Pregnancy proceeds with an alternation of several stages. Each period of this special time has its own characteristics. This article will tell you which weeks of pregnancy are considered dangerous. During these periods, special care must be taken and, despite the criticality of the period, remain calm. If this information has a negative effect on you and arouses anxiety, you should not read it.
Most dangerous time
During certain periods of the baby's intrauterine development, his expectant mother should be more attentive to her health. These periods are characterized by specific changes in the child's body. If at this time a pregnant woman does not follow the doctor's recommendations prescribed for her, then later this can lead to extremely unfavorable consequences. This behavior can even cause the formation of various intrauterine defects and defects in the baby.
The entire period of bearing a child is conventionally divided into several periods. This division is used in obstetric practice for a reason. In each trimester, specific changes occur both in the body of the expectant mother and her baby. Knowledge of certain patterns of intrauterine development of each such period contributes to the fact that doctors can identify certain pathological changes in time. The entire period of intrauterine development is divided into three trimesters.
In the first trimester
This period begins on the first day of successful conception and continues until the thirteenth week. There are several "critical" weeks in the first trimester. So, a rather dangerous time falls on 4, 8 and 12 weeks of pregnancy. Obstetricians-gynecologists advise pregnant women at this time to carefully monitor their well-being and, if possible, avoid strenuous physical exertion, as well as the effects of stress, since this period is characterized by a rather high risk of spontaneous miscarriage.
In the fourth week, many expectant mothers do not even suspect that they are expecting a baby. Some women may get sick during this time and start taking antibiotics. This can lead to negative consequences, since during this period the internal organs begin to form in the baby. Also, not only the use of antibacterial agents, but also the use of alcohol and smoking can lead to negative consequences.
In the second
This period begins after 13 weeks and lasts until 27. This time is a kind of "equator" of pregnancy. At this time, the intrauterine development of the fetus also proceeds quite intensively, but at the same time the expectant mother feels relatively well. During this period of pregnancy, many women have already disappeared signs of toxicosis and stabilized their mood.
However, there are several dangerous days during the second trimester. According to experts, they fall on weeks 16 and 17. At this time, the fetus has already grown a little and begins to exert mechanical pressure on the cervix. Obstetricians-gynecologists note that it is during this period that such pathology as isthmic-cervical insufficiency is often revealed. This pathological condition is dangerous because it can cause miscarriage or premature discharge of amniotic fluid.
If the expectant mother for a period of 16-17 weeks was diagnosed with isthmic-cervical insufficiency, then she is prescribed special recommendations. In some cases, a woman may even be admitted to a hospital ward to maintain her current pregnancy.
Also, she is definitely advised to limit physical activity and not lift heavy objects.
In third
This period of pregnancy is final. It begins, respectively, from the 28th week and continues until the immediate birth of the baby into the world. At this time, specific changes begin to occur in the body, which prepare it for the upcoming birth.
Usually, the 3rd trimester of a healthy pregnancy is fairly stable. However, even in this period, there are several dangerous weeks. Obstetricians-gynecologists consider the 29th, 32nd and 34th weeks to be such critical periods. They note that intrauterine fetal hypoxia is often recorded at this time. This condition is characterized by a decrease in the supply of oxygen to the body of a baby growing in the mother's womb, which leads to the formation of pathological changes in him.
The risk of developing intrauterine hypoxia in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy is significantly higher in women who have had infectious diseases. Moreover, they could get sick even at the very beginning of pregnancy, and the negative consequences of diseases manifested themselves only at this time.
Intrauterine fetal hypoxia is a condition that requires special attention from doctors. In order for the birth in the future to pass without any negative consequences, the expectant mother must definitely take care of her health.
Critical periods of fetal development
The process of intrauterine development is quite complex. In a few months, a child develops from a fertilized female reproductive cell. Every day of intrauterine development of the fetus is characterized by specific changes. Reproductive specialists identify several critical periods of intrauterine development of the fetus.
The first
So, the first critical period occurs at the very beginning of pregnancy, namely at the time of implantation. Usually the fertilized egg is implanted into the wall of the uterus 6-7 days after fertilization. This process is highly vulnerable. Unfortunately, cases of impaired implantation are not uncommon in obstetric practice.
The situation is also dangerous if the fertilized egg is implanted not to the wall of the uterus, but to the fallopian tube. This situation leads to the development of an ectopic pregnancy, which has no prospect of successful development. Nature has carefully foreseen the death of non-viable embryos in the early stages of their development. The presence of a number of chromosomal pathologies can lead to the nonviability of the embryo.
If there are such pathologies, then in this case the rejection of a fertilized egg can occur already at the stage of implantation, and knowing the relatively dangerous periods of pregnancy, it is possible to determine the time when it flows quite smoothly.
Also, an embryo can be "expelled" from the uterus, which in the first days after fertilization was negatively affected by alcohol or drugs, which the woman was taking at that time, not knowing about her pregnancy.
Another period, which is characterized by the risk of the formation of various pathologies, is the time from 4 to 8 weeks of pregnancy. At this time, the active development of placental tissue begins. If it is laid incorrectly, then in the future course of pregnancy may be disrupted. Placental pathologies can also negatively affect the process of intrauterine development of the child.
The placenta is an important anatomical element. It is necessary not only to provide the baby growing in the uterus with blood containing nutrients and oxygen, but also for the synthesis of hormones. This "fetal organ" "synthesizes a number of hormonal substances that are necessary for the full course of pregnancy. If the placenta cannot cope with this role for some reason, then the risk of developing pathological changes and even abrupt termination of pregnancy is high.
10-12 weeks - the period when the first pathological changes in the functioning of the placental tissue may appear. Obstetricians-gynecologists recommend at this time to pay special attention to their health to women who have become pregnant as a result of in vitro fertilization techniques. Hormonal imbalance that has developed as a result of various pathologies of the placenta can become a threat of miscarriage.
Second
The second most dangerous period falls on the time period from 15 to 20 weeks of intrauterine development of the baby... At this time, there is an active development of neurons - cells of the central nervous system. Also, this stage of pregnancy is characterized by the fact that the basic structures of the brain begin to differentiate in the baby. The negative impact of various factors can cause the formation of various pathologies of the nervous system.
20-24 weeks of pregnancy is another dangerous period. At this time, systems responsible for blood circulation and blood clotting develop in the child's body. If for some reason this process is disrupted, then the baby may develop congenital diseases of the circulatory system in the future.
Third
Another critical period begins from week 28 and lasts until 34. At this time, the risk of developing intrauterine hypoxia is quite high. This condition can impair the functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems in the fetus, which in the future can cause a number of congenital diseases.
Knowing the relatively dangerous periods of pregnancy, you can determine the time when it flows quite smoothly.
However, doctors recommend that expectant mothers carefully monitor their well-being every day, and not only on dangerous days of intrauterine development of the fetus. Critical periods are just a conditional time when the risk of the formation of various pathologies is increased. However, this does not mean at all that such pathological conditions will appear.
If the pregnancy proceeds without complications, then in this case, you should not worry about the development of any pathologies.
There are no absolutely safe periods of pregnancy. The impact of unfavorable factors can lead to the fact that pathologies can appear at any time. In order to reduce the risk of their occurrence, obstetricians-gynecologists advise expectant mothers to monitor the daily regimen and rest, diet, and also limit stress.
