The medical diagnosis of a pregnancy marks a very important milestone in a woman's life. It brings a sense of responsibility and a feeling of a fullfillment, especially if the the pregnancy was planned. On the other hand, if the pregnancy was not expected or planned, it would mark a period of intense stress and misery to the woman, as well as the family.
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The main purpose of a pregnancy diagnosis is to know the expected date of delivery and to predict the existence of high risk pregnancies that may require interventions, early in the course. If the woman was smoking by the time the pregnancy is diagnosed, she is advised to stop smoking, proper nutrition is encouraged and measures are taken to safeguard the mother and the fetus health.
If the woman decides to terminate the pregnancy, early diagnosis is important since elective termination of pregnancy should be done at the earliest stage possible, for better outcome. Pregnancy is usually diagnosed by looking at the signs a woman is experiencing.
These signs of pregnancy are classified into three different categories;
- Presumptive Signs of Pregnancy
- Probable Signs of Pregnancy
- Positive Signs of Pregnancy
Presumptive Signs of pregnancy
These are least indicative signs of pregnancy. The woman reports the signs but the examiner cannot be able to verify or to document them. Basically, they are very subjective in nature and sometimes, they would even be an indication of other medical conditions. Usually the signs are connected with the system that they are affecting.
- Missed menstrual period (amenorrhea).
- Nausea and vomiting
- Changes in breast (fullness, tingling, enlargement or darkening of areola).
- Increase in urination frequency
- Feeling of fatigue
- Enlargement of the uterine
- Quickening (the first fetal movement felt by the mother at around 18-20 weeks of pregnancy).
- Linea nigra (dark vertical line that appears on the abdomen).
- Melasma (dark skin discoloration appearing on facial areas that are exposed to sun).
- Stria gravidarum (stretch marks or red streaks on the abdomen).
Probable Signs of Pregnancy
Probable Signs are those signs that can be documented by the examiner. These signs are more reliable than presumptive but still they do not indicate a positive diagnosis of a pregnancy.
- Blood laboratory test - traces of HCG will show in the blood as early as 24 to 48 hours after implantation. Urine test can also be done but blood test gives earlier results (HCG reaches a measurable serum levels after 7 to 9 days).
- Changes of vagina color from pinkish to violet (Chadwick's sign).
- The cervix becomes soft (Goodell's sign).
- The lower segment of the cervix becomes soft (Hegar's signs).
- There is evidence of a gestational sac on ultrasound.
- Ballottement (visible rising of the fetus against abdominal wall during bimanual examination).
- Braxton hicks contraction (sporadic uterine contractions).
- Presence of fetal uterine when the abdomen is palpated by the examiner.
Positive Signs of Pregnancy
These are true signs of pregnancy or reliable signs that indicate a woman is indeed pregnant. There are 3 positive signs of pregnancy.
- Presence of a fetal heart rate separate from the mother's - Doppler ultrsound demonstrates or reveals a fetal heartbeat.
- Fetus seen on ultrasound - The fetal outline is visible and measurable by use of a sonogram.
- Evidenced fetal movement by the examiner - Fetal movement can be felt by the examiner when palpated on the abdomen.
