The scientific term for pregnancy is gravidity, which means “heavy” in Latin.
Pseudocyesis, or “false pregnancy” occurs when a woman believes she is pregnant, and may even show pregnancy symptoms, even though she is not pregnant.
Pregnant women at a healthy weight should eat an extra 300 calories per day. This amount is roughly equivalent to a serving of yogurt and half of a bagel.
Couvade syndrome, or sympathetic pregnancy, occurs when a partner of a pregnant woman experiences pregnancy symptoms, such as weight gain, morning sickness, altered hormone levels, labor pains and even breast growth. It has been documented in dads around the world.
Pregnant women usually experience a heightened sense of smell beginning late in the first trimester. Some experts call this the body’s way of protecting a pregnant women from foods that are unsafe for the fetus.
During pregnancy, a woman’s body releases a hormone called relaxin to loosen joints and ligaments in preparation for delivery. A woman’s increased weight coupled with more flexible joints leads to the “pregnancy waddle.
A pregnant woman grows an entirely new organ during pregnancy, the placenta. It acts not only as a protective barrier, but also as an endocrine organ by releasing hormones, such as hCG, estrogen, and progesterone. The placenta is the only transient organ in the human body.
During pregnancy, a woman’s body releases a hormone called relaxin to loosen joints and ligaments in preparation for delivery. A woman’s increased weight coupled with more flexible joints leads to the “pregnancy waddle.
A pregnant woman grows an entirely new organ during pregnancy, the placenta. It acts not only as a protective barrier, but also as an endocrine organ by releasing hormones, such as hCG, estrogen, and progesterone. The placenta is the only transient organ in the human body.
Being pregnant can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Pregnancy swelling, or edema, can pool in wrists and ankles, which can pinch nerves and cause “pins and needles” tingling.
"Pregnancy brain” is not a myth. During the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, pregnant women perform worse on spatial memory tests than non-pregnant women. Researchers point to hormonal changes as the culprit
Tennessee became the first state in the U.S. to allow prosecutors to charge pregnant women with criminal assault if they use illegal drugs and their infants are harmed as a result.
The dark line that seemingly “suddenly” appears down the middle of a pregnant woman’s belly is actually already there. Pregnancy hormones just change the pigmentation to make it more visible.
During pregnancy, a woman is more likely to experience bleeding gums and nosebleeds due to hormonal changes that increase blood flow to the mouth and nose.
During the second half of pregnancy, the fetus will begin to pee about a liter a day. The fetus swallows most of it.
Women with incomes at or below the poverty lines are 5 times more likely than those at the highest income levels to have unplanned pregnancies.
The word “pregnant” is from the Latin praegnantem, which combines prae- (“before”) and gnasci- (“be born”).
The longest pregnancy on record is 375 days (12.5 months), instead of the normal 280 days. Amazingly, the delivered baby was only 6 pounds, 15 ounces.
Globally, one woman dies every 90 seconds in pregnancy or in childbirth, amounting to over 350,000 women every year. Most of these deaths are preventable.
Male seahorses are the only creatures in the animal kingdom in which the males become pregnant and develop embryos similar to the ways female mammals do.
Approximately 10% of pregnancies will end in a miscarriage, often before a woman even knows she’s pregnant.
A woman’s uterus will expand about 500 times its original size during pregnancy.
Nearly half of the 6.7 million pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, and of these, 43% end in abortion.
Women who snore during pregnancy are more likely to have a C-section and to have smaller babies.
Women who consistently use birth control have just 5% of unintended pregnancies in the U.S.
The first pregnant man, Thomas Beatie, gave birth to a baby girl in 2008.
In America, 31 states allow custody and visitation rights for rapists if the rape results in a pregnancy.
At any given time, approximately 4% of women in the United States are pregnant.
By the 20th week of pregnancy, a woman has 50% more blood than she did before conception. Her heart enlarges to accommodate the increase in blood volume.
In 2012, there were 213 million pregnancies, of which 190 million were in the developing world and 23 million were in the developed world.
Becoming pregnant while already pregnant is rare, but it is possible. A woman in Arkansas carried two children with two different due dates.
Childbirth was so dangerous during the Middle Ages that women wrote their wills as soon as they found out they were pregnant.
Twenty-two percent of all pregnancies in the United States end in abortion (excluding miscarriages).
Women can develop varicose veins not only in their legs during pregnancy, but also in their vagina and vulva.
Comments
Post a Comment