The first months of pregnancy are very important. During this period, multiple changes begin to occur in the body of the expectant mother. So, pregnancy at 5-6 weeks can be peculiar.
How long is it?
By the period of the 6th obstetric week of pregnancy, the baby has been developing in the mother's womb for a whole month. This period also corresponds to 4 weeks from the date of conception. This difference in determining the age of the baby is not accidental. The fact is that doctors use a special counting system. In this case, the term "midwife month" is used.
The calendar system of counting, carried out from the moment of conception, will somewhat differ from the obstetric one. The period from the moment of conception of the child is less than the obstetric period used.
What does the belly look like?
At this stage of pregnancy, the weight of the expectant mother does not change significantly. This is due to the fact that the size of the baby is still very small.
From the side, pregnancy is also not visible. Only a doctor can discover that a future mother is expecting a baby during a series of studies. Also, during this period of time, the indicators of hormones in the blood change.
The appearance of the abdomen remains the same. Many women during this period, already knowing that they are pregnant, begin to turn around in front of the mirror more often, trying to see any changes. However, there are still no clear external signs of an increase in abdominal circumference.
Discharge from the genital tract
In this period, a pregnant woman may be excited by the appearance of various vaginal discharge in her. The appearance of this symptom is due to various reasons, and not only pathological. A number of specific hormonal changes that occur at this time in the female body can also cause secretions from the genital tract.
Light-colored discharge or mucus from the vagina may appear. Such discharge is a variant of the norm and does not require any medical correction. As a rule, the expectant mother notices the occurrence of such discharge on her underwear or daily panty liner when going to the toilet.
The color of such physiological secretions can be different. Most often it is a clear or slightly whitish liquid. Its consistency is different.
An important clinical sign assessed is the presence of a fetid odor. Normally, it should be absent. The appearance of an unfavorable odor from secretions from the genital tract is a sign of a possible bacterial infection of the reproductive organs.
The appearance of a specific vaginal discharge at this stage of pregnancy is preceded by specific changes occurring in the female reproductive system under the influence of pregnancy hormones. When glycogen accumulates in the cell lining of the female genital organs, light or beige discharge appears. This substance has a beneficial effect on the growth of lactic acid bacteria, which normally live in the vagina and provide an optimal pH of the intimate zone.
A normal amount of lactic acid bacteria is necessary for optimal local immunity. This helps to protect the female body from various dangerous infections.
The shift in the pH of the intimate zone and the disturbed growth of beneficial bacteria contribute to the fact that the natural defense process is disturbed. This contributes to the fact that a pregnant woman may develop various pathologies. An example of such a disease is thrush or candidiasis, which is familiar to many women.
This disease is caused by overgrowth of the yeast-like fungus Candida. Their excessive reproduction also contributes to the fact that the woman begins to develop uncomfortable symptoms. An important diagnostic sign of genital candidiasis is the appearance of white cheesy discharge and, as a rule, severe itching in the intimate area.
If a pregnant woman experiences such uncomfortable symptoms, she should see her doctor right away. Doctors do not recommend treating candidiasis on your own during pregnancy, as you can harm the baby.
The doctor in this situation will definitely select the correct therapy regimen. The basis of its choice in pregnant women in the initial period of their pregnancy is local therapy.
Such drugs normalize the disturbed vaginal pH, and also have a good antiseptic effect. In the early stages of pregnancy, as a rule, systemic therapy is not prescribed, since they can have an adverse effect on the actively flowing organogenesis of the fetus.
Some women, after having sex at this stage of pregnancy, notice some drops of blood or pink discharge on their underwear. Usually this symptom occurs on the first day after intercourse.
He leads many expectant mothers to a real shock. The appearance of such bloody discharge may be associated with trauma to the delicate mucous membranes of the vagina and genital tract.
If such a symptom appears, then the expectant mother should definitely consult with her doctor. For sex during pregnancy, couples should choose more gentle positions.
The occurrence of bloody discharge is an extremely disturbing sign. Quite often, it is accompanied by increased pain in the lower abdomen, as well as increasing weakness. The severity of the manifestations can be different. For some women, it all starts with the appearance of regular smearing red or brown discharge from the genital tract.
Expectant mothers should remember that the appearance of such a symptom may be a sign of bleeding that has begun. It, in turn, happens with spontaneous miscarriage. Raspberry, light brown and dark discharge should also be a warning sign for a woman.
In this situation, the timeliness of medical care is very important. If the expectant mother in the early stages of pregnancy has alarming spotting, then you should not hesitate in contacting your doctor.
In some cases, a woman may have a bright yellow thick discharge. Such a discharge can appear with various bacterial infections of intimate organs. It is often accompanied by an unpleasant odor.
To diagnose the disease that caused the appearance of such discharge, auxiliary tests will be required. They are assigned to the expectant mother by a gynecologist after a clinical examination of the genitals.
In such a situation, a smear from the vagina is necessarily taken to identify pathogenic microflora. If, after conducting a bacteriological study, microbes were detected, the doctor will prescribe an appropriate local treatment.
Feeling in the lower abdomen
In most cases, the well-being of the expectant mother during this period of bearing the child changes slightly. Some women even note that at 5-6 weeks of pregnancy they did not feel any major changes in their bodies.
The appearance of symptoms that occur in the abdomen of a pregnant woman at this stage of pregnancy occurs due to an increase in the size of the uterus. This is caused by a variety of hormonal changes occurring in the female body.
By 6-7 weeks of pregnancy, the uterus takes on the size of a large apple. Gradually, its walls begin to thicken. This is necessary in order to protect the baby's body from the effects of various external factors and influences.
The condition of the reproductive organs of the expectant mother at this time is very important. To assess the main parameters of women's health, doctors necessarily use several criteria. Among these clinical signs, the tone of the uterus stands out, which shows how functional the uterine walls are.
A healthy myometrium (the muscle layer of the uterus) has the ability to contract. This layer is formed by smooth muscle fibers and connective tissue. It has a certain structural feature: the muscle fibers forming it are located in different directions, due to which a good contraction of the uterine wall is ensured.
An excessive increase in the tone of the uterus contributes to the development of conditions dangerous for the fetus, which experts call hypertonicity - it can contribute to the risk of spontaneous miscarriage and lead to abortion.
Hypertonicity of the uterus is the triggering cause of increased pressure inside the genital organ. Such violations contribute to the fact that the baby may have various problems in intrauterine development.
The optimal is the normotonus, in which the uterine walls are in a physiological state, and the intrauterine pressure remains within the normal range. Normotonus promotes optimal growth and development of the baby in the womb.
Some women in this period of pregnancy have discomfort in the lower abdomen. They may feel the lower abdomen pulling or the ovary aching and pricking. Such adverse symptoms can develop on one or both sides.
These clinical signs significantly worsen the well-being of the expectant mother. Soreness leads to the fact that the woman tries to take a more advantageous position in which she does not feel that her stomach hurts. To do this, she can sit on a sofa or in a chair and lean towards its back. This position helps to reduce the load on the lumbar spine, while also contributing to some reduction of pain in the lower abdomen.
Some women noted that at the 6th week of pregnancy, they had "pulling" sensations in the lower abdomen, as during menstruation. These disorders can be caused by changes in the level of hormones in the blood.
If the expectant mother has a lower abdomen pain, then she should definitely warn her obstetrician-gynecologist about this.
Frequent pathologies
Even with a physiological course of pregnancy, the expectant mother in the sixth week may experience some changes in her health. They are facilitated by an altered hormonal background.
So, during pregnancy, the functioning of the immune system undergoes a number of specific changes. This contributes to the fact that female immunity is somewhat reduced. This feature leads to the fact that the expectant mother becomes more vulnerable to various infectious diseases. The risk of colds also increases significantly.
The severity of the emerging catarrhal symptoms may vary. This is largely determined by the initial state of health of the woman. Thus, the presence of chronic diseases of the ENT organs in most cases significantly worsens the course and prognosis of the developed disease.
In most cases, common hypothermia leads to the appearance of adverse symptoms of a cold. Uncomfortable manifestations, as a rule, begin to bother a woman within a few hours or by the end of the first day after she has caught a cold.
If the onset of a cold fell on the sixth week of pregnancy, then in this case, a pregnant woman should definitely seek help from a doctor. It is simply dangerous to treat an illness, especially one accompanied by severe fever.
A decrease in the work of immunity can also lead to the fact that a pregnant woman may have an exacerbation of herpes. This disease occurs every year in the female population more and more often.
The most common clinical variant of herpes infection is labial herpes. This form of the disease is characterized by the appearance of watery blisters on the border of the lips. As a rule, the process is one-sided. However, bilateral inflammation can also develop.
The genital variant of herpes infection is characterized by the appearance of characteristic rashes in the genital tract. Such bubbles can burst as the liquid flows out. In this situation, it is very important to prevent the possibility of secondary infection, when bacteria can penetrate the wound surface.
Various disorders of the gastrointestinal tract at this stage of pregnancy bother expectant mothers quite often. The most common of these is nausea. Some women even vomit.
These uncomfortable symptoms are most pronounced in the morning. The female sex hormone "progesterone" is largely responsible for the development of these adverse signs. In the first trimester of pregnancy, its concentration in the blood increases greatly.
Some women also have a feeling of bloating in their abdomen. As a rule, this symptom occurs with various errors in nutrition and imbalance in the diet. Also, expectant mothers may experience various violations of stool regularity, manifested by the appearance of diarrhea or constipation. The development of these conditions is facilitated by changes in the motor function of the intestine, as well as hormonal disorders.
For information on why the stomach hurts in early pregnancy, see the next video.
