What is the period of pregnancy?

The period of pregnancy is considered a distinct period in the life of every mother, as the mother passes through many physical and psychological changes, where the symptoms of pregnancy begin to appear first so that the clearest sign of pregnancy is the interruption of the menstrual cycle and the occurrence of some blood drops in the form of bleeding that appears when scanning on Vagina, and this bleeding is the result of a process called implantation.

It is after one of the millions of sperm meets the egg provided by the mother to fertilize it, so that there is a fertilized egg, to complete its way from the fallopian tube towards the womb, to implant in its wall.

What are the symptoms of pregnancy ?

It is possible for the mother to notice a state of lethargy, decreased activity and a desire to sleep and rest more, as she needs to urinate more than once and the smell of urine is strong and pungent, and the mother also feels stiffness, swelling and heaviness in the breast, and you may also feel flatulence in the abdomen, These changes are attributed to the increased secretion of pregnancy hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone.

To reveal the validity of pregnancy, most women tend to perform a pregnancy test, because it is possible that some or all of these symptoms occur but without any fetus, and this is what is known scientifically as false pregnancy.

How can a pregnancy health check be done?

The pregnancy test can be done in one of three ways:

•       Either home examination is inexpensive, easy to use and widely available in pharmacies.  
•       Or by examining the blood, which is carried out in the clinic of the specialist and gives an accurate result, it is possible to measure the percentage of pregnancy hormone in the blood, but it is a little expensive.
•       Or it can be detected by the sonar, but it is costly and delays the detection of pregnancy, as a result of the apparent failure of the fetus.

What is preeclampsia?

It is also known as pregnancy-induced hypertension, which is a disorder that appears late in pregnancy, usually swelling in the limbs, and the appearance of protein in the urine – often after the 20th week – and is characterized by sudden high blood pressure and ascites.

It can be defined as the condition that appears as complications of pre-eclampsia, and it can be represented in the form of major epileptic seizures that the mother may suffer from, or seizures during the pregnancy, or after birth.

This condition is rare in the first twenty weeks of pregnancy, that is, it can appear in the third third of pregnancy, or after two to six weeks after birth, and affects both the mother and the fetus, and it is possible that some cases of preeclampsia occur without any presence of high blood pressure .

It is not known exactly what is the main cause of this pathology, but the prevailing belief that it is the result of a defect in the placenta, where the blood vessels that develop to send blood to the fetus, become narrower and thus less blood reaches the fetus.

Or it may be caused by vascular laceration, immune system problems or malnutrition.

What are its symptoms?

It is important for the mother to continuously follow up on health in order to avoid this disease, and its symptoms include that if the blood pressure was normal before the pregnancy occurred:

•       Feeling a strong and severe headache.
•       Note the presence of protein in the urine.
•       Significantly high blood pressure, in excess of 90/140.
•       The mother feels swelling in the legs, face, and hands, but it cannot be confirmed that this swelling is the result of preeclampsia, as the normal pregnancy has a kind of swelling that appears on the mother.
•       The possibility of visual impairment, temporary loss of vision, sensitivity to light, or any other changes in vision.
•       Decreased urine output.
•       Feeling sick and vomiting.
•       Sudden increase in weight, which may reach nine kilograms per week!

What are its complications?

Preeclampsia can lead to several catastrophic and difficult consequences for both the mother and her fetus, and among these are potential damages:

•       Lack of blood supply to the placenta, which can lead to difficulties in breathing and development of the fetus, or it may lead to premature birth.
•       Placenta separation, which may have serious consequences for the health of the fetus and the mother.
•       Help syndrome, which leads to the breakdown of red blood cells, and elevated level of liver enzymes.
•       Cramps associated with preeclampsia, which may lead to brain or liver damage.
•       It can cause damage and problems in the heart and blood vessels.

How can it be discovered?

Preeclampsia can be detected by performing the following checks:

•       Blood analysis .
•       Urine collection and analysis.
•       Ultrasound (sonar rays).
•       Biophysical test.