What is Pregnancy?
It is called pregnancy, gestation or gravida to the period that goes from the implantation of the fertilised egg in the uterus to the time of partum/delivery.
A normal pregnancy period is a physiological state of the woman that begins with fertilisation and ends with the delivery and the birth of the baby.
Ovulation and fertile week
The ovulatory phase, that is to say, the period in which the ovule is released and is ready for fertilisation, lasts for 24 hours. Ovulation occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle, approximately on day 14. Once it is released, the ovule has a life of only 24 hours, and if it is not fertilised during that time, it ends up dying and is expulsed by means of menstruation.
The day following ovulation, the same day of the ovulation, and the 3 previous days are the fertile days of the woman, that is to say, approximately days 11-15 of the cycle.
The spermatozoids can live in the female genital tract for about 3-4 days. For this reason, if these arrive before ovulation occurs they are waiting to meet up with the ovule.
Duration of the Pregnancy
Human pregnancy lasts 40 weeks from the first day of the last menstruation/period, or 38 weeks from fertilisation (approximately 9 months).
Embarazo múltiple
Un embarazo múltiple es aquel en el que se desarrolla más de un feto. Esto se produce como resultado de la fecundación de dos o más óvulos, o cuando un óvulo se divide, dando lugar en este caso a gemelos, genéticamente idénticos.
El embarazo doble o gemelar es la forma más común de embarazo múltiple, aunque también hay ocasiones puntuales en las que ocurren gestaciones de trillizos.
Los mellizos provienen de dos óvulos diferentes; tienen dos placentas y dos bolsas. Los bebés pueden ser del mismo o de diferente sexo.
En cambio, los gemelos se generan por la división espontánea de un embrión único, generado a partir de un solo óvulo. Siempre son del mismo sexo e idénticos. Pueden compartir una sola placenta, o tener dos diferentes, y compartir una sola bolsa, o tener cada uno la suya propia.
Normal pregnancy and risk pregnancy
A normal pregnancy is that which occurs with no unfavourable factors (biological, psychological, socio-demographic, etc.) and/or previous maternal diseases or those acquired during the course of the pregnancy, which may interfere in its normal progression.
Pregnancy is classified into the following levels of risk: low, medium, high, or very high.
The risk assessment is updated in each visit as this can vary. For example, a low risk pregnancy may change to a high risk one if diabetes appears during gestation.
If the pregnancy is considered low or medium risk, a midwife will be your main contact.
A high risk pregnancy is one that has more possibilities of developing complications during gestation. In these cases, the woman must be subjected to a more rigorous monitoring, in order to avoid possible risks.
It is estimated that 10% of pregnancies are high risk, and the causes can be very variable and may occur before, during, or after gestation.
If your pregnancy has a high or very high risk, your main contact will be a doctor (obstetric-gynaecologist) and all the specialists that are considered necessary.
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