Pregnancy Flashcards
What are some of the conditions for females during or to do with menstrual cycle
Amenorrhea
- Failure to start to menstruate by 15 years old
- Cessation of menstrual cycle for <6months
Dysmenorrhea
- Painful menstrual cycle
Menorrhage
-Increase in menstruation
Metorrhage
- Bleeding in-between periods
Oligomenorrhea
- Infrequent periods
Polymenoorrhea
- More frequent periods
Whats are the phases of the menstrual cycle
6-12 days = Pre ovulation phase
- New egg matures
- Lining of the uterus begins to thicken
13-15 days = Ovulation phase
- Ovulation
- Egg is released
16-28 days = Past Ovulation phase
- Egg travels to the uterus and if not fertilised, dissolves
- Lining of the uterus continues to thicken
1-5 days = Menstration
- Your period
- Lining of the uterus sheds
What does Oestrogen do
- Prepares the uterine wall for implant
- Promotes female development
- Breast tissue
- Voice
What does Progesterone do
- Pumps up blood in the uterus walls with nutrients ready for the egg
- Maintains pregnancy “prevents’ any further implant by increasing the mucus membrane and making the atmosphere inhospitable to sperm, and increases basel metabolic rate
How does the Pill stop fertilisation
- The pill is made of Oestrogen and Progesterone which causes a constant levels of these drugs it inhibits the production of LH causing.
- No follicular development
- No ovulation
Explain the positive feedback mechanism and oxytocin during labour
- Oxytocin is produced but the hypothalamus and stimulates uterine contractions
- Promotes lactation
- Baby pushes against the cervix causing it to stretch, stretch receptors pick this up and send a signal down the ANS to pituitary glands to release oxytocin
- Oxytocin causes the uterus to contract
- And the cycle repeats itself
What is the agents called that suppress uterine contractions in order to reduce preterm birth
- Tocolytics
Describe some of the physiological changes that happen during pregnancy
Cardiac
Respiratory
Haematological
Digestive
Other
Cardiac
- Cardiac Output increase 50%
- Stroke volume increase 35%
- HR increase 15-25%
- Increased oestrogen and progesterone cause vasodilation
- Left ventricle hypotrophy but this is only temporary
- Enlarged uterus compresses Vena Cava reducing venous return
- Capillary oedema
Respiratory
- Lungs need to work 50% harder
- Growing uterus causes everything to push upwards causing less space for the lungs to expand
- Reduced residual volume
- Increase Resp rate
Haematological
- Increase in blood volume
- Decrease in Haemocrit
- Increase in WBC
- Increase in coagulation
Digestive
- Increase in appetite to the baby needs for nutrients
- Compression of aorta causes Kidney and uterine perfusion
- Constipation
What are the terms for pregnancy in weeks
- Preterm 0-36 wks
- Early 37-38 wks
- Full term 39-41 wks
Define the job and function of the uterine wall
- Endometrium is highly vascular
- Myometrium
3 layers of smooth muscle
Thicker at the fondus
Thin at cervix
Define the fallopian tube
- 10 cm in length
- Provides route for sperm
- Lined with collated epithelium
- Prone to scar from Std
What is the definition of ectopic pregnancy, the signs and symptoms and management
- Foetal development outside the uterus
- Progressive abdo pain
- LMP >4-6weeks
- Referred shoulder pain
- Entonox
- Paracetamol
- Morphine
- Metoclopramide
What is the definition of miscarriage , the signs and symptoms and management
- Loss of pregnancy before 23 wks
- LMP >4-6wks
- Uterine cramps
- Vaginal bleeding
- Foetal product
- Pain relief
What is the definition of Placenta previa, the signs and symptoms and management
- Complete or partial obstruction of the cervical canal by the placenta
- Severe haemorrhage on labour, can be painless bleeding
- Allow for delivery to progress in McRoberts position
- Pain relief ?TXA
What is the definition of Placenta Abruptia, the signs and symptoms and management
- Partial separation of the placenta from the uterine wall
- Severe acute onset of abode pain, and signs of hypovoleamic shock
- Pain relief
What is the definition of Cord prolapse, the signs and symptoms and management
- Breech
- Multiple births
- pre term
- Replace cord in vagina, keep cord warm and moist
- position on all fours
- Pain relief
- Time critical
What is the definition of Eclampsia, the signs and symptoms and management
- Pre eclampsia is pregnancy induced hypertension, protein urea or seizures
- Mild pre eclampsia
- Progressive oedema
- Headache
- Keep quiet
- Diazepam
- Time critical
Any bleed upto 24hrs after birth with a loss of 500ml is known as
- Postpartum Haemorrhage
During pregnancy woman become more coagulant, why is this
- Stop excessive bleeding during the birth process
Describe the Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle
- The Pituitary Gland releases two hormones
- FSH and LH, when this reaches the overies it stimulates the eggs to grow and mature
- The follicles respond by producing oestrogen causing the eggs to grow, as they grow the Oestrogen levels peak
- This peak in oestrogen inhibits FSH and the pituitary gland then pumps out more LH
- This increase in LH causes the egg to be released and move away from the ovaries, Ovulation
- Egg has a small 24 hr window for fertilisation
- Meanwhile the empty cell releases Progesterone, this tells the uterus to pump up with extra blood and nutrients ready for a fertilised egg.
- After a few days if no fertilised egg attaches to the uterus wall the levels of Oestrogen and progesterone drop causing the wall to fall away, Period
