Conception, Pregnancy, and Childbirth Flashcards
Sexual Self-Esteem
- The feeling that you have towards your body, sense of self, as a sexual person or being
- Based on sexual experiences, messages we’ve received about sex, and etc.
Zona Pellucida
Thin gelatinous layer surrounding egg
Hydraluronidase
- Enzyme secreted by sperm
- Produced by the acrosome in head of sperm
- Helps to dissolve zona pellucida, making it easier for 1 sperm to penetrate and enter the egg
Capacitation
- Once one sperm is able to enter
- Following this, zona pellucida hardens, keeping all other sperm out!
Implantation
- Once zygote implants into uterus
- Implantation takes about 5 days!
difference b/w types of twins?
Identical: once capacitation occurs, zygote splits in half and develop independently
Fraternal: two eggs were originally released and both fertilized by different sperm
obstacles to fertilizaiton (4)
- Acidity of vagina
- Kills many sperm immediately!
- Some are deformed
- Can’t swim properly
- Swimming against currents of fallopian tube
- Cilia push egg downwards, BUT sperm have to go up!
- Swim up wrong fallopian tube 😞
- Only one ovary releases an egg at a time, could go into the wrong tube!
zygote
fertilized egg (first 2 weeks)
- Travels down the fallopian tube (by fimbriae)
- Cell division begins ~36 hours after conception
- Implantation into uterus lining occurs 5-7 days later
- Otherwise, disintegrates in 48 hours if not fertilized
Embryo
💡 Weeks 2-8
- Developing sperm and egg
fetus
💡 8 weeks → birth
basal body temperature chart
- Temperature will be slightly lower before ovulation and slightly higher the day after ovulation
- Only approx. 1 degree difference
- DIRECTIONS: take temperature every morning immediately upon waking
when to time intercourse
right during or 1-2 days before ovulation
- or Sperm can live in body up to 5 days
presumptive signs of pregnancy
- missed period, breast tenderness, nausea, more frequent urination, fatigue
- Missed period + 2 other signs = 67% probability of pregnancy
Probable signs: 80-95% correct
HCG—98% (at least 7 days following conception)
- Detected in urine during pregnancy test
- Secreted by placenta and cells surrounding zygote
Hegar’s sign
- Softening of lower part of uterus
- Can be felt by manual exam at about week 7
beta-hCG radioimmunoassay
- Presence of beta-hCG in blood
- Very expensive
- Positive signs—definite indicators!
- Fetal heartbeat
- Active fetal movement
- Feeling fetus moving
- Detection of skeleton by ultrasound
- Active fetal movement
Nagele’s rule
first day of last menstrual period - 3 months + 1 week + 1 yr
consequences of pregnancy during natural disasters
- High risk of still birth (born dead)
- Premature delivery
- Low birth weight
(Regardless of stressor, these are the same outcomes seen! )
Outcomes on babies in COVID
not the same as stressful events (little research done)
- Only seen if pregnant woman CONTRACTED covid
fetal development first trimester (first 12 weeks)
- Development of placenta and amniotic sac
- Major organs develop
period of rapid development!
first trimester physical changes in pregnant person
- Breast swelling, tenderness
- Frequent urination
- Bowel irregularity
- Vaginal discharge might increase
- Nausea -> THEORY vomiting rids body from toxic chemicals
- 25% don’t experience this
- Fatigue -> high levels of progesterone (sedative effect)
- Increased temperature for more than 2 weeks
Endoderm
- Digestive tract
- Respiratory
Ectoderm
- NS
- skin
Mesoderm
- mujscles
- skeleton
- connective tissue
- reproductive system
- circulatory
cephalocaudal order
head forms first, body last
Trophoblast
placenta
Causes of Miscarriages
💡 Most caused by chromosome problems in fetus
- Other possible causes:
- Infections
- Hormonal problems
- Alcohol/drug use
- Obesity
- Cancer
- Contraction of severe health problems
Preterm delivery
before 37th week
Possible symptoms of Miscarriage (3)
Low back or abdominal pain
Clot passes through vagina
Vaginal bleeding
changes in fetus in 2nd trimester (13-26)
- Fetus becomes sensitive to light and sound!
- Might react and move
- Immature organ systems
changes in person in 2nd trimester (13-26)
- Decreased symptoms -> Most comfortable
- Constipation, nosebleeds
- Caused by water retention, pressure on capillaries
- Expanding belly
- Fetal movements
- Edema (water retention)
- Face, hands, wrists, feet, etc.
- Breasts fully developed (colostrum-19th week)
Physical Changes in Pregnant Person in 3rd tri (27-38)
- Uterus is large and hard
- Symptoms from pressure on organs
- Aware of fetal activity
- Awkwardness
- Braxton-Hicks contractions
- Engagement of head (lightening, dropping)
- Head facing downward toward cervix
- In women who have had babies before—occurs during labour
act protecting pregnant women?
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (USA)
lowest and highest teen pregnancy rates?
PEI
NU
what vitamins/minerals associated with premature birth?
Calcium and magnesium deficits
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
- umbrella term
Small amount of opening between eyelids, groove between nose and upper lip = flat, thin upper lip
Fetal alcohol syndrome
- Most severe
- Intellectual ability—IQ 70 or below
- ~1% of Canadians
- Prenatal/postnatal deficits—small brain/eyes, joint/limb/heart impairments
effects of Smoking
- Slow growth and development
- Increases death
- Premature birth, low birth weight, cardiovascular abnormalities, increased risk for asthma
Marijuana
Premature birth, low birth weight, difficulty conceiving
Couvade syndrome
- Sympathetic pregnancy
- Some men experience physical symptoms of pregnancy (nausea, indigestions, headaches, etc.)
- Hormonal?
- Higher levels of prolactin prenatally, low T postnatally
- Culture-bound
- Asia, SA, Oceana
First Stage of Labour
Effacement of cervix (thinning)
- dilation (10cm)
- Length: 2-24 hours
- 12-15 hrs = average for 1st pregnancy
- 8 hrs. = 2nd and later pregnancy
Contractions (regular)
5 mins apart, 1 minute long, happening for an hour
stages of 1st stage labour (3)
- early
- contractions 15-20mins apart
- cervix = effacing and dilating - late
- dilation 5-8cm - transition
- full dilation
- most pain / exhaustion
Second Stage Labour
10cm dilation
Head into birth canal from cervix into vagina
-few mins to hours
- urge to push
- crowning (top of head visible)
- episiotomy (Incision in perineum)
- first breath
Third Stage Labour
- Placenta detaches
- Afterbirth expelled
- Remaining membranes from uterus come out
- Can take a few minutes — few hours
Placenta previa
Placenta is attached to wall of uterus (close to or overlapping with cervix)
% of caesarean sections
About 28% of births in Canada in 2017 (common)
Why are c-sections increasing in Canada?
- Increase in older people giving birth
- More technology able to detect distress
- More women requesting without clear medical reasons to do so
Lamaze method
Teaches relaxation and controlled breathing
- Lower complications, reduced length of labour, reduced use of drugs, higher empowerment, better experience!
- Shorter labour, less pain
Doula (woman’s servant)
Someone present during childbirth to provide emotional support and education
- People with Doula’s = shorter labour on average & infants score higher Apgar (overall health) scores
how many parents regret having kids?
7%
Psychological changes
80% = Baby Blues (usually resolves in ~2 weeks)
10-20% = postpartum depression (full clinical depression)
- Result of low levels of E and P due to expel of placenta (which produced high levels of these)
- Usually begins 2-3 weeks after birth (but can begin sooner)
- Lasts 6-8 weeks
- 17% experience
Breast Feeding
colostrum (higher in nutrition)
milk - 2-3 days after
role of Prolactin
Stimulates breasts to produce milk
role of oxytocin
- Stimulates breasts to eject milk
- Released reflexively by pituitary in response to infant sucking on breast
Infertility
💡 Refers to inability to conceive or inability to impregnate a person after 1 year of regular sex
most common cause of infertility in women
💡 PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) most common
- caused by an untreated sexually transmitted infection, especially gonorrhea or chlamydia
other causes of infertility
- Problems with ovulation (18-30%)
- Fallopian tube blocks, fibroid, endometriosis, hormonal imbalance, early menopause, eating disorders, toxic chemical exposure, smoking, alcohol, narcotics, age
Causes in Men
Infection in reproductive system due to STI
- Low sperm count (due to varicoceles), motility, cigarette smoking, toxic exposure, alcohol, marijuana use, some prescription drugs, obesity, environmental estrogens, age
