First Trimester Pregnancy – OB Medical Concerns

Transcript

“The first trimester of pregnancy extends from the first day of the last menstrual period, all the way through to 14 weeks. And the developing baby at this stage is called an embryo. And we know that hormonally, physically, mentally, emotionally, a lot is going on in your body. So we’re going to talk about some of the things you can expect physically, and a couple of things you need to be very cognizant of and speak with your healthcare provider about. So some of the normal things would be hormonal changes in skin or hormonal changes in breast fullness, or maybe breast tenderness, some bowel concerns, maybe a little bit of fullness in the belly. Some vaginal changes or some vaginal discharge and a few other minor inconveniences would be things like cramping. You may notice a little bit of pelvic cramping as that uterus starts to stretch and grow holding that baby.

If cramping tips over to severe, or you have bleeding that goes with it, really important to reach out to your healthcare provider. Some other things that may occur is you may notice a fullness or congestion from all of the increased blood flow in your sinuses and in your head, you may even notice some headaches, but one of the things to be very aware of is if you start to have blurred vision or you start to get a severe headache or it’s associated with any other symptoms that may indicate you have an elevation in your blood pressure. So an elevation in blood pressure is one of those medical important situations where you definitely need to see your healthcare provider if you’re having blurred vision, severe headache, you’re having any trouble voiding, which would indicate maybe you’re getting dehydrated. Those kinds of things may indicate a hypertensive disorder and your healthcare provider will need to assess you and make sure that you’re doing okay.

One of the other things that can happen early in pregnancy and maybe carry on into the second trimester is nausea. So some nausea is okay, and you may have to shift your diet. You may have to adjust the kind of foods that you can tolerate, but if you have severe nausea and vomiting called hyperemesis gravidarum, then that is a persistent and prevalent nausea and vomiting that can actually contribute to dehydration. And it may be related to other obstetrical or medical concerns that your doctor will need to assess. Some people have nausea and vomiting all the way through pregnancy, but for various reasons, if this is severe in the early part of your pregnancy, you want to make sure you see your healthcare provider to rule out conditions that may be contributing to the nausea and vomiting. So all of those physical changes, a lot of them are normal. In fact, the vast majority of them are normal, and you’re just going to have to get to know a new body as you’re putting together a human being in there. But things to think about would be cramping and bleeding, a severe headache with visual changes or severe nausea and vomiting. Those would be three that you absolutely want to call your healthcare provider and make sure you get a proper workout and have a really open discussion.”