Posts Tagged ‘Early Pregnancy’

Is Cramping Normal in Early Pregnancy

Is cramping normal in early pregnancy? Cramps are unpleasant, painful sensations caused by muscle contractions.

Cramps often feel like the ones you have when expecting your period; in women who are trying to conceive, it may be the sign of pregnancy. In addition, that is one of the things that many pregnant women are concerned about, especially first time mothers.

The most common reason for having cramps is expanding of the uterus and preparing the body for a baby, implantation or hormonal changes that will be happening during the early pregnancy.

A woman’s body is changing and preparing itself for a baby and it is under a lot of pressure. Some of the reasons for having cramps may also be unhealthy diet, smoking, stress etc. Cramps can also be caused by other symptoms that can appear during pregnancy such as nausea, vomiting or gastritis.

Pregnant women sometimes worry that cramping is a sign that something is not right, but, fortunately, in most cases that is not the case. It is normal to feel mild cramps or ache in your lower abdomen during the early pregnancy and low back pain or even some shooting pain in vagina or vulva. Some women who are carrying their second or third child may experience a strong pain in their groin or hip area. That kind of pain often subsides by walking.

However, you should start worrying if the cramps are intense and followed by an intense pain – or in the worst case – bleeding. Sadly, cramping might be a sign of a miscarriage, too. Severe pain, especially on one side, that you have experienced joined with cramps that lasted more than 24 hours, could also be a sign of ectopic pregnancy.

If you want to sooth cramps, you can take a warm bath or a shower; also, you can do a mild exercise. Exercise will help you during the pregnancy and might moderate or even prevent unwanted cramps. Resting, staying in bed, short walks, massages, swimming, reasonable input of fluid and vitamins are some of the methods that can help you in preventing cramps.

Many women do not pay attention on cramps of mild intensity and consider that they will pass by themselves, or take medications on their own. Regardless of the intensity of a pain or cramps – whether they’re followed by bleeding or not – it is necessary to see a doctor and do an examination or ultrasound.

Beta HCG Levels in Early Pregnancy

Beta hCG levels in early pregnancy are quite good indicators of viable pregnancy prior to the sixth week. In fact, the only indicator that is more reliable is baby’s healthy heartbeat, but that can only be heard after the sixth week of pregnancy.

This is the hormone which is responsible for the chemical reaction that occurs while taking a pregnancy tests. Levels of hCG in blood are higher than those in urine, so if you get a positive on a test, you should still go see a doctor for a blood test, because the blood test is more reliable.

It is an embryo’s way to let the woman know that she is pregnant. hCG stands for “human Chorionic Gonadotropin”, but in medical slang, the test is often referred to as “beta”. The level of hCG in a woman who is not pregnant is less than 10 mIU/ml. In a pregnant woman it reaches 100 mIU/ml and more than three quarters of pregnant women (around 85%) will have their hCG doubled in every 72 hours.

Presence of hCG in blood can be determined by blood test taken eight days after the ovulation. It can be detected even before the woman misses her period. HCG is responsible for maintaining corpus luteum which produces progesterone. Progesterone is on the other hand needed because it helps keeping the lining of the uterus healthy and thick.

Thick lining is needed for healthy pregnancy. Although hCG is one of the best indicators of early pregnancy, there is a very large variation of values during the pregnancy. Low hCG level may indicate an ectopic pregnancy (the fetus has started growing outside the uterus) or a possible miscarriage. It can also indicate a miscalculated date of conception.

High levels of hCG can indicate a miscalculated date of conception, but they can also indicate conditions as molar pregnancy or multiple pregnancy.