Pregnancy - Abortion, Fetal Development, Complications

pregnancy

Table of Contents

Introduction
The normal events of pregnancy
- Initiation of pregnancy
- Diagnosis of pregnancy
  - Symptoms and signs; biological tests
  - Conditions that may be mistaken for pregnancy
  - Duration of pregnancy
- Anatomic and physiologic changes of normal pregnancy
  - Changes in organs and tissues directly associated with childbearing
    - Ovaries
    - The uterus and the development of the placenta
    - Uterine tubes
    - Vagina
    - External genital structures
    - Other pelvic tissues
    - Breasts
  - Anatomic and physiologic changes in other organs and tissues
    - Cardiovascular and lymphatic systems
    - Respiratory tract
    - Gastrointestinal tract
    - Liver
    - Urinary tract
    - Blood
    - Endocrine system
    - Skin
  - Metabolic changes
    - The basal metabolic rate
    - Weight
    - Protein
    - Carbohydrates
    - Fat
    - Water
    - Minerals
- Prenatal care and testing
  - Ultrasound
  - Amniocentesis
  - Chorionic villi sampling
  - Alpha-fetoprotein screening
Abnormal changes in pregnancy
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Abortion
- Systemic diseases and pregnancy
  - Heart disease
  - Endocrine diseases
    - Diabetes
    - Thyroid disease
    - Pituitary disorders
    - Adrenal glands
  - Urinary tract diseases
  - Pulmonary disease
  - Gastrointestinal diseases
  - Nervous system disorders
- Diseases of pregnancy
  - Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
  - Gestational diabetes
  - Diseases of the placenta
    - Placenta praevia
    - Abruptio placentae
    - Placental infarction
    - Placenta accreta
    - Placental cysts and benign tumours
    - Inflammation of the placenta
    - Placental anomalies
  - Anomalies of the umbilical cord
  - Abnormalities of the amniotic fluid
    - Hydramnios
    - Oligohydramnios
  - Trophoblastic disease
    - Hydatidiform mole
    - Choriocarcinoma

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

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initiation of pregnancy; fertilization and implantation

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Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy before the infant can survive outside the uterus. The age at which a fetus is considered viable has not been completely agreed upon. Many obstetricians use either 21 weeks or 400–500 grams (0.9–1.1 pounds) birth weight as the baseline between abortion and premature delivery, because few infants have survived when they weighed less than 500 grams at birth or when the pregnancy was of less than 21 weeks’ duration. Generally speaking, the fetus has almost no chance of living if it weighs less than 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds) and if the pregnancy is ...(100 of 19882 words)

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