Pregnancy Girl » Getting Pregnant FAQs

I am thinking about getting pregnant. How can I take care of myself?

Alina Kaganovsky — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:28:32 +0000

You should start taking care of yourself before you start trying to get pregnant. By staying active, eating right, and taking a multivitamin, you can help keep yourself and your baby healthy even before it is conceived. This will help you have a healthy pregnancy and lower your chances of having a baby born with a birth defect.

Here are some ways to take care of yourself before you get pregnant:

Eat healthy foods, exercise regularly (30 minutes per day most days of the week is best), and get enough rest and sleep. Talk to your doctor about what kinds of food and exercise are best for you.
Get 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid (one of the B vitamins) every day. The best way to do this is to take a daily multivitamin with this amount of folic acid. Getting enough folic acid every day before you get pregnant and during early pregnancy can help prevent certain birth defects. Many breakfast cereals and other grain products are enriched with folic acid. But only some products contain 400 mcg of folic acid per serving. Always check the labels to be sure you’re getting your daily dose.
See your doctor for a complete check up. Make sure that you’ve had all your shots, especially for rubella (German measles). Rubella can cause serious birth defects. Chickenpox can also be dangerous during pregnancy. If you’ve had chickenpox and rubella in the past, you should be immune to them. If not, talk to your doctor about the vaccines.
Tell your doctor about any prescription or over-the-counter medicines (including herbal remedies) you are taking. Some medicines are not safe to take during pregnancy.
Stop smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, or taking drugs. Ask your doctor for help. Members of your faith community, counselors, or friends can also give support.

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I am in my late 30s and I want to get pregnant. Should I do anything special?

Alina Kaganovsky — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 05:59:54 +0000

As you age, you have an increasing chance of having a baby born with a birth defect. Yet most women in their late 30s and early 40s have healthy babies. See your doctor regularly before you even start trying to get pregnant. She will be able to help you prepare your body for pregnancy. She will also be able to tell you about how age can affect pregnancy.

During your pregnancy, seeing your doctor regularly is very important. Because of your age, your doctor will probably suggest some additional tests to check on your baby’s health.

More and more women are waiting until they are in their 30s and 40s to have children. While many women of this age have no problems getting pregnant, fertility does decline with age. Women over 40 who don’t get pregnant after six months of trying should see their doctors for a fertility evaluation.

Experts define infertility as the inability to become pregnant after trying for one year. If you think you or your partner may be infertile, talk to your doctor. She or he will be able to suggest treatments such as drugs, surgery, or assisted reproductive technology.

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I don’t want to get pregnant right now. But should I still take folic acid every day?

Alina Kaganovsky — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 05:53:26 +0000

Experts recommend that all women of childbearing age get 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day. Even women with very little chance of getting pregnant should get their daily dose of folic acid. This is because many pregnancies are not planned. Often women don’t know they are pregnant for a number of weeks. And some birth defects happen during this very early part of pregnancy.

Taking 400 mcg of folic acid every day will help prevent some birth defects that happen in early pregnancy. If a woman doesn’t start taking vitamins until the second or third month of pregnancy, it may be too late to prevent birth defects. Folic acid may also have other health benefits for women.

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What is prenatal care and why do I need it?

Alina Kaganovsky — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:08:05 +0000

During pregnancy, the health care that you receive from your doctor is called prenatal care. Prenatal care can help keep you and your baby healthy during pregnancy. Babies of Mothers who do not get prenatal care are three times more likely to have a low birth weight and five times more likely to die than those born to Mothers who do get prenatal care.

Your doctor can spot health problems early when they see you regularly. This allows them to treat any problems early and cure many problems and prevent others. Regular prenatal care is best for you and your baby.

While you’re pregnant, there are three important things to remember:

Get early prenatal care. If you know you’re pregnant, or think you might be, call your doctor to schedule a visit.
Get regular prenatal care. Your doctor will schedule you for many appointments during your pregnancy. Don’t miss these appointments, they’re all equally as important.
Follow your doctor’s advice to ensure the health of both you and baby.

Dieters Beware: Dieting Before Pregnancy Boosts Prenatal Weight Gain Were you a dieter before you were pregnant? If so,...

I got a negative result on a home pregnancy test. Might I still be pregnant?

Alina Kaganovsky — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:00:56 +0000

Yes. So, most home pregnancy tests recommend women take the test again in a few days or a week.

Every woman ovulates at different times in her menstrual cycle. Plus, embryos implant in the uterus at different times. So, most home pregnancy tests (HPTs) suggest women take the test again in a few days or a week.

Sometimes women get false negative results (when the test says you are not pregnant and you are) when they test too early in the pregnancy. Other times, problems with the pregnancy can affect the amount of hCG in the urine.

If your pregnancy test is negative, test yourself again in a few days or 1 week. If you keep getting a negative result but think you are pregnant, talk with your doctor right away.

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Can anything interfere with home pregnancy test results?

Alina Kaganovsky — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:59:06 +0000

Most medicines, over-the-counter and prescription, including birth control pills and antibiotics, should not affect the results of a home pregnancy test. Only medicines that have the pregnancy hormone hCG in them can give a false positive test result. A false positive is when a test says you are pregnant when you’re not.

Sometimes medicines containing hCG are used to treat infertility (not being able to get pregnant). Alcohol and illegal drugs do not affect home pregnancy test results. But women who may become pregnant should not use these substances.

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How accurate are home pregnancy tests?

Alina Kaganovsky — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:48:35 +0000

Home pregnancy tests can be quite accurate. But the accuracy really depends on many different circumstances.

How You Use Them: Follow the directions provided with your home pregnancy test and be sure to check the expiration date on the box.
When You Use Them: The amount of hCG pregnancy hormone in your urine at the time of the test, the better. And this level of hCG increases over time so the sooner you take the test after your missed period, the harder it may be to detect the level of pregnancy hormone. Waiting until at least one week after your missed period will increase accuracy and testing with your first morning’s urine may also boost accuracy.
Who Uses Them: Every pregnant woman has a different level of the hCG pregnancy hormone present in their urine. This means that for some women, an accurate pregnancy test can be achieved on the first day of missed period while some women may need to wait up to a week before taking the test.
The Brand Used: The sensitivity level of each pregnancy test is different. Some tests are better than other tests at spotting the level of hCG early in pregnancy.

A large majority of pregnancy tests claim to be up to 99% accurate on the day you miss your period. But there has been research that suggests that most home pregnancy tests do not consistently spot pregnancy this early. Futhermore, when they do, the results are often faint.

In a 2004 study, researchers tested the accuracy of 18 HPTs sold in retail stores. They found that only one brand consistently detected the low levels of hCG usually present on the first day of the missed period. This was the First Response, Early Result Pregnancy Test. The other tests missed up to 85% of pregnancies on the first day of the missed period. Most tests accurately confirmed pregnancies one week after the missed period.

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How soon after a missed period can I take a home pregnancy test?

Alina Kaganovsky — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:49:29 +0000

Many home pregnancy tests (HPTs) claim to be 99% accurate on the day you miss your period. But research suggests that most HPTs do not consistently spot pregnancy that early. And when they do, the results are often so faint they are misunderstood. If you can wait one week after your missed period, most home pregnancy tests will give you an accurate answer. Ask your doctor for a more sensitive test if you need to know earlier.

When a home pregnancy test will give an accurate result depends on many things. These include:

How long it takes for the fertilized egg to implant in the uterus after ovulation. Pregnancy tests look for the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) that is only produced once the fertilized egg has implanted in the uterine wall. In most cases, this happens about 6 days after conception. But studies show that in up to 10 percent of women, the embryo doesn’t implant until much later, after the first day of the missed period. So, home pregnancy tests will be accurate as soon as one day after a missed period for some women but not for others.
How you use them – Be sure to follow the directions and check the expiration date.
When you use them – The amount of hCG in a pregnant woman’s urine increases with time. So, the earlier after a missed period you take a HPT, the harder it is to spot the hCG. If you wait one week after a missed period to test, you are more apt to have an accurate result. Also, testing your urine first thing in the morning may boost the accuracy.
Who uses them – The amount of hCG in the urine at different points in early pregnancy is different for every woman. So, some women will have accurate results on the day of the missed period while others will need to wait longer.
The brand of test - Some home pregnancy tests are more sensitive than others. So, some tests are better than others at spotting hCG early on.

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