabolic process of the human body, which increases the burden on the liver and kidneys and has certain side effects. Therefore, it can bring varying degrees of impact to both pregnant women and the fetus. Some pregnant women who take a large amount of royal jelly may suffer from severe diarrhea and eventually have a miscarriage. Long-term use of products like ginseng royal jelly, ginseng capsules, and Gongbao can harm both the pregnant woman and the fetus in the womb. During pregnancy, if there is leg cramping, vitamin A and D are often taken, which can lead to excessive intake of vitamins A and D and cause poisoning.

　　2. Avoid hot foods

　　Pregnant women should not eat hot foods such as dog meat, mutton, and pepper. When taking supplements during pregnancy, it should follow the principle of 'prefer cool and avoid hot', even fruits should be those with neutral and cool properties, such as tomatoes, green pears, and peaches.

　　3. Do not take supplements on your own

　　In the early stages of pregnancy, morning sickness may affect the appetite of pregnant women to some extent. In terms of diet, it is generally not recommended to take excessive tonifying nutrition, and it should mainly be based on personal preferences, eating whatever one likes. For pregnant women who have severe vomiting, it is important to eat light and easily digestible foods. Once the symptoms of pregnancy vomiting disappear in the second trimester, it is still not too late to supplement nutrition.

　　4. Avoid excessive use of ginseng

　　After pregnancy, menstruation stops, and the blood of the zang-fu organs and meridians is injected into the conception and governing vessels to nourish the fetus. Pregnant women are in a state of yin blood deficiency and relative yang excess. Ginseng is a substance that greatly replenishes qi, which may cause pregnant women to have excessive qi and depleted yin. Excessive qi can 'push' the fetus, causing harm and danger to the fetus, which is not conducive to maintaining the pregnancy.

      5. Therapeutic methods

       Foods high in folic acid

　　1. Green vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, green vegetables, asparagus, cauliflower, rapeseed, bok choy, beans, pods, mushrooms, etc.

　　2. Fresh fruits such as oranges, strawberries, cherries, bananas, lemons, peaches, plums, apricots, bayberries, hawthorns, jujubes, hawthorns, loquats, peaches, walnuts, etc.

　　3. Animal foods such as liver, kidneys, poultry meat, and eggs, such as pork liver, chicken, beef, and mutton.

　　4. Legumes and nuts such as soybeans, soy products, walnuts, cashews, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, etc.

　　5. Cereals such as barley, bran, wheat germ, and brown rice.

     Recipe for relieving edema: Red bean tonifying soup

　　Ingredients:

　　Ingredients: 50 grams of red beans, 5 dried dates, 10 grams of wolfberries, 1 piece of ginger, an appropriate amount of brown sugar

　　Preparation:

　　2. Wash the red beans, soak them for a period of time, and then rinse them clean again.

　　3. Wash the dried dates and wolfberries, soak them slightly and then rinse them clean.

　　4. Cut ginger into slices, add all the materials to the slow cooker, and cook into soup for drinking.

　　Nutritional tips: Red beans are rich in potassium, which makes them effective for diuresis and reducing edema. Red beans also have the effect of relieving fatigue, especially for pregnant women who need iron. If there is a lack of iron in the body, fatigue is often felt. A little sugared hot red bean soup can be taken to relieve fatigue.

　　Recipe for relieving edema: Cuttlefish roll braised mixed vegetables

　　Ingredients:

　　Ingredients: 200 grams of cuttlefish, 100 grams of asparagus, 1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, a little salt, an appropriate amount of ginger, an appropriate amount of white pepper, an appropriate amount of olive oil

　　Preparation:

　　1. Cut the asparagus tips diagonally, cut the red and yellow peppers into triangular slices, and prepare ginger slices.

　　2. Clean the whole cuttlefish, cut it at a 45-degree angle with a sharp knife, making diagonal cuts along the entire fish, but not too deep to avoid cutting through. Then flip the cuttlefish body and continue to cut diagonally, making sure the cuts are perpendicular to the previous ones. Finally, cut the flower-cut cuttlefish slices into triangular shapes.

　　3. Bring water to a boil in the pot, add ginger slices, and blanch the cuttlefish until it curls up, then remove it immediately and put it in cold water to maintain its elasticity. Blanche the asparagus tips. Add olive oil to the pot, stir-fry the red and yellow bell peppers, then add the blanched asparagus. Finally, add the cuttlefish rolls.

　　4. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper, stir-fry evenly and then remove from heat.

　　Nutritional tips: Cuttlefish is also helpful for relieving edema during pregnancy. Moreover, eating cuttlefish during pregnancy has the functions of nourishing the liver and kidneys, enriching the blood and Qi, clearing the stomach and reducing heat, and can nourish the blood, improve eyesight, regulate the channels, ensure pregnancy, facilitate childbirth, stop bleeding, and promote lactation. However, pregnant women should eat cuttlefish in moderation to avoid indigestion.

　　Recipe for relieving edema: Winter melon and shrimp soup

　　Ingredients:

　　Ingredients: 250 grams of winter melon, 200 grams of large shrimp, 30 grams of coriander, 5 grams of scallions, 5 grams of ginger, 5 grams of salt

　　Preparation:

　　1. Soak the large shrimp in water for several hours, and keep the clear, debris-free water for later use.

　　2. Peel the winter melon and slice it, then sauté with scallions and ginger.

　　3. Add the soaked shrimp water and some clear water to the pot, then add the large shrimp, bring to a boil over high heat, add chopped coriander and season with salt to taste.

　　Nutritional tips: Winter melon has a very low sodium content, has the effect of diuresis and edema, and is an ideal therapeutic vegetable for edema during pregnancy.

　　Many women have early pregnancy reactions in the early stage of pregnancy, which can have a great impact on the lives of many pregnant women. This requires some methods to relieve the impact of early pregnancy reactions on women's lives. The following mainly introduces what are the traditional Chinese medicine treatment methods for early pregnancy reactions?

　　1. Traditional Chinese medicine self-treatment method

　　(1) Xiangsha Yangwei Pill, 6 grams each time, three times a day. Used for the type of spleen and stomach weakness.

　　(2) Erchen Pill, 6 grams each time, three times a day. Used for the type of spleen and stomach weakness.

　　(3) Zuojin Pill, 6 grams each time, three times a day. Used for the type of liver and stomach disharmony.

　　(4) Guanyin Qinghuo Pill, 6 grams each time, three times a day. Used for the type of liver and stomach disharmony.

　　2. Formula self-treatment method

　　(1) 30 grams of gourds tea, decocted in water and divided into three doses.

　　(2) 15 grams of pomelo slices, decocted in water, taken twice a day.

　　(3) 30 grams of persimmon calyx, 60 grams of rock sugar. Boil water to make tea and drink slowly.

　　(4) 15 grams of orange peel, 10 grams of ginger, 20 grams of brown sugar, boil water to make tea.

　　3. External treatment self-treatment method

　　(1) Press the Neiguan acupoint (on the inner side of the arm, two cun above the wrist between the two tendons), Zusanli (three cun directly below the patella, one finger wide on the outer edge of the tibia), for 3-5 minutes each time.

　　(2) 30 grams of ginger, 10 grams of Wumei. The mixture is twisted into juice and wiped on the tongue, several times a day.

　　(3) 15 grams of Dingxiang, 20 grams of Banxia, 30 grams of ginger. The first two ingredients are ground into powder, the ginger is boiled into a concentrated juice, and the mixture is adjusted to a paste. Take an appropriate amount and apply it to the navel, once a day, for 3-4 days.

　　(4) 250 grams of Chen艾叶, 30 grams of Cangzhu. After the mixture is pounded, it is rolled into strips with fine hemp paper (the strips should be rolled tightly), ignited, and then burned at the Zhongwan acupoint (four cun above the navel), Neiguan acupoint, and Zusanli. The distance from the skin should be about one inch, and the burning should stop when the local skin turns red.

　　In summary, the above mainly introduces some treatment methods for early pregnancy reactions for the majority of women. If the early pregnancy reactions of women are relatively mild, they generally do not need special treatment and it is enough to pay attention to diet. However, if it is more serious, it is necessary to use the above-mentioned methods for relief.